Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Frustrated, not because it was not a sight to see but because it’s frustrating to have to drive 3-4 hours to see such beauty when in fact, this was how reality was 200 years ago. It could have been an ordinary sight for us to see and enjoy even in the city if it had been preserved. Together with friends from the Erasmus Alumni Association Philippines, I went to visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan on Chinese New Year 2018.

We paid 2,099 Php for a daytour that includes travel arrangements to and from Bataan and Manila. At two in the morning, our driver, Kuya Marwin, fetched our friends from SMX. At three, it was our turn to meet the rest of the group at Caltex in Mindanao Avenue. By 3:30 a.m, we were on the road to Bataan.

We arrived early so we stopped by Jollibee 8km away from our first stop for a quick breakfast, watching the sunrise from afar.

Our first itinerary was at Mt. Samat. I’ve been here when I was a kid with my family. This time, I unbelievably climbed up the hill to the cross even if I would normally beg not to. I’m quite proud of myself for choosing to do so.

We were scheduled to proceed to Las Casas at noon but as early as 9am, we decided to proceed with the main visit of the day.

Once registered, we took a jeepney to the meet up point at Casa Lubao for the tour around the compound. In two hours, we made a tour around the old houses originally found in different cities in the country. These houses are reconstructed, made from original pieces gathered from the original houses from their respective locations. Each house has its charm and story.

I’m looking forward to going back and staying in their hotel. There’s also a nearby beach, man-made lake and pool in the compound so apart from the tour of the houses, we could also bathe to freshen up after a long walk under the sun. For more refreshments, three restaurants (Italian, Spanish and Filipino) are also located inside.

We started heading back to Manila by 3pm and had dinner at TriNoma once we arrived around 8pm. It was indeed a long, tiring day but I couldn’t have spent the holiday any other way!