Taal: A Sleepy Town with a Rich History and a Golden Secret

FEBRUARY 6, 2016

It was drizzling lightly when I left Manila at around 6am. I went to DLTB bus station at Taft and rode a bus bound for Lemery and alighted at Taal. It took me 3 hours to get there, maybe because it was raining on the way. Once I got off from the bus, I then rode a jeepney that would take me to the town proper.

First stop, of course, is the historic Taal Church: the biggest church in Southeast Asia!

Candles inside the church

Confessional

The Baptistery. Notice the Masonic floor.

The church has a mini museum, too. Here are some of the pieces inside.

Ohhh!! The symbolism on this one!

An old sewing machine.

The Seat of Power!

They also have a mini pond with koi!

As I was going out, I passed by a group of people who are currently on a guided tour in the museum:

I've read on other blogs that you can actually go on the rooftop of the church. But since it was raining, the lady caretaker won't allow anybody to go upstairs.

NOW HERE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IS A CREEPY TRUE-TO-LIFE STORY.

I really really wanted to see the rooftop of the church and was even ready to bribe if need be. But the lady was firm when she said she wouldn't allow anybody for safety reasons. Being the little daredevil that I am, I scouted on stealth mode by the door going to the balcony (which I thought to be the same stairs leading to the rooftop). I looked around and everyone seemed busy and wouldn't  notice if I sashay in discreetly.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a dirty white shirt and maong pants opened the door and went directly upstairs, leaving the door open behind him. I looked around, no one was looking at my direction. So I quickly went in and quietly closed the door. There was a staircase leading to the balcony. Halfway through it though, just in the middle of the staircase, there was a narrow stairs to the right leading somewhere.

I followed the man upstairs and it took me to the balcony, I snapped a pic of the view downstairs.

View from the balcony.

The man was sort of wiping off dirt from the piano (not sure if it's a piano, though). So I asked him:

"Kuya, how do I get to the rooftop?"

"Just ask the lady at the front desk," he answered.

So I went down the stairs but curiosity got the better of me and I turned to the narrow stairs. There was sort of a wooden plank or something that served as barricade for those who wanted to go up. From what I saw, the stone pavement was really wet and slippery. It must've been the way to the rooftop but I knew it wouldn't be safe (I wasn't wearing my trek shoes, I didn't pursue it) so I just decided to go down.

There was already a group of college students flocked outside the door from which I came in. As I was coming out of it, I saw the lady heading to my direction, she was obviously mad.

"Sir, I told you I couldn't allow anybody to go up because it's not safe!" she said quite irate.

"Sorry, Ate. I just followed the man upstairs to the balcony," I said in my defense.

"So there's someone up there?"

"Yeah," I said. Because I'm sure that I would've seen the man if he went down from my position at the narrow staircase.

So the lady went up to the balcony and we all waited for her. She went down even more furious.

"Sir, nagdadahilan pa kayo eh. There is no one there!"

At that moment, all the hairs in my body went up. Feeling goosebumps, I quickly left the church.

Outside, armed with a printed map of Taal, I carried on with my walking tour.

Rizal College of Taal

Taal Cultural Center

Municipal Hall of Taal

Even the 7-11 looks "ancestral".

Cafe G!

A street sign in Taal

Of course, Taal is famous for its ancestral houses. Here are some that I saw along the way:

Ylagan-Dela Rosa Ancestral House

Casa Ofelia

Don Gregorio Agoncillo Mansion

Next stop was the San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps.

The steps leading down to the wells.

These stairs lead down to the famous wishing wells.

They say if you have an illness, you can damp some of the miraculous water on that certain part of the body. The left well cures from the head to the waist, and the right is from the waist down. Or vice versa. I'm sorry I forgot.

A kid of about 10 or 11 who was selling sampaguita guided me to these wells he even told me the history behind the wells. Of course I made a wish. Then I gave the kid 50 pesos as his guide fee. He didn't ask for money though.

Then I went on to the nearby Caysasay Church.

The facade of Our Lady Caysasay Church

The inside of the church

And then I headed to one of Taal's amazing museums: The Galleria Taal. It used to be the ancestral home of the Martinez-Ilagan clan in the 1800s. Until on March 2010, a great-grandchild, Manny Inumerable, made it a heaven for vintage cameras and opened it to the public.

The sign at the entrance.

Here are some of the vintage cameras on display:

On one of the rooms, there is a collection of photos of the "family tree":

And this one here is my most favorite among all the camera collection:

A 24k Gold Nikon Camera!

I thanked the lovely curator and walked once again around the quiet town of Taal amidst the light drizzle. And here are some of the places I saw:

The Casa Punzalan Hotel

An antique shop.

Gowns displayed at Taal Market

Taal Fire Station

Tampuhan Cafe

Villa Tortuga (where you can try old costumes)

I had some silog late lunch at one of the carinderias beside the municipal hall and then took a jeepney back to where I can ride a bus going to Manila.

They say Taal is a town of the rich.
Judging from its ancestral houses, I can see that it's true.

But Taal, just like most of the cities of the Philippines, is rich at one thing too: HISTORY.