My favorite among the ancestral homes that we visited during our Taal Heritage Tour is the Galleria Taal. A camera museum with is the first and only in the country. It is located along the main street of Taal, just a tumbling away from the Leon Apacible Museum and the Agoncillo Shrine. It is an ancestral house and a camera treasure trove wrapped into one.

The ancestral home of the Ilagan-Barrion family houses an impressive and vast collection of vintage cameras owned by Mr. Manny Inumerable himself. Apart from the cameras, it also showcase an exhibit of photos by John Silva, John Tewell, George Bonasay and Sonny Camarillo. The exhibit also includes the only known existing photograph of Jose Rizal's execution.

After a sumptuous colonial lunch prepared at Villa Tortuga we proceed to the continuation of our walking tour. This time we set foot on one of the oldest ancestral house in Taal, the Leon Apacible Museum.

According to history, Leon Apacible is a lawyer and a judge of the Court of First Instance of Batangas City. With the proclamation of the Revolutionary Government, Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo appointed him as finance officer of Batangas.

If you have a penchant for history and wish to travel back to the Spanish Era, a tour inside Villa Tortuga is perfect for you. Not only will you experience the feeling of being transported back to another time but you'll enjoy a taste of spanish recipes. I chanced upon this deal online and invited my husband who's a history buff to join the trip.

Doña Marcela Marino Agoncillo is the distinguished Taaleña matron who sew the first Philippine flag, which was waved during the Independence of 1898. The house where she grew up was built by her grandfather, Andres Marino in 1700s. Now the ancestral home was turned into a museum for historical and heritage tours. I've visited the place once during my highschool as part of our educational fieldtrip. 

In its garden stands the bronze statue of Marcela Agoncillo, cradling in her arms her legacy to the nation.

Basilica de San Martin de Tours or Taal Basilica as some would prefer to call it is one of the oldest church in Philippine History. It is also considered as the largest church in Asia, situated in the heart of Taal, Batangas. I always admire the glamour of its facade every time I pass by going to other towns close to it. I've attended several weddings and baptismal in this church but haven't gone further its premises apart from the altar. 

I had the opportunity to join an exclusive tour to this historical town when I saw this deal on a buying site few weeks ago. I was getting addicted to groupons, acquiring trips and gift certificates at discounted prices through vouchers sold online. Actually, I was just expecting a plain tour inside Taal Church itself, but then I was startled when our tour guide started acquainting us to the different areas of the church which is beyond my expectation. 

Basilica de San Martin de Tours 

The sleepy town of Taal is one of the most visited places here in Batangas with it's famous ancestral houses and the magnificent Basilica de San Martin de Tours (Taal Church). The town's rich cultural heritage has been preserved despite the pressures of modernization and it has always been close to my heart.

Subic is known for it's diverse culture, a place for leisure activities and extreme sports. There are a lot of places and adventures that is worthy of your time, but for a short two-day trip with the whole family, an overnight stay will never be enough. 

It was my second visit at Subic, but this time with my beloved in-laws. The idea of a long weekend was supposedly a total R & R, but it turned out to be a tiring, but fun rainy getaway. Stormy weather didn't bothered us a bit! It was a rain or shine "gala" at Olongapo City to visit some relatives and wandering around Subic Bay. 

My first visit to Subic wayback 2002 was a Lions Club International Convention. As part of my mom's active organization memberships years ago, me and my sister have the perks of visiting new places from time to time because my Mom wouldn't want to leave us home alone. 

It was a group tour and we stayed in Subic Homes for three days. I love the place because it was clean, quiet and comfortable. The place where we stayed is very nice and cozy. I'm happy I was able to visit it again after 9 long years, now with my husband and kids as well as my in-laws. 

The place has the same clean and quiet surroundings. And I noticed some improvements with the housing facilities in the nearer areas. I booked a unit with 3 bedrooms plus a servant's quarter near the kitchen and a garage at Binictican Heights. I was actually referred by a cousin in a website for the contacts. The place was big enough to accommodate a party of twelve (12) including two kids and a nanny but quite creepy and old unlike the other units just a few blocks near the entrance and the pool.

Family Living Area 

A trip to the city of Durian will never be complete without visiting Samal Island, the beach in Davao City. It is a small island and is recognized to be the cleanest among the islands in the Philippines according to most travellers.

So before we left for our Davao vacation I made a few research about resorts in Samal Island which is accessible and affordable, but not compromising comfort, security and leisure. There are a lot of other nice resorts in Samal but Paradise Island complemented my queries, also thinking that we are a couple of heads travelling together, it's the most budget friendly option.

All the while, I thought Davao Crocodile Park was a government property, until I came across it's history and was enlightened that it is a privately owned institution operated by a group of businessmen from Davao City. I was even surprised that it all started from the fascination of the owner to Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles and not as a lucrative business right away. Not until he learned that crocodiles raised in other countries are not just for public viewing but for leather production purposes too.

Crown Regency Residences served as our home for three days during our family vacation in Davao City. My initial reaction with the place was quite good, spacious and comfortable for my kids and the rest of the family members especially my parents. It has a home-like ambience and charming mediterranean architectures. Some areas of the room needs to be refurbished though the interiors are quite nice and clean. (Some of the photos are courtesy of Crown Regency and Tripadvisor, I wasn't able to take more photos because I was too busy attending to my babies' needs).

Facade of the Hotel