Time Travel to Jose Rizal's Time

This is another dose of architecture and interior design. I guess these two will also be part of my travels, probably one of the biggest reasons why I travel. :-D When I knew I'd be in Manila for five days, I thought it would be nice to go somewhere south this time as last year I headed north to Banaue. Some people I know said there's not much to do in Laguna, but I was sure in my mind there's always something that can be done. This time I time traveled more than a century back! Aside from the famous Buko Pie, which Laguna is famous for, it's the Rizal museum that I was also most excited about and the photos below are a testament to that. :-D 

My friends and I stayed at Monte Vista resort, which is kind of old already. My experience there wasn't bad at all. There were just a few incidents that I couldn't forget. First, the food attendant didn't get my breakfast order correctly so I ended up paying double. :-( I didn't know for what reason as I just read what was on the menu. Second, their front desk check-in and check-out process took forever. Maybe their internet or computer system was still not working well after typhoon Glenda hit the province. I don't really know, but it was quite obsolete. The staff was quite friendly though, quite smiley, and the best of all, the room we got had an indoor pool! How's that?

After the two-hour trip from Manila and checking in at Monte Vista, we were picked up by some friends and we had lunch at a famous seafood place called Isdaan Floating Restaurant. I could remember our cottage was above the water, but I sure knew it wasn't floating! :-D But our lunch was undeniably a feast! We had this 'bilao' serving that customers usually order and in it was a mix of our favorite seafood---fish, prawn, crab, etc. 

What followed our sumptuous meal was a quick trip to University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) where the architecture was quite reminiscent of the buildings in the university I studied at a few years ago, Silliman University. As we headed back to the hotel, we had a few stopovers, trying to get the best buko pie in town. 

The day after was intended solely for Rizal museum in Calamba. When we were heading to the museum, I could see a number of old houses along the street and I wished all of them would be maintained for the next generation to see. I always have this fascination for old things so this trip wouldn't be complete without visiting the house of the Philippines' national hero, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Realonda! I hope I spelled that right. What surprised me the most too was that the friend of ours who toured us around was actually a distant relative of the said hero given Mercado as his family name! :-D

View of Rizal's house from the back. I wished they didn't paint it mint green!

This entry serves as the main entrance now located at the right side of the house as you face the structure.

At first I thought this is a bell tower until I realized it's a well. As you can see there's a pail hanging so when they get water from the well, it goes all the way to the second floor.

The original main entry of the house. I wonder what the first floor was for during his time.

The semi-grand staircase leading visitors to the second floor.

This isn't the original house, but the late President Ramon Magsaysay, I hope I remembered it right, had the house rebuilt during the 1950's exactly the same as the original structure during Rizal's time

What do you think was Rizal's favorite food for dinner? 

This is where all the cooking happened.

It was a bit raining during our visit, but the rain didn't stop us! View of the backyard from this spot on the second floor. 

My ever favorite window, Capiz windows inside one of the bedrooms in the house.

This room is for Rizal's sisters. I only took a photo of this as this looked more gorgeous than the other ones---the four-posted bed, its draping, the carvings, and the Capiz windows that envelope the room. 

My Pano shots of the interior---from the living room to the dining room to the breakfast area and part of the kitchen.

When we took a quick stop at UPLB, I took photos of some of the structures there that captured me. I think this is their research center. I had nobody to ask for details as it was the weekend when we went there. 

And my most favorite, the UPLB library. Which place outside the Philippines this structure reminds you of? Silliman library is big and has almost the same color as this, but definitely architecture and landscape wise, this is better! ;-)

I hope you enjoyed the photos! And for those who haven't been there yet, you should try and revisit the past by dropping by at Jose's place, have a taste of Laguna by having a slice of buko pie, and create memories that you and friends can talk about! I'd like to thank our friends from there who welcomed us and shared their precious time touring us! You can check me out on Twitter and Instagram @LifeOfRedEye (July 2014)

XoXo, 

Red Eye ;-)