November 12, 2017bessie

Heritage tour, war memorial and safari in one weekend

Where do you take Filipino cousins who grew up in the U.S. but want to learn a bit more about the Philippines for 1 weekend?

Since they’ve been to the usual places like Tagaytay, Boracay and Palawan, we decided to take a van for an overnight trip in Bataan.

We first went to the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar heritage and convention complex. Quite a fascinating place – a trip back in time to the Spanish era, with a river tour, a walking tour and an art tour. Though the whole place was actually constructed only less than a decade ago, its Spanish vibe comes from the fact that each replica house (called Casa) in the place was constructed with a part of the original structure within (shipped to Bataan from all over the country). It’s worth noting that parts of the Heneral Luna  movie were shot here as well!

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View from the terrace
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River tour on a giant balsa
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One of the sights along the river.

 

 

 

Wood scultpures during the Art Tour.
Wood sculptures in Hotel de Oriente are crafted by artists from Paete and Betis.

 

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The Hotel de Oriente replica (original structure during Spanish times was in Binondo).

 

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Cobblestoned roads lead to houses where people can stay overnight.

 

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Most houses have a peep hole in the 2nd floor above the main entrance so the residents can throw urine and other liquids at an unwanted visitor knocking below (like the bill collector).

 

By 4 pm off we went to nearby Mount Samat where a national shrine with a giant 90-foot tall white memorial cross stands at the top in remembrance of soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of Bataan during World War 2. The cross, reputed to be the world’s second tallest cross, was built in 1970. Though the elevator that would’ve taken guests to the top from within the cross no longer works, there is an equally interesting war museum and colonnade that people can explore near the base.

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90-foot tall white memorial cross at the top of Mount Samat. Symbols of national heroes in the war are carved at the base of the cross.

 

 

The colonnade has the entire story of the Bataan fight etched on the walls.
View of the cross from the colonnade.
Beautiful marble floor patterns at the colonnade.

 

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The war museum can be found at the colonnade.

 

After an overnight stay in Subic (with Duty Free shopping and some casino activities for the adults), next destination was Zoobic Safari which suited the different ages of the family members.IMG_3874

 

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Compared to our regular zoo in  the city, Zoobic has more animals (like these camels, for one).

 

 

Feeding the animals…
Feeding a tiger…
Feeding birds….

 

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Lions and tigers are all over the place.

 

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You can let an owl stand on your  head for a fee.

 

Definitely a great family road trip worth every minute! #bataan #lascasasacuzar

Itinerary and costs:

Day 1:
Travel to Bataan (whole morning)                                         P2000 (gas) approx.
Heritage Tour (River tour, walking tour, art tour)              P2,500/ person (weekend rate)
Mount Samat shrine                                                                  Free
Mount Samat War Museum                                                     P50 entrance fee
Duty Free shopping, casino, dinner                                        P1,000 appprox.
Overnight in hotel (Subic)                                                         P2,500 per person

Day 2:
Zoobic Safari tour                                                                       P695 per adult
Return to Manila                                                                         P2,000 gas approx.

GRAND TOTAL                                                                            P10,745 per person

 

 

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