Villa Escudero: A Cultural Experience
Villa Escudero is located along the boundary of Batangas and Quezon, a good two hour drive to the south west part of Metro Manila. A visit here is to experience the cultural heritage of the Philippines.
Every square inch of the former coconut plantation is a depiction of the Philippines' rural setting: from these lifesize statues that dot the wide grounds where one can imagine the simple life of 'ol ...
...to the waterfalls that bring back memories of some Sundays of family picnics along riverbanks and white-sand beaches...
...and to the picnic menu of rice, inihaw na baboy (pork), manok (chicken), isda (fish, e.g. tilapia), kalderetang baka, kare-kare and native condiments of kamatis (tomatoes) and bagoong, (yum...) served in banana leaf. For a more authentic feel, visitors can eat by their hands, utensils are provided if they prefer otherwise.
The vast plantation area is best explored by these carabao-drawn carts, the traditional mode of transportation in farms.
While visitors are taken around the the plantation, they can listen to music less and less heard nowadays, the kundiman, (and from different local languages at that)as they are serenaded by the melodious voices of plantation workers, who are garbed in traditional outfits: the baro and saya, for the ladies and the kamisa for men.
On a warm day, visitors can go rafting in the 30-ft. deep Labasin lake to take in cool and fresh air. This is advisable after the picnic to burn some calories.
A must-see during the day tour is the cultural show held every day at 2:00. It is a whole hour of dance and songs from selected regions of the country and each presentation showcases the history and culture of that particular location in the country.
Topping the day tour is the visit to the AERA museum where the religious statues, pottery and archeologic finds of the Escudero family are preserved and stored. The museum is a replica of San Agustin Church in Intramuros.
For overnight stays, lakeside cottages are available and evening entertainment is also provided for the guests.
The only touch of modernity would be the pool constructed for the little ones and for those who want to swim completely after being wet in the falls.
If you want to be transported back to the period when people can take their sweet time enjoying and smelling the flowers, then you come to Villa Escudero. It's a total package of entertainment, sight-seeing and fun for the family. It's educational too.
Lest I forget, grab a kilo of this divine fruit. YOu wont miss them as they are sold in stalls along the highway. It's called rambutan. It has hard hair-like covering, that keeps the white, juicy and sweet portion a delecteable secret.
Ask for the "tuklapin" variety as you'd enjoy it to the max. Keep the seeds, according to Ernie Baron, the former walking encyclopedia, it has therapeutic benefits. This is just one of the hard to resist fruit for me. Go dig in!!!
Every square inch of the former coconut plantation is a depiction of the Philippines' rural setting: from these lifesize statues that dot the wide grounds where one can imagine the simple life of 'ol ...
...to the waterfalls that bring back memories of some Sundays of family picnics along riverbanks and white-sand beaches...
...and to the picnic menu of rice, inihaw na baboy (pork), manok (chicken), isda (fish, e.g. tilapia), kalderetang baka, kare-kare and native condiments of kamatis (tomatoes) and bagoong, (yum...) served in banana leaf. For a more authentic feel, visitors can eat by their hands, utensils are provided if they prefer otherwise.
The vast plantation area is best explored by these carabao-drawn carts, the traditional mode of transportation in farms.
While visitors are taken around the the plantation, they can listen to music less and less heard nowadays, the kundiman, (and from different local languages at that)as they are serenaded by the melodious voices of plantation workers, who are garbed in traditional outfits: the baro and saya, for the ladies and the kamisa for men.
On a warm day, visitors can go rafting in the 30-ft. deep Labasin lake to take in cool and fresh air. This is advisable after the picnic to burn some calories.
A must-see during the day tour is the cultural show held every day at 2:00. It is a whole hour of dance and songs from selected regions of the country and each presentation showcases the history and culture of that particular location in the country.
Topping the day tour is the visit to the AERA museum where the religious statues, pottery and archeologic finds of the Escudero family are preserved and stored. The museum is a replica of San Agustin Church in Intramuros.
For overnight stays, lakeside cottages are available and evening entertainment is also provided for the guests.
The only touch of modernity would be the pool constructed for the little ones and for those who want to swim completely after being wet in the falls.
If you want to be transported back to the period when people can take their sweet time enjoying and smelling the flowers, then you come to Villa Escudero. It's a total package of entertainment, sight-seeing and fun for the family. It's educational too.
Lest I forget, grab a kilo of this divine fruit. YOu wont miss them as they are sold in stalls along the highway. It's called rambutan. It has hard hair-like covering, that keeps the white, juicy and sweet portion a delecteable secret.
Ask for the "tuklapin" variety as you'd enjoy it to the max. Keep the seeds, according to Ernie Baron, the former walking encyclopedia, it has therapeutic benefits. This is just one of the hard to resist fruit for me. Go dig in!!!
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