The Forgotten Heritage Town of Taal

I can vaguely remember my fist visit to Taal back when I was in college. It was a requirement for History class, so I just had to go. This time, I’m really excited to rediscover the place. When we arrived, I realized what my friend exactly meant when she described Taal as a “bedroom town”.

The atmosphere in Taal is laid back, almost sleepy. There are very few cars, people and establishments. When we were walking the streets, I hate to say it, but the place felt deserted.

Our first stop is the St. Martin de Tours Basilica, the largest Catholic Church in Asia. The structure was built more than one hundred years ago. The outside looks more than a century, but inside, it was surprisingly well-kept. There was a wedding ceremony when we visited, so all the lights are on and the aisle was decorated, but even without the lighting and flowers, the architecture inside is marvelous.

We parked our car in the church grounds because the streets in Taal are narrow and this is the only spot that has wide open grounds. We didn’t have a map and Google map didn’t have a street map (probably because of the narrow streets), so we just asked for directions from vendors on the places we wanted to visit. Luckily, I’ve found a tourist map that came from the Taal website. See my previous post here.

On our self-walking tour, the next place we saw is the Taal Municipal Hall. Nothing much to see, it was closed. I’m not sure if it’s still used today as a government office. Everywhere you look there are more old houses around the area. In each street, there is a combination of restored, well-kept houses and those that have been left to succumb to its age.

There seems to be renewed interest in Taal, as restaurants, galleries and new places of interest pop up. But I think it’s still a long way from getting back to its days of prosperity.



Taal Posts:
Planning a Trip to Taal, Batangas
The Forgotten Heritage Town of Taal
Galleria Taal: Mecca of Vintage Cameras

The Way They Lived – Apacible Ancestral House