CHS goes to Bataan

For our day tour in Bataan, our small group of 12 students and our professor went to Mt. Samat which holds the Dambana ng Kagitingan and later on went to the Las Casas Acuzar.

In Mt. Samat we went up the cross for the overlooking view of Bataan. It was breathtaking and breezy. It was really cloudy and a little rainy. It was lovely and fun to be up real high. Then when we got down from the cross we went to the museum and by the time we were done the fog has really become worse and there was zero visibility. Good thing we were able to go down before fog totally covered everything.

Afterwards, we went to our MAJOR destination which is the LAS CASAS ACUZAR in Bagac, Bataan. Since ours is a cultural trip, all we talked about is heritage and history. It was really raining hard so we were provided with matching yellow raincoats.

The place was huge and really nice. The Las Casas Acuzar are composed of old houses that were transferred and preserved from different parts of the country. It was really impressive how the moving was done because everything has to be teared apart piece by piece and rebuilt again in another location. According to our professor, the moving process destroys a few pieces so the houses cannot be considered as pure and authentic. Despite this, the houses were really preserved and the effort in the restoration process can really be seen. Millions of money is used in restoring each house.

The old houses can also be rented for tourist accommodations and some can be used as function rooms. One house is being developed as a first class hotel.

As Cultural Heritage Students, it is part of our jobs to know how the restoration process works and be part of it one way or another. I would have really enjoyed if there was no pouring rain which soaked our shoes and made it extra harder to move around the area and take pictures. We also have to remove our shoes every time we enter the houses so that we don't get the wood wet (a little hard for us wearing rubber shoes).

 The entire tour took us more than 2 hours. I really admire how our professor knew so much of every detail of every house. It was very satisfying to know such facts. This place is really perfect for people who are interested in culture and heritage.


In general, I am really happy I joined this trip. I had a super fun time with my new found friends of all ages and from different backgrounds. We had a really great road trip with no dull moments. I also learned and experienced a lot of stuff. It was also refreshing to be in the province with cool fresh air and far from the noise and air pollution of Manila. My only regret is not taking a lot of pictures to document the trip. Due to the heavy rain I couldn't just put out my camera and take photos. I even forgot to take pictures of the glass house we stayed in. That could have been a great souvenir and reminder of what we experienced there. I think educational trips can be as fun as leisure trips as long as you are with good company. I am really looking forward to more trips in the future. : )

Glass Houses

Last July 30 my Cultural Heritage Class went to Bataan for an overnight and day tour in Bataan. We left around 5 in the afternoon and arrived in my professor's resthouse around 8PM. Dinner was served when we arrived. So when it was time for room assignments, all 6 of the girls were assigned to the so called "glass house". I was curious at first why it was called that way and I said to myself maybe it's just made of glass, no biggie. But, OMG I was wrong. It was literally beside the raging river due to heavy rains. It was one huge room with 4 beds and 2 cushions on the floor. It has air conditioning and it is quite cozy, then I got to the bathroom. The bathroom (I don't know if you can consider it a bath ROOM since it's part of the room in general) was at the far end. It has no doors just an entrance from the room and the "glass part" of the house was there. Let me put it this way, when you take a bath the whole of the Bataan mountains and the river can see you bathing naked. It was a one of a kind experience indeed. The worst part is you could only use the toilet for peeing purposes because it is an open space (it was part of the room - no doors) and if you do more than peeing the room must be evacuated. No number 2's in that room for any of us girls. Come Sunday morning, it was really a challenge on how I could take a bath. I think I took a bath less than 5 minutes but I guess it was a one of a kind experience. In general, I think the Glass House was fine except for the fact that there are chances that  people can see you NAKED.

Glass houses are meant to awaken the exhibitionist in you and give satisfaction to the perverts! : X