Taal, Batangas is the quaint town known as the Balisong and Barong Tagalog Capital of the Philippines. But not only that, it has many ancestral houses turned museums and fascinating old churches. It truly is a dream come true to have been here.
One of the famous places to visit is the San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps and the Miraculous Well of Sta. Lucia. And that's what we did.
Check out our story in photos:
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| The San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps. Photo taken from below. It is a total of 125 steps all in all. I would have wanted to climb all the way to the top but we decided not to because when you reach the top landing, it will lead you once again to the Taal Basilica (Basilica de San Martin de Tours) so we opted to just head straight to the Miraculous Well of Sta. Lucia |
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| It is just a short walk so travellers/visitors needn't worry much about this. |
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| This was a sight for sore eyes! There was garbage everywhere and it isn't tourist-friendly. Local caretaker said that it was just because of the recent rain but based on other blogs that I've read, it was the same concern for them. Tsk tsk. Really sorry. |
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| There it is! It was very unassuming but this structure holds a significant history that is a part of the Taal town's contribution to our historical faith. |
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| The beautifully carved arch that signals people that this is finally the site. |
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| Candle offering for my prayers |
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| A bucketful of water from the miraculous well. A caretaker will fetch this for you and in return, one can give them a small token of coins for their effort. It was refreshing to wet our faces, necks and arms with the cool water. It was said to have miraculous healing powers that were confirmed in accounts of Fr. Pedro de Arce, Bishop of Cebu, and Governor of the Archbishopric of Manila that were ordered to be drawn up and prepared by Fr. Juan Bautista de Montoya, Prior of Taal, together with Fr. Gerónimo de Medrano and Fr. Juan de Rojas. |
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| The 'Banal na Pook where the Banal na Tubig' is, waiting for anyone who is ready to believe what the sacred site represents. |
Check out my Taal, Batangas tour:
amazing how you visit historical places like this. thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteRovie
The Bargain Doll
:)
Hope they'll do something with the garbage. Sayang naman ang view. :(
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dekaphobe.com/
Looks like a really interesting outing. The garbage issue should be addressed.
ReplyDeleteI have been in Taal last year. The place is awesome. Congrats for you great adventure.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Taal but those are some great structures! Indeed there has to be something done about the trash :(
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me they're not exactly taking care of this place, with the grass, garbage, and all. I hope the local government pays attention to this matter. It would be a shame to see such a beautiful, historical site go to waste.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you, Michy, and Lourdes. The garbage problem is a turn off and it desecrates the site, somewhat. Still love the story behind it. I wonder if the well water can do something for me too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt must be really nice to visit a historic place like this :D I hope I get to do that too one of these days.
ReplyDeleteIt must be really nice to visit a historic place like this :D I hope I get to do that too one of these days.
ReplyDeleteHope NGO's and local government will preserve places like this. They have to do something with the garbage para dumami pa ang tourist. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience! Hmmm yes, the trash there... I'll put a word in about that. Please check out the Official Tourism Website of Taal... it has everything about Taal heritage town, including latest news & events! Let's help Taal thrive! Thanks have a great one! www.taal.ph
ReplyDeleteI've never been to that place :D But it looks like a nice place to explore!
ReplyDeleteyou're so lucky to have visited that! it's only here that i got to know about that structure. and i agree that it's unfortunate that it's not being properly taken care of by the local government there. it should have the proper support.
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