Today was a touring day to give us a feel for the Philippines. We started early in the morning and spent most of the day in Taal, an old Spanish colonial town.
Our trip started early in the morning after a 6:00 AM breakfast.We drove about two hours to reach the small city of Taal, the home of St. Martin of Tours church, a basilica which bills itself as the largest church in Asia. It certainly is one of the oldest, almost 500 years old.The four priests in the Asia Deaf Catholic Conference concelebrated the mass with Fr. Oscar, the dean of the basilica.Fr. Charlie was the sign language interpreter for Fr. Oscar as he gave his homily.After mass there was a group photo in the basilica.The basilica grounds also has other interesting buildings, including this museum that reflected the history of the church in the area over the last 500 years.After eating lunch at the basilica, we had a walking tour that included three old Spanish-style colonial houses that figured significantly in the history of the Philippines’ struggle for independence.A bedroom in one of the beautiful old colonial homes.As we walked around, we noted several streets with colorful suspended decorations.A vehicle, unique in my experience, is the small three-wheelers powered by motorcycles. They are the taxis for small trips around the towns. The locals call them “tricycles.”We ended up the long day at Sonya’s Garden, a wellness center that has a restaurant that served us a wonderful meal.
