20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
Cities and Towns
SAL
Makati City
The only good thing that came out of scratching some museums off their list was having more free time.
“God, I love this place,” Willow exclaimed as she stretched on the sofa bed while Sal prepared their brunch.
Theola had helped them find a quaint unit to rent in a city called Makati.
Sal had a fondness for Makati. It was a welcome change from St. Stephenshire’s rustic appeal.
Makati City was one of the business districts of Metro Manila.
New and expensive cars filled the roads and the parking lots.
Cemented pavements, malls, and shopping centers stood everywhere you looked, and some buildings were so tall they obscured the sun.
It felt like a smaller version of New York City.
As luck would have it, the apartment was surprisingly affordable despite the upscale living conditions.
Theola found a one-bedroom apartment in a low-rise condominium along a busy street called Poblacion.
The owner, a kind lady in her forties, was looking for someone to apartment-sit while she vacationed in Europe for two months.
“What are you cooking tonight, Sal? It smells delicious,” Willow called from the sofa bed in the living room.
“Ah…steamed ginger chicken with scallion oil and soy sauce over hot rice,” Sal responded with her back turned to Willow as she prepped the food.
“We’re out of cooking oil, though. I’ll stop by the supermarket soon.
” Sal wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and then jotted the reminder down on a post-it.
Being on a tight budget meant no eating out unless it was necessary. Luckily, she was a delicious cook.
“I’m here!” announced Theola as she let herself into the apartment.
She labored under a heavy laptop bag and an enormous umbrella, which she opened to dry in the hallway.
Theola looked more and more like a big ball of cotton candy as the days went by; she loved to wear light pastel colors and oversized jackets.
“I’m almost done with the website!” she exclaimed after setting up her laptop on the coffee table and kneeling on the floor.
“How’s it coming along?” Willow asked.
“Still need to fix up some functions, but at least it looks pretty. By the way, when are we gonna decide the date and the place?”
Sal glanced over at Willow, who glanced back at her knowingly.
“We’re still giving it some thought,” Willow responded.
Theola gave a thoughtful look and then turned to Sal. “Um… No pressure, but a six-week lead time is pretty slim. We want people to RSVP as soon as possible.”
“I already called a few art communities and they’ve pledged their support.
I also reached out to a few artists and small businesses who’ve asked about showcasing their work on favorable commission rates.
We have Claire to thank for that, apparently.
The Art Cards from Nowhere piqued many people’s interests,” Sal said as she turned off the stove. “Food is ready, by the way.”
Willow rose from the sofa bed, and Theola walked over to help set up the dining table.
Sal prepared the dish on a serving plate and placed it on the table.
From there, she looked out the apartment windows.
The heavy rain had picked up, and the view of the setting sun against the clouds gave the sky a faint violet hue.
This was the perfect weather for some steamed ginger chicken.
Sal showed Willow the best way to eat the dish. “Here, you pour the sauce over the steamed chicken like so…You can pair it with salted veggie soup from the stove.”
When Willow first tasted it, she gave a satisfied grin. “Sal…your cooking is something else.” She let out a satisfying exhale each time she took a spoonful of her meal.
Sal had a few spoonfuls of her own. The warmth of the food moved through her body as she savored each bite. The soft yet contrasting flavor of the scallion oil mixed with ginger and soy sauce tasted like a cocktail of salty and herby deliciousness rendered with the cooked chicken fat.
“Damn, you’ve done it again…” Willow grinned, her cheeks still full with food.
Sal smirked in response but then nodded toward Theola. Willow was too preoccupied to notice that Theola was deep in thought as she slurped her soup beside them.
“Hey?” Sal elbowed her. “Something wrong, Theola?”
“Oh!” Theola responded as though she wasn’t used to people fretting over her. “I’m fine, and the food is delicious, Sal…” she said, both hands on her lap, looking awkward.
Willow swallowed her food. “Okay, spit it out—not the food. What’s on your mind, I mean.”
“Have you guys considered one of the old heritage towns near Manila for the art show?” she asked.
There was a very pregnant pause.
“No…” Sal said. “I never thought about it.”
“An old heritage town may not be the museum we were hoping for, but they’re filled with culture and history, and I think that’d be so cool as a backdrop to your art show!”
“Let’s schedule a visit tomorrow? I have a good feeling about this,” Sal said.
Theola nodded and took note. “I’ll plan a quick day tour of the area, then!” Theola said, echoing Sal’s anticipation.
Willow helped herself to her second serving of the steamed chicken. “This is what I live for,” she said, munching happily.
Sal felt the same way. Having a hearty meal while surrounded by those she held dear was something to be cherished.
***
The following day, all three of them packed their bags and left at the break of dawn for a day trip to Batangas. Sal offered to drive while Willow gave her directions.
Theola gave them a history lesson on the way.
“My research pulled up some really cool facts about the town. So I’m glad we’re checking it out,” she said as she swiped through her iPad.
She cleared her throat and read, “Taal Heritage Town was a lesser-known heritage site in Batangas Province, which boasts many bahay na bato, or ancestral stone houses, that date back to the sixteenth-century Philippine-Spanish colonial era.”
“Another ancient town?” Sal grinned as she kept her eye on the road.
“Goodie, I love old towns,” Willow enthused. “Tell us more,” she urged Theola.
“The town lies within the range of an active volcano surrounded by a steady lake historically known as Lake Bombon, but it is better known as Taal Lake today.” Theola paused for a moment. “Did you know it was called Lake Bombon, Sal?”
Sal shook her head. “No. But then again, I was terrible at Sibika1.”
“Me neither.” Theola giggled at Sal’s response, then continued, “Taal Heritage Town used to be the provincial capital of Batangas Province, but after the destructive 1754 Taal volcano explosion2, which buried four ancestral towns in volcanic ash, government officials moved the capital to Batangas City.”
“Wow,” Willow commented. “Now I’m super interested to go! I mean, it’s the last surviving ancestral town from a volcanic eruption? Sign me up.”
“I heard about it when I was in college. A few of my friends who’ve been there said it’s comparable to Calle Crisologo of Ilocos,” Sal added.
“Well, that’s another place I want to visit,” Willow said.
Batangas was a convenient two-hour drive from where they were currently staying.
When they had arrived, it was obvious this was the place they had been looking for all along.
Tall Heritage Town felt like stepping into a time capsule.
Genuine old heritage houses stood shoulder to shoulder with their Capiz windows and heavy arch wooden doorways, which lay open to invite visitors inside.
“Theola, you are a genius!” Sal said, embracing Theola. “It never would’ve crossed my mind to consider this place.”
The young lady beamed with pride. “That’s what I’m here for!” Theola exclaimed.
They began walking down Agoncillo Street, the long road in Taal Heritage Town that contained the ancestral houses they aimed to visit that day.
Surprisingly, despite the old roots this heritage town boasted, the streets were quiet, and the town seemed empty.
Sal had thought that at least a few tourists would be there, and maybe some locals, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
There was a need for more tourism in this area, and they could be the ones to revive it.
Their first stop was Tampuhan Café, an ancestral house turned into a café and bed-and-breakfast. Upon first glance, the place looked like a cozy, old Filipino-Spanish home, complete with large capiz windows on the top floor and an open ground floor with two large arched doorways leading to the café.
The café had mid-century furniture, probably added over the years, and it made the café rather quirky and gave it its own personality.
They took a quick tour of the house. A narrow stairway led them to a caida, a passageway that served as a hall leading to more private rooms and the terrace.
They viewed the quaint bedrooms and a small, separated common area after circling the second floor.
The bedrooms boasted old but ornate furnishings, from four-poster beds hung with handwoven white linen, and meticulously wooden carved stools and bed fixtures.
An overused copy of the Holy Bible lay on display beside the bed.
It looked haunting but beautiful, the same way old paintings with old stories possessed a certain restlessness.
“If this is one of the smaller houses, I can’t wait until we see the others,” Sal said, absorbed with her surroundings, imagining all the possibilities for the art show.
When they finished, they had their brunch at the café and then set off to tour the other ancestral houses neighboring it.
The first ancestral home on their itinerary was Galleria Taal, which housed the vintage camera collection of a Taaleno3 named Manny Inumerable.
Impressively, the Philippines established it as the first camera museum in the country.
Sal was amazed with how well they maintained the house and with the expansive camera collection.
She didn’t realize there were so many old and fascinating cameras back in the day.
She remembered Willow loved photography, and when she asked her how she liked it, her friend was breathless in awe.
Sal understood. Willow was someone who practiced and loved photography and appreciated interior design.
She looked like she was savoring every nook and cranny, and every piece of information.
“I have goosebumps,” Willow whispered to Sal as they paced through the wooden house with delicately designed, large salas and photographs lining the halls of Filipinos who were at the pinnacle of the country’s development.
Next, they visited the Apacible Museum, the ancestral home of a pair of brothers from Taal.
It sported almost the same elements they had seen in the other houses; only this one was larger and grander.
The renovated home had a large sala and an even larger caida, which opened up at the tip of the grand staircase.
The rooms had the same Spanish colonial feel with varnished wooden walls and large capiz windows.
When they arrived at the last house, they were sufficiently star-struck.
“Are we on the set of Bridgerton?” Willow gawked.
The last house was, in fact, a wedding gift to a beautiful Filipina back in 1871, and it was every bit the embodiment of old Filipino opulence.
The name of the house was the Wedding Gift House.
It stood out from its neighbor ancestral homes largely because of the cool contrast of the house’s outer walls.
The owners had painted them in Tiffany blue and cream—a gift for a noble lady of an established clan.
“Let’s go in, then.” Sal grinned, equally excited.
The moment they stepped in, Sal knew this was where they would hold their art show. “It’s perfect.” Sal gasped.
The house had everything the other ancestral houses possessed, only it was teeming with more embellished refinement and design.
Every room felt gilded in rich colors, shiny wood, golden accents, and magnificent Old World glamour, Filipino style.
Its halls were spacious, and the rooms were just as embellished as the sala and dining room.
“This is it,” Sal marveled. “We’re doing it here.”
Now, the only thing they had to do was speak to the owner and ask if they could rent it. “Theola, do you know how we can reach the owner?” Sal asked.
“Oh.” Theola smirked and tilted her head. “I already spoke to the owner, and they’re offering us generous terms.” She winked.
Theola was a goddamn genius, and boy, did she really aim to impress.
Sal hugged her tightly. “Oh my God! I love you.”
Theola giggled. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I just didn’t want you guys to feel pressured into getting Taal Town,” she said, leading them out. “Let’s head over to their home. I’ll introduce you.”
“How did you convince them to say yes?” Willow asked, probably as impressed with Theola as Sal.
Theola shrugged. “I said it was for a good cause. And they loved the fact that it would attract more people to the town.”
Things were finally looking up. As they walked, she made a mental note to email Rafa as soon as she got hold of her laptop, and to give Theola a bonus; she may have just helped them win this competition.
1.
Sibika is Philippine History subject taught back in the old curriculum when Sal was in elementary school
2.
. The 1754 Taal Volcano explosion shaped the future of the province of Batangas, Philippines. It was recorded to be a violent explosion that lasted nearly 7 months, starting May 15, 1795 to December 5, 1795.
3.
. A term used to call man from Taal, the female counterpart is Taalena