The Heritage Town of Taal (Batangas)

Have you ever been to Taal, Batangas?

It's widely known as the world's smallest active volcano is named after it, and it is alse where we can find the Largest Catholic Church in Asia.

Here's a peek of the Taal Basilica, with the Municipal Hall building at the left.

For me, it is almost like a second home as I spent my grade school and high school years here. I can remember when my friends and I would walk down this street going to the market to buy stuff for school projects or simply any street food that we fancy at the moment.

The market has definitely had a makeover in the past years. It was my first time to see this structure at the market entrance.

There used to be a lot of embroidery shops that line this side of the market. They would rent out barongs and saya (Filipino traditional outfits), and gowns for different occasions like Flores de Mayo or weddings.

I did not see such shops anymore, apart from this one. Perhaps they moved to another spot inside the market.

The wet market inside is not as big as the public market in the nearby town of Lemery (which is where most people from the nearby towns go to buy stuff). Taal Public Market is famous for its tapa and longganisa (garlic-y marinated meat and sausages). Sooo yummy.

Other staples here are the suman (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves), panutsa (peanuts candy), coffee beans, and cocoa balls.

We pass by this road every time we would go to the nearby town of Lemery to go to the market. I decided to take this video on our last day in PH when we passed by the Taal Public Market to buy some pasalubong (something we brong back to AUH when we come back).

You would notice the how they were able to keep the old houses, which were important parts of the Philippine history. One of these the house of Marcella Agoncilla, who is known in history as the woman who stiched the very first Philippine flag after its independence from the Spanish colony.

Marcella Agoncillo House

These are just some of what you would usually see in the town proper. There are still a lot of places that we were not able to explore, sadly. There's the small barangay (village) of Balisong, aptly named so because they forge the iconic knives that the Batanguenos are known for. It embodies the might of the Batangueno people. 💪

Next time, I'll make sure to capture of this amazing town as much as possible. 😉

Music:Walk
Musician:Ikson
License:https://ikson.com/track/28/walk