After almost seven hours of travel time from North of Cebu to Talisay, Negros Occidental, finally I saw before my eyes the beautiful and famous ruined mansion, the Philippines' Taj Mahal, "THE RUINS" of Negros Occidental.
The trip-worthy ruin is standing majestically despite its tragic history at the heart of the sugarcane plantation of one of the richest sugarcane owners of Negros Occidental.
THE RUINS: PHILIPPINES' TAJ MAHAL
Nestled at the heart of the 440 hectares sugarcane plantation of one of the wealthiest families of Talisay, Negros Occidental (boundary to Bacolod) is the island's and country's historically famous landmark The Ruins.
"The Ruins" is built by Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson the wealthy Haciendero of Talisay, Negros Occidental, who was deeply in love with his beautiful Portuguese wife. As sorrowful as it sounds, the mansion was not built "for love at that moment" but rather "in memory of the loving Portuguese wife". The wife died during giving birth to their 11th child. The husband, Mariano, had the mansion built as a symbol of his love and devotion to his wife.
You can read the whole history here
The beautiful mansion was finished during the 1900s. Its tragic story happened during World War II when the Filipino fighters burnt it down to stop the Japanese invaders from making the mansion their military base. It was said that the fire lasted for three days leaving only the pillars and the empty shell of the mansion.
Before we get our eyes teary-eyed, let me tour you around this stunning structure. Taraaaa!💃
even majestic.
As soon as we arrived in this place, I didn't waste my time checking and exploring The Ruins. The columns, pillars, and arcs are I believe inspired by a foreign country. I was in awe of its intricate design and felt sorry that it ended as ruined.
The mansion is a two-story building, however, one can not go to the second floor because it didn't have the floors anymore. The only thing left going to the next floor is the stairs which greeted us right in front of the entrance.
Now, let's take a look at what's inside!
Inside you will see how spacious and tall the building is. The beauty of the pillars and the columns and their amazing structure will catch your attention.
The great-grandchildren of Don Mariano who is now taking care of the Ancestral Mansion put some lights and chandeliers in the building which added to its beauty!
There is also a "Kalesa" an old vehicle used for transportation with the use of the horse. This part of the house is people lining up for photo opportunities.
Another photo of me on the Kalesa because why not?😃
Ever since The Ruins is opened to tourists, this part of the house became a small classroom. This is where the tourists and guests sit down and listen while the staff narrates and discussed the whole history of the place in the most entertaining way! The tourist humor and hospitality are superb! While at the back of it is a small souvenir shop of the Ruins.
I haven't asked if the tiles on the alley are part of the ruins or if they just added them for tourism purposes. But look at the columns, the arcs, and that letter E design on the pillars, it is impressive!
On my stroll, I found an exit on the left wing which leads me to the fountain.
The four-tier fountain complemented its beautiful background, The Ruins.
The fountain is surrounded by ornamental plants in various colors. And I almost forgot to mention, the whole place is surrounded by well-maintained carabao grass.
In front of the ruins is the small Cafe where everyone can have their cold drinks. If you notice there are not so many big trees near the ruins so everyone who loves to wander is exposed to the scorching heat of the sun. So getting a cold drink becomes a need!
Another beautiful view near the ruins which are still owned by the wealthy family is a flat open garden which I thought was part of a soon-to-be gulf course (but I haven't checked if my guess was right). At a distance, I could see a foundation of rocks. I wonder what is it so I explored the place as well.
Going to the garden I passed this tunnel-like covered with screens on the pathways which have full of beautiful ornamental plants on the sides.
And yes, I found this arc made of rocks. I couldn't remember anymore the details of that part but I couldn't forget the well-arranged lovely plants in that area (some of which are planted in the pots and some on the ground) and the perfectly trimmed grasses on the ground.
Exploring this wonderful place made me realize that not all beautiful things we see have a beautiful and happy story too, some have a sad and tragic story behind them.
And though some say that its best to visit the place during the afternoon until evening to witness the magical view of "The ruins" especially when the lights are ON, however for me, this ruin stood the test not just of time but of its fate and story already made the structure magical.
That's it for today's tour of the Philippines' Taj Mahal, the beautiful and ancestral The Ruins Mansion of Talisay, Negros Occidental.
Thank you so much for reading guys. Hope you are all healthy and safe! Have a great day!