Last time, I shared Lafaayette, a high end resort here in Philippines. Since the resort is located in La Union and we will stay there for three days, we decided to have a tour on nearby tourist spots on our second day. Our driver knows a few places near the resort, so we had a day tour and night life on three tourist spots he suggested; Bato de Luna, Bahay na Bato, and Flotsam and Jetsam.
THE GREEN ROAD
While we're on our way to the art museum, we passed by a beautiful nature road. I love how they maintain this one. The vehicles here are very minimal and because of that, I see some tourists stop by for a bit and they take pictures while there are no cars passing by. I even saw some of them take pictures while lying on the floor. We parked for a while and took pictures too. This is one of the nicest roads I've ever seen. it looks very natural, there's no heavy traffic, the air is fresh, and the trees make it look attractive.
BATO DE LUNA
Our first stop is in Bato de Luna. This is an art museum. All artworks here are stone sculptures and a few wooden sculptures that are colorfully painted. Even the walls, floors, and ceilings are painted too. They also have a souvenir shop and dining area. The entrance fee is only $1 per head and the driver is free of charge.
INSIDE THE ART MUSEUM
The art museum shows who painted all the stone paintings inside the dome. I was able to capture the name while there are no tourists blocking it. I was surprised that it's a Korean. The name is Mr. Kim. I wonder if it's his tribute to us. All I can say is that his works are amazing. It might have took him a long time to finish them all since the whole interior of the dome is filled with those stone arts as well as the ones at the floor and ceilings and the outdoor ones. I salute Mr. Kim for this colorful museum. It is indeed a museum of masterpiece and a tourist destination.
LITTLE MERMAID INSPIRED FISH SCULPTURE
One of the stone sculptures outside the art museum is this fish. It's not only painted in attractive colors but I also noticed that there are carvings too. The amazing details I saw is the way the scales are carved. They're very clear and proportion. This alone is hard to do in drawings. As an artist, I can imagine how harder it is to carve this in stones where everything is manually done and it's harder to carve than to draw using a pen. This little mermaid inspired fish is another masterpiece worth more than appreciation.
GIANT TURTLE
This is the sculpture I like most in the art museum. I love how big it is and how lively it looks as it bulges at the wall. It's like a pop up style of sculpture that looks as if the huge turtle is approaching you. I also love how they put cute baby turtles that made it look like a family of turtles. This one is also the most detailed sculpture in terms of colors and carvings. The nature also suits as background. No need to paint one. I really appreciate this kind of art. This is more difficult and tedious than a digital drawing.
COLORFUL TURTLES
One of the most attractive sculptures in the art museum is this row of cute and colorful turtles. This is another awesome masterpiece with the details that show the effort the artist put on it. I love how these turtles are colored. They are shaded and their shells are in gradient colors which make them look more attractive. The head and arms are also detailed with patterns that are quite tedious to draw manually. The carvings give volume to them as well. Since they were put on top of stones and they look colorful, I can imagine them looking like sushi. It's amazing how arts can trigger someone's imagination.
BAHAY NA BATO
Our next stop is in Bahay na Bato. We've been a Spanish colony during the 16th century and this is one of the historical structures the Spaniards left. I was able to take a shot of the beautiful sea behind it too. I love how blue it is. Tourists can hangout here, take pictures, and dine. Much respect to the people who maintained this historical structure for more than three centuries as well as the ones who built this structure that is sturdy enough to last for centuries.
NIGHT LIFE AT FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
Our last stop is in Flotsam and Jetsam. This bar is known for the night life experience it provides to tourists. I rarely have such night life because it's dangerous to travel back home in cities especially when you commute during late hours. I'm glad to take this rare opportunity to experience night life without worrying about going home. I enjoyed the experience because it's safe and the ambiance and food are all nice. We had pizza and chicken there and I had fresh apple juice for my drinks. I can say that my experience is a relaxing yet enjoyable night life because this bar is a quiet place despite the crowd they have.
This tour is one of the reasons why our La Union out of town is very memorable. This is personally one of the best experiences I had in a family outing. I love enjoying the beach while having a tour on the side instead of staying the whole time in the resort. This is the outing where we had the most activities. I wish the next ones will be like this. I highly recommend having a tour in these places while you are having a vacation in any of the resorts in La Union to make the most out of your family outing.