One of the highlights of our trip was lunch at the Jose Gaston Mansion. Think Gone With The Wind, the mansion stands in the middle of a huge sugar plantation, Hacienda Sta. Rosalia in Manapla, north of Victorias.
Jose Gaston was one of the grandsons of Yves Leopold Germain Gaston, a Frenchman who settled in Negros Occidental with his wife, Prudencia Fernandez of Balayan, Batangas. Yves was instrumental in modernizing the sugar industry by bringing in the iron mill or horno economico.
Built in the 1930s, the mansion served as refuge for the Gaston clan during the Japanese occupation, much like in the epic film Oro, Plata, Mata which was shot in the very same estate.
Visiting the Gaston mansion was such a thrill, like a time machine ride. For a few hours, you are brought back to the golden age of hacienda life. Our friend Maryann Galeno arranged the visit with the current master of the house, Monsignor GG Gaston. A hearty lunch of generations old recipes were served to us using their heirloom china and crystal in the main dining room while Vivaldi played in the background. After our sumptuous repast, we lounged at the balcony, feeling the afternoon breeze and looking at the lush greenery. It is no wonder a Frenchman fell in love with this place and decided to call it home.
The Jose Gaston Mansion
The mansion's famous staircase.
Some of the photos of Jose Gaston's family on display.
Our "formal" group photo (from left) Tracy Poblete, JC Buendia, Bia Ruiz, Gwen Tangcueco, Maryann Galeno Beth de la Rosa and Dinny Lazo.
From the tower, you can get a 360 degree view of the hacienda. (Notice the Chapel of Cartwheels at the back)
Starting our lunch healthy.
Pochero a la Rosalia
Garlic Butter Prawns
Monsignor GG Gaston's Adobong Milyonaryo
Turon (Sweet Banana Spring Roll)
The Jose Gaston Mansion was the famous setting of the epic Peque Gallaga film Oro, Plata, Mata.
Video clip from ABS CBN Entertainment Channel, You Tube.
Great series! I love your blog. You have a lot of very good product. Please visit fisikauntad.com permission to get a few ways to improve the refrigerator
Our tour of Malolos continues, from the Cojuangco ancestral house http://myrefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cojuangco-ancestral-house.html , our gracious host Melecio Cojuangco brought us to the house of Dr. Luis Santos. Mel arranged the visit with one of the heirs of Dr. Santos, George Imperial . From the outside, one would already be in awe of the sheer size of the house. The house was built in 1933, according to the marker by the gate. Upon entering, you will marvel at the grand staircase, the expansive receiving room and the foyer filled with hard bound medical books and mementos of Dr. Santos' career as a well loved doctor in this town. The second floor was something else, as our group slowly ascended the magnificent staircase, my heart literally skipped a beat at the sight of the ceiling mural and Art Deco details. We found out later that the mural was painted by the great Fernando Amorsolo himself. There was a private chapel in hono...
Our next journey takes us to a historic town in Bulacan, thirty minutes north of Manila. My road trip buddies, my college friends who all share with me the same fascination for heritage houses were privileged by an invitation from Melecio Cojuangco to visit their ancestral house in Malolos. Mel, his cousin in law Marissa Lopa, Rima Datuin and Evelyn Bautista and I discovered each other's funny bone because of our love for the ice cream served in a huge bowl at Peninsula Manila's lobby. One evening, to justify our appetite, we pretended it was my birthday and we had the string quartet play happy birthday for me, from then on, we became good friends. Mel's grandfather, Jose Cojuangco was born at the Malolos house, very near the Barasoain Church. Jose's mother traded rice from Nueva Ecija, sacks transported by boat via the river at the back of the kamalig to Binondo, Manila. Like most turn of the century houses, the Cojuangco house uses piedra china ...
I started blogging five years ago after reading the book Life On The Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers. So touched was I from the story, I named my blog My Refrigerator Door . Ms. Kuipers wonderfully weaved a story about a daughter and her mother who battled with breast cancer in a series of notes posted on the refrigerator door. Last Sunday, at the funeral of Tita Passy, Paz Cojuangco-Teopaco, I was reminded of that beautiful book. She too fought a long battle with the disease, but in her suffering, she has brought her family back together. I met the Teopacos through my good friend Kris Aquino . In one of Kris's anniversary specials on TV, I was introduced by Kris' mother, President Cory to her youngest sister, Passy. After that, I got to bond with Kris's cousins, Tita Passy's daughters, Marla and Rina in a summer trip to Mindoro. Sharing the same love for sentimental music, and deep affection...
Great series! I love your blog. You have a lot of very good product. Please visit fisikauntad.com permission to get a few ways to improve the refrigerator
ReplyDelete