The lower ground of the house consisted of a shop/storehouse which they called "almacén". Here they sold a variety of things such as antiques and their most famous "hablon" which a product made from weaving. The house was owned by the "Illustrados" or the elites back in the day. Since social stratification was evident then, if you were a family member and you were poor, you're only allowed at the ground floor of the hous. The first floor was called "Descanso" which would be the Spanish word for "rest".
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After you climb the steep stairs, the first thing you would see in the "Descanso" is the picture above.    
After doing a tour of the house and taking in everything we could see around us, we finally went to the dining area where we were served melted "native chocolate" and some biscuits we could dip them on. It was really good! I would describe it as somewhere in between of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Not too sweet and not too bitter. Nothing compared to all the commercialised stuff we could get in grocery shops. There was no preservatives/additives in them at all. You could also order "Pancit Molo", one of Iloilo's famous dish, consisting of dumpling-like balls in chicken broth and veggies. We weren't hungry so we didn't get it, that didn't stop me from taking a picture of the ones they served on the table next to us though haha!
   
We both enjoyed going here. We were amazed at how beautiful the house was and how different it was from the houses in Ireland or in America. It's not everyday you get to see a house that manages to maintain its beauty even after 150 years. Plus there was chocolate! We get to learn something about our heritage plus chocolate? Sign me up! I hope you liked the photos (blogger always kills the quality though *sighs*) and enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for reading <333
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such lovely pictures you guys! it's hard to believe the house is 150 years old because it's kept so well. and what a bonus that there was food as well! i will always go where there's food haha. i went to shanghai this summer where my family is from so that was super cool too & i learned a lot about my heritage as well! it's always nice to go and immerse yourself in another culture!
ReplyDelete"i will always go where there's food" annie you and i are one hahaha. annie i cant wait for u to blog all about shanghai, looking forward to your pics <333 immersing is oneself on different cultures is one of the perks of travelling ah :)
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