Negros sojourn: The Ruins

Earlier this evening, I finally got to see the famed Ruins of Talisay...

I first heard about the Ruins from a Bacolod native-friend who planned to have her wedding reception there. It was unfortunate that the sun had set by the time we reached Talisay from Bacolod (having been fed a wonderful merienda by an ever-gracious resident), so I missed seeing the structure without the lights on. But even at dusk, with night creeping in and the hint of stars in the darkening sky, the Ruins were absolutely breathtaking.

Maybe I'm just biased because I have a thing for ruins in general. But in the short span of time I was there, I was just enthralled. It was love at first sight. I wish I had known its back story before going--I would have sat longer on the steps (or the remaining skeleton) and allowed the house to speak to me, imagining myself in this mansion back in the 1900s. How magnificent it must have been! I marveled at how the walls and columns were ever so smooth, a result of the Grade A concrete used to build the mansion. Even after being burnt to its bones, the mansion still maintained its marble-like texture. I ran my hands across the walls and columns over and over in complete amazement.

I think what I like most about ruins in general is that they seem to have a soul that newer structures don't possess; these in particular had a very powerful spirit that whispered of a storied past. They were absolutely bewitching, so hauntingly beautiful that they made my heart ache and sing and dream.