Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House (Cebu City)

Destination No. 2:  Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

Just a few steps across the Heritage of Cebu Monument is the ancestral home of the Yap-Sandiego's. When I was very young and used to pass this house, I remembered it really looked old and neglected, and rented to some family. But somebody must have told the Sandiego's that this old house has a historical value, and that prompted them to take it back and converted it to a museum. Entrance Fee: Adults 50Php (Philippine Pesos)

You can see it immediately because of the signs...

The house was given a stamp by the Tourism Commission as a  Tourist site...

The sofa of the olden days were made of sturdy wood with detailed carvings...

One of the original posts that support the second floor...

We couldn't help but tried on some of the visitors chairs from the past...

The china cabinets, the tables, the chairs - were really old... and I am glad they were not refurbished to look new.

Kitchens in the olden times were normally separated from the house because people used to cook using firewood...

The second floor has a formal dining room, which is spacious and airy because of the huge windows...

Some beautiful antique collections here below... 

The sala or the living room has huge windows...

This ancestral house must belong to an affluent family in the past, because ordinary folks lived in simple nipa huts, but this house is grand in comparison.

My sister could not help but want to sit in a rocking chair beside the window...

In the olden times, water source is from the well... theirs did not dry up even after all these years, although according to the caretakers, they used it now merely to water the gardens.

This is actually the dining room here below, that overlooks the garden...

I think, what makes the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House interesting is that it remains sturdy and livable after all these years inspite of the fact that nothing much has changed with its basic structure.  I like it also that it was not painted or polished to look new.  For me the aged look actually gave it character and a certain kind of charm, plus the fact that all the things inside the house are ancient looking and did not deviate from its theme.  This is in fact a good study for students of History and Architecture - a look into how we live in the past.