The Ruins in Talisay City: One of the World’s Most Fascinating Ruins

The Ruins of Talisay is one of the most photographed spots in Negros Occidental. Located at the middle of a subdivision with sugarcane plantations in Talisay City, Tourists go out of their way just to go here and have some pictures taken. I am no exception to that.

Talisay-Ruins34

Dubbed as the ‘Taj Mahal of Negros’, the Ruins of Talisay is also listed as one the the 12 Most Fascinating Ruins of the World. I remember that part in the Julia Roberts travel movie ‘Eat, Love, Pray’, where she described about the beauty within ruins (Colosseum in Italy) . This is a perfect example for that line.

For years, I’ve been reading a lot of blog entries and testimonials about The Ruins. Some even claim that it is a haunted place. There’s this image that circulated online where an image of a man in barong is seen and people started debating whether the photo is edited or not.

Talisay-Ruins26

Talisay-Ruins27

The mansion was owned by Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, which he gave to his Portugese wife Maria Braga from Macau. The two met in one of his travels in Hongkong. It was said that the mansion is the biggest during that time and it is pretty evident in the ruined structure that they only used the best materials for the construction of the structure. The family intentionally burned the house sometime in World War II so that the Japanese soldiers won’t use it as their headquarters. We’ll never really know what happened after. I bet Don Mariano and Maria Braga felt really bad that they had to do that. Ang bongga kaya ng mansyon LOL.

Ruined Promises
Ruined Promises

The Ruins of Talisay opened its doors to the public in 2008 and since then, the place became a favorite venue for parties, debuts, weddings among others. I would like to shoot a short film there about ruined relationships. Sounds familiar? πŸ˜›

Standing Still
Standing Still

Meanwhile, I decided to take pictures using the Pinhole feature of my beloved LX3. I just love that creepy yet pretty feel in the photographs hehe. πŸ˜€

Hannah waiting for Mr. Right
Hannah waiting for Mr. Right
Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
Hungry?
Hungry?
Gardeners at Work
Gardeners at Work
Overflowing with stories
Overflowing with stories
The other side
The other side
Jumpshot!
Jumpshot!

We paid Php60 each for the entrance, while students and senior citizens get a discounted price. On my next trip to Negros, I’ll make sure that I have extra SD cards with me so I can record some short clips. It is also perfect for pictorial sessions.

We only stayed for a 30-40 minutes since we’re about to leave and fly back to Manila that afternoon. Thanks Hannah for bringing me here! The next time we visit this place, we need to shoot a short film!

How to Get There -> Sadly, there are no direct public transportations to this magnificent place. However, you hire a taxi or jeepney and just tell the driver to bring you to The Ruins.

26 Comments

  1. eric said:

    im so gld you enjoyed your short trip to my hometown. sa susunod ako naman mag iinvade ng Dagupan!

    October 22, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Yepyep! Sa wakas nakarating na rin ako ng Bacolod hehe dapat matuloy ka na rin sa Dagupan kahit overnight lang din! πŸ˜›

      October 22, 2011
      Reply
  2. jayvee f. said:

    the “ghost” is a hoax. it is a photoshopped image. =)

    October 22, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Awts hehe thanks for the clarification, Jayvee πŸ˜€

      October 22, 2011
      Reply
  3. Mitch said:

    The fee is very cheap, makes the visit worthwhile! Hindi ba kulay dilaw ang Ruins? Sinunog, really. ganda pa rin ha!
    I liked the idea of ruined relationship..hehe bitter ko! lol

    October 22, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Hello Mitch! Actually, nagmahal na siya sa lagay na yan πŸ˜€ Nung 2008 ata 25 per person ang entrance fee. Worth it pa rin naman since inayos talaga nila yung garden at may tindahan na rin sa loob. πŸ˜€ Nakarelate ka sa ruined relationships ah! πŸ˜›

      October 22, 2011
      Reply
  4. Nicely said:

    I love the hued photos! It’s brings me to some sort of melancholy. I wanna go there, too.

    October 22, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Thanks! You should visit din πŸ˜€

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  5. Hannah said:

    Thanks mica! pahingi ng ibang pictures πŸ˜€

    October 23, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Sure, dear! Grab lang sa Flickr ko πŸ™‚

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  6. Gladys | ByahengBarok.com said:

    great photos of the ruins. it’s one of the reasons why i wanna go to bacolod. i’ve seen so many photographs of the ruins, i can’t bare not to take pictures of it myself. sigh… promise, next year na talaga…

    October 23, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Thank you! Bring your son there i’m sure magugustuhan niya πŸ™‚

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  7. Ed said:

    di ko pa toh napupuntahan sa Bacolod. hmmm.

    October 24, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Don’t miss it on your next Bacolod trip!

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  8. mervz | pinoyadventurista.com said:

    Great shots ah! I like the stairway to heaven photo… πŸ™‚

    share ko lang po, here’s what i did to get there, by public transpo…
    From Bacolod City, take a jeepney going to Bata, tell the driver to drop you off at Bangga Rose Lawn Farm (fare is 7.00 pesos). From there, take a tricycle going to “The Ruins”, fare is 15.00 pesos.

    October 24, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Thanks for the tip, Mervz!

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
    • eric said:

      rose lawn is not a farm. its a cemetery

      November 16, 2011
      Reply
  9. dong ho said:

    youll know that a structure is really good because even when it’s already ruined… it’s still grand. this one is just a short walk away from my relatives home in bacolod.

    October 25, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      I agree with you. Parang ang sarap mag-moment dito pag sunset kahit na feeling ko may kasabay akong moomoo sa background hehe πŸ˜€

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  10. Ganito pala effect ng pinhole app, I tried it once using my dslr and a lens cap with a hole and the effect was amazing πŸ™‚

    October 26, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Hehe yup πŸ™‚ it’s my favorite feature of LX3. Napaka-classy ng dating ng photos!

      October 31, 2011
      Reply
  11. I love the way you’ve edited these photos! There is something almost haunting about them πŸ™‚

    November 3, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Thanks Sam! I used LX3’s Pinhole feature. πŸ™‚

      November 6, 2011
      Reply
  12. gelai said:

    i love the photos! nice one πŸ™‚

    November 6, 2011
    Reply
    • Senyorita said:

      Thanks Gelai! πŸ™‚

      November 6, 2011
      Reply
  13. Katerina M. said:

    Ang ganda! Perfect place for photoshoots. This has been on my bucket list for ages. πŸ˜€

    November 28, 2011
    Reply

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