Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House was originally owned by Chinese merchant, Don Juan Yap and
Doña Maria Florido. It is one of the oldest residential house in the
Philippines. It was built between 1675-1700 and was made from Coral
stones, used egg whites as glue and "Tigas" or clay for the roof. The wooden pats of the house were made of "balayong" and "tugas" or molave which is the hardest woods in the country.
First thing that I noticed were the table and the chairs which are all antiques, then I saw the ceiling of the ground floor (which is the floor of the second floor). Molds and stains on the woods can easily be found in this house
which makes this structure looks old.
Photos above show that almost everything in this house were all
antiques, except the fridge and the air conditioner. From the kitchen wares, living rooms cabinets, and etc. According to the guide, the 8th generation family are now the owner of this
old house. Beside the house, I found a mini
garden (photo above) with gorgeous bonsai and earthen wares, of course with me. There is a 14 feet well filled with fresh
water, but not potable. There is also an old banca or a boat that serves as a flower pot underneath the window frame.
Also, the guide added, this house is situated few meters (at the back) from the river, that's the use of the banca
before. I also noticed that some of the antiques are located on the
second floor, maybe because they were afraid on the flood. This is just few meters from Cebu Heritage Monument.
More of my Cebu Solo-Backpacking Destinations here >>> Cebu Adventure