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The name Taal is usually associated with the brooding volcano. Most visitors overlook the town of TAAL itself, which is a shame because it offers a blast from a glorious past, with faded Spanish colonial architecture, the oldest church in the orient and the house where the first Philippine flag was sewn. The town's bahay-na-bato (stone houses) are being preserved by the Taal Heritage Foundation and there's a Lourdes grotto with water that is believed to have healing powers. Apart from being the oldest church in the orient, the Basilica of St Martin de Tours is also said to be the biggest. The original was built in 1575, but destroyed by volcanic eruption in 1754. The present church was built in 1856 and inaugurated by Augustinian friars in 1865. It has been made a national shrine by Presidential decree. The market in Taal is a good place to look for local embroidery. The area is also well known for the manufacture of deadly fan knives. If you want to stay overnight, you could do worse than Casa Punzalan ($20-25), a pension house in the town square. The Taal Heritage Foundation (tel 043/421 1053 or 421 3034) can put you in touch with homestays. From Manila a number of buses (BLTB, Tri Tran and Jam) ply the Manila-Taal-Lemery route (P80). From Tagaytay you can catch buses marked for Lemery and get off in Taal. You can also catch jeepneys at the main intersection in Tagaytay City (P15). From Batangas City buses to Manila sometimes pass through Taal, but check first.
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