I kept hearing about Bahay-na-Bato from friends and acquaintances, but I suppose they were never enough to pique my interest to make the effort to personally go there. It wasn’t until the parentals made a spontaneous decision to go on a day trip out to Luna, La Union to check out Bahay-na-Bato that I *kinda* looked into it. When I realized there’s a 3D art gallery featuring stone art, as well as a pebble beach nearby, then I went, I’M IN.
Three Attractions In One
If you’re one of those people that want to make the most of things, like hitting two (or more) birds with one stone, then you’d definitely appreciate taking that trip to Luna, La Union to check out Bahay-na-Bato.
Because you’re getting three attractions in a single visit: the stone hand art gallery, the Noble Home, and the pebble beach.
Art Gallery featuring Stones
The Stone Hand Art Gallery features stones/rocks/pebbles, integrated into artworks and built into installations. There is an environmental fee of Php 30.00, but admission into the gallery is free for kids 2 years old and below.
If you’re into landscaping, and you have a special interest in the utilization of rocks into your landscaping, then you’d definitely have a ball going around the “front yard” of the Stone Hand Art Gallery.
I was actually surprised to see several dol hareubang in the area. If you’re familiar with them, or you’ve seen my Jeju island travel posts, then you’d know I am talking about the grandfather stones that are unique to Jeju-do of Korea.
There were several of them the moment you enter the area of the Stone Hand Art Gallery.
But then I realized that the place was conceptualized and designed by a Mr. Bong Kim, who is Korean.
So it also came as no surprise when the Stone Hand Art Gallery, once you get inside, is revealed to also have areas devoted to 3D art.
FYI, my prior experiences with 3D art were courtesy of South Korean minds. Check out my Trick Eye Museum visit in Hongdae, Seoul, and then the one at Art In Island in Cubao, which is also designed by Korean artists.
What impressed me with how the 3D artists worked on this place was how they were able to cram a significant number of these wall arts in such limited space. I had a ball setting up my parents and cousin against these 3D artworks.
Granted, they are not as extensive as the previous ones I’ve been to, but that’s understandable, since the space was, as I mentioned, limited. But it was refreshing seeing Manny Pacquiao on the wall, haha!
Oh, and the Stone Hand Art Gallery, aside from being a 3D Art Gallery, also serves as a souvenir and snack shop. There’s an area close to the exit devoted to selling souvenir items, from miniature stone-based items to mugs and shirts, and even sun hats. And if you’re feeling hungry and thirsty, you can sit on one of the tables at the snack area.
From what I remember, bringing in food was not allowed.
The Noble Home “Bahay-na-Bato”
Right next to the Stone Hand Art Gallery is a walled area indicating you are about to enter the “Noble Home”, also known as the “main event” of the area.
Prior to its opening to the public in 2015, the place was simply a rest house for Edison Noble and his wife Purita. They were both doctors who appreciated the rest and relaxation that the place gives them whenever they come for a vacation, taking a break from their stressful jobs.
They then commissioned Bong Kim to incorporate his stone work arts, and this process started in 2000. That further cemented the status and name of this place as Bahay-na-Bato.
We paid Php50.00 per person to gain admission beyond the gate and, lo and behold, you don’t enter a house immediately. Instead, you’re faced with a wide sprawl, with pebbled paths strategically placed here and there. From the gate, you won’t actually immediately even spot a house!
From the get-go, there are already so many things to see. For example, in the Gallery, there are several rock installations that range from the cute to the funny to the erotically funny (if there is such a thing). This section reminded me a bit of Jeju Loveland, which I enjoyed for the offbeat humor, although the few pieces with innuendoes in the area can easily be considered insignificant in comparison.
They make for some good laughs along the way, though. And photos, don’t forget photos.
(Plus, I’m not sure why frogs are a recurring theme in the area. Must be a personal preference by the artist. Oh, and not just frogs, but turtles or tortoises as well, as you will see in later photos.)
You cannot NOT spot the blue sea over yonder once you are walking the pebbled pathways. Because it’s right, freaking, THERE, in all its blue glory. There is a stone structure that serves as a viewdeck, where you can get a fuller view of the pebble beach.
The sun was very high and hot at that time, so all that blue came as a welcome respite from the heat.
This reminded me why blue will always be my personal favorite color. And purple. (I just had to throw that in, jic.)
Now if you are up for some museum stuff, there’s a building with “artifacts” and antiques on display. The structure itself looked rustic, deriving design influences from how ancestors in the area used to build their houses, or workshops, to be more precise.
See what I meant about turtles? Look at the floor, with that turtle image created out of well-placed stones and pebbles.
There are several showrooms, with each room featuring specific tool categories. This one, for example, features WEAPONS and VINTAGE TOOLS. Those missiles in the middle should be a dead giveaway (no pun intended) on what these are supposed to be for.
And here you’ve got carpentry and woodworking tools.
It’s pretty interesting seeing old tools that I’ve seen from my childhood when visiting my grandmother’s home in the province. Of course, today, they no longer exist, so it was with a bit of nostalgia that I checked them out, letting that warm feeling of familiarity soak through me. It’s like, for a moment, I get to commune with a distant past.
To be honest, we passed on going inside the mansion of the Nobles. One because there were a lot of people milling inside, trying to cop a shade out of the glaring sun outside. However, the result of them crowding inside meant that there’s a different degree of suffocating heat within the walls of the stone house.
So we just walked around outside, following paths and just strolling into any direction that our feet would take us.
Because there are a lot to see. Small pools, stone carvings, buildings meant for various uses… you won’t get bored strolling out and about.
And in front of the mansion, overlooking the ocean, is a wide area with more stone works. Some of the designs border on the risque, which is the only reason I am not posting them on this blog (sometimes self-censorship sucks, haha!).
But man, wouldn’t it be great to have something like this in your front yard?
The Pebble Beach
For me, though, the highlight would be the Pebble Beach. I like museums and all, but nothing beats a wide, blue horizon, with the sound of waves crashing, to make you forget about wanting to be indoors for a while.
The Pebble Beach is exactly as the name implies: a beach, but with pebbles, not sand.
And they’re not just the usual pebbles you see in your typical beach, because these pebbles are huuuuge. In fact, I took a couple (or more) home with me, and my shoulder complained.
Again, turtles.
And this pair is particularly busy doing it in public, too.
I am amazed at how the place looks man-made, like these pebbles were stacked here by people, arranged just so. But that is not the case, because they were just naturally there, most likely washed against the shore.
Soooo much pebbles, as far as the eye can see.
To be honest, I cannot imagine people frolicking on the “beach”, since there are rocks and not fine sand beneath their feet.
From what we’ve seen when we went there, some parts of the area are still undergoing renovation, or construction, we’re not sure. But I won’t be surprised if, months, years from now, there’d be more stone arts in Bahay-na-Bato.
Well, they still have a lot of space they can fill so… why not?
Sometimes, being in places like these remind me why I sometimes regret not having an artistic bone in my body. Or, at least, the artistic bones that I want. I envy people that can make something out of nothing, and make people happy with what they have come up with. It’s a gift, and a priceless one, at that.
(Bahay-na-Bato is located at Nalvo Norte, Luna, La Union, and supported by the Department of Tourism and the Local Government of Luna, La Union.)
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