We all have stories about our first experiences, and I'd like to share one of mine with you about my family's first vacation in Argao, Cebu. ![18.png](https://images.ecency.com/DQmf3YtgPMrGfneQmTjMcynheMJgUZFubE3Pm1BeoHt5R3S/18.png)

My brother-in-law wanted to go on a little tour to Cebu South in 2016 and he asked if my family and I could join I didn't hesitate to say yes, and the trip? It was a completely new experience for me because it was my first time to go on vacation with my family and get away from the city life for a while. Our first destination was the Riverstone Castle in Argao I'd never heard of it before, so I was curious to see how it looked. After all, everyone wanted to visit a castle. ![8.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmb5qYdjHdaynTUd9qfPAET5PJudKGF9F7JFe9h8VoxTds/8.jpg) ![7.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmUKXn1Qggea5fa42R4D1SnMivNjGM5PeMeU7i68pRec8D/7.jpg) We rented out a van that time. Everyone was excited when we arrived there especially the kids. We got off the van and the kids were jumping, amused by what they saw and they kept saying 'shrek' 'prince and princess'. We were welcomed with an old looking wooden gate that's surrounded with many big white stones, there were also windows on it. ![10.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmeor431HxHYNDPRtFAPEKmF6A4y4cruynzz5QsKpBUTMk/10.jpg) Then, someone opened the gate and welcomed us my eyes roam around as we got in, the structure was actually like a castle you see in some princess movies, and the place appeared old surrounded by big white stones. We took pictures outside before we got in the castle. ![19.png](https://images.ecency.com/DQmZx9xXvdP47Pjx6pS849pKFCvz5Dse6me66mec6Een3FK/19.png) A statue of a guard stands outside the castle, and below it is a crocodile. The crocodiles were real and alive and there were two of them. ![9.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmNMFZtjZq8JcmucErhL7aE6YuAy9KS2TiU2zaZSWP3qfV/9.jpg) ![17.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmaJu1mnxSXDLR2ZuTs5isofk2ZjJtWxQnk7PrtKsWe86m/17.jpg) When we entered, there was a wide space on the right side of the building with tables but no chairs. I was reminded of a scene in the movie Shrek where they drank liquors with pals at these kind of tables, when you look above you can see an old and broken chandelier and stacks of liquor bottles at the end of the room. That's when I realized that the place is like an abandoned old castle. ![2.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmegyPFhG9TNtpFTChYCN9zHL2D4mCigXBJrJBFjXiKzbX/2.jpg) ![16.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmNz8PWoYbUQTNcDsBbDgrCc6hDoV1S1SBfjAXbSZ2pap6/16.jpg) We moved to the second story, which was similar to the first floor but there were no tables and only a large open space that could be used for a party or as a dance floor. They used a traditional handwoven mat for the ceiling part of the room. My daughter went down first and took this picture of my husband and me while we were still up there, saying that we looked like a king and queen who had gathered everyone for an announcement. ![15.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmVUsfSN1PDBvbwKZfzv3LaSX1J1rAKFGyJLa51W3iqTLA/15.jpg) As you enter, this is what you'll notice on the left side of the building. The door has a sign on it that says this is the castle's torture room, where slaves are dragged and interrogated when they do anything that enrages the king and queen or if they break a rule. ![6.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmV1yvB6HES2BMhVpBRnT1FpLDrau6PBUJEGyG2fV1biMV/6.jpg) That is beside the torture room, you can see that there are chairs and tables in the area and also there are two swords in the balcony rails and a shield symbol this is where the prince was believed to stay and rest after his training. ![5.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmUap77eB2kdLUCii1kJ4Xzvj8bAqx2qJLHdwaEQJjdi9A/5.jpg) ![14.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmQotgMDKHmrUc8iVCZZYjzaMYWqSwSRqfFKg7Uxb1J97d/14.jpg) We continued on our tour, we headed to the place where average people used to sip alcoholic beverages. When we arrived, I initially believed the space was quite little, there was a glass tile and a blue room below that gave the impression that the space was above sea level. There were numerous bottles of liquor on the counter, and the interior lighting used was yellow. ![3.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmeSyd9nTsStrz91WzHZQpLRj114r3c463ajds9tScjbxN/3.jpg) This was the counter where people ordered food and alcoholic beverages, there were chairs beside the counter where people could dine and drink. They chose rustic seats to give the impression that the venue had been there for a long time. ![13.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmYFvCXhAk1tQ5HM5yaEeGFBAy4P7n7mXoJgxy4FyhK1XZ/13.jpg) ![4.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmaBtnG2wRMwE5sgc9tz8PssdCsEsdq9A38uZm8JhEYcUb/4.jpg) When we went inside, we saw several stone tables, some wooden and some stone seats, flowers on the table, and chandeliers made of colorful empty shot glasses. The guys then pretended to be gangsters, drinking and asking money from girls, it was hilarious. ![1.jpg](https://images.ecency.com/DQmc4HyLfs7sJhnAZcuo1VTMHUyS5B8o1moeLuff5FBowq9/1.jpg) We concluded our trip at the back of the castle, where there was an iron-bar gate and a metal chain for the bridge, similar to what we see in movies when castles close and open. We took a family photo as a memento of our first trip to South of Cebu as a family.

That's all for this blog. Thank you for sparing your time visiting my blog. Adios! ##

_{Some photos were edited using Canva}

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Sunset over the rice fields