“Every patience and perseverance pays off as we reach the aim of doing it piece by piece, day by day.”
With the travel buddies – The Road Trippers (TRT), we headed our first summer two-day escapade at Puzzle Mansion located at Tagaytay City not only for the cold weather, explore the nature and swim at infinity pool but to get a learning life experience with the Puzzle Lady, Ms. Gina Gil Lacuna.
During my visit at the Puzzle Mansion last year, we witnessed the awarding of Ms. Gina Lacuna’s Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzle. She beat the previous Guinness World Record which has a 238 collection by Luiza Figuereido of Brazil last May 21, 2010.
We were fortunate that Ms. Gina Lacuna herself take the time to tour us around. I think my visit now is more ok as she shared the story behind each puzzles she created.
The Puzzle Museum is located down on one of the rooms at Puzzle Mansion which become a come-on main tourist attraction of the place. I am amazed that most of her puzzle collections were renowned paintings all over the world from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Diego De Silva Velazquez.
Ms. Lacuna assembled those jigsaw puzzle for 27 years as a hobby and has 1,030 collection to date. Her target – she had able to finish two 500-piece puzzles a day and a 1000-pieces puzzle overnight. If the puzzles have only 300 pieces, she can finish five of them in one day.
Her puzzle collection also have mural-sized puzzles that are 14 feet long and 5 feet tall and smaller pieces of various shapes and sizes, that come in 3D and 4D designs.
Below is the box of Keith Haring’s Double Retrospect with 32,000 puzzle pieces, 17 feet long and 6 feet tall which is acknowledge also by Guinness to be the biggest jigsaw puzzle in existence in the world.
As of now, we have seen this “on-the-works”. Hopefully when she finished it, the plan would be putting it in a six-wood plywood and estimate to hava a size of 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Wow, definitely this puzzle will be hailed as the biggest jigsaw puzzle in the world.
Timely as I asked my daughter to come with us to celebrate also her birthday and at the same time an advanced treat for her graduation day. I would like her also to be oriented on different hobbies like puzzle building aside from the usual stuffs that she is doing.
My favorites – Diego De Silva Velazquez works that depicted history, mythologies and religious works as I have seen them huge here like The Nativity, Sewing Women and alike.
During our two-day stay, we enjoyed the facilities and amenities. Since the bed and breakfast accommodation is still new, expect a clean, air-conditioned spacious room, double beds, bathroom / shower equipped with cable LCD TV. Example is the Gardenia Room where we stayed.
The captured nature surrounding of Puzzle Mansion is amplified with fresh cold air around even the summer is on. Together with the scenic site of mountain hills and plants around, it is a sweet escape and a perfect hideaway for families and friends.
If one is amazed on the puzzle collections of Ms. Lacuna, one can buy at the Souvenir Shop on different sizes. Shirts and caps are also available for purchase.
With a bliss of relaxation for that two-day vacation especially the inspiring advocacy that I learned from Ms. Gina Lacuna’s that is:
Like a puzzle, one has to connect it piece by piece in each single task. Try different combinations and one will be surprised it matched. Its a spice of life after all which made the puzzle interesting.
This coming summer, I like my daughter not only to be occupied but also learn the fun way of this puzzle hobby. Benefits I am seeing is memory stimulation by remembering every details step by step, If there are difficulties encountered along the way, she has to cope with it. Definitely, once it is completed, trying another one is the next step as a sense of accomplishment.
With Ms. Gina’s works, no matter what age you are, puzzles are very good not only as a hobby bu also for brain workout.
Puzzle Mansion is situated at Purok 4 Cuadra St. Barangay Asisan, Tagaytay City.
Opens from Monday – Friday: 7 am to 7 pm, Saturday – Sunday: 7 am to 8 pm
Entrance Fee: P 100.00
Contact Nos: +632 661-0019, Mobile: +63 905 225-0229
Email Address: puzzlemansion@gmail.com
Website Address: www.thepuzzlemansion.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PuzzleMansion
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