The mansion now hosts shops and restaurants in most of its space. The rooms are still labeled by what they were originally used. Because the mansion is registered as a historical site, there are few modifications allowed. My biggest surprised was walking into a shop and discovering it was used to be a bathrooom. The 50's stile tile, sink and shower are still all there - just decorated with beach-themed merchandise.
The house's coat closet was big enough to have a shop in it as well. It even boasted it's own private bathroom - that's the difference between a home and a mansion.
The 40 minute train ride was interesting and entertaining. The guide described the different plants grown locally. Over 90% of the plants in the island are not indigenous to the area. I also learned that bananas don't grow on trees. They are actually an herb because the stem of the 'tree' does not contain any woody tissue.
Sugar canes are no longer grown in the plantation for harvesting. They are instead used in between every row of new fruit trees planted to protect them from wind damage. Once the tree is tall enough to withstand the wind on its own, it is usually also wide enough to reach the sugar canes. So the canes are removed and used by bar tenders when making special cocktails.
We saw a variety of fruit trees:orange, star fruit, papaya, coconut and longan. We also saw taro fields and pineapple leaves.
