Laguna Loop

It was almost a few days in Sagada, then a weekend in Balai, finally it settled into the long overdue Laguna Loop with the girls. It does sound too near to be exciting, but its a road trip highly recommended for those who want to know what's just outside Manila. I discovered and re-discovered so many things.

...such as that road that starts at the Ortigas Extension actually loops around Laguna de Bay and ends up on the South Expressway upon returning to Manila. How amazing! We took off from Ortigas at around 9am on Saturday (alright 10 am because I was late as usual) and shopped for supplies at the 7-11 at the junction to Tanay.

Its so true that anywhere in the world, some of the most beautiful art can be found in churches. I think we visited a total of 5 churches through our trip, and caught 4 weddings in the process. Throughout the route we stopped at the town churches of Taytay, Morong, Lumbang, Paete, and Pagsanhan. The exteriors of the churches speak of the history of the towns that saw Christianity in the 1600s, even as most churches were just rebuilt after being damaged by fire or war.

Flame trees were a common spectacle along the roads and in the church grounds. Wish they would bloom year round.

Ainee, Gigi & Marj in a photo meant for a travel magazine.

The Dambana ng Kagalakan columns stand outside the Angono Church, and though I don't know what it means exactly, it must be something happy right?

Morong Church.

Historical facts about the Lumban Church.

Paete Church...looks so much like the wood carvings they're known for!
The interiors of the churches are so influenced by European and Spanish architecture, I felt like Robert Langdon trying to break the secrets of the Da Vinci Code. Yes, there were pyramid and sun structures in the art as well as the distinctly Catholic images.


This is one of my favorite pictures...Ainee has a very serene face it seems like she's always content. Very apt for her church surroundings!

Of course the church visits were never complete without a prayer. Believe me, the girls knew exactly what to ask for.

We were very lucky to find Bulawan floating restaurant, which was our first lunch of the road trip. The restaurant is right by the main highway in Pililla, and is a cute enterprise sitting on a big fishpond, while the view away from the road looks out to Laguna de Bay. Highly recommended fare: Inihaw na Pla-pla.
We also drove around Caliraya Lake in an attempt to find housing for the night, but the place was just too rich for our blood. So we ended up at Pagsanhan Falls Lodge...bringing back many childhood recollections of me shooting the rapids with my family who is orignally from that area.

The thing that made this road trip great was actually the company I kept. So well into the night (armed with red wine and a bottle of GSM Blue), we toasted our fabulous lives (things look so much better with a round of liquor), and gave ourselves up to the Sandman in our small but comfy room (with a haunted bathroom!).

The next morning we gathered up our dwindling "kitty fund" to take a trip down the Pagsanhan river. It was so memory-laden for me as I remember going down the same river looking up at the trees jutting out of the mountainside...stopping at the rest area for delicious chicken barbecue...and finally getting to the main waterfall after a 30-minute boat ride that demonstrated the ingenuity and stamina of Pagsanhan boatmen. One thing i did NOT remember from my childhood was how it felt to cross under the waterfall to get to the cave behind it. I almost thought I wouldn't make it but I did! All it took was a deep breath and some internal pep talk...and it can be applied to so many things in life you thought you couldn't do...until you tried.

Oh and the other thing I didn't remember from childhood...I hadn't realized that were quite a bit of good looking boatmen. Shame we didn't have a camera during the river jaunt!

On the drive home we stopped by my dad's grave in Sta. Cruz which I hadn't visited in ages. Its funny how I got a reminder from him through Marj, who's blessed with a third eye. I have to go back there soon to correct his name on the grave. But more than that simple reminder the bigger picture...that he watches out for us too.

One of our last stops along the way home was the University of the Philippines Los Banos to buy fresh milk. Unfortunately, the dairy farm was closed but we did stop for a cute picture. Now do you know what the girls prayed for?

We got distracted with buying milk, cheese, crabs, lamps (!) along the way home so we grabbed dinner at Grace's Bulalo, right before the exit to the South Expressway. Highly recommended fare: Bulalo (err, its obvious).



Credits for the trip: Gigi for her planning and fabulous style; Marj for the transport, the infectious laugh and optimism; Ainee for her poise and "game-to-do-anythingness".