U-Turn

Waking up and looking out your window at endless rows of plants and trees really does wonders for your soul. I was feeling really upbeat and ready to head to our next destination!

Despite its namesake, the Taytay falls is not found in Rizal. Its located in the town of Majayjay in Laguna, just at the tip of Quezon. Since the roads were narrow and winding, we had to leave our buses behind and hire limo-jeeps, extra long passenger jeeps which I failed to take a picture of. We are made to park at a designated area afterwhich we go down a really steep staircase before beginning our 20-minute trek through a 1/3 muddy, 1/3 rocky and 1/3 cemented walkway towards the falls. Along the way, you will see campers with their tents set-up, their food cooking on GAS STOVES and their trash scattered all around them. I even saw a parent holding his kid ready to use one of the rock formations as their bathroom if not for my timely evil eye. Not only that, there was actually construction going on for a 3-storey building within the immediate vicinity of the falls. Didn't I just say I woke up in a good mood this morning? Pwes, nawala nung nakita ko 'to! Calling on the Mayor of Majayjay! This is a travesty. For such a beautiful piece of nature, I believe it should be nurtured and protected. Besides, I think the falls has the potential of being a great tourist destination if it is properly cared for and preserved. Sayang ang Taytay Falls. Tsk tsk.

I was not wearing the right footwear so I stopped short of going down to the actual falls. The PATTS people though tell me that the water was extremely cold. In fact, those swimming were taking shots of Fundador so that their bodies would heat up. Ahem. Again, what is liquor doing in an area where numerous children were swimming and walking around. Ewan ko ba. This place really did not leave a good impression on me.

After taking all the pictures we could possible take, we made our way back to Lucban for some downtime in the town proper. Everyone was free to roam the streets until 12 noon which gave us an hour and a half to find the perfect Lucban longganisa!





We made the rounds and since we couldn't decide on which one had the best longganisa, we bought from three separate stores! The first one was from the Abcede Restaurant which was the one recommended by our tour provider. We then crossed the street to the store directly in front of Abcede and bought some more. Not content, about 10 stores down, we bought another set. So now you know the contents of my freezer! After the longganisa search, we decided to have some of their famous pancit hab-hab or pancit lucban right before lunch! Very bad. Anyway, we ended up in Buddy's which my brother says can be found all around Metro Manila. Apparently, Buddy's has its origin in this town. When I tasted their pancit, naku, let's just say I was happy they have a branch in Manila! Super sarap! Their pancit is masabaw, malaman and very tasty. I can't wait to try their pancit again.

We head back to the Batis Aramin for lunch, do our last minute thing, check-out then cross the main road to reach the Kamay ni Hesus Memorial. The statue sits on top of a hill on property donated by the landed folk of Lucban. At first glance, I am reminded (ever so slightly) of the Christ the Redeemer monument in Brazil. But while the one in Rio is all white, our local version has Christ draped in a red cape and his hair and beard are colored as well.




It was a gruelling 291 steps to the top of the statue. It was 2:00 in the afternoon, the sun was burning and yet I felt the urge to climb up those steps. And when you get to the top, the feeling is indescribable. You will see a vast area of land covered with everything green. It was beautiful and truly breathtaking.

Next stop was the Tayabas Basilica also known as the St. Michael the Archangel Church. The first thing I noticed about the church was that it was really long! From the door to the altar, it was quite a walk. There happened to be a wedding going on so it made for a beautiful backdrop. Take note, despite the heat, naka-tux pa si groom.





The trip to the Tayabas Basilica was the last stop of our summer tour of the South. Next year, we are looking forward to visiting Bicol or maybe even flying to Boracay! We are all keeping our fingers crossed. Hope for the best!