What we thought to be a tour of a gallery, turned out to be one of the most enjoyable and educational interview with an artist I have now come to admire.As one of our last stops in our San Pablo tour, our group decided to deviate from our nature bounded trip and headed on to a more art-immersed trip. We decided to head on to Barrio Sta. Ana to experience a more relaxed yet stimulating adventure.
Upon entering the gate of Carlito Ortega’s compound, we were greeted by a stunning abode, similar to a plantation home of South America, filled with different flowering plants and lofty trees. The house help of Sir Ortega led us to a quaint room filled with brass sculptures and chandeliers, where we were to have our snack of sticky rice soup and their famous rice coffee. After our delicious snack, we went to the workshop of Sir Ortega, where we met the famous artist himself.
As we sat down watching him make a sculpture of a ‘tikbalang’, Sir Carlito gave us a little art lesson wherein he shared to us the theory of art, how art evokes reaction from a person, and how an exquisite work of art exudes beauty from the inside.
Watching Sir Carlito work and hearing his words really ignited my passion for the arts. Not only that, he was a living proof that San Pablo had more than just natural attractions.
Coming from Manila, after the San Pablo border, stay on the Maharlika Highway. Watch for the kilometer marker 88 on the right side of the road. Turn right on the road a few hundred meters after the marker. This road leads to Barrio Sta. Ana. Follow this road for 1.4 kilometers and you will see a gate to your right with the sign Carlito’s.Here are pictures from our gallery
An aunt of mine once said, “When travelling, one must not look at the flaws of the town you are visiting. Rather, look at the abundant natural wealth of that town and focus on its possible improvements.”
My first impression of the city of San Pablo was not that pleasant. When we got to the capital of San Pablo, I thought it looked just like the ordinary communities found in Manila. To be honest, I found it very disorganized and crowded. In my mind, I thought we were just going to waste our time touring a city much like any other cities found in the Metro. However, I humbly retracted these thoughts as I soon realized the beauty and vibrancy that San Pablo had.
Nestled in the southern portion of Laguna, roughly 82 kilometers from Manila, is the city famous for its seven lakes and prominent agricultural livelihood. San Pablo, also known as the “City of Seven Lakes”, is one of the fishing industries of the south. It is also a major industrial center that manufactures products sourced from coconut trees, such as coconut delicacies, preserves, lumber, and coconut cooking oil. Apart from these, San Pablo also manufactures stainless cutleries, processed meat products, and steel exteriors for jeepneys.
In terms of their tourism, San Pablo has yet to improve and develop its eco-tourism. Thanks to the efforts of some private homeowners of the city, San Pablo is gradually being known as a prime tourist destination. There is no doubt that San Pablo has a lot to offer the public. Not only is it rich in agriculture, but it has abundant natural and historical wealth as well. Tourists can take the Viaje del Sol tour and treat themselves to the different natural attractions, sumptuous cuisines, and educational historical sites of San Pablo.
Going to San Pablo is easy. There are several buses which travel from Manila to San Pablo, Laguna. You could go to the terminals in Cubao or Buendia and take a bus, such as JAC, JAM and Lucena Lines, going to Laguna. Depending on traffic, the trip takes about an hour or two.
When exploring the island of the Philippines, the first thing that comes to a tourist’s mind is beaches, such as Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Palawan. Most often than not, the thought of exploring historical sites and other natural wonders would only come after these more popular destinations. True, the country’s beaches are one of a kind. But it doesn’t mean that the Philippines could not offer more than white sands and sunny skies. In fact, the Philippines has a wide range of tourist destinations, from natural attractions to historical landmarks.
One good tourist destination is the province of Laguna. Currently, Laguna has been experiencing several industrial changes and modern developments. Despite these changes, Laguna remains to be a place of boundless wealth. Not only is Laguna known as the birthplace of Jose Rizal, it is also known for its fertile lands, various hot and cold springs, abundant lakes and waterfalls, mountainous terrains, and striking old churches and houses. Aside from these attractions, Laguna prides itself as a breeding ground for people with inclination to the arts and crafts—from the amusing wood carvings formed by the people of Paete to the finest woven slippers and sandals of Liliw. It also offers sumptuous meals and cuisines such as the famous buko pie, exotic dishes, fresh tropical fruits, and refreshing coconut wine.
Going to Laguna is pretty
much easy. From Manila,
one can take the bus or a shuttle going to Biñan or Calamba, depending on your
destination. Travel time takes only about an hour, 2 hours if there’s traffic.
Being a resident of Sta.
Rosa, Laguna for seven years, one might think that I would know a bit of detail
about the city or, at least, the province. Sadly, the things I really know
about the province are (1) It is part of the CALABARZON region in Luzon, (2)
Its capital is Santa Cruz,
and (3) It is surrounded by the largest lake in the country, Laguna de Bay. If
it weren’t for my mom, who constantly arranged trips for the family to explore
the different tourist destinations of the Philippines, I wouldn’t be able to
learn and appreciate the beauty of our country. And thanks to one unusual, yet
pleasurable, project for my class, I wouldn’t be able to explore and capture
Laguna’s hidden wealth.
Found in a premier spot along the shore of Sampaloc Lake is Cafe Lago. It provides tourist a unique fine dining experience while going around the lake compared to the usual street food offered by barbeque fishball stands.
Its interior design synergizes with lake’s scenic view. The dining place is surrounded with luscious green plants. The garden-inspired design gives the place a relaxing setting. Its peacefulness and quietness make it great place to catch up and reminisce with friends and especially forget the stress of work or school work.
This place is great place to eat. It serves a variety of Filipino cuisine but it specializes at Southern Tagalog cuisine. I recommend making it your first or last stop. Making it your first stop will catapult your day. Making it your last ensures you a good night sleep. You choose.
For reservations please call Tony Marino (0926) 682 2111 or (049) 562 7403
6 o’clock am was our wake-up call the next day for our first tour to Laguna. We stayed in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for the night in our friend’s house so that we would be nearer to our destinations instead of coming from Manila. Having a lot of time for touring Laguna would be one of the most important things to have with us since there are a whole lot of beautiful places to see and not just hot springs and buko pies which most people thought.
August 30, 2009
And so tomorrow came. At about 9:30am we were all set for our destinations. We were all looking forward to one trip that would give us all: a taste of good food, history, art, nature, and adventure.
When taking a trip to Laguna it was suggested to us to start from the farthest towns then make our way back visiting those nearer towns so we headed first to the two farther neighboring towns Nagcarlan and Liliw. Though it was referred as “far”, driving going there did not take so long. There was no traffic and it just took us I think about an hour and a half from Sta. Rosa to the first town, Nagcarlan.
So our list of things to do in those two towns would include the following: first, we will visit the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. That would be the nearest from entering the arc of Nagcarlan. They said that is really one place to see in that town because it is one of a kind and has a very rich history. Just the name itself is already intriguing so we cannot wait to see it.
Next, we would head to NagcarlanChurch to have a celebration of the Sunday Mass there. Our first mass in Laguna! After having mass, we would continue our trip going to the town ofLiliw: the shoe capital of Laguna.
We would head to the next town right away, just a couple of minutes from Nagcarlan, because we would have to make a reservation in the little restaurant called Arabela. It sounded very interesting to us because they say that we would have to lower down our heads to be able to enter. Then while we would be waiting for lunchtime we would take a look at Liliw Church then start checking out the cheap and stylish shoes in Footwear Lane and some of the pasalubong there. After lunch we would have an "escape" from the city and head to the beautiful Liliw Resort.
Team 1: JC, Shane, Joyce Team 2: Kat, Karina, Mikee, Bry
After our tour in Nagcarlan and Liliw we would head to San Pablo, Laguna. We would take an adventure in the huge LakePandin; then head to see SampalocLake and visit the nearby Café Lago. After this fulfilling and tiring day we would go to Casa San Pablo and stay there for the night in their unique and relaxing rooms. The next day we would go to Tiaong, Quezon to see the creative pots in Ugu Potter’s Garden. We hope we get to create pots! As we would be heading back to Manila we would have a last stop in San Pablo Laguna again to see other places that we could not visit at night. We would tour the huge landscaped orchard Sitio de Amor, meet an artist and have “art lessons” at Carlito’s, have our last meal in Sulyap Gallery Café and then we would bid goodbye to Laguna and head back to Manila.
With all of these place ahead of us, everyone just can't hold their excitements for so long because surely these places would be wonderful and would give us the all-in-one trip we are looking for!
*For a map to some of Laguna’s and Quezon’s famous places visit:
After we looked at the amazing stylish and cheap shoes and slippers in Gat Tayaw Street, we got hungry and it was time for lunch! So what do people look for when finding the place to eat? Of course the taste of the food, the place or environment, and also the prices.
One restaurant in Laguna has them all: Arabela: Camello’s Bakehaus and Coffee Shop in Liliw, Laguna--a unique restaurant located just a short walk from Gat Tayaw Street.
And yes, uniqueness was what struck us when we got to the place. Arabela is a tiny restaurant with a ceiling that was about less than 6 feet high and not so spacious. So if you are more than 6 feet you would have to stoop your head. It was like a doll house with the design of small European street coffee shops. There was relaxing sweet music, also a mini candy store at the side and the glass refrigerator where people could see their beautiful cakes. Everything was just so sweet in there!
It was now time to check out their menu. Arabela’s specialties include cakes, pasta, pizza and hot drinks. We ordered different dishes of pasta and different flavors of pizza for lunch. Then after waiting for just a short time our orders arrived. Wow, the food was not plain or common looking as I thought it would be because I thought that such a small restaurant would just offer simple food. The pasta dishes were set in the plates creatively that made us take pictures first before eating them. Moreover, it was not only presentation that was remarkable. The taste, magnifico! Their pastas tasted so good, as if a real Italian chef made them, and the pizzas are also so good and have very thin crusts just like the home-made pizzas in Italy.
Eating in Arabela felt like dining in an expensive Italian restaurant yet it was just within the country and it was not very expensive at all. Their plate of Lasagna costs P70 only. Their Chicken Parmigiana costs P145 and their whole pizzas with so many varieties of flavors are at P350.We tried four flavors of pizzas and one of which is the yummy Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza. We tried the yummy Eggplant Parmigiana which was priced at 120 pesos only and has generous serving.
It was unfortunate that we were not able to try their coffee, cakes and brownies because eating four kinds of pizza and plateful pastas made us very full. But we were sure that everything they offer is good especially their brownies because they had been selling those for almost 50 years and also because there are groups of people outside waiting to be seated. People actually should make reservations some hours before the time they want to eat then the staff would just text them when their turns are near.
In Arabela everything was there; excellent food, very unique place, reasonable prices and great customer service. Arabela would surely make anyone “take-out” a unique and memorable dining experience. Buon appetito!
Enter that century-old arched gateway, from the middle of the ancient-looking iron and cemented fence with history-blemished grayish white irregularities, and find yourself inside a vast and beautiful garden, beckoning you more to come in and follow what looks like a beautiful primrose path... to the cemetery.
Scary? Definitely not, for this beautiful resting place for the departed is an interesting, to say the very least, place to visit. What with all its history and aesthetic, ancient wonder, this is one for the eyes, but more so for the tourist fancy, and even more so a test to stretch the senses and psyche. Once you reach the middle of the place you just can’t help but look around, and just feel the garden, look around and appreciate that long wall surrounding you. Not unmindful, of course, of what the walls actually contain.
Walk even further, for there is practically just one direction once you get in, towards the only door you’ll find. That’s the entrance to the underground. A nice lady would meet you inside, let you register in this large dusty book your name (I hope it doesn’t make you feel weird) and purpose of visit. Then, when asked, she’d oblige to give you a quick background of the history of the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. Press further for answers, she seems to know them. A small chapel is beyond that door, and another door presses its presence on you – the door downwards. She warns you not to take pictures with flashes, and with a slight voice she says “partly because many people see ‘things’ in their pictures.” For ghost hunters and skeptics alike, this is a nice place to visit. Once down there you wouldn’t help but simply “feel” what the numerous stories about this place are talking about. Yes, there are lots of stories about this place. Who knows, once you get out you’d have a story of your own too…
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An aunt of mine once said, “When travelling, one must not look at the flaws of the town you are visiting. Rather, look at the abundant natural wealth of that town and focus on its possible improvements.”
This place is great place to eat. It serves a variety of Filipino cuisine but it specializes at Southern Tagalog cuisine. I recommend making it your first or last stop. Making it your first stop will catapult your day. Making it your last ensures you a good night sleep. You choose.
For reservations please call Tony Marino (0926) 682 2111 or (049) 562 7403
6 o’clock am was our wake-up call the next day for our first tour to Laguna. We stayed in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for the night in our friend’s house so that we would be nearer to our destinations instead of coming from 
For ghost hunters and skeptics alike, this is a nice place to visit. Once down there you wouldn’t help but simply “feel” what the numerous stories about this place are talking about. Yes, there are lots of stories about this place. Who knows, once you get out you’d have a story of your own too…