Liliw is known to be the tsinelas capital of the Philippines. As a matter of fact, I was able to buy a pair of sandals for P250 while my hubby scored two shoes for P900. This is a real bargain because he bought leather sandals that sell for about P1500 up if you buy these in a mall.
To get to Liliw we took the bus to Sta. Cruz, Laguna in Cubao. We usually take the HM Transport bus because we are familiar with this bus and its route. The fare from Cubao to Sta. Cruz, Laguna is P140 each. The bus terminal is at the corner of EDSA and Monte de Piedad street.
The trip takes about two hours to three depending on the traffic. When you get to Calamba, this is where most of the gridlocks start, then Los Banos. After that, it's pretty much traffic free with great views of green rice fields, trees and mountains.
You can tell the bus conductor that you are going to Liliw so that you can get off Pagsawitan. This is a crossroad where you can either ride going in to Sta. Cruz proper, or just wait at the highway for jeeps to Liliw, Nagcarlan, Siniloan, Magdalena, etc. Sta. Cruz pretty much is the gateway to a lot of wonderful towns around Laguna and nearby Quezon. The landmark is if you see a footbridge and 7-11, that is Pagsawitan.
The jeep ride to Liliw takes about 30 minutes and fare is P30 each. The jeep will pass the outskirts of Magdalena and if you have the time and wish to have a small side trip, you can visit Magdalena's Baroque church which is visible by the hi-way.
Liliw, like it's neighbors is a small town so you can't get lost. You can get off the intersection of the shoe shops and start your bargain hunting right away. Or you can visit Liliw's centuries old church first. You can ask for directions to get to the church, but here's a tip that I'd like to share. If you are visiting Philippine towns and want to get to the famous centuries old churches, look where the high ground is. Churches and it's bell towers have served as lookout posts by the Spaniards so these are strategically constructed on the highest areas of the land.
It was raining when we went to Liliw and a Sunday at that. So the church was filled with cars, churchgoers and other tourists so I could't get a good shot of the place or the shoe shop stalls.
We had lunch at Arabella's and we were able to get a seat right away as it was just me and my hubby. For groups of four or more you'd have to wait as the restaurant is really small. But the food is great. I had the chicken rolls, while hubby had steak and we also had kesong puti pizza. I also love how they serve water that has sliced lemons as it is a refreshing way to start and end your meal. Budget is around P300 per person and the servings are generous.
Our trip was a short one as my hubby needed to get back to Manila for work. But not until I grabbed three packs of Espasol from their pasalubong center/alley. How I wished I bought more as their Espasol was so yummy, not too sweet and you can taste the bits of coconut in every bite.
All in all, we spent just P500 each for this short day trip. You can stretch this P500 as we mentioned by getting off Magdalena first before proceeding to Liliw and instead of eating at Arabela's there are quite a few food stalls near the shoe shops.
