Liliw Daytrip

I haven't been able to post or monitor this blog for quite some time due to my day job. A few days ago I decided to go on a day trip to Liliw in Laguna. Okay, my excuse is I'm stressed out but what I'm really after is the shoes!

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.

Island Hopping Fun in Coron, Palawan

We visited Coron back in 2012. Rates may have changed, also policies in doing Island hopping. Plus, please bear in mind that Coron was also affected by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), they just didn't make a lot of fuss about it.

Coron is a small island in Palawan known for it's beautiful small islets and thriving coral reefs. It can be reached via a 45minute plane ride from Manila or you can opt to ride the overnight ferries also coming from Manila.

We stayed at Lilian's homestay  ( now known as Seaview Pension house). The rates are really affordable, plus since it only has a few rooms with a balcony fronting the sea, it gives you that homey feel. Plus, the balcony will give you great photo opportunities of the sunset.

I arrived a day early since my other wanderlust friend still had work to do. I arrived at around 1pm and on the Airport parking lot you will see a lot of vans that will take you to the town. Since I was staying at Ate Lillians, I had a assigned driver and I had the whole van to myself.

I spent my first afternoon exploring the town. Lillian's homestay is also near the public market, fish port and restaurants. I'm not sure if it's still the same, but bring a flashlight with you. During our stay, there were power outages during the night and we needed to go to the market to buy food.

Another plus factor with staying at Tita Lilian's is that she knows boatmen that can give you fair prices for the island hopping adventure. When we visited in 2012, when my wanderlust friend arrived from Manila we just shelled out P1400 for the whole day island hopping tour. We did have to pay an extra P200 each for the Kayangan Lake entrance, but still the rate she gave us for the the tour was way lower in comparison to those offered on the island.

Our island hop adventure covered seven tourist spots or hops. We were only able to finish six because we were so tired after staying in Kayangan Lake.

1st stop was the Twin Lagoons

2nd stop Skeleton wreck

3rd stop Banol beach. This was where we had our lunch. There are huts on the beach that they rent out from P100-250.

4th stop Coral Garden

5th stop, the wonderful Kayangan Lake. This is the cleanest lake in the Philippines. The water is so clear that you'd be fooled into thinking those rocks are near the surface but when I dove in, and I'm a tall girl, my feet never touched those rocks.

Our last stop was at Twin peaks. The current is a little strong on this area that my friend stayed in the water for just a few minutes and she was tired.

There was a recent headline of a tourist who died after stepping on the corals in Coron. I don't remember our guides telling us to step on the corals, since they know it takes years, decades to grow these corals. On some shallow parts they would even turn off the boat's motor so that they don't damage the corals. And they reminded us to wear aqua shoes or slippers, never barefoot. I wish that recent incident doesn't hamper anyone's desire to visit this lovely town. In our culture when we go to places we don't know or are familiar with, we always say "Tabi tabi po" or roughly translated "excuse me" as a sign of respect to whatever entity is residing in that place. There must be a reason why our ancestors taught us this.

White Water Tubing in Real, Quezon

The original plan was to learn how to surf. But since most of us don't know how to swim, we opted for the white water tubing adventure instead. The PARK's owner, Teody Villaflor, who briefed us said that the activity takes about two hours. And luck was with us that morning since it had rained the previous evening, so the river level wasn't too shallow.

What used to be the means of transportation of lumber from illegal logging now carries tourist along the Tignaoan river. The baranggay captain thought of a way to provide a means of living for the townsfolk after logging was banned due to a tragic accident in 2004. Non-stop rain plus the cutting of trees made the mountainside soft and buried a lot of people. Real became isolated and could only be reached by sea. The PARK, as Mr. Villaflor recalls, became the relief and rescue ground for the government.

The adventure starts with a 30-minute trek to the river. Because of the rain, the cement steps were slippery. Good thing that there are handrails even for half of the trail. Our guide told us that the trail will soon be cemented up to the river jump-off point. They are just waiting for the funds to be released to the local government.

The improvised bamboo raft holds up to five people depending on weight with two guides on each raft. The one in front maneuvers the raft from hitting rocks as we dove into the rapids. The guide at the back serves as the anchor or weight.

An added bonus or side trip is Bagumbong falls. It is a small waterfall with a small, but deep catchbasin where you can swim.

The river trek took more than two hours since there were too many shallow areas since it was summer and the guides had to climb down the raft and either push or pull it. The guides told us that the best time to go is September to November where the river current is strong enough to propel the raft across the rapids. I also suggest to go during these months since the water will cover a lot of the big stones. For me, it's more dangerous when the river is shallow due to the raft bumping against the rocks.

Too bad we didn't have a waterproof camera with us. the highlight of our river tubing adventure was three rapids, with one very steep like the crazy river ride in Star City. The only difference is you really feel the strong current and you have to shift your weight around to balance the raft or else, the raft capsizes or turns over.

The adventure ends when you reach the beach of the PARK. What I love and find really unique with Real is that the river and sea meet at the beach and the waters are warm, great for soaking up those tired and achy bones.

The white water tubing adventure costs P350 each. You can tip the guides when you finish the activity, but not required. I've checked around and found that this is the cheapest white water tubing adventure so far and Real is just a three hour drive from Manila.