First thing’s first, I had no idea where we were going. I was only instructed to a) wake up really early and meet up and b) bring my overnight bag + swimming things + money. I was really confused since I will be the one driving but I went with it anyway.
In Alabang area, we decided to stop over at Jollibee and buy myself breakfast, I was starving T_T.
Talk about early calories! Heh!
After eating a bit, we continued our road trip. Keep in mind that I still have no idea where were going. I was simply being instructed to take the next exit and/or take the next turn.
Our first stop, the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. We had to park in the opposite gasoline station (Php 10.00 parking fee) to be able to take a look.
Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery entrance
Arc entrance
A serene panorama shot of the outside of the church. You can also see the numerous tombstones here.
This church was built in 1845 and was designed for a funeral mass. The door to the right leads to the underground graveyard.
Being inside the underground cemetery was a bit eerie. Good thing nothing turned out to be supernatural in my photos.
The oldest tomb I saw here was 1886.
staircase going to and from the underground cemetery
We then visit Liliw Laguna and this is our first stop, San Juan Bautista Parish. There was a wedding taking place inside so I opted not to take photos of the inside of the church.
One of the reasons why we went there was to shop for affordable shoes! Your Php1000.00 can buy 3-5 pairs of shoes! They have a whole street that sells these bargains. A business thought also crossed my mind from this. LOL
Shopping made me hungry. We had lunch at Arabela which is just on the other side of the street of the “shoes” street. For the details on Arabela, you may visit this post>> http://www.iamcharm.com/2012/06/arabela-camellos-bakehaus-coffee-shop.html
After shopping and eating at Liliw, we went to San Pablo, Laguna to visit the Pandin Lake, which according to the locals there is the most beautiful of the 7 lakes in San Pablo. *Photos to follow since I couldn’t bring my phone in the lake. I have to borrow a few pics from my friend*
Fresh from swimming in the lake we went directly to Tahanan Hotel (or Tahanan ni Aling Meding) where we will be staying for the night.
The gate to Tahanan ni Aling Meding
The Facade. Yes it seems like a mansion to me as well.
The view from the main entrance. They also have a pool. 🙂
This is their hallway/dining area too.
They had this huge “article” pertaining to all the 7 Lakes in San Pablo.
And also had this map to help determine where those lakes are 🙂
The Key to our beautiful room.
Here’s what we saw when we opened the door. Wow.
I just had to check their bathroom if it’s clean. They have tainted white tiles but all else, is ok. 🙂
Our view from our bedroom windows. Beautiful eh?
A view of the whole room. TV was a little off, but then again, I wasn’t there to watch shows. Oh they have a videoke machine just beside the TV if the guests wants to sing ^_^
After settling in our room, we decided to have dinner at Sulyap Gallery and Cafe
Image from their official website http://www.sulyap.net
They have an old feel to their cafe.
Here’s a look into how the cafe looks like. Like an old house that was converted into a restaurant.
(Php 150.00) We had this “enseladang Pako”. Surprisingly, it tasted so good. I can consider this a viand too aside from being an appetizer.
(Php 230.00) Their Beef Tapa, I know it looks like a tocino to me and well it was mediocre in taste. There wasn’t anything special about it.
(Php 470.00) The Kare Kare was ok. But I was happy with how big their shrimp was. Other than that, it was an ok dish for me.
We had a very busy day but still when we got back from our dinner in Sulyap Gallery and Cafe, we decide to swim first in their pool. Their pool was clean enough. Although you can see some insects floating in the pool since it can’t be helped when the pool is under some plants. Morning came and we were treated to breakfast (well actually it comes with the room).
My favorite breakfast! Hotdog with fried rice and sunny side up egg, YUM!
After breakfast we decided to take a walk outside to see the view of the Sampaloc Lake. And what we saw saw just, beautiful.
A serene sight.
After the quick walk, we decided to head back to our room to fix our stuff. But we were to go to our final stop. For lunch, we went to Cafe Lago.
Here’s the entrance to Cafe Lago. It also has a “home-y” feel to it.
Like the Tahanan ni Aling Meding, Cafe Lago is a house that has been converted to a restaurant. More accurately the house is above the place.
We were asked to sit by this window by some old man since there is a reservation placed for the table we chose.
Later on we were informed that the old man who asked us nicely was the owner Mandy Marino. We also had the privilege to have a small chat with Mrs. Emma Marino, the owner’s wife. She was quite a hostess. She suggested a lot of stuff that we can do in Laguna.
Their Lengua was very tasty. My friend was not really a fan of tomato based food, but has found this dish very tasty and delicious. I too found it delicious, might sound a little biased though since I’m a somewhat fan of tomato base food.
Oh and by the way, the Pandin Lake, Cafe Lago, Sulyap cafe, Arabela and the Tahanan ni Aling Meding are part of what they call Viaje del Sol or Way of the Sun. They decided to form this tour in order to promote the towns of Laguna, Quezon and Batangas. I guess that concludes this post. Hope you get to try everything 🙂
My Travelled Places 