The St John the Baptist Church or Calamba Church is so much a part of our Philippine History because this is where our National Hero - Dr Jose Rizal was christened. In fact, the baptistery where Rizal was baptized is declared as a National Historical Landmark. It was built in 1757 by the Jesuit Missionaries and just a block away from the ancestral house of Rizal. This church is made of stone and also built in Baroque style.
The Santa Maria Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur or the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 together with the San Agustin Church in Manila, San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte and Sto Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo. This 400 year old church is built on top of a hill at the town of Santa Maria and made of bricks and mortar. The Santa Maria church has become an attraction to both tourist and Catholics in Ilocos Sur.
I came across some pictures online of a waterfalls restaurant. The wanderlust in me was intrigued so I searched where it is. I was new to Lipa and little did I know that the place is just around 45 minutes away from home and there is a shortcut going to Tiaong without traversing the National Road. The plantation is so huge at 800 hectares and it encompasses the San Pablo City in Laguna and the municipalities of Tiaong and Dolores in Quezon Province. The entrance to Villa Escudero Plantations was P1250 per head for a day tour including the buffet lunch at the waterfalls restaurant. We went there on a Friday because there is also a cultural show every weekend. The price was quite expensive but we pushed through because dining in a waterfalls restaurant is a new experience for me and not everybody has the chance to have lunch in bamboo tables, eating in banana leaves while the water of Labasin Falls is brushing your feet. When we arrived, we were in for a big surprise. It wasn't just the waterfalls restaurant and the cultural show that the plantation has to offer but a lot more. It is more like an immersion to our rich Filipino cultural heritage. So aside from the lunch at the waterfalls restaurant and the cultural show, we also enjoyed the carabao drawn cart as our transportation around the villa with plantation singers singing us folk songs, bamboo rafting at Labasin Lake, tour at their museum and of course the ambiance of being in a Philippine countryside. We could have enjoyed swimming at their swimming pool too but we were not able to bring our swimming attire. They also accept overnight stays and functions. We haven't seen the inside of their rooms but I bet they are top of the class, too.
Experience the allure of Philippine country life at Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort.
A self-contained working coconut plantation, It was founded in the 1880s by Don Placido Escudero and his wife Dona Claudia Marasigan. Originally planted to sugarcane, the crop was converted to coconut by their son Don Arsenio Escudero in the early 1900s. A pioneering agro-industrialist, he built the country's first working hydroelectric plant to supply his dessicated coconut factory and Villa Escudero, where he and his wife Dona Rosario Adap built in 1929.
Their children opened the estate to the public in 1981. From its humble beginnings, the resort has become a prime tourist destination for locals, overseas Filipinos and a wide array of foreign visitors to the country. It has a worldwide reputation as a showcase for the Philippines' rich cultural heritage, offering a beguiling glimpse of its history, cuisine, dress, customs and natural beauty a mere two hours away from Manila.
The waterfalls created by the Labasin Dam
Rode this carabao drawn cart to the main reception and with plantation singers singing folk songs
Relaxing landscape
The main reception where the cultural show is held
Waterfalls
Filipino cuisine
We were early for lunch
Filipino buffet
Cultural show
Labasin dam with the cottages for accomodation
Bamboo rafting
Labasin lake with Mt Makiling hidden by the clouds
I wasn't prepared for this trek to Pongas Falls. And our friend, May, wasn't prepared, too. She was wearing neon orange skirt in this long trek. We arrived before noon from Baguio and checked in at Shamrock Tavern and Inn. We head off to Pongas Falls in Angkileng Village in Sagada after lunch at the famous Salt & Pepper Diner. The drop off point is 5 kilometers away from the poblacion and we passed by Sumaguing Cave. Then we trekked all the way to Pongas Falls which is hidden by the mountains. But the trek was fun with crazy friends and the landscape that we passed by were magnificent and the Sagada Rice Terraces was simply picturesque. When we reached Pongas falls, I was at loss of words. The long trek was all worth it. Our pictures will say it all.
Welcome view of the Angkileng Rice Terraces from the drop off point
Hanging bridge
Walking in the terraces
Had so much fun though it was hot
They obviously had fun too
Start of my ordeal (I mean mountain climbing)
If we fell, we land in the muddy rice field
Another scary height
Nonetheless, this view took some of my fears away
We passed by this cave
Almost there!
Almost...
Diyosa ng Pongas Falls
Another climb ugghh
Pongas Falls at last
A small rapids at the left side of the big waterfall
Refreshing!
It was worth it
We girls didn't actually dip in, we were photographers
From the town center of Banaue, we rode in our guide's tricycle to Hapao. We passed by winding and unpaved roads, small falls coming down from the cliffs and of course breathtaking view of the other rice terraces of Ifugao. From the main road in Hapao, we walk 40 minutes to one hour going to Hapao River and Bogyah Hot Springs. As I've said, any physical activity is not my cup of tea but the beauty of the Hungduan Rice Terraces kept me motivated. It was like a dejavu walking in the 'pilapils', touching those 2,000 year old stones that were stacked on top of each other to make a strong foundation for the terraces and mesmerizing at the clear waters of the ancient irrigation systems that provides life to the rice fields. I didn't regret the long trail. The Hapao River was refreshing and the current was strong. After dipping in Hapao River, the Bogyah Hot Springs is just a stone's throw away. The sulfuric water of the Bogyah Hot Springs is soothing to the skin. The long trail that I walked is another feat for me!
The intersection going to Brgy Bay-yo is another perfect stopover along the Bontoc - Banaue Road. However, if you are commuting, some public transports doesn't stop here because they prefer the stopover in Mt Polis which is just a few kilometers away. What's great about this stopover is the clean comfort room maintained by an Igorot in his native attire and an amazing view of the Bay-yo Rice Terraces and the Bay-yo village. And it doesn't stop there. The old Igorot had a lot of stories to tell and he let us take pictures with him for free. He even choreographed the pictorials. He told us that the controversial YouTube video which featured wake boarding in the rice terraces was actually shoot at the Bay-yo Rice Terraces and they gave consent to the people behind it to promote tourism of their rice terraces.
And we had an exciting foggy adventure just two kilometers away from this stopover. We were engulfed in fog and the road was in zero visibility. Also, a mere one kilometer before this stopover is where Tado's bus fell off a ravine and the Igorot told us that he even saw the bus pass by him as it lost control and one of his tribesman was about to disembark in Bay-yo but was not able to do so but thanks to their anitos, he survived. Then were off to see the Ifugao Rice Terraces!
