Kamay ni Hesus, Lucban, Quezon

I had shared this trip to Kamay ni Hesus before in My Bedtime Stories way back May 2012. With holy week drawing near, my Mom has been talking about paying the place a visit. Thought I would share this again here for those who are planning to take the same trip. Keep in mind though that prices may have already changed.

Kamay ni Hesus | Lucban, Quezon
I had a choice of either an underdeveloped resort in an island in Zambales, or a pilgrimage to Kamay ni Hesus (Hands of Jesus), a shrine in Lucban, Quezon province, at the slopes of Mt. Banahaw. Zambales was tempting, but I was inclined to go to Kamay ni Hesus instead since it was a plan looooong over due. I convinced my cousin to ditch whatever he had planned that day and asked him to come with me. Lucky me he wanted to go there as well. So the plan was set - the shrine on Saturday, then I ride back with him to hang out with family till Sunday in Gumaca, Quezon. I live in Manila, so I had to take a 4 hour trip to the Lucena Grand Terminal in Quezon province, where we were meeting up (bus fare = P185). From there it was a little under an hour to get to the shrine (we were on a motorcycle; gas = P200). At the terminal one can take a jeep or bus to the shrine. It was the height of summer, which probably wasn't the best time to go because of the humidity, but I didn't care. The first thing we saw was the tall statue of Mother Mary (don't know how tall, but definitely can't be missed) facing towards the mountain, back turned to the road. The entrance and exit is surrounded by stalls selling native hats and souvenirs like little rosaries and key chains, native coin purses and what-nots. Upon entering, if you have a vehicle, there is a parking fee of P10 for a motorcycle. I believe it's P20 for a car, not quite sure.

Huts in the Garden of Eden

A gravel path surrounded by trees leads into the parking lot with food and, again, souvenir stalls. I didn't notice the other statues near the entrance until we left but there were other imaged of bible stories at the foot of Mother Mary. What I did notice was a pathway into what was named "Garden of Eden". It was a stone arc with flowering plants, welcoming us away from the heat. Inside are huts and picnic areas under shady trees. We walked on further down the path, towards what apparently was to the side of the whole place, and we found a playground. It looked like a zoo of stone animals. The slide was an elephant and there were giraffes and other animals scattered around. Then there in background was the huge ark, with statues of animals around and on it, situated behind a fish pond. It is the retreat house / accommodation of the place. It looked like a real ark, with a status of Noah up on the balcony. It was, of course, called "Noah's Ark". Silence is observed within that area and we were not allowed in to see the view from the top. Nonetheless, it was cool to see a building intentionally made to look like ark.

Courtesy of the official website

That's my cousin

After we had our fill of the retreat house, we moved on towards the left, facing the side of the mountain. There are statues of bible stories such as Moses holding the 10 commandments, and Abraham with Isaac on a stone altar. They were situated apart from each other, with stairs to get between each. We realized later though that the stairs ended there with no other way but down. So, back down, up front, we went on more stairs and we ended up in the center of the Garden. There was a man-made (but small) waterfall above one of many fish ponds. Adam and Eve statues were all over the place. We moved further on and saw the church standing at the foot of 292 steps leading to the looming 50-foot statue of Jesus, hands raised to the sky, at the top of the mountain. And so the climb begins.

Credits to the official website. I believe this was during
Holy Week which is why it is filled with people. When we were there,
there was hardly anyone visiting.

Mind you, it was the height of summer. We were hitting 36°C more or less during that time. Just imagine what we were getting ourselves into. Off we went anyway, a bottle of buko shake and a towelette in hand.

The way up was not a straight climb (unlike the one in Baguio). There are several stops and turns which we were very grateful for. It was in these turns that we saw the story of Jesus from the last supper, to His suffering via the Station of the Cross, all the way to His tomb. Mid-way the mountain is a statue of Mother Mary, definitely taller than 7 feet. The landscape was well maintained and the statues life-sized, and the main attraction got bigger and bigger as we went higher and higher. When we got to the top, we were so tired! We rested under the trees as we admired how huge His shrine was. And the view! It was worth it. We could see far out, past the town proper of Lucban. It reminded me how "big" He was, nothing compared to the size of His shrine, or anything we can see as "big". We are just specs in this world and He is the bigger picture. I was reminded that we have a lot to be thankful for and we are blessed. That there was more to our lives than our jobs, our petty problems, and the space we roamed in. We said our prayers and thanks, and of course took pictures, then headed down the stairs. This time it was straight down.

The view from the top.

The church was at the bottom of the stairs. There was a scheduled mass at 5PM that afternoon, but we had a long way back to Gumaca and a drive through the zig zag on a motorcycle at night was not a good idea. So we decided to visit the church, say our prayers, then hit the road. The church was simple and a relatively recent build. It is in this church that a well known priest, Fr. Joey Ayala Faller, leads a Healing Mass regularly. For schedules, you may visit the official website of the shrine: http://www.joeyfaller.org. The tiles at the entrance of the church had etchings of thanks and prayers. I believe you can get a tile printed for you at a cost. On the other side of the church was a pathway leading towards the back, lined with images of saints. We didn't have time to see the rest of the place as it was getting late. Maybe next time, we'll get to see more.

That weekend trip was a success. I did something different and forced myself outside my cocoon. We spent, between the 2 of us, more or less P1,000 (including food - those stairs made us hungry!). Not bad. Not bad at all.

Where Have I Been?

I had started off on another blog years ago to tell stories of my trips. It was stopped though due to work. Now 4 years later, I revived that blog (My Bedtime Stories) as advised by a friend. I decided I would recap the places I have been to, then share the top 5 places I fell in love with. But since that blog is a mix of all sorts of stories, I decided to separate travel stories into this blog.

So here is a recap of places I've been to in the past til before my Tanay trip. A list to remind me how blessed I was to see those places and how blessed I am to be able to see more. This is also to remind me that patience can get me to places I didn't know I could go to. All in the right time, and right planning.

GUMACA, QUEZON
Family lives in Gumaca, but I haven't seen most of the falls or beaches around the area and other parts of Quezon. That is part of the list for this year. I have been to a few of the beaches there and the historical places though. Have also done a 30 minute hike to Malabtog Falls in Labnig with family.

LUCBAN AND TAYABAS, QUEZON
Visited Kamay ni Hesus and went up it's 292 steps to see a 50-foot statue of Christ (you can read my story here). On another trip, we visited Lucban during the town-wide bazaar and took a side-trip to Kamayan sa Palaisdaan, a well known restaurant in Tayabas, Quezon.

AGDANGAN, QUEZON
We took a trip to Agdangan for a friend's birthday. We saw the Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary and stayed in a beach house of the ex-Mayor of the town. This is still, by far, my Top 1 on my I-will-return-to list.

SORSOGON, ALBAY AND CAMSUR BICOL
Our family is also from Bicol, hence the occasional trips to Magallanes and Sorsogon. Sadly, I can't find any of my pictures of gorgeous Sorsogon. The next time I go there, I will make sure I take lots of pictures! Have also been to Mt. Mayon and CWC in Camsur via a motorcycle road trip.

PUERTO GALERA, ORIENTAL MINDORO
Teammates and I went to Puerto Galera and it was my first trip with a boat ride. Loads of fun! Especially for someone without much exposure back then. Puerto Galera was definitely a trip to remember.

ANILAO, NASUGBU AND LAIYA, BATANGAS
Anilao was were I learned to dive and OMG I still want to pursue that dream of being a Dive Master. I owe this amazing experience to a friend. It's beautiful under the sea! Nasugbu was with friends and Laiya was a company summer outing (read about Palm Beach here).

MORONG, BATAAN
This was another summer company outing. Beautiful beach!

TERNATE, CAVITE
We went to Caylabne, which was on a company summer outing we weren't supposed to be in. And ang bilis ng karma. The trip was such a disappointment. Boracay de Cavite (Katungkulan Beach Resort) on the other hand, was quite a pleasant surprise.

CAVINTI, LAGUNA
The famous Pagsanjan Falls did not disappoint. This I truly enjoyed! From hike to swim, it was a fulfilling trip.

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE
Again with teammates, we survived the coldness of Sagada, the most tiring trek to and from an ice-cold waterfall, an amazing and slippery cave, and viewing the hanging coffins from a distance. Beautiful place!

And last on the list...
ILOCOS NORTE AND ILOCOS SUR
There were so many places to see! This deserves it's own page. This was also my first solo trip, but via a Travel and Tours package.  And since a typhoon got in the way, I will go back to see Pagudpud and the caves. I also missed some activities in Vigan that I would like to go back to.

So, there it is. This week, I'll share my Top 5 Places-I-Fell-In-Love-with in a series of blogs, one blog one location. Til then!

Much love!

Laguna: Nagcarlan and Liliw

I guess there is a reason why my other trips were postponed. One of which, I believe, is because it had to give way to a trip with family and family friends. My Mom's best friend's daughter, Rina, was looking for other people to join her trip to Laguna, and my sister thought Mom would want to go. It was trip any senior could go on since it wasn't too physically challenging. And I was glad we went. Mom has a good time. :)


Where to in Laguna? A resort in Nagcarlan, Laguna, where apparently my stepfather had lived in for 4 years, and a side trip to Liliw, Laguna, home of the Liliw footwear.

So here was the plan and proposed budget:

Unfortunately, it was a rainy Saturday making it pretty darn cold. This part of Laguna did not have hot springs so we were all worried we wouldn't be able to take a dip in the waters. But we still pushed through. We opted to leave in the afternoon so that it would allow for a lot of rest and less stress for the seniors.

We got to Nagcarlan without getting lost, thanks to my stepfather and Waze. When we got to Villa Sylvia Resort, the place felt secluded. The fan rooms were the first thing to see, lined with the parking area. The room was big with 4 beds that could fit all 12 of us. We opted for the fan room instead of the air-conditioned ones since it was already cold and we figured the air-conditioned rooms would just leave us freezing all night. We could grill in front of our room under the trees and we were provided a long table and chairs (very kind of them since it wasn't part of the deal really). It wasn't peak season so only a few people were there (yey!). We rented a videoke, cause everyone with us loved to sing and boy did that thing get no rest! The videoke was a bit pricey though at P800.

Trees and parking in front of our room

My stepfather and a friend he hadn't seen in ages who lived in the area

After we got ourselves settled, we decided to take a peek at the place. Going down the entrance, it looked tiny, but the plants and landscape only made it look so. As you go down further, you're greeted by a view of 3 big pools surrounded by trees and flowers. There were 2 long slides in the middle that looked like fun! There were 2 or 3 open-air venues that I spotted, which I assume could be rented out for occasions, and a church up the side of the pools. There were also huts practically hidden among the plants and trees. The air-conditioned rooms are also inside this area of the resort.

Click to enlarge photos 

 

My Mom who would stop often to take a selfie LOL

From left to right: my cousin Gene, a family friend Sam, my Mom's best friend Tita Vhing, my Mom and my aunt Tita Dhel

At the top of the slide, there still seemed to be more to the place so we ventured through the trees and paths. We passed by a full basketball court, another venue area, kindda like a big hut that could probably fit about 100pax, and a closed cafeteria. There still looked like there was something else back there so we kept going. There we saw stairs going down and we could hear running water. That's when we found out the place had access to a stream and turned a part of it into a place one could swim in! We decided we'd go in the morning since it was getting dark by then, and there were no lights in that area. We were sooo hoping it wouldn't rain the next day.


      

Photo courtesy of Rina

After dinner, the seniors wanted to take a dip in the pool, so the most of the group went off. It was drizzling and cold so I opted out. The seniors came back saying they would go in the morning instead because the night breeze would make the swim too cold. When I asked where the others were, they were already in the pool. So my cousin and I went to check on them. The pool looked so inviting! We ran back to the room, got dressed and dove in. And yeah, Mom was right. It. Was. Freezing. Cold. So I decided to go for the slides. Great way to get the warmth going and it worked. Did a few laps and the cold had lessened (and the panting increased! LOL Gotta stop smoking).

Photo courtesy of Rina

Photo courtesy of Rina

If there would be something I didn't like about the place, it would the fact that the shower didn't work and there was no hot water. So imagine having to swim in cold water, then taking a shower with freezing cold water as well. Thank goodness we didn't get the air-conditioned room. Also, you could hear the cars that would come and go outside, along with doors opening and closing from the other rooms. Well, couldn't expect much, so I just had to deal with it. So I didn't sleep as well as I had wanted. Because of that, I couldn't get up early enough the next day to swim in the stream (sadness). I had found out that Mom and the others already had their swim in the pool, but didn't go to the stream for fear of leeches (which I eventually confirmed that there wasn't any). Before we left, we went to the stream to take some pictures instead.

I love seeing her all giddy! She pretended to fall over and she was laughing that she made us panic!

With Rina, the planner of the trip (Photo courtesy of Rina)

After the photo ops, we headed back to the room to pack up and finished the rest of the trip. Since it started to rain again, we decided to skip the falls for fear of it being to slippery for the seniors and it was a little out of the way. We had left the resort later than planned to take full advantage of the cost, so fitting in the falls would extend the trip too long.



Next stop was the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. The cemetery had a chapel built in the 1800's and the bodies there date back in the early 1900's. They no longer add to the buried there and turned it into a tourist spot. They try to maintain as much of the original building as they could and restored the facade a bit. It's tiny and a short walk, also not too deep underground. What's left of the original ceiling of the chapel were on the restored ceiling. Relatives of the departed buried there still visit every now and then, which is nice to know.

      

Pieces of the original ceiling

Graves a floor down in the ground

   

Next stop was Liliw, Laguna. Off to the red church, and looking around for shoes or slippers made in Liliw. The church was big. The outside of the church was of red bricks and pretty! The alter was the same as the church I saw in Tanay, Rizal.

On the side streets around the church are the shoes and slipper stores. It was a disappointment really. It cost more there than it did in Manila. My aunt bought just a few house slippers that was cheaper there, other than that, they didn't find anything else they liked. I like the way they decorated their stores though. It was cute and reminded me of Vigan a little.

After that stop, we were ready to go home. To see the smile on my Mom's face made it all worth-while. I'm glad we went and spent most of the weekend at Laguna. Now she wants us to plan for island hopping in Quezon. I have a feeling she's got a list ready as well LOL.


Till my next post. Sleep well, dream big.


Much love!