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.
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| Trees and parking in front of our room |
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| 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.
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| Click to enlarge photos |
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| My Mom who would stop often to take a selfie LOL |
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| 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.
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| 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).
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| Photo courtesy of Rina |
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| 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.
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| I love seeing her all giddy! She pretended to fall over and she was laughing that she made us panic! |
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| 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.
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| Pieces of the original ceiling |
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| 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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