Hitting the Road

It's been quite some time since I made an entry here and I miss it actually. It's a bit funny though that during the time that typhoons were hitting the country, the internet service in my area was working well, but when the typhoons left, my service provider chose that time to strand me, and the rest of my province. I'm still looking for the logic in that.

And so, one of the things I quite missed during those trying times was the opportunity to just get up and and drive a car to anywhere. Of course, for my part the easiest route to take would be the Manila East road, which is well maintained as you go on stretches with nary an encounter with a bump on the road. This is the only stretch of road where one feels like there are only a few people in the Philippines.



What I like about road tripping are the little surprises that you get when you just take the time to stop and be curious. On this road, there is of course, the window shops of Paete displaying their wood carvings for sale. If you travel there during the -ber months, there is quite a buffet of Santas to choose from to decorate your house. There is also the showcase of the barong tagalog and saya along Lumban. The trip through these towns are short since they are small places, but it makes for such wonderful sights to see the culture thriving along the road. Then you know that you've reached Pagsanjan as soon as you see the old but well-preserved colonial Spanish houses there and the old wall marking the province as
established during the Spanish era. Then, if you reach Magdalena, there you will appreciate at how neat and peaceful the town and its people are, with their famously old church. They even have a memorial inside it signifying the short time that Apolinario Mabini rested in probably the last of his battles against the Spanish before he expired. The blood stains on his hat and sword are still there, brown and preserved in age.

For us, the final stop would be Liliw again. One naturally lands on the town after Magdalena. It's a little uphill and into their narrow streets which curved this way and that. We reached a very charming place called Balay Celina, a Bali-inspired bed and breakfast, quite a few minutes from the center of town. We were greeted by a friendly caretaker called Lasi who took care of us the moment we entered the gates, which is a distance from the main entrance.

As we entered the foyer, we are greeted by instant tranquility from the sounds of trickling water from the indoor pond, lush colors from the variety of plants alongside it, and natural light streaming in from every angle. One gets a glimpse of the garden pushed at the back of the house, leading to the swimming pool and another cottage for bigger groups or families who would like some more privacy. Every square inch of the house is made with natural and contrasting materials that really go together beautifully.

Lasi led us to our room, which is quite big. There were two double beds, a living area and tv with cable. The bathroom is likewise spacious and can probably accomodate the toiletries of six people. Indeed, the rooms of Balay Celina are made for sharing. We weren't prepared, however, with the little detail that they dont provide basic toiletries like shampoo, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste. But towels are big and clean.


The people of Balay Celina are very accommodating that they can drive you to the center of town for your shopping and sight seeing. Even if it takes you 2 hours to get there from Antipolo, one still gets tired from driving. An added note here is that parking spaces in the town proper are quite limited, so having them drop you off and picked up later in the day is an added and much valued amenity.

Sleep in Balay Celina is very peaceful and surprisingly cool. One then understands why the owners did not install air conditioning units in their rooms. Even if you close off your glass windows to prevent a variety of bugs from coming in, there are slits on the roof that allow air to come in and naturally circulate.

Breakfast at Celina is served generously. We were served pako omellette, which was an eye opener, pork longganisa, beef tapa, fried rice, fruits and coffee. You are given as many as you are able to wolf down. It is certainly your home away from home, as they would like you to feel.

Balay Celina has turned out to be just the reward you need at the end of a road trip. We will certainly come back.

When in Laguna

This past long weekend led my husband and I to pack a few things and take to the highway for Liliw, Laguna. The trip commemorated many firsts for us - it was the first time for us to go to Liliw with nothing but general directions from a couple of people, it was the first time for us to travel without our daughter, and it was the first time my husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary with a roadtrip. In anniversaries past, it was usually celebrated with hotel or resort accommodations and/or dinners in a well-appointed restaurant with reservations in advance. But this had a different yet exhilirating feel about it.

Ahead of us, we were perenially greeted with a smooth highway, arching branches from trees that probably stood by there for ages, which open into vistas of fields of palay cradled between mountains. We passed through Tanay, and onto Pililia which led to Siniloan, Sta. Cruz then later on, Lumban, Paete, which opened into charming Pagsanjan with its old but well-maintained houses, and finally in through Magdalena then Liliw.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out we arrived at a time they were celebrating the feast day of John the Baptist, more specifically, his beheading, to which the town cathedral is dedicated to. However, I have to admit at this point that what led us to Liliw, was first, a cafe called Arabela (which we read about in F & B Magazine), and second, every woman's weakness - fabulous shoes of every design and size. Much to my delight, the shops are on sale due to the religious fiesta.

My husband deftly led me to Arabela first, lest I forge on ahead with my shopping spree without having had any lunch. Arabela Cafe is located in the basement of the family-owned property of Bobby and Tonet Camello. This property is luckily located in the middle of the bayan, and like us, we found it just by asking people around. It is quite popular.
The cafe has low ceilings and charmingly decorated with kitschy pieces. They specialize in Italian fare - more of the pasta, pizza and pannini variety. I was quite happy with my eggplant parmigniana served with pasta al'arrabiata, while my husband found that his porterhouse steak retained its tenderness after careful cooking.

After our shopping bout which was evidenced by bags and bags of shoes, we came back for a shot of our afternoon espresso and their fudgy walnut cake and bread pudding, all excellently moist and chewy.

We left Liliw with a promise of coming back to explore it with more time to spare and more money to burn (for those shoes - what? I'm a woman who can't let go of good bargains, after all).
After Liliw, we wound our way towards San Pablo, in search of another cafe - the Sulyap Gallery Cafe located at Barangay del Remedio, Cocoland Compound. Much kudos should go to the owner Roy Empalmado who has restored the Spanish colonial house to every last detail. Such attention is also transferred to the service rendered by his waitstaff who are very deferential to the cafe's guests, precise in their movements and very helpful. It is quite obvious that the waitstaff are proud of their jobs and are happy doing it, which I may say is so lacking from the usual service crew of the restaurants in Greenbelt and Eastwood in Metro Manila.

For dinner, we had the Crab and Cheese Lumpia as appetizer, followed by the Crispy Tilapia with Oyster Sauce and Kulawong Puso ng Saging (Ceviche of Heart of Banana) with Grilled Pork Belly for our main dishes. The tilapia was fresh, and crispy to the bone, the latter of which you can even crunch on. The Kulawong Puso, on the other hand, was said to be indigenous to San Pablo cuisine. It is rendered more tasty with coconut cream and the grilled pork, which complemented the tilapia very well. Sulyap offers crepes and ice cream for dessert, which sadly, we didn't have room for anymore, but the coffee we noticed, is excellent. It was served to us with the crema still there - again the details.

After a sumptuous meal, the gracious waiters accompanied us to the gallery located in the building fronting the cafe. It was a treasure trove of real gems collected from a rich Filipino past - furniture, dinnerware, crystals and various knick knacks including old Coke and medicine bottles. It was quite charming. There were also a couple of large halls which we were told can be rented for special occasions or parties. Imagine holding get-togethers there made more memorable by Filipino antiques. Every little object was lovingly preserved. Upon further inquiries, we were told that the owner is planniing to set up a hotel or bed & breakfast to accompany his cafe, but he is still in search of just the right house to acquire and match the charm of Sulyap Cafe. The hotel will definitely house the furniture and fixtures on display at the gallery.

My husband and I are looking forward to discovering that when it opens - it'll certainly be a good reason to go back to San Pablo.