TIPS

Hyatt Hotel Manila

2009-04-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

A three day workshop for malaria training curriculum was held at the Hyatt Hotel Manila sponsored by the Global Fund Project through Tropical Disease Foundation and ACTMalaria. The accomodation and food are excellent. The hotel staff are very courteous and helpful. The hotel location is in the heart of Manila. It is a walking distance from Robinson Mall, Manila bay, and very near the airport. You can explore Manila on foot from here. Wear a casual dress maybe a short and light shirt and hit the road. From the hotel lobby you can turn left and it will be the Manila Bay. It is just about 300 meters. If you choose to turn right it will be the train station called LRT (short for Light Railway Transit. It is an elevated railway system running north-south direction extending about seven kilometers. Take the train ad explore the vicinity of each station through foot. In this way you will get lost in Manila. That is the very basic in exploring Manila. Be street smart. Take care of yourself.

Calamba, Laguna

2009-03-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

Calamba City is the birthplace of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal. It is an hour trip from Manila. In here you can find a lot of resorts and hotel that cater to the resident of Manila to cool down the summer heat. From Manila, take a bus to Sta Cruz but get down at Calamba City. It is the commonly called crossing. The road here goes straight to the market place and then to the shore of Laguna Lake. It is also the place where the home of Dr Jose P. Rizal is located. It is an old cozy house which is converted into a museum. The interior of the house is made of wood. The dining set is long and with big fan overhead operated manually. Near the kitchen is an old well which has dried up already. The house is a national landmark already. Take a little walk and you will fine passenger jeepneys, Take a ride with Los Banos sign and get down at Pansol. This trip will only take you about ten to fifteen minutes. Get downa t Pansol. The place is full of resorts and hotel and the main attraction is the swimming pool. In the country a picnic is not complete with out a pool. You can have a choice of resorts. There are private resort which you can hire on a daily basis and there are also resorts that only charge entrance fee and you can enjoy their amenities usually the swimming pool. Other amenities like billiard has a separate pay. Food is no a problem in the area. There are a lot of food stalls in the area. All you have to do is shell out a little cash. Night life in Calamba is joyous. You can never be alone in the city if you fine the right place. To get more information, contact Dr. Lazaga the tourism officer of the city.

Walking through Los Banos Laguna

2009-02-17T04:53:00.000-08:00

Los Banos is literally the baths of Laguna translated in English. It was named after the hot springs in the area but actually the town of Calamba has more hot springs. Los Banos can be reached from Manila by taking a bus ride at Pasay City. The bus station is located a the corner of Gil Puyat and Taft Avenue. Ther are several buses stationed a the area. all going to souther Luzon. Take the bus with Sta Cruz sign board. Tell the conductor you are taking of at Collage. It is the road leading to the University of the Philippines at Los Banos. The trip will take around 2 hours. Get of the bus at Collage and take a leisure walk towards east following the road to University of the Philippines Los Banos or UPLB. The road is about a kilometer long. The end of the road is the gate of UPLB. You can enter the campus and look around. The mountain behind the campus is the Mount Makiling. Half of the mountain belongs to the UPLB land reserve. The Collage of Forestry occupies the upper part of Mount Makiling. It also has a botanical garden wherein wild species of flora and fauna are preserves at their virgin state. The entry to the botanical garden has some fees to pay. You can stroll the whole garden at your own time. The stroll of the whole campus will take you a day but if you wish there are some jeepneys that passes through the whole campus. The fare is 7.50 pesos per ride. When you have enoughof the campus you can take a jeep to the town. Take a jeepney ride with the sign Los Banos Bayan. This will take you to the town proper and you will observe the daily lives of the people in the community. If you get lost, never hesitate to ask for direction. People there are warm are as in other areas of the country... conversant in English. At the end of the day you can take a ride back to Manila. The bus service to manila is available until eight in the evening. The bus with the sign LRT Taft will bring you back to the bus station in Taft Avenu in Manila. If you wish to spend a night in Los Banos at the Aines Hotel. It is along the road leading to UPLB.

Health and Travel in Philippines

2009-02-01T02:01:00.000-08:00

Philippines is a tropical country and a third world one. Third world connotes that the services, infrastructure, sanitation and a lot more are not in good condition. Tropical country connotes some exoticism with it, If you have been in the Philippines you will see a lovely country with extremes to offer. You will not be enjoying the best or the worst of the country if you are in bad health. Here are some tips to take of your health while in the Philippines.
First and foremost you must be healthy before going into the country. That means you are not harboring any disease that can be introduced into the country like avian flu or SARS. There are tourist that has been in other country but is not yet sick when they arrive into the country because their illness is in the incubation period. That is unfortunate since the host country can be blamed for his illness and that is bad for the tourist industry.

There are several endemic diseases in the Philippines that can be dangerous to tourists. The Philippines has tropical diseases that can be contracted by tourists. Philippines is endemic for malaria, filariasis, shistosomiasis, capillariasis and several other diseases. The risk if malaria is very low since they are now under control and most are located in the forested areas. There is no need to take prophylaxis anti malaria drugs. Should you develop fever upon your retrun tell the physician you had been in the country and malaria must be one of the diseases to consider. It is also true with filariasis.
Schistosomiasis is confined in some areas in Mindoro island and in Mindanao. They are present in some rivers harboring the snail intermediate host. Prevention of schistosomiasis is through avoidance of wading in infected water. The greatest dangers are from diarrhea. There are many organisms causing diarrhea. The key to prevention is to have clean food and water. Make sure the foods are well cooked. Avoid raw food and take only distilled bottled water especially when you are out of your hotel. Do not over eat when you travel. Avoid meat as this will reduce the bulk of your stool. Eat plenty of whole grain bread, rice or plenty of vegetables but well prepared, cooked as much as possible.
Avoid crowded places especially depressed areas. Tuberculosis, dengue fever, cholera, and other exotic disease can be present there as well as harm from inhospitable inhabitants. You will enjoy your stay best in the countryside where the people are courteous and helpful. You only need to wear a smile always. Once you get ill there are plenty of local physicians who are more inclined to diagnose clinically rather than through laboratory test. They are use to that since most of their patients cannot afford laboratory procedures. Take care of your health and have a pleasant stay.

Travel to Zamboanga City Philippines

2009-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

I got the chance to travel to Zamboanga City because of a malaria epidemic management training with participants from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. The trip took an hour and a half from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila) to Zamboanga City. A van from Garden Orchid Hotel is waiting for our arrival to the city and a brief travel to the hotel followed. The hotel is just a stone throw away from the airport. It has good amenities, swimming pool, nice hotel worker and a good accommodation. There is centralized air-conditioning with warm water at the tub.

Moving around the city is particularly frightful during that time. Three teachers had been kidnapped the previous day while the three Red Cross Volunteers are still in the hands of the kidnappers demanding ransom. I asked one of the hotel guards how to go to the church and he instructed me to take a jeep with Caneras - Airport sign. This is the jeep to the city proper. I went out and took the jeep at an early morning. I think by that time the would be kidnappers are still in bed and i will be able to attend church service. I reach the church in time and find the place peaceful. I move around a bit after the service and see for myself the market. I bought some Sarong and shawl to present it to my wife on my return home. (She has gone crazy with my travel to this place.)It is still early during that time and the market is already busy. Many people are not mindful of the risk of kidnapping as this place is several miles away from Basilan, Tawi-tawi or Sulu. It is a beautiful city and you only have your thought of fear which will interfere on your enjoyment of a beautiful place like Zamboanga City. I ride the same jeep and I arrive safe and sound at the hotel.

During the conversation with one of the participants from Sulu, he really said that way back in Sulu, they are very careful because the Abu Sayaaf is no longer an ideological group but already a group that kidnaps just for money and nothing else. They are composed of young people in their twenties and it will be a long time if nobody will control their activities. To my friends from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan take good care of your movements. I hope to see you again in once piece and breathing.

Travel Subic, Zambales, Philippines

2008-12-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

My travel was courtesy of malaria training. We handled the training of workers
from Pilipinas Shell Foundation Kilusang Ligtas Malaria of Palawan Province and Health personnel of Palawan Provincial Health Office. We stared at the College of Saint Benilde Hotel in Arellano corner Estrada Street in Manila. It was a very good hotel. It was established as the training facility of the Dela Salle College for Hotel and Restaurant Management course. The food and acomodation is excellent, the people are courteous and polite and you will feel ambiance of a five star hotel. WE stayed in the hotel for 3 days. The hotel has surveillance camera installed. It helped us recover a cell phone left charging and forgotten by one of the participants. The replay of the recording we were able to identify the person who got it and luckily it was returned. Thanks to the security cameras of the CSB hotel.
On the fourth day we traveled to Subic, Zambales. It is a former American Military base which was abandoned after the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo, We took a hired van to reach the area. We stayed at Subic Park Hotel. It is a low cost hotel but the service and location is fine. It is along the beach overlooking the shipyard of Hanjin Corporation. The purpose of the venue here is field practicum. The mountain in Subic is endemic for malaria and the malaria situation is aggravated
by the migration of workers into the area attracted to the work opprtunites by the shipyard industries. This situation is expected because of movement of population. There are several entertainment site inside the Subic Base Metropolitan Area (SBMA). There are food establishments, hotels, casino,specialty restaurants, SPA and a lot more. Your budget may find its range here. You have plenty of choice. There are former US military personnel who revisits the area for rest and recreation. During our stay there are two big US Military Vessels docked at the port. SBMA is now being transformed into a special industrial zone as well as a recreation area. To reach Subic and Olongapo from Manila, take a bus along the EDSA Street in Cubao with Olongapo signboard and alight at the Terminal in Olongapo. Find your way into the SBMA through the Friendship gate. I must give you a warning that prostitution is one of the attractions.

Emergency Trip to Real, Quezon, Philippines

2008-11-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

The office called up and directed us to go to Real, Quezon, Philippines. The driver fetched us and we travel to Real. It is an hour drive passing through the towns of Kalayaan, Paete, Pakil, Siniloan and Famy. Once on Famy we took a right turn going east. We are heading through Sierra Madre mountains. It id a zigzag ride but the road is well maintained. We pass through forested areas, streams, and rows of bamboo houses. It is a place formerly endemic for malaria. Malaria is gone now for more than five years. It is raining when we travell to Real. There are forest products along the road. There are tree ferns. It is use to culture orchids. There are also roots of dead trees dug and converted into furniture. These are odd shaped single piece furniture from the roots of old trees. Shape of the roots dictated the design of the furniture. Once we get over the other side of the mountain range we can see the open sea. It is the Pacific Ocean. The road is along the sea and it is lined by several beach resorts. There is not much guest in the resorts. It is rainy season in the Philippines. The people usually frequented the resort hotels during summer time which is from April to June. Now is the best season to visit this resorts to escape winter in temperate countries.
The climate in Real during December is very nice. It is pleasant, cool and relaxing. During summer the temperature her reach more than 30 degrees Centigrage. There are also residential houses along the roads. People here are hospitable and they love to entertain foreigners. You can enjoy your stay here. The weather is just fine and the people are warm. Fresh fish from the sea is available every morning except during
monsoon rains where people cannot go to fish. Enjoy your stay in the beach. Enjoy Philippine sun during your stay.

Travel to Tuguegarao City, Philippines

2008-11-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

Tuguegarao City is in the northern Philippines in the island of Luzon in the
of Cagayan. Tuguegarao can be reached through plane or bus from Metro Manila
Plane trip will take less than an hour but I prefer to travel by land.
Land travel will take about 12 long hours. Three short periods of rest Lalong the
route are scheduled. One in Bulacan, the second is in Aritao, NUeva Vizcaya and thr other
is in Santiago City Isabela. The route will pass the provinces of Bulacan, Neva Ecija, Nueva
Vizcaya and Isabela. There are several bus companies to choose. I prefer the Victory Liner. There are
three bus services offered by the company. They are the non-aircondition, the aircondition bus and the
De Luxe. The De Luxe class do not stop along the route. It will only take 8 hours but I cannot relax
because it is too past. I cannot take naps. I dislike the non-aircon bus because of the dust.
My favorite is the regular aircon service.

The first stop is Bulacan. The driver as well as the passengers get down
to have rest and have some snack. I like this stop because you can take the "goto - arroz caldo".
It is a rice gruel with the rumen of cow or carabao. I also like to buy some candies or "pastillas"
made from carabao's milk. The stop will be only for thirty minutes and everybody will be moving.
The bus conductor will be making a count of passengers to make sure everybody is on board. It will
take another three hours for the next stop. You will be passing the boundary if NUeva Ecija and
Nueva Vizcaya. It is the Dalton pass. It is a long winding road on the mountain. During the early
days of my travel in Dalton Pass the bus use to stop at the highest point and have some rest. The breeze
there is very cold but I enjoy it since we have few places in this tropical country with that climate.
Nowadays, buses no longer make a stop because of congestion. The next stop is just below the Dalton Pass.
In here you can have some coffee to wear off drowsiness. You can try "tupig". Tupig is made from
glutinous rice with young coconut milk and sugar. It is wrap in banana
leaf and broiled. This delicious. Try it and it is safe to travelers since it is freshly cooked over open fire. You can also relieve your bladder here. The next stop will already in Santiago Isabela. It is bus station of Victory Liner and there not much to see in here. Take a little nap and the next time you wake up you are in
Tuguegarao already. Take a tricycle ride and ask the driver to take you to a hotel. You can choose hotels depending on your budget. The most expensive is the Roma Hotel. I stayed there because that is the chosen venue of our seminar for malaria and other diseases. Tuguegarao is malaria free. You need not to worry. Malaria in Cagayan is in the hinterlands or in the forested areas. Enjoy your stay in Cagayan. Explore the city the whole day. When you are through exploring the city take a jeep or the bus to Claveria. Ask the locals for the direction. Cagayan is safe for travellers. Once you get information where to take a ride, hop in and you will be traveling for three hours. Get off at Claveria. Take a walk on the southern side. The beach is there. There are several resorts along the beach and they are not crowded. We stayed in one of the hotel in Claveria last year when we conducted malaria epidemic management training. The night in Claveria is very peaceful. You can have bonfire on the beach or take a dip in the sea or do stargazing.
It is one of the spots n the country where the sky is clear and there are no bright lights to interfere with your stargazing. Stay for several days and
enjoy the serenity of the place. The resorts are not very expensive. In fact you can choose from several resorts along the beach. If you wish to return to Manila take the other route. The western side of Luzon. It will pass through the Province of Ilocos, the residence of the Marcoses, the family that once ruled the country. Enjoy the scenery in this route because the road is along the the sea shore.
The bus trip schedule here is in the very early hours of the morning.

Trip to Liliw and Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines

2008-11-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

From our base in Pagsanjan we take a jeep to "sambat". Sambat is the Pilipino term for crossroads. It is just 5 minute ride. If we are from Sta Cruz, there is a jeep going straight to Liliw and Nagcarlan. We take a jeep with Liliw signage. We will be passing the Municipality of Magdalena. Magdalena is one of the depressed Municipality of Laguna. It has very little produce because the land is owned by big landowners and they are not very productive. Several years ago it is a host to a coconut oil mill. It closed down because of leftist labor union demanding too much from the management. After the town center of Magdalena we will passing by the "sambat" going to Majayjay. It is another interesting place but we will go there later. Get down at the town of Liliw. Liliw is located at the foot of Mount Banahaw. It is a mystical mountain and beleived sacred by many people in the municipalities situated in its foothill.

Liliw is known for its footwear. Many people, some coming from as far as Manila, flock here to buy footwear. They are handmade, sturdy and cheap. There are several shops operating daily. On weekends the place is full of shoppers of footwear for personal use and for resale. This is a small place to visit. There are just four parallel roads oriented east to west traversing the town center. You will not get lost here. The people are friendly and warm. It is one of the town where people are very cooperative, kind and always jolly. When you get enough of the town, take a ride to the next municipality which is Nagcarlan. Nagcarlan is a trading center for agricultural products. It is a very productive and progressive town (in Philippine standard). Commodities here are cheaper compared to Sta Cruz. In one corner of the road near the public market is a stall selling noodles called "mami". I never fail to eat "mami" whenever I am in Nagcarlan. Their other delicacy is "espasol". It is made from glutenous rice, unripe banana, and young coconut meat. I usually take home espasol as "pasalubong" (present) to my wife and kids. Nagcarlan hosts the underground cemetery. It is a national heritage park. It is located in the outskirt but along the road going to San Pablo City. Take a tricycle to reach the area. The underground cemetery dates back to the Spanish Colonization era. There are tombs dating back to the 17th century. Half day is not enough to visit the whole Nagcarlan. The best time to visit Nagcarlan is during the month of September where they hold Ana Kalang Festival. It is a festival for their town product which is lanzones fruit. To get back to Pagsanjan take a ride back to Sta Cruz. The jeep station is at the market site. There are two ways going to Sta Cruz one is via Calumpang and the other is via Magdalena. Take the route via Calumpang to break monotony. Once you are in Sta Cruz take a ride to your base camp. The fare is less than a US dollar. Be sure to be in the jeep by 5 in the afternoon. After 5 p.m. jeep to Sta Cruz is infrequent. The last trip to Sta Cruz is before 6 in the afternoon.
By this time winter is approaching consider Laguna, Philippines in your travel plans.

Travel to Lucban, Quezon

2008-11-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

Lucban, Quezon is located in Mount Banahaw. From Sta Cruz, Laguna, Philippines, take jeepney ride to Lucban. The jeepney station is in front of Pagsanjan Municipal Hall. The jeep has to be full of passengers before it leaves. The trip to Lucban will take about thrity minutes. It will pass through the Municipalities of Cavinti, Luisiana before reaching Lucban. Lucban is famous for longganisa. It is a sausage with lots of garlic. It has a distinct flavor and aroma. Another attraction of Lucban is the Pahiyas Festival. It is celebrated every 15th of May to give thanks to the Patron Saint. Each year, a street is assigned for decoration. Houses were decorated with "Kipping". It is made from rice flour, colored, shaped like a leaf or a flower and hanged in front of their house. These make very colorful decoration. During the festival you can visit and see the decorations. A bit of warning, the place is crowded due to the voluminous tourist. There are some hotels in Lucban if you want to stay for the night. The festival is only held for a day once a year. You can be in the area a day or two before the 15th of May so you can see how they prepare the area for the festival. Another product of Lucban is the noodle or "pansit habhab". It is a delicacy in the area. It is called "habhab" because it is eaten using the mouth to pick the noodle from the banana leaf. But you can use the spoon and fork if you wish. Give it a try. Explore Lucban by foot while munching some broas. Broas is a toasted bread made from flour and egg much like chiffon cake but toasted.

Lucban is a bit urbanized, the climate is fair. They have market in the center of the town. It is also where the jeep station back to Pagsanjan is located. If you prefer not to go back to Pagsanjan you can take a jeep to Lucena and from Lucena you can take bus back to Manila. But you need to return to Pagsanjan, Laguna. We still have to visit more interesting places in Laguna. You've just seen a bit yet

A trip to the Beach of Real, Quezon

2008-11-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

Laguna is not along the beach. Quezon Province is in the eastern side of Laguna. Quezon is along the eastern side of the Philippines. You can reach Infanta via Laguna. We have been in Siniloan previously. To reach Infanta, we can tale a tricycle to Famy ( fare 10 PHP or 25 US cents). Ask the driver to drop you at the station to Infnta.The public transport jeeps amd buses pass through Famy and then to the Municipality of REal before gong to the Municipality Infanta. The road to Infanta is paved. It crosses the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Once you get throug the mountai you will see the seashore of Real. In real you can check-in in one of the resorts and spent eh night along the beach. INfant is still 20 minutes ride from Real. This area was devastated by a landslide a few years back and several families are still missing. Total count of lives lost in that land slide is not determined. The land slide was precipitated by a heavy overnight rain.The slopes of the mountain gave in throwing mund and water into the river below and inundated the town of Infanta. It was such a horrible event. I have seen the slopes of the peeled mountains
and the feeling is eerie when it is still fresh. There was so much forest destruction in the area up to this time. People are selling charcoal, furnitures from roots of old trees, and even lumber.

You can stay overnigth in one of the resorts in Real. Get up early to see the sun rise over the sea. Take a dip in the sea but mind you it is a deep sea. Proceed to Infanta by taking the jeep. Go arround Infanta. People there are good natured and kind. There are still forest products in the area despite the devastating land slide they had before. There are few sources of livelihood in the area. Since Infanta is along the sea, many go out fishing but they don't have fishport in Infanta. They take their catch to Lucena City by boat though some sell at the local market. From Infanta you can hop a boat to Polilio Island. I have never been in Polilio. I just heard some nice stories regarding Polilio. I hope we can be there.

Health Tips to Travellers

2008-11-10T04:34:00.000-08:00

Risk of traveling to Laguna is similar to other Asian countries or maybe safer. Laguna has been free from malaria for the past 5 years (My team worked for that elimination). The disease in the province includes dengue fever and gastroenteritis or diarrhea. To be safe from dengue a traveler needs to apply anti - mosquito lotion every 6 to eight hours during the day. Night biting mosquitoes in Laguna carries no disease. Diarrhea is common in Laguna. It is an ordinary diarrhea and not the dreaded cholera. To prevent diarrhe, travelers are advised to drink distilled bottled water. If you need to take food be sure it is freshly cooked or steaming hot. Street foods are worth trying but it should picked by you fresh from the frying pan and do not dip in the sauce. You can take street foods and they are delicious (better if there is sauce but risky). The street foods are fish balls, squid balls, fried squid, kwek-kwew or boiled egg dipped in starch and fried, pork barbecue, chicken intestine, chicken ass, and sometimes chicken feet. There are also native delicacies made from rice. You can try suman. It is a rice cake wrapped in banana or coconut leaf and then boiled. Take the one still wrapped to be sure it is sterile. You can dip it to sugar or in coconut jam. If you need more food adventure try the Exotic Restaurant as mentioned in previous blog titled Kalayaan.

Travelling to Siniloan, Laguna

2008-11-08T02:47:00.001-08:00

Siniloan is in the northern portion of Laguna. Is is a center of commerce serving the needs of nearby municipalities of Sta Maria, Mabitac, Famy, Pangil, and Pakil. To reach Siniloan from Sta Cruz or Pagsanjan, take a jeep from Sta Cruz or Pagsanjan with Siniloan signboard. The signboard is located on the windshield the jeepney. Sometimes it is located on the side panel of the jeepney. The fare from Sta Cruz to Siniloan is about one USD. The ride will take half an hour. The jeep stops at its terminal in the market. You can explore the market and look at their mechandise. From the market you can take a walk or hire a tricycle to explore the town proper. Your negotiation skill for the cost is very much applicable here. The best is to take a walk around. You can visit the Old Roman Catholic Church. Follow the roads and if you think you are lost, take a tricycle ride back to the market. The fare is just ten peso or 20 US cents. It is better if you bring along local currency. There are several roads from the market. Explore each one of them. The west ward road in the market leads to the municipalities of Mabitac and Sta Maria. The road going north will lead you to the town of Famy. There are also jeeps stationed at the market. They will take you to the Province of Rizal then to Metro Manila. Laguna provincial road is a circumferential road that will take you back to Manila on the north and on the south. While in Siniloan, enjoy the bustle of the people. Walking along each road will give you a good exercise as well as observing how the people of Siniloan lives. You can strike a conversation with people on the road. Keep smiling and they will smile in return. A day is enough to explore the town proper. If you wish to visit the mountainous areas of Siniloan you can take a jeep to Real, Quezon. I will take you there later. Happy backpacking

Visiting Cavinti, Laguna, Philippines

2008-11-06T05:07:00.000-08:00

From Sta Cruz or Pagsanjan there are public transports to Cavinti. There is a terminal in Sta Cruz market for jeeps going to Cavinti. It is located in front of the Mercury drug store. As anywhere in the country, the jeep will not leave the terminal unless it is full of passengers. You can also wait for a jeepney on the road beside the Pagsanjan Municipal hall, the road on theleft.The trip will take about 30 minutes from Sta Cruz but only 15 minutes from Pagsanjan. The road is paved and you will be passing through coconut plantation. You will reach a cross road before the town town proper of Cavinti. The road on the lefts goes to Luisiana. The road on the right goes to Cavinti town proper. Cavinti is a small municipality.
Their main products are hats and bags made from pandan. Pandan is abundant in the area. Cavinti is mountainous. Moving arround the town proper, you will pass by houses with women aggregating while they are weaving hats and bags. In the middle you will see a glass. This glass is use to measure the coconut wine. It is a custom in the area that women drink coconut wine while weaving. Men folks usually gather the pandan leaves. They also attend to their coconut farms. Men also gather to have a drink of coconut wine usually in the afternoon. People here are friendly and generous. They will invite you for lunch or any time you meet them having food.
There is not much to see in Cavinti. It is best to know the culture of the community in any place you visit. Living in the community for a week or two is the best in order to enjoy and understand the culture. It is not the place or the attactions that is more interesting in visiting a place. The most important is the people, how they live and how they interact with each other. Cavinti as well as the Philippines in general maybe poor in terms of material wealth but socially it is a very rich country.
Try to experience it yourself. Come to the country.
www.malariaelimination.blogspot.com
www.pinoybody.blogspot.com

Travelling to Paete

2008-11-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

Paete is known for wood carvincgs until the use of wood as a medium was discouraged. Paete is located 30 kilometers from Sta Cruz (please go back to my post october 2008). Take a jeep to Paete. The fare is 25 pesos (50 US cents) if you are coming from Sta Cruz. Paete is a small town. From the town proper you can visit the shops that are still selling wood carvings, paper mache, and souvenir items. It has an old church located near the Municipal Hall. Take time to visit the shop and you will notice the quality of of sculptured images in the church. They have finer details that those in other Roman Catholic Churhes in the country. Moving arround town, there are wood carving shops that usually carve garven images. This is how they derive their income now.
Paete is also knowm for sweet lanzones. It is a fruit from South America introduced in the country during the Spanish Colonization era. Paete is located in the foothill of Sierra Madre Mountains. If you are a trekker, you can take time to visit a cliff where they have construsted the three crosses. From there you can have a panoramic view of the laguna Lake. Bring your camera along.
Many wood carvers of Paete are employed in the Cruise Ships. They are artistic and they do the ice, fruit and vegetable carvings to decorate the food serving area.
Before going back take home some souvenirs from the shops. Happy backpaking
For health tips while in Philippines please visit www.pinoybody.blogspot.com

Kalayaan

2008-11-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Kalayaan is the next town after Lumban. It can be reached through public transports. Kalayaan's main attraction is the twin falls. It is a waterfall frequented by the locals during summer season. The community maintain the vicinity of the waterfall. They charge a minimal fee (about 20 pesos or 50 US cents) to visit the place. The money collected is in turn used to maintain the place. From the falls one can climb and trek to the next community which is San Antonio. San Antonio can also be reached by a short jeepney ride. It is about 5 kilometers from the town proper. Taking a jeep will take you about one hour because the jeep will no go unless every seat is taken. San Antonio is about 300 feet above sea level. It has a nice pleasant climate. It is near the forested areas. People here live on farming and forest products gathering. If you love to trek the forest, this is the place. You need a guide to explore the forest. When you folow the road of San Anonio it will end in the community of Magalolong. It is a small community near the the reservoir of Caliraya Hydro Electric Dam. The dam covers three municipalities namely; Kalayaan, Lumban, and Cavinti. You can explore the reservoir but you need to hire a dug out boat. Cost of hiring a boat is about 50 to 100 USD. It is an enormous reservoir. A day is not enough to explore the whole dam. There are islands that are uninhabited. These are not actually islands but cliffs of the mountains before the construction of the dam. You can cross the dam and you will be in Caliraya, Lumban. You can take a ride back to Sta Cruz or Pagsanjan from here or take a jeep towards Cavinti.
Other atractions of Kalayaan include RS Resort and Exotic Restaurant in Longos. RS Resort offers lodging and swimming. It is along tha mainroad and the staff are hospitable and courteous. Exotic restaurant is at a walking distance from RS Resort. They offer exotic food like snails cooked in coconut milk, field frog adobo, Laing, and several exotic foods. They offered pyton meat before but the Deprtment of Natural Resources prohibited them because pytons are endagered species. They are natural enemies of field rats and they are not poisonous. Exotic Restaurant is on the slope of the hill. The place is well landscaped. Is is hard to escape its beauty. You need to be there.

Lumban

2008-10-31T04:01:00.000-07:00

There are reasonable lodging houses in both Sta Cruz and Pagsanjan. You can have your base in anyone of them. If you decide to stay in Pagsanjan you can take a stroll to Lumban, my hometown. Follow the route of the jeepney with the sign "Siniloan". That direction is towards the left if you are facing east. You will not get lost since there are street signs, besides you can always ask for direction from the people you will meet in the street. They are very willing to help. It is best to stroll early in the morning. Lumban is less than a mile from Pagsanjan town proper. If you don't want to walk, then take a ride. The fare is only ten pesos (0.20 USD). But I suggest you take a walk. You will be passing rows of residential houses, then the public cemtery then rice fields and a wide open space. Take a rest and enjoy the view. You can continue walking and after the ricefield, you have reached Lumban, my hometown. This is small community with plenty of children. If somedody approaches you and ask about your business just say you are looking for Dr Gil. Tell them I am you friend and they will give you direction to my residencce. It is along the bend of the road.You can drop by and say hello.
In our community you can already see some shops selling the "Barong Tagalog", the national dress. It is hand embroidered dress although nowadays, machine is already used. The beauty of handcrafted dress is incomparable though.
Beyond the bend of the road is the bridge to the town proper. There are five rows of streets on the left side. All of them towards the Laguna Lake. The roads streches to about 2 miles. Along the first road, Rizal St., is the townhall, and the Catholic Church. Beyond the townhall you will see the production shops of "Barong". You can see women doing the embroidery, talk to them and imagine how long will they finish one. You can move arround the town. Is is just a small town. When you are already familiar with place you can now take a walk towards east along the side of the townhall and the church. It is towards the mountain. You will be reaching the foot of the mountain. The national road is along that mountain. From here you can take a ride back to Pagsanjan or, if you still have time, towards the next municipality which is Kalayaan. There is an uphill road on the right before Kalayaan. It will lead to Lake Caliraya. It is a dam for the hydroelectric plant, 4 mlles uphill and a very nice place to visit. You need to rent a car to go up or wait for hours for jeepney. In Lake Caliraya, you can take a rest at the coast and look arround to see the panoramic view of Laguna. If you follow the road it will lead to Pagsanjan. It is a circumferential road passing the town of Cavinti. We will go there later. To get back to Pagsanjan take a jeep with the sign board - Sta Cruz.

Interesting places to see in Laguna

2008-10-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

Sta Cruz is the capital town of Laguna. Buses from Manila bypasses the town proper because the road inside the town proper is narrow and busy. Sta Cruz is the old center of commerce. The place to visit in Sta Cruz is the Capitol Building. It is along the highway and it has a big ground. Behind the Provincial Capitol is the Laguna Provincial Hospital. The market in Sta Cruz is the same as it was during my childhood. You can buy essential products, like meat, poultry, groceries, chlothings, shoes and a lot of things. You can huggle for most of the prices. If you are a foreigner, it is better to have a companion because the prices will be jacked up. Filipinos generally believe that those who can travel are rich (or have the means).
It is my routine to visit the market wherever I go to know the products unique to the area. Sta Cruz do not have any unique product you can relate to the town unlike other muicipalities of Laguna. Lumban is the center of native dress, the barong tagalog - the Philipppine national dress(I live here). Liliw has footwear, Paete has wood carvings and souvenir products, Binan has rice cake called puto and Nagcarlan has fruits and vegetable. Sta Cruz is also the center of transport of the province. You can take ride from here and go to the other munipalities of Laguna Province. Fare price is nothing to worry but if you are in a hurry you will be late for sure. Jeepney drivers usually wait for passengers to save on fuel Jeepney is most common form of public transport. We do not have Taxi or cars for rent in Sta Cruz but you can hire tricycle or or maybe a van if you are with a bigger group. When you travel in Laguna or any where in the country you need not worry about the language. Eglish is commonly spoken here and people are hospitable. If you arein the Philippine it is safer to ask information from a female rather than male. If you need more information about Laguna don't hesitate to send me an e mail.

Travelling to Laguna

2008-10-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Laguna is a prime province of the Phillipines. It is located in the south of Manila. Laguna has a lot to offer to travellers who wish to relax or to go on back packing. The attractions of Laguna includes the world reknown Pagsanjan with its Pagsanjan Falls. Pagsanjan offers boatride into the fall riding in a dugout canoe upspring. It is a unique adventure but quite dangerous. A helmet is needed to protect your head from accidental dropping of peeble from the mountain ride. To get to Pagsanjan, take a bus ride from Gil Puyat station of LRT 1 then board a bus with Sta Cruz sign board. The bus fare is about 150 pesos. The trip will take approximately three hours. Get off at the bus station in Pagsanjan and take a short jeepney ride to the town proper (fare is 8.50 pesos). You can stay at several hotels and lodging houses. It is best ot travel in a small group while in Pagsajan. When you travel any where in the world.... don't trust strangers.