What I like the most about any undertaking out-of-town are the side-trips! Here are just some interesting stops in between our church visits on Maundy Thursday.
Calauan
Outside the San Isidro Labrador Church in Calauan, we couldn’t resist getting ourselves some freshly squeezed pineapple juice. I couldn’t remember the last time I sipped a drink in plastic, but it felt like I was 7 again. Hehe!
Bring home some of Calauan’s sweet pineapples.
San Pablo
Lunch at Patis Tesoro’s old rest house situated in one of San Pablo’s blossoming woodlands was a great respite. We didn’t get to call for reservation, so we had to be there early. Fortunately, we were the first to arrive among walk-in diners, so we secured a table at the outdoor café. God loves us after all.
The kitchen staff was still busy preparing the buffet when we arrived so we took time to check out the garden, aviary, dining halls, and the local handicraft. Gorgeous place. It was even cozier inside the native dining halls, so we took chance to transfer to this area, but the staff advised us that all tables had been reserved days earlier. Amazing! Actually, had we known that Kusina Salud would be full to capacity on Maundy Thursday, we would have called to reserve days earlier. Although it was searing to have lunch al fresco, we’re just pleased to have secured a table ahead of other walk-ins, some of whom had waited for nearly half an hour till a table was vacated by fellow walk-ins. And more importantly, we were the first to get a taste of Chef Paul Poblador’s bountiful seafood and organic vegetable servings for the day.
Kusina Salud is all about gastronomic delights and great ambiance! Anyway, we couldn’t stay longer because there were other hungry travelers waiting in line. Besides, we had to complete the remaining 6 stations before sundown, which was our primary reason for being in Laguna.
Liliw
Before we left, my friends checked out the flip-flop bargains. You may know already that Liliw has a thriving footwear industry for a small town. So if you’re into flip-flops, why not travel down to Liliw and bring home some of these export-quality slippers and sandals?
Nagcarlan
If you pass by the town of Nagcarlan, have a quick tour of the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, a national historical monument, which also served as a meeting place of the Katipuneros during the Philippine-Spanish Revolution towards the end of the 19th century. Today, Nagcarlan townsfolk hold historical, cultural, and religious presentations here.
Back to San Pablo
Last pit stop before heading back to Manila was at Anj’s lola’s house in San Pablo. To me, this is the most memorable segment of this viaje. I’ll let you know offline. Haha!
West Avenue, QC
We reached Manila at about 9 in the evening. After dropping off Rose at their house in Pasig, QC peeps Kat, Anj, Thesa, and I had dinner at Mister Kabab’s newly opened resto in West Avenue.
The new resto is a major makeover of the old one at Quezon Av. It is more spacious, has better lighting and cleaner bathrooms – the toilets even have bidet! Well, this was our last chance to feast on red meat before we abstain for Good Friday and Black Saturday. I had my serving of Sizzling Keema, my Holy Week guilty pleasure. Yum!
i hate you. ang taba taba ko dun sa unang picture. burahin mo yan!!! 