The sun’s rays were slanting down the old stone gates of the ancient burial place as we boarded down from an almost hour-long jeepney ride from Liliw Church in Laguna. The renowned Underground Cemetery of Nagcarlan closes at four in the afternoon and we arrived thirty minutes after the said hour.

The gates were still open however, and we quickly marched our way inside lest we miss our chance to visit this place. Halfway through the promenade, we met the landmark’s caretaker, people from the National Historical Commission, I think. We asked if we can roam around the place a bit before they closed for the day and they unsmilingly obliged.

I personally think that the people in charge of this place could be a bit more warm and pleasant to their visitors, a little smile wouldn’t hurt.

Aside from the flourishing shoe and sandal industry that made Laguna’s municipality of Liliw famous, hidden on another one of its many alleys is a massive brick church that would make the populcace of any town proud to have in their district, the Lilio or Liliw Church.
 
The Baroque-styled St. John the Baptist Cathedral was built during the Spanish period, 1605 to be exact. And like most of its kind, earthquakes have rattled and shook its foundation throughout the centuries. One particular quake during 1880 finally took its toll on its posts and lintels and brought it to ruin. It was reconstructed eighteen years later, but was met with yet another disaster, fire scorching a part of it.

Swimming, trekking and running around Taytay Falls did take its toll on our tummies, so noontime found us lazily chugging along the road to Liliw, Laguna. We already have one eating place in mind to restore all those lost carbs from the waterfalls of Majayjay, Café Arabela.

Located on one of the sidestreets of Liliw, this restaurant has been making waves not only on the small community of Liliw, but through the metro people as well. The resto is owned and operated by the husband and wife tandem of Bobby and Tonet Camello whose love of cooking (and eating) created the foundation of the place.

Popularly known as Majayjay Falls and lesser known as Imelda Falls, Taytay Falls as it is officially called is one of the many waterfalls located in the province of Laguna.

Located on the 4th class municipality of Majayjay, Taytay Falls is a popular destination among local folks and in recent years even people from far off places. Picnics and overnight camping are the usual activities here besides the obvious dunking in the cold water of its moderately deep catchpool.

After quite a long hiatus, my officemates and I finally hit the road again. Tired of seeing the cube farm day in and day out, we decided swimming on freezing cold waters under a waterfall isn’t such a bad idea.

Leaves were filed and restdays swapped, a few backed out but it didn’t stop new faces from joining the trip.

So come a cold Saturday dawn later, we were all queued up on HM Transport’s station in Cubao, boarding their coach to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Their buses looked pretty good and it cost us Php150.00 for the fare. Buses leave the station starting 4am and every 30minutes afterwards.