LILIW: HOMES AND ABODES

These are part of the Laguna series which I didn't get to finish last time because of the NCAA project. These were all taken in Liliw. The main road which leads to the church has most of the old houses - regal testaments to Liliw's grand past.

Overlooking San Juan Street. Further up is Liliw's Catholic church building.

A most unusual architecture for the Church of Christ (how is this different from Iglesia ni Cristo?). It looks almost moroccan.

The three-tiered house that is home to the famous Arabella restaurant. Note that every floor looks different. The top looks rather recent.

What a waste...

Next visit to Laguna will be to Pagsanjan.

FRENCH SPRING IN MANILA 2007: LAST CALL !!!

I am taking a breather from my series of Laguna posts to announce the remaining June activities of the French Spring in Manila for 2007. Visit their site for schedule of events.

LILIW: DISCOVERING ARABELA CAMELLO

There's no way you could miss it. People around here talk about it. Drivers point to it like it's an important landmark that must be visited at all cost. When you're hungry and you find yourself in a far-flung town as Liliw, it's Arabela Camello's or bust.

Puca shell curtains make for a mysterious entrance to Ara Bela.

It's a surprise, to be honest about it, to find such a quaint restaurant that offers a wide array of Italian goodies in a 4th-Class municipality that's known for its tsinelas and uraro. Arabela (or Ara Bela) is like a sore thumb sticking out, but it's a welcome break nonetheless.

Upon entering the shop, one immediately notices one's head scraping the ceiling. Hmmmm... They're not exactly fond of tall people around here, are they? Well, this is because Arabela was carved out of a house's basement hence the low ceiling. But making up for this little inconvenience (watch out for that beam!) are the shop's bright colors, wonderful collections of knick knacks probably sourced from the owners' travels, paintings, and the multi-colored batibot chairs that make for very comfortable seating. There's also a nice old wooden table at the foyer with magazines to amuse you while you wait for your orders to be served. It wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to dine here, as I soon found out.





For 5 people, we racked up a bill of only Php 810 for four (4) kinds of pasta, one (1) huge pizza for sharing, and five (5) lemon iced teas! The experience: priceless. Forgive me if I am given to cliches lately. I just can't help myself.

Starting it right. The salad

The pizza with green pepper, olives and feta cheese.

The shop is almost always full, I think, judging from the lunch crowd - and this was a Wednesday, mind you! Credit owners Bobby and Tonet Camello for whipping up such heavenly offerings nobody can possibly resist. I am amazed at their business sense, really. Who would have thought a resto like this would be a hit around these parts? (I wasn't being condescending when I said that, hey! The comment is one of true and honest amazement.)

Colorful batibot chairs side by side artworks on walls

I bet Arabela is contributing greatly to Liliw residents' growing girth. Just kidding!


Gaita Fores would be very envious of the Camellos. She's the one on that magazine's cover. She also owns Cibo, Pepato and Cafe Bola back in Manila, but I digress.

Methinks Liliweños (or whatever it is that you call the nice people of Liliw) are very lucky to live in such a lovely place as this town.

ARABELA Camello’s Bakehaus and Coffee Shop
503 Rizal St. Liliw, Laguna.
For inquiries, call (049) 5632495, +639172041447 or +639273860639

PASALUBONG LILIW: DITO NA TAYO SA Y.S.L. !!!

Liliw is on the southern side of Laguna and rests at the foot of yet another mountain - the mystical Banahaw. It is said to be the Footwear Capital but again, footwear makers of Carcar in Cebu and those in Marikina City wouldn't be happy with this claim.

What the heck. Let's just call Liliw the Tsinelas Capital, shall we?Anyway, I'm glad to be finally here. This is my second stop here in Laguna in what is a dizzying tour of this beautiful province. There's just too much to see! And Liliw is one town no visitor to Laguna should ever miss. Founded in 1571 by Gat Tayaw, it is 17 kilometers away from Santa Cruz, Laguna's capital.

According to a story, Liliw got its name from a bird. It was said that Gat Tayaw and his followers decided to erect a bamboo pole and to name the town after the bird that would first alight at the top of the pole within four days. A crow, however, was the first bird to alight on the pole. A crow was considered bad and so Gat Tayaw and his men moved south and erected another bamboo pole. A beautiful bird alighted on the pole and sang, "Liw, Liw, Liw". Thus the town became Liliw.

Throughout the Spanish regime, the name Liliw was used. When the Americans came, it became Lilio since the Americans found it easier to pronounce it than Liliw. However, on June 11, 1965, the municipal council passed Resolution No. 38-S-65 which declared Liliw as the official name and spelling of the town to avoid confusion in pronouncing and spelling it. (Source: Wickipedia)

The historical relics of Liliw are compiled and found in Bahay Laguna that also houses some souvenirs and tokens of the late governor of Laguna, F. San Luis. This museum is found in Barangay Bungkol, Magdalena. It's a newly opened community museum where you can find samples of the great arts and crafts of the province. I hope to visit it soon when I return. No photos of the church for now. My camera ran out of battery on the way there, grrrr.

My hosts brought me here at YSL which turned out to mean YARI SA LILIW (Made in Liliw), ha ha! Don't you just love Pinoy humor?

Sandals here start Php 70 and can go up to Php 150 per pair. You can always ask for a discount.

The men's sandals surprisingly look very modern!


A Laguna native warned me about buying shoes in Liliw. They are said to be very uncomfortable. Maybe we should just leave the shoe making to Marikina, eh? The sandals are just to die for already!

For a few hundred bucks, you can bring home so much more from Liliw, but the experience is just priceless! I really hope to be back.

OUR NEXT STOP: LAGUNA

Mabuhay! Tuloy po kayo sa Laguna!

Laguna - Resort Province Of The Philippines

Laguna, Resort Province of the Philippines, is a haven of fresh and pristine bodies of water such as hot springs, lakes, and waterfalls. Most notable is Pagsanjan Falls, formerly called Magdapio Falls, referred to as “shooting rapids.” It is found in Cavinti, starting from Pagsanjan town. Another is Lake Caliraya, which is located between Cavinti and Lumban. The strong mountain breeze that blows from the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges and the distant Mount Banahaw makes the lake an ideal place for aqua sports like wind surfing, water skiing, sailing as well as game fishing. Laguna de Bay, Southeast Asia’s largest fresh water lake, stays pristine throughout the year due to regular rain showers.

Innumerable hot springs abound in the province, including the famous Hidden Valley Springs which is located in a secluded part of Alaminos town. A trip to Dalitiwan River, located in Botocan, Majayjay, is an exciting adventure because the terrain is rugged, as mountain lands go, and the cool water or river gushes through the rocks and boulders along the watercourse in sweeping currents. The mystical Mt. Makiling in Los Baños is an inactive volcano, rising to about 1,109 meters above sea level. It is indeed endowed with nature’s beauty, making it ideal for all types of nature tripping, from trekking to bird and butterfly watching and even camping.

Laguna is not only endowed with natural wonders. It also plays an important role in the country’s history as the birthplace of Dr. Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, whose infancy and early manhood were spent in the towns of Calamba and Biñan. A number of churches of Spanish-influenced architecture in intricate Romanesque and Baroque design, mostly restored to their original elegance, are also found in the province.

The province is one huge showcase of Southern Tagalog craftsmanship. The town of Paete is famous for its woodcarvings, papier mache, and handmade paper products.Tree seedlings, sampaguita flowers, orchids, and exotic plants are big business. Cut flower farms are found mostly in towns of Calamba, Los Baños, and Bay. Sweet tropical fruits abound, such as the lanzones from Paete, pineapple from Calauan, chico, banana, mango, rambutan, and avocado. Add to these Laguna’s embroidered garments. Jusi cloth made from banana fiber is painstakingly, albeit deftly, transformed into beautiful pieces of clothing worthy of being tailored into the Philippine national costume, the Barong Tagalog. Shoes made from abaca hemp is a growing industry in the town of Liliw.

Owing to its nearness to Manila, Laguna is presently becoming the center of economic activity in the Southern Tagalog Region and the CALABARZON area. Business in the area is bustling as shown by the presence of several industrial estates designed for handling large scale firms engaged in textile manufacturing, electronics, food processing, industrial machines, and car assembly.

Geography
Laguna is situated 30 kilometers south of Manila and has a total area of 175,973 hectares. Laguna is bounded on the north by the province of Rizal, on the east by the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges, on the south by the Quezon province, on the west by Laguna de Bay, and the provinces of Batangas and Cavite.

Climate
Laguna has no pronounced seasons. However, it is relatively dry from November to April and wet from May to October. Climate is generally cool and gentle, even during the summer months. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year in the eastern and southern portions of the province, giving rise to an abundance and variety of flora and fauna.

Population
Laguna has a total registered population of 1,747,000 based on the May, 2000 National Statistics Official Survey. The people of Laguna are known to be hardworking, highly motivated, good-natured, and friendly.

Language / Dialects
Laguna being part of the Southern Tagalog Region, approximately 99.22% of the population speak Tagalog. A minority of the population also speak Ilokano, Bicolano, and Waray. A significant portion of the working population can read and speak English and Filipino.

(Source: www.wowphilippines.com.ph)

LASAP: TOWN. (CAGAYAN DE ORO, APRIL 2007)

There is no way you would miss it. TOWN. stands out from among the row of restaurants in Lim Ket Kai Mall in this charming city by the bay. As I am never the type to miss out on something new (and the place looked so clean and inviting from afar!) so we decided to check this place out last April. During my 3rd and last visit to the city this year, we decided to visit again. Here's another resto report. Enjoy!


The 2-storey TOWN restaurant. Note tarpaulin sign. It just opened last month.

I love anything capiz or capiz-like and this is one heck of a unique chandelier. The modern treatment of this classic Asian decor makes for an awesome piece of art. This is the first thing you'd notice as you enter the 2/F foyer.

Nice tall backrest for this area of the restaurant. Provides a calming, relaxing attitude.

From the first time I visited TOWN. until this second visit, I knew immediately that the weakness of this restaurant is their salad selection. Somebody got too creative and the results were shockingly blah. The orange / mango sauce for this particular salad was too artifical. A zesty light vinaigrette would do fine, really. Relax, guys, nothing wrong with just making available the classic ones.

Chicken in green curry. Safe choice for first timers but a winner just the same. Sorry. I had too much light. No flash fired.

Lunch is served. It's beef in very tasty brown sauce. One of TOWN's bestsellers for its mind-blowing meeting of flavors and the tenderness of the meat. Can't recall the name as I lost all information when I lost my phone last week. Next time. Anyway, the prices are really affordable.

A view of the foyer and bar. The staff are busy watching the Pacquiao-Solis fight to even mind me. It's a slow Sunday after all. TOWN had a soft opening in late March or early April and I had a chance to dine there with a lady friend. The food took forever to arrive so the management decided that it was on the house, and said sorry for the trouble (there was only 1 chef serving a place full of curious diners! Tsk, tsk). Anyway, we promised to come back and this visit is that promise fulfilled. The lady staffers recognized us immediately and were very prompt in their service.

This new fad among architects has been around for a long time and has recently become a craze in many Philippine projects. Why, even Mcdonald's has it! This is to help control the entry of light into buildings. Instead of just plain glass, horizontal elements are also provided to cut sunshine into smaller rays thus providing adequate lighting but not making establishments take in too much heat. Saves on light fixtures during the day, definitely but not overworking the airconditioning units.

A mask representing one of the tribes in Bukidnon. It's a toss between the Manobos or the Talaandigs. I will tend to lean towards the former, although both tribes do sport this headdress. There's a dance among Manobos where an older woman protects the younger ladies from men (who represent hawks) which eventually got killed by the hunters (in my Xavier University Dance Troupe days, I was one of those hunters, he he!). The women wear this headdress because they are supposed to represent chickens being attacked by hawks. You all must see it performed. Fantastic and moving.

Artist Enrico Lluch provided these conversation pieces - terra cotta masks representing the many tribal communities of Mindanao. If I am not mistaken, the 2nd and 3rd masks are representations of Himologan natives. Lluch is a well-known artist in these parts. He has exhibited at the Philippine Center in New York. He also writes plays / satires for the ORO SABADO GROUP, a local theatre company.

The restaurant is located at the Rosario Arcade of the Lim Ket Kai Mall in Lapasan. So many things have changed since I left 7 years ago!

TOWN has got lots of wood elements which is good because this adds contrast to what can be plain white walls and foyer flooring. Wood also adds warmth and volume.

I think these should do well if they get water often or else...

Lluch's masks line the length of the dining area. Very nice touch, don't you think?

Partners in crime. Thanks so much to my former classmates-now friends in CDO, Drs. Grace and Cherryl! See you again in April 2008, ladies!