Why go to Vigan and Japan when you can go to Laguna?

One of the highlights if you avail a Vigan tour is the chance to view ancestral houses and old churches preserved in the City. But Vigan is quite a long drive from Manila. Almost a year ago, a friend invited us to visit him in his house. It's located in Pila, Laguna. The province is just 2 hours away from Manila. To date, I have been there thrice. And it never ceases to amaze me. If someone's up for a road trip, I recommend this place.

This is the famous duck statue that represents the province's pride. Duck eggs and the duck itself are the delicacies you can try if you visit Pila. We are also toured around the province. I was like WOW! when I first saw the vintage houses and the old Church. Somehow, I feel like I am in Vigan. The fresh air gave me an inner peace and a sense of freedom (away from home). He also told us that there is a local ordinance for the residence prohibiting the owners from changing the physical feature of their homes. The reason for this I think, is for them to preserve the "Vintage" aspect and culture of the town.

 

 

We ate in a local resto in Pila and we ordered Sisig and kare-kare. The food was great. And by the way, the very first time I went to Pila, I got to taste some exotic delicacies like Adobong Frog legs and Fried duck. (I wasn't able to document it then)

Christmas spirit around the Town's Church. I was in the plaza sitting in a bench across the church and I find the view very relaxing. 

The next time we visited Pila, we went straight ahead to this over-looking kitchenette in Pagsanjan, Laguna. The food we ordered were also delicious. The price is okay. The staff are nice, I even asked permission to connect my charger since my mobile phone was running out of battery, and they did allow me :)

 

(Photo credit to Dean Angelo)

After lunch, we were brought to a park called "Japanese Garden" it was actually a few meters away from Caliraya Lake - a man-made lake famous in Laguna. As far as I can remember, there is a 10 pesos entrance fee you need to pay before entering the park. Again, I was amazed. The place looks so  fresh and peaceful. The blue-colored skies matched the green leaves of the trees and grass inside the garden. For a person who really needed a quiet time, this place is perfect. We were a group of seven, so "Me time" is very impossible. We killed our time by walking and picture-taking. And we did have pretty cool shots inside the garden

 

 

Info I got from the Internet: The Japanese Garden is a shrine created by Philippine-Japan Friendship Society in memory of the Japanese soldiers who died during the encounter between the Japanese and Filipino-American troops at the close of World War II. Also to symbolize the amity and friendship that exist between the Philippines and Japan.

We were lucky for having a private vehicle to get to these places. But for those who wanted to use public transportation to go there, here's how:

Getting to Pila:

From Alabang Terminal (or any terminal in Manila) ride a Sta Cruz-bound bus. From Alabang I think the fare is not more than a hundred pesos. The bus will pass by the town's plaza, you may want to ask the driver to drop you off there.

\Getting to Japanese Graden:

Same bus (Sta.Cruz-bound bus) Ask the driver to drop you off the jeepney terminal going to Lumban until you get to the public market, lastly, ride a tricycle bound to Caliraya/Japanese garden.