Happy for you both!

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.  ~Henry Van Dyke

Wishing my good friend J and his wife P, all the best.

Her 7th Birthday Party!

Happy birthday to our only girl, our princess!  Please don't grow up too fast. 

We love you very much.

Laguna Churches - CINQ!

Still high from the super late Chowking lunch, we finally reached Nagcarlan.

Thirteenth stop, Nagcarlan Church



St. Bartholomew Church



As we entered the church grounds, I somehow found the church a bit familiar, like I’ve seen it before but couldn’t quite pinpoint when or where.  Déjà vu?  No, jologs-attack, it was the church in the Kampanerang Kuba series of ABS-CBN. J  This time my camera battery gave up on us and it’s a good thing A brought his.

Lucky us again, there was a wedding going on so it was hard to take good shots of the altar.  While I was busy trying to shoot some, A went to the office to ask for directions going to the Underground Cemetery and this is where it got ugly.  The manang in charge during that time was being grouchy so A heard a mouthful after asking nicely…of course A won’t let her get away with it so he said “Bakit ang sungit-sungit nyo?  Taga-simbahan pa naman kayo!”  As we passed by the office and A was telling me what happened, he pointed to the manang and said “Sya yun!  Sya yung masunget!”  Of course, we had to go at once before the manang could retaliate.  Oh, we are so evil…and we know it! J

 

With quick directions from the nice locals just outside the church, we got to the Underground Cemetery.

Fourteenth and LAST stop, Underground Cemetery

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

 I was gripped with intense awe by this cemetery.  Exage na kung exage! J  It’s so unique and a true-blue heritage landmark.  It is said that it’s the only underground cemetery that has been built in the Philippines and is considered a historical landmark because the underground crypt was  used by Filipino revolutionary leaders in Laguna as a secret meeting place in 1896. 

Professional photography is not allowed and we were asked by the friendly caretaker to turn off the flash of our camera if we’re taking pictures of the underground crypt.  The caretaker also said that prominent Catholic families and priests are buried here.  I’d say that the National Historical Institute has done a good job preserving and managing this place.  It is still owned by the Catholic Church because of the chapel.  And though not being used anymore, the chapel served as the last station of the funeral rites before entombment and it’s also where the priest gave his last blessing.

There’s no entrance fee but I encourage you to donate in their cash box right after you sign the visitors’ logbook.  And make sure that you don’t visit on a Monday as they’re closed, like any other museum.  They’re open from 8am to 4pm but they let us stay until 5pm…pretty considerate because they knew that we drove a long way to get there.

The lawn of this cemetery is perfectly-manicured and not a trash is in sight.  I would love to spend lazy afternoons here, reading a book or just letting my mind wander.  Good thing, I don’t believe in ghosts. J



The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is the best way to end this day-tour.  Tired but pretty satisfied from the Ultimate Visita Iglesia, we headed towards San Pablo to get to SLEX.

Thanks again, A!  Did I mention that I have the itinerary for the other churches that we missed?  Let me know when can we do this, please? J

Laguna Churches - QUATRE!

We asked for directions to Liliw because the roads were getting tricky and we were advised that we had to pass through this bridge that's under construction.  We got to the bridge and A had to drive into this really deep ditch to get to the other side…and this was where we got lost.  We're supposed to take the first turn but we didn’t.  And mind you, it was already 3pm and we had been driving all day with no lunch.  As we reached a fork, we asked the locals again and eventually found out that we took the wrong road…instead of getting to Liliw, we somehow reached Magdalena.  I wanted to see the Magdalena church, too, but it was getting dark and we absolutely had to see Nagcarlan after Liliw so A had to drive back and re-trace our “steps”.

We were already starving so we stopped at this store selling super-sweet lansones.  I asked A to get us a few kilos to munch on.

While waiting in the car, I saw this jolly manang selling the most delicious-looking banana cue.  I bought a couple of sticks to A’s delight.  I swear that it was the most delicious meal I ever had in a long time. J   So with happy tummies and a couple of military checkpoints , we found our way to Liliw.

I just have to say that the "right" road that leads to Liliw reminded me of the roadtrip to Bicol...because of the Chowking signages.  Boy!  Was I a happy girl seeing "Chowking-Liliw, 4kms!" 

Twelfth stop, Liliw Church



St. John the Baptist Church



The church is at the center of the town known for its slipper-makers and kesong puti.  The red-orange brick color reminds me of the church in Nabua, Camarines Sur.  It’s difficult to get a clean shot of the church because foot traffic’s pretty heavy but I think I was able to get a good shot!

















Why LILIO?  According to Wikipedia, 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. This was to avoid confusion in pronouncing and spelling the name of the town.



I love cheese but let me just say that paying 300pesos for 6 one-peso coin sized kesong puti is considered a mortal sin.  I somehow knew that it’s all banana leaf wrapping but since I paid for the larger ones, I was expecting to get a bit larger cheese but I was wrong.  Kainis!  I should’ve spent the money na lang in some good feta or cream cheese.  Anyway, we had the super late and quick lunch in Chowking.  Had to rush to Nagcarlan because it was already getting dark.  This town is known for the Underground Cemetery and the Roman Catholic Church.

Laguna Churches - TROIS!

Tenth stop, Luisiana Church

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish

So we’re back on the road to the town of Luisiana.  I didn’t even know that there's such a town in Laguna.  We saw the church right away but we were disappointed because the church has undergone MAJOR renovation.  I don’t know if it was necessary but judging the way the sidewalls looked, I would have preferred the old structure rather than this newly-built one (2008).  The interior wasn’t impressive either…I think, I blurted out, “Ang panget!” as I entered the church.  Such a waste!  I’m sure that the old structure could rival those of the other colonial churches we've seen. 

Exasperated , we drove to our next destination.

Eleventh stop, Majayjay Church

San Gregorio Magno Church

You will not miss this church as it’s so huge.  Despite the minor alterations done, I’d say that they did a good job with the preservation.  I just found the bricks used in the façade a little too pink.  As we entered the church, we noticed the catwalk that leads to the bell tower which this church is known for.  And it is one of the 26 colonial churches declared by the National Museum as National Cultural Treasures. 



Took a lot of pictures in this church because of its beautiful exterior and then got back on the road to go to Liliw. 



Laguna Churches - DEUX!

Eighth stop, Paete Church

Santiago Apostol Church

















I’d say that this is the hardest church to find…with the oh-so-small streets of Paete, I think A missed his turn four times. J

After asking for directions, we immediately found a nice parking slot just outside the church and we thought that we’re so lucky nobody’s grabbed it yet, then I saw why. :-D

Anyhoo, we didn’t bother to transfer to another parking slot because it’s Saturday after all, the mayor probably wouldn’t hold office there.  So, we grabbed an umbrella and ran to the church.  I had huge expectations because Paete is known for its woodcarving and paper mache.  And the church did not disappoint, with the intricate floral (I wonder why :-p) wall carvings and the beautiful altarpieces, this is a nice hidden treasure.  It’s definitely worth the trip albeit getting lost in the process. J

What’s really interesting about this church is the century-old paintings of San Cristobal, Langit, Lupa at Impyerno and Juicio Final.  Paging all art conservation societies…please include these in your priorities as the paintings are slowly deteriorating.

 



Langit, Lupa at Impiyerno
Taon ng ginawa: 1850
Guhit ni: Jose Luciano Dans
(3 1/2m x 5m sa kahoy na maulawin)

 




San Cristobal
Taon ng ginawa: 1850
Guhit ni: Jose Luciano Dans
(Ikalawang guhit sa 3 1/2m x 5m sa kahoy na maulawin)

 



















Juicio Final
(St. Francis and the Salvation of the Soul)
Taon ng ginawa: 1720
Iginuhit matapos itayo ang unang simbahang bato noong 1717







Looking at the map, we were expecting a pretty long ride to Cavinti…but we were somehow pleasantly surprised to get there in no time.  You can’t blame us, we just came from Bicol and the driving hours to get from one town to another took crazy long!

Ninth stop, Cavinti Church



Parish of the Transfiguration of our Lord



We arrived in the sleepy town of Cavinti and immediately proceeded to the church.  As we parked the car, we chanced upon two roadies who were resting at the church grounds.  I hoped that they lived nearby because I could not imagine the heat that they’d go through once they went their way.

I was impressed by the centuries-old adobe church.  I loved the way shrubs were growing in the church walls.  The altarpieces were not as magnificent as the others that we saw but it was enough to complement the simplicity of the church and the town where it was built.

Within the church grounds, there’s a fenced area dedicated to the Way of the Cross.  I think the monuments were made of metal but I’m not so sure as I did not check.  I remember that I almost lost my camera casing in this church, I had to scour the area.  Good thing I found it…I once lost my camera casing in a bike ride and I don’t want to do it again.