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Published: December 27th 2009
Tayabas Bay
the tranquil water of Tayabas BayI remember when I was on my grade school; we used to visit century-old churches in Rizal during Holy Week for our annual Visita Iglesia practice. I was surprised back then that in just an hour drive from our home lays a rich cultural and historic heritage yet to be discovered by my young mind. After 10 years, I went back to those churches I had visited in Rizal when I was still a kid and in addition, some of the churches in Laguna and Quezon.
In an early Saturday morning some time March 2007, I was so excited for our tour that I didn't able to eat breakfast properly so we stopped at a Tropical Hut Restaurant in Morong, Rizal. We decided that we went straight first to our hotel in Sariaya before doing our town by town joyride. It was around 2 PM when we arrived at our hotel in Sariaya. The resort was located along Tayabas Bay. Tayabas Bay has very clear and tranquil waters just perfect for an afternoon swim. My knowledge in geography was telling me that the land mass I was seeing from a distance was San Juan, Batangas. The beach was quite good;
Jellyfish
Lots of jellyfish along the shore, may be because it was summer time. not as rocky as Agdangan's shoreline. The day has passed by, and I could hear my gastric juices asking for dinner! We drove to Candelaria for our dinner. Thanks to the sisters of Nuestra Senora de Candelaria Parish for our free dinner. We went back to the resort to re-energize ourselves because tomorrow would be long day ahead.
We left the resort very early the next day. We just had simple instant cup noodles and cups of hot coffee as our breakfast. The joyride has officially started and our first stop was Sariaya, Quezon. Sariaya is home for a century-old church and just across it lines heritage houses. I was bit disappointed for they painted the church white. Next stop was Tayabas, Quezon, the old capital and former name of Quezon province. The church is one of the oldest in Quezon Province and I could also say, one of the biggest. I fell in love with its Duomo. It was already lunch time when we passed the town of Lucban. For our lunch, the ever famous pancit habhab with its unique vinegar sauce at Buddy’s Restaurant was served on our plate. After lunch, we went to Lucban church. The
church’s façade has a unique architecture compared to other churches I visited on my list. I love the way they are preserving the virginity of the church; ferns are growing on the church’s structure. We bid goodbye to Quezon and Mt. Banahaw and welcomed ourselves for Laguna was coming next.
First stop in the Laguna province was Cavinti. We were bit lost within the town proper for we couldn’t find where the church is. We asked a local for the direction and he was successful… Cavinti church at last! Do the locals here attempt to steal the valuable possessions of the church? There are metal fences on every windows of the church… too bad! After Cavinti, Lumban was the next stop. Lumban is the embroidery capital of the Philippines. It’s easy to buy barong tagalog here unlike in Manila. I was already seeing the bell tower but we couldn’t find the street leading to it. We asked a local again. I fell in (again!) love with the plaza in front of the church especially the balcony in the riverside. There is also a statue of St. Sebastian at the tip of the bell tower. On our way towards
north, I noticed that there were woodcarving shops everywhere. We were now in Paete… the woodcarving capital of the Philippines. We parked in front of a commercial center somewhere in Paete town proper. While walking on our way to Paete church, I could see woodcarving shops left and right. Finally, we were now in Paete church. The church is dedicated to St. James the Great I believed, thanks to the carving at the façade of the church. In my opinion, there are only two best retablo mayors in the Philippines: Paete and Tanay. I love churches with many statues! The next stop was also the home of an old church… Pakil, Laguna. The town is famous for the Virgin of Turumba. I was praying inside Pakil church when a child beggar suddenly came to me and asked for some alms. I rushed my prayers and walked-out of the church fast. Sorry God for that.
We were now on our way to Rizal, my home province. We passed by via Mabitac-Pililla highway and had a stop over at Pililla’s very own overlooking (OL) spot. The view was really breath-taking. Tanay was on our second to the last itinerary. This town
Old houses in Sariaya
a block of old houses in Sariaya town proper is my ideal town. I want to live in this place someday. The lake, the river and the mountains are just minutes away. The modern commercial amenities are just a bonus. It is also the home of one of the oldest and grandest churches in Rizal, the San Ildefonso Parish Church. I love the woodcarvings of the 14 Stations of the Cross, one of its kinds in the Philippines. I felt I was attending mass during Spanish time. The church pulpit is simply the best. We headed our way to our last stop, Baras, Rizal. Baras is a very small and quiet town unlike Tanay’s bustling sounds. Based on my assessment of all the churches we visited, this is the oldest among them. There were bats resting on the ceiling of the church that added to stinky smell of the place. I still love the church though.
This ended my Quezon-Laguna-Rizal tour. I am planning to buy my own SLR camera to have a professional capture of the places I will be visiting soon.
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john paul
non-member comment
sariaya church.....
i'm from sariaya but was raised up in manila.....by the way the church's proper name is st. francis of assisi parish diocesan shrine of sto cristo de burgos.......not st isidore parish.....we honor st isidore as a sub patron because of the towns history as a agricultural municipality.....