How can a
city squirt resist the prospect of a southwest adventure after a companion who
had left earlier for Batangas sends an SMS describing her swim for the day
where she felt like she was swimming in an aquarium with multicolor fish
swarming around her?
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| Float a few hundred meters from the shore of La Luz in Laiya, Batangas |
"Don't
forget your goggles and aqua shoes," she added as one strapped on one's
backpack and caught a south-bound bus.
More
local color is bound to come one's way as a public commuter. There are two ways
of getting to La Luz beach resort in Laiya, Batangas--one via Candelaria, the
other via Lipa. If there is no hurry, try the longer route that involves all
manner of transport (bus, jeep, tricycle, feet).
When
taking the jeep in rustic towns, the traveler from the city will inevitably
find herself sharing seat space with any or all of these people: a farmer and
his plow; a toughened-by-life grandmother who commands the driver to stop at a
corner store so she can get off to fill her sack with rice grains while the
motor is left running; a housewife with the week's marketing, her basket leaky
with ice from the frozen fish; a lass with an aluminum wash basin back-rides (sabit), a hazardous practice considering
the speed with which the vehicle nearly flies.
There
are audible linguistic markers, too, signs that the Tagalog spoken here is
quainter than the one in Metro Manila--the frequent use of di-ne or i-re (to indicate
"here").
The city
dweller easily lets her guard down because helping strangers find their right
destination still seems second nature, the guide not expecting to be tipped and
quite content with a salamat (thank
you). The leafy grounds of La Luz in
Barrio Hugom are of the same rough texture as the sand and pebbles on the
beach. One learns there's a downside if a beach boasts of packed fine sand--the
possible proliferation of sandworms that can get into bodily openings and cuts.
 |
| Solitary reader inside a cabana |
The
rooms are named after Philippine hard wood like mulawin or molave. The waters of Sigayan Bay can be so unruffled that
one does not need to swim several meters before spotting schools of grouper
fish, trigger fish, among many, a number in neon or electric colors.
A sign
near the for-rent kayaks and bikes advises that the fish's habitat and coral
reefs are protected so swimmers, snorkelers and divers can just enjoy the
moment. The only souvenirs allowed to be taken out are pictures.
 |
| Early birds by the shore of Sigayan Bay |
Overnight
visitors at this resort can expect an all-in package at off-season rates. One
perk are the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets and the array of afternoon
snacks. One can be a beach bum all day without worrying where to go for meals
or dressing up for a bite. Brewed coffee is unlimited, so with the pineapple
juice.
 |
| Breakfast menu written on chalkboard |
Masseuses
are on call. Even a masseuse is overheard observing that music played while
massages are going on in the cabanas ought to be soothing and soft. The
customer cannot relax with a thumping disco beat in the background despite the
serene view of the bay and the line where sky and water meet.
 |
| Warm-looking bricks on walls of one of many patios in Ugu Bigyan's pottery, garden and restaurant |
Almost
less than an hour away is potter Ugu Bigyan's studio, garden and restaurant by
appointment for groups of at least 10 people in Lusacan, Tiaong, Quezon. Here
one can let loose flights of fancy about wandering in a Balinese garden or a
villa in Tuscany.
 |
| A pond in the garden with shop in the background |
The
owner has built and tastefully furnished with his stoneware small huts and a
dining pavilion open to the breeze and the garden. There one can dine on pork
and mushroom soup followed by pako
salad, then the local kulawo (or
banana heart cooked in coconut milk), sweetish spare ribs, mussels sauteed in
oyster sauce, a large fried maya maya
dressed with mango salsa. Capping this balanced meal is a warm guinatan of balls of taro and tapioca.
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| Strainer resting on spoon rest with pair of birds |
Still gung-ho
about crossing provincial lines, one heads for the Patis-Tito Garden Café off
the main highway in Barangay Santa Cruz (Putol), San Pablo City, Laguna, for
the day's last pick-me-upper of banana turon a la mode and cool lemongrass tea
before the trip back to the city. The experience is like walking into a turn of
the 19th century two-storey house furnished and decorated in the manner of
one's genteel great-grandmother.
First published by Vera Files and Yahoo Philippines on Oct. 25, 2012
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