This next trip we had was something we didn't expect nor planned. For our second adventure we still decided to feature another town in Laguna, since the province is home to unique towns with equally blessed beauty, rich historical background, scenic views, warm and hospitable people, breath-taking hidden wonders that could be a potential tourism destination and real delicious delicacies that can only be found (originally made) in each town.
When we planned to feature Majayjay, we initially thought of going to the famous Taytay falls. Others call it the Majayjay falls or even Imelda falls because the promotion of tourism in this place was financed by the ex-first lady Imelda Marcos.But due to lack of time and information, our feet brought us to a different path that led us to discover a wonder that this town is hiding.
It was past lunch time when we got to ride a Siniloan bound jeepney from Sta. Cruz, Danilli was the one doing all the talking for directions and the local jeepney drivers were more than glad to answer all our queries (good-natured provincial folks -as i have mentioned before)
We were told by the jeepney driver to wait for jeepneys bound for Majayjay, but there was none or if there were any jeepneys going to Majayjay - it was full. The clock was ticking and its getting dark (there's already a downpour), so we didn't waste any time after realizing it's hopeless to get a jeepney ride. We, instead resorted to a tricycle, which was abundant near the waiting shed that sheltered us from the rain.The initial price they gave us for the ride going to Dalitiwan was 120Php and we were surprised at how costly our fare was but it left us with no choice.
We told the Manong driver to get us to Dalitiwan falls which was quite popular in Majayjay. On our ride to Dalitiwan, we realized how worthy the 120Php fare that we paid because the ride took 20 to 30 minutes going up and down the highly curved, steep and zigzag road in the hills. The tricycle ride gave us a better view of each barangay (there were even big houses here and there), the people and their extra simple lifestyle.
Majayjay is considered a 4th class municipality, it is located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, one hundred twenty kilometers of Manila, it is bounded by Lucban in the province of Quezon, Luisiana and Liliw and it is politically subdivided into 40 barangays. Majayjay derived from the word "Ma" which means many. Some say that in the old days, to reach this town of hilly terrain, one had to pant, saying "hay,hay" (sigh) thus came the name Majayjay.
After the long ride going up and down the hill the tricycle driver puts into a halt at the gate just around the highway. At last we said, near the gate, a tarpaulin bore the sign Dalitiwan Resort. It didn't look anything like a resort to us, so we came in and asked somebody if the falls was near or if we were in the right place.
Located near the gate is a house where the katiwala (care-taker / in-charge of the place) lives. Only the kids who lived there entertained us and told us their mother was down the hill, so we headed down hill to look for their mother. As we were walking we can't help but be mesmerized by the view of tall green trees that covered the whole place, fresh water coming from the mountain can also be seen so we didn't waste any time to bring out our camera for photo opts.
As we descended, we saw a house that created this unexplainable fume we smelled us we headed down in search for the Katiwala.
As we found out, it is the place where they make Lambanog, another local product of the town, “Lambanog” is a Filipino term for wine produced from 100% natural sources like sugar cane, coconut and rice. The resort is also home to hundreds of coconut trees that they use to create this local wine, one thing visitors will notice when they look up are the bamboos that are interconnected and hangs between the tall coconut trees that serves as bridges to get from one tree to another. The Manang (Lady) who's in charge of the cooking was nice enough to show us around the place where she cooks Lambanog. She said that the lambanogs they produce are pure and doesn't contain any chemicals since they cook it the natural way and it is evident to the huge oven/container they use for cooking. They sell their Lambanogs for only 250Php per gallon, quite cheap for its fresh and authentic quality. Their wines are also exported in Manila and different towns and provinces in the country, but Manang said that Japanese visitors also love their Lambanogs. Koreans and Japanese are among the resort's foreign customers.
After a little chitchat and photo opts, we headed down the hill to look for the caretaker so we could ask some information and services that the resort offers, but we didn't see her.As we went to explore the place we could hear the river as it flows from the mountain which made us more thrilled to see what's ahead of us.
Dalitiwan River is located at Barangay Botocan, it's noted for its cool and crystal water with panoramic beauty that is ideal for swimming and fishing, the cold water of the river gushes through the rocks and boulders along the watercourse in sweeping currents. The resort with its aim to be truly close with the beautiful surrounding kept everything simple, cottages were built on the sides of the river which gives everyone a good view of the flowing fresh water which is also ideal for fun photo shoots. A hanging bridge is also built to connect visitors from one cottage to another. There are also shower rooms, a swimming pool atop the rocks, a canteen, a barbecue stand/place where visitors can freelly grill and cook their foods for picnic.
Fun definitely won't stop here because there's tons of things you can do in the resort that is truly designed for pure comfort and fun. I’m sure what everyone wants to know now is how much is the entrance fee... Right? So we're now going to dish out how many bucks it would cost for you to experience this truly alluring resort.
The entrance fees are as follows:
Adult: 70Php
Children: 60Php
Overnight: 150Php
The resort's rates are definitely cheap but the whole experience and fun one can gain here is definitely priceless.
Another attraction of the town is also their age-old, baroque-styled church called the Parish church of San Gregorio Magno which was built by the Augustinian Missionaries in 1571 but was burned down in 1578. It was then rebuilt by the Franciscan order in 1578 during the time of Juan De Plasencia.
Truly the simple and mystic beauty of Majayjay is something that is still waiting to be discovered as it will surely lure anyone who visits this town in Laguna
Posts
