JUNE 22, 2021
Let's continue our virtual travel in the Philippines. We are done with our tour on the Northern side of Luzon so not let's continue our tour on the Southern Part of Luzon. On this side of Luzon most of the places that we are going to visit are churches and the beaches though there are still some historical areas that we can pass by as we go along the way.
If you are haven't read the previous article of our tour here is the link so you can enjoy the Northern part of Luzon before going to the other side. There are so much to see on that side and I'm sure you will enjoy the virtual tour that I revisit on that side of Luzon
Places to visit in the Philippines - Part 1
Places to visit in the Philippines - Part 2
Places to visit in the Philippines - Part 3
Places to visit in the Philippines - Part 4
So now, let's start revisiting the southern part of Luzon, Let's see if we can revisit the following areas within this article:
Tanay Rizal
Baras
Binangonan
Majayjay falls
Laguna
Tanay Rizal
You can find Tanay Rizal at the east part of Manila. It contains portions of the Sierra Madre Mountains and is bordered by Antipolo in the north-west, Baras, Morong and Teresa in the west, General Nakar in the east, and Pililla, Santa Maria as well as the lake Laguna de Bay in the south. Tanay Rizal is where you can find all the old churches. There was a time when we do our visita iglesia during the holy week there in Rizal and I was amazed how beautiful the old churches there in every town. The view is also nice because of the Sierra Madre and the Laguna de Bay that you can see along the way. You can also find a spot here where you can witness the sea of clouds just like the one we see in Sagada.
Punta De Fabian, Baras, Rizal
This resort is on top of a hill and over looking the Laguna de Bay. It's about two and a half hour drive from Makati. It has a wonderful view may it be day time or night time. Been here for about three times already because of the view and at the same time that place is so quiet that you can really have a good rest with friends or alone.
Treasure Mountain, Tanay, Rizal
Here in Treasure Mountain you can witness the sea of clouds. It is also a 2-3 hour drive from Makati. You can do overnight camping here or just a day trip but if you are after the sea of clouds you should spend a night there. There is also a cafeteria there where you can buy your food but it will be cheaper if you are going to bring your food and drinks. For an overnight trip you can bring your own tent or you can rent it at the Treasure Mountain office. We didn't spend are night there but we left Pasay as early as 3am just to witness this sea of clouds. By the way just like Sagada there are days that of course there is no clouds because of the weather.
Sta. Ursula Parish Church
This Parish in Binangonan Rizal was founded in 1621 and it was renovated in 1800. It was originally a chapel built in the late 15th century by Franciscan missionaries made to gain access to the native settlements around the Laguna de Bay. It is one of the oldest church that you can find in the province of Rizal. If you are looking for a place to do your visita iglesia during the holy week. This province is one of the best place to do it because of their old churches.
Calamba, Laguna
Calamba, Laguna is one of the most historic place here in Luzon mainly because it serves as the home and birthplace of Jose Rizal, the 19th-century Filipino nationalist and polymath and the national hero of the Philippines. The house is called Rizal Shrine. The present house/museum is just a replica of the original ancestral house of Rizal's family; the old house was destroyed during World War II. It was President Quirino who ordered the reconstruction of the national hero's home through the supervision of National Artist/architect Juan Nakpil and was inaugurated in 1950. When you visit the house/museum you will see inside a statue/replica of Rizal as a young boy and his mother. You will aso find there the books that was written by Jose Rizal. By the way one useless fact with the Jose Rizal but kinda special to me is that Jose Rizal and I share the same birth date.
Majayjay Falls, Laguna
Majayjay is located at the foot of Mount Banahaw, which is around 120 kilometers south of Manila, it is bounded by the municipality of Magdalena on the north, Lucban in Quezon province on the southeast, by Luisiana on the northeast, and by Liliw on the west. The most popular destination in Majayjay is the Taytay Falls. You can find the falls by trekking for about 45 mins. The trail is just a straight unpaved road that is mostly shaded since a lot of trees is covering it. You will see a lot of vegetables, especially tomatoes planted along the way.
I guess this is where we end our virtual trip to this side of Luzon, I thought I can still cover Cavite and Batangas but thought of sharing it in the next article because both provinces are kinda big with a lot of history, old churches and beaches.
I hope you enjoy our virtual tour and hope to see you on my next article which I'm covering the following places hopefully:
Cavite
Batangas
Quezon Province
Those pictures that doesn't have sources are taken by me and I own them.
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Thanks for your time!
Namiss ko to ah. Tara sa falls, sis!