LAIYA BEACH: OUR HOLY WEEK GETAWAY TRIP!

LAIYA BEACH, Our Easter getaway trip!

We live in Makati and Holy Week is a long and dreary week of church activities. Also, the humid hot summer brought uneasiness throughout the day for us. With the long tedious waiting of the Easter, it made us to contemplate on going somewhere where we could unwind and relax, a getaway I suppose. So, we went to Laiya Beach in San Juan, Batangas last Saturday, April 8, 2007 for an Easter early trip. The place was highly recommended to us by a friend of Babylin, my daughter-in-law. The beach is white sand and the scenery is captivating. With all the busyness of a city life, we also wanted to escape the summer heat and had waited for a long time into a reality. All of us in the family came. My eldest son, Ponchie came with his lovely wife, Babylin, my two beautiful daughters, Agatha, Aurora, my sister-in-law, France and her only daughter, Justine, my sweet wife, Edith, and my self, of course. We rented a van, an Izusu Crosswind because our car could only hold for 5 people only. The van was the most practical choice for the trip since it could accommodate all of us 8, sitting comfortably with ease for the long trip. We prepared and cooked the food on the eve of the trip. Edith prepared her favorite special Pancit Canton and spicy, hot Bicol Express. Babylin cooked her delicious special dried Pork liempo adobo. Not to be outdone, France, made her Fried Chicken a'la Chicken Joy. We brought lots of snacks, soda drinks and mineral water. We set the alarm clock at 3:30 am for our early trip. As we slept, we could not wait for our eyes to open for excitement.



At the Star Toll with Mt. Banahaw in the background
It was 4:30 am as we waited Ponchie and Babylin at the corner of the street where they lived. As soon as they finished embarking all their stuff I drove the van and headed for the C5 road entry just across Market, Market. It was still dark and cold as the light was beginning to emerge on the horizon. Edith and France were checking all the things if everything was in order. Vehicles were still few as we headed straight for the SLEX entry at Taguig. We could see the flooded lights at a nearby NAIA airport as a plane above us approaching the runway for landing. As we passed the Bicutan exit, I could see the traffic was already swelling and the speed was beginning to slow down. It was a Black Saturday and many people were expected to troop to the beaches in time for the Easter celebration. At Susana Heights, Ponchie asked me to pull over at the Shell Station for a quick breakfast at the McDonald's. We noticed many parked cars as I maneuvered the van at the driveway just in front of the McDonald's. Many people were coming in as many were coming out for the early breakfast. Edith and I hurried for the next shop at 711 to buy a bag of ice tubes for our Coleman. Then we joined our family in their seats as we ate our breakfast. I sipped my brewed coffee as I finished my pancake. Everybody was ready now!


The Mt. Banahaw and the Southern Tagalog Access Road (Star Toll)
We left Susana Heights Shell Station at 5:45 am with the hope that we could reach San Juan early but we also noticed that the traffic was beginning to be awful as it slowed down. As we approached the final exit at Calamba Toll, a long queue of vehicles could be seen far away. The situation was becoming worse, a big trouble was heading our way. It took us 10 minutes to reach the booth for our toll pay. Ahead of us were many buses and 10 wheeler trucks. As we neared the Sto. Tomas exit, there was a bottleneck of many vehicles as we turned right and made a round curve going to Sto. Tomas highway. Inch by inch, we were able to endure the traffic flow as all the motorists braced their way on for a faster speed. We were waiting for the right-turn sign of the Star Toll to appear going to Lipa City. We were uneasy and restless as the time could be our constraint for this trip. As we moved on, the traffic was faster now as we surpassed the bottleneck from the rear. In a few minutes, the Star Toll was ahead of us. We were driving as fast as 120 kph as few vehicles were headed this way to Lipa. It was a beautiful morning as humidity was beginning to rise as the temperature level could be felt inside our van . We enjoyed the view from left to right of the highway as we gazed the idyllic beauty of Mt. Banahaw on our left side.

The Lipa Cathedral

I did not imagine how progressive Lipa was until we have seen it with our own eyes. After the Star Toll, we turned left going to the main proper of the city. To my mind, this was a rural milieu that would conjure not to expect to be a flourishing city, but as we moved on, the city with a laid back charm to the first timers, is a place to behold. As poverty abound in Manila by the sight of numerous squatters and beggars in many areas, in Lipa it was nil. We observed people to be decent and going their way for a busy living. Business is thriving and the place is clean and pollution is almost naught. Perhaps, it is the industriousness and the steadfast of these Batanguenos. They are a legend in their own traditions and norms, always frugal, with entrepreneurial spirit. We drink and enjoy the world class coffee that comes from Batangas. Babylin told me to turn right and stop at the corner of the Mercury Drug Store just as we passed the Cathedral of Lipa to our left. Her directions proved right as we asked a helpful man. This is the way going to San Juan, Batangas. I drove straight ahead with an arrow sign, "to San Juan". The place was unobtrusive to any traveller and definitely you will be lost if assistance is not possible. We noticed many tricycles plying their rounds to the streets of the city. This is the normal way of traveling around Lipa, very fast and fun. We passed and stopped at McDonald's as the call of nature reminded us. Aurora, my daughter, could not find her nasal spray in any Mercury branch in Manila before we left had to look again in a nearby Mercury and she got it.