TRAVEL

San Juan takes pride in its own style of Lambanog-making

By GIDEON LASCO

What in art is a masterpiece is immersion in travel. To immerse is to go deep — the metaphor is clear. To tour is to see, to hear, to taste, and to touch. But to immerse is to live, and once you emerge from the experience, you will find yourself changed. What you will take home will not be pictures, but memories. What you will leave behind are not mere people, but friends.

Such an immersion was what my blockmates and I went through in our Community rotation as doctors-in-training in San Juan, Batangas. One fine October afternoon, my classmate Miguel and I set out by tricycle to meet our foster mother in Brgy. Pinagbayanan, Nelly Sayat. “Nanay Nelly,” as we fondly called her, owned a sari-sari store. Already, our room was prepared and we quickly settled in.

Every day we would go to the clinic, pay home visits, and help out in barangay projects. Yet the traveler within us kept our eyes open for whatever sights and sounds we would see and share. And after six weeks, here are some of the treasures we gleaned from San Juan:

Birdwatchin in Pinagbayanan

Our home barangay is Pinagbayanan, so named because it was the original site of San Juan town, founded in 1881. Two years later, however, frequent flooding prompted town officials to move the town proper to its present site. The ruins of the original San Juan church can still be seen.

The birds, however, may very well consider this barangay as their capital, for many avian species flock to Pinagbayanan at dusk. Every day, at around 5 o’clock, the birds congregate in the coastal mangroves. A river runs through it, making the place even more scenic. A walkway across the mangroves and an elevated viewdeck made of bamboo were recently built to afford a better view of the river. For the more adventurous, you can ask the locals to take you on a banca ride along the river, giving you a closer view of the birds’ sanctuary. Whole trees turn white because of the itinerant egrets. The best time to go birdwatching is at dusk or early in the morning, before the birds take leave of their sanctuary.

Aside from the mangrove area, another place to go in Pinagbayanan are the ponds on the way to Brgy. Catmon. Birdwatchers have already visited the area, and ecotourism plans are presently being mulled by the barangay and its partners.

Food tripping at the poblacion

In San Juan Poblacion are two nice places to eat. First is Cafeño, at Marasigan corner Rizal Street. Set in one of the old houses of the town, it has a very rustic, warm feel, capturing the feel of the 60s. Tables were creatively fashioned from old sewing machines, and you can still step on the pedals – reliving perhaps a universal childhood experience of seeing grandmother sewing at home.

A potpourri of artifacts is displayed: old gasoline flasks and even a scrap of a calendar displaying April 1962. Of special note are their homemade ice creams (P 18/scoop, in five flavors: creamy barako, langka, buko pandan, lychee, and banana maple). Barako coffee of course is a specialty of Batangas and its richness is very much available for P 30/mug. Cafeño also offers meals and their homemade ham and pandan chicken are our favorites.

Meanwhile, Orange Restaurant (Naranja), just a block away, is a nice place to have lunch or dinner. Their signature dish is orange chicken, a unique variation on the familiar lemon chicken at Chinese restaurants. The chicken is marinated in orange and other flavors, and grilled to perfection. The servings are sumptuous. Like Cafeño, it has an old house’s ambiance.

If barako coffee is not strong enough for you, try the lambanog sold along the highway. Although the strong liquor made from coconut is often associated with Quezon province, San Juan takes pride in its lambanog, which is priced by various “classes,” according to liquor strength. There are also different flavors, ranging from the traditional raisin to more ambitious bubble gum and strawberry.

Hiking up Mt. Daguldul

A nice trek in southern Batangas is the coastal mountain of San Juan, Mt. Daguldul. The name ‘Daguldul’ or ‘Daguldol’ has been used since olden days. It is said to mean “thunder,” and the onomatopoeia is still appreciable. Even before we immersed in San Juan, I had visited Daguldul as a mountaineer.

In actuality a small mountain range, Mt. Daguldul has several ‘gems’ to offer. First, there is the unique seascape that greets the hiker on the initial beach trail. Then, there is trail, moderate in difficulty, passing by woodlands and light forests. In some parts, the greenery is total.

Of course there is the peak, which has a refreshing feel. Up there are views of the nearby mountains such as Maculot, Malipunyo, and the more distant Mt. Banahaw. Southern landmarks such as Mindoro, Verde Island, and a faint Marinduque can also be appreciated.

On the way back, there is a marker that leads to Naambon Falls, just 5 minutes away from the trail. The 25-meter cascade of water falling down a rock face is a must-visit on a trek to Mt. Daguldul. Finally, after the climb, you can unwind in the cool waters of Laiya beach before heading back to Manila.

Swimming at Laiya

It is already a popular place for a beach outing, but everytime I go to Laiya I am delighted to realize that such a nice beach can be found so close to Metro Manila. Laiya boasts of pleasant waters, a whitish beach, and a nice view of the Isla Verde passage.

The “center of the center of marine biodiversity” lies squarely in front of the beachcomber, and the sun sets behind the rolling slopes of Mt. Daguldul. Indeed, I consider Laiya to be the best beach within the vicinity of Metro Manila.

For ‘locals’ like us, we discovered that there are nice, budget-friendly outfits in Laiya, offering rooms and cottages at very reasonable prices. Our favorite was Morocco Beach Resort in Balakbakan. Many others can be found along the highway; be sure to bargain to get a good room or two. The usual amenities include airconditioned rooms, cottages, and of course, videoke machines.

The immersion experience is not a mere collection of places. There are little epiphanies that resonate in our minds just as memorably, such as watching a horror film with the village youth on a pitch-dark evening in an abandoned hut with the rustling sea winds and howling dogs in the background.

Or playing dodgeball with the kids, responding to the singsong, “Pabile po (We’d like to buy something)!” as sari-sari vendors by circumstance, partaking of a merienda of fried saging na saba, and haggling for the best dalandan in the town market. The deep Tagalog spoken by the locals was also a constant fascination. Saan ka ga makakahanap na ganire? (Where else can you find something like this?)

Each moment was truly a gem, a brushstroke in the masterpiece that we yearned to create. Today, as this piece is published, we will be on our final day in the community. In the past six weeks, we discovered that there are many nice places in San Juan, but its real treasure is its people. Their hospitality is like a sip of the finest barako coffee, rich and warm; and their hopes, like the birds in flight in Pinagbayanan, will surely soar in the future skies.

—

The authors wish to thank Dr. Anthony Cordero, our preceptor; Nelly Sayat our foster mother; the people of Brgy. Pinagbayan, particularly the BHWs: Lolet, Chato, Roselle, Odessa and midwife Ate Cristy and Brgy. Capt. del Carmen; Councilor Pasco; Mayor Mindanao; and our groupmates: Mel, Liz, Luz, Ton, Albert, Arnold, Icca, Yen, and Maqi, and everyone who became part of our San Juan community immersion. Mabuhay kayong lahat!