Quezon Back! (Part 2)

Hello Kreativ People of the World!

I am back to continue our two-part Quezon province excursion story. If you haven’t yet, check out Quezon Back! (Part 1) wherein I talked about my first time visit to Lucban, Quezon when I was still part of a Catholic group and happened to enjoy the preparations for Pahiyas Festival back in 2015.

Then recently, I was able to visit Lucban for the second time last March 2021, in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic. With the work-from-home setup, my best friend, JB and I helped Kat bring her dormitory stuff back to her hometown. We maximized our trip by making it a 3-days-2-nights adventure. On our first day, we went island hopping to Kawayan Island, Kwebang Lampas and Bilaran Sandbar. We ended that night with sumptuous barbecue dinner. It was a tiring yet fun day. We spend the night at Kat’s house. Thanks Tita Eva and Tito Carlo for adopting us!

Are you ready to hear our next adventure?

Day 2. We woke up at around 11:30 AM. Tita Eva prepared us a Lucban brunch — Lucban Longganisa and Pancit Habhab. Fried rice and sunny-side up eggs are present in the breakfast scene paired with a hot coffee. While at breakfast, we shared with tito and tita what happened on our island hopping. Because of a day missed from school work, Kass has to do some catch up with her studies. So, she’ll be staying at home.

The sun is up and I guess, we got tired of yesterday’s trip. Thus, we spent more hours hanging at Kat’s place. We watched Netflix movies and YouTube clips. We had a fun get-together while hearing some stories from Tita Eva and Tito Carlito about Kat’s childhood memories — a typical Filipino household every time someone visits a Filipino house. They even showed us some pictures… and yes, with backstory, too.

To be honest, I really love this Filipino trait that we have. We are very proud to share good memories of our family members to other people — may it be embarrassing, sad, happy, silly — we just happened to laugh from it.

We took around an hour nap just in time to prepare for our next adventure.

Batis Aramin — A resort in the middle of a forest.

3:00 PM. Everyone’s wake up. Since we really didn’t have any plans, Kat suggested to go to Malinaw Spring Resort — a fresh water resort with the clearest water with an entrance fee of Php 20.

“Let’s Go!” I said.

When we arrived at the place, there were a lot of people! It was already too crowded for us to join them. So, plan B! Kat, then suggested Batis Aramin. It is located near Kamay Ni Hesus — a famous destination most especially during Holy Week to devout Catholics.

So, we went straight ahead to Batis Aramin, which is 5-10 minute drive from Kat’s place. From the main road, we have to go inside a small road leading to gate of a big property and private resort.

We availed their Day Tour package worth Php 250 per head — and it’s consumable! Yes, they have a restaurant and cafe inside the resort. It was a good deal and very affordable. Aside from the day tour package, they also have rooms for check-in, perfect for family and/or company outings and team buildings.

The resort is so big that we have to drive around just to check the places. First stop — Lambingan Bridge. Below the bridge is their big-sized pool, perfect for all ages.

We didn’t dip ourselves yet in the pool. We continued exploring the place and was amazed how big really the resort was. We passed by their restaurant and cafe, which will be our dinner place later. We drove further and we were lead to the Hobbit place. Yes, there were Hobbit houses around! It was so cool that we even stayed longer taking selfies. Hahaha!

As we moved forward to visit other sight-seeing spots, including this beautifully setup Volkswagen Beetle car adorned with plants, and a pathway leading to this small cottage where you have a quick rest.

… and here’s Kat, being a supportive friend, taking photos of me — but I haven’t got a copy of that photo, by the way. Hahaha! Calling Kat…!!!

We continued exploring, leaving the car nearby. There were a lot of Instagrammable and picturesque sites.

We went back to the pool area passing by this forest trail, full of bird sounds. We opened the car window and enjoyed the breeze of the air from nature.

We reached back by the pool area where Lambingan Bridge is located. We didn’t waste any time as maximized our stay in the resort. We enjoyed the remaining hours before 6:00PM by having fun at the pool. We end our Day 2 trip at Lucban with a sumptuous dinner at the resort’s cafe and restaurant. I haven’t taken pictures of our food because we were really starving. 😂😂😂

Do you want more?

Day 3. Last day at Lucban, Quezon.

With our sight-seeing adventure yesterday, we want something local and cultural. So we decided to go to Bukid Amara, Kamay Ni Hesus Healing Church and Lucban Church.

First stop — Bukid Amara. It is a very colorful and full of varieties of flowers and vegetables.

One of the staff shared that the owner of the place is a retired corporate employee who decided to become an agripreneur and want to experience a simple urban life in the countryside. For an entrance fee of Php 100 you’ll get to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. I was in awe as soon as I entered the farm. It was very scenic. All the photos says it all!

To the sunflower garden! The contenders for the photogenic award are … Choose your fighter!!

There’s a big freshwater pond where Tilapias and Bangus can be caught for a price. You can also feed them.

You can also find other kinds of flowers around. According to the staff, the months of December to February is the best time to visit Bukid Amara because it's the season when flowers bloom. Thus, more varieties to look and explore at.

Next Stop. At around 11:30 AM, we decided to leave Bukid Amara and went straight to Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church — which is just a 5 minute drive from Bukid Amara. The church is where you can find a very tall statue of Jesus Christ. The place was also known for its healing stories of Catholic devotees.

And our last stop. We roamed around the streets of Lucban, near the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church a.k.a Lucban Church. The church at that time was closed to public because of the current pandemic situation. We had some quick photoshoot.

Nearby, we found some authentic and locally cooked pancit habhab, which is normally sold along the streets. We didn’t let ourselves miss the chance of this one-of-a-kind and true habhab-eating experience.

Before we left Kat’s place, Tita Eva has prepared a pasalubong for us to take home — ready-to-cook Pancit Habhab and Lucban Longganisa and some other Lucban delicacies.

At around 4:00 PM, we left Lucban and went back home. This will be another 3-hour road trip, without Kat. It was indeed a fun-filled excursion. I can’t wait to visit Lucban again and revisit the places we’ve been to and will explore other destinations, too.

And a beautiful sunset waves us goodbye, saying be safe and see you again soon.