Since I'll be flying off to the US of A in a couple of days, my high school friends decided to spend the weekend in Lucban, Quezon. It's an old town around 4 hours from Manila. We just miss the habhab, lugaw with lechon and halo-halo we ate last time we were there. We go to Lucban annually to attend the Pahiyas Festival but this weekend is a special send-off party for me.
No Lucban trip will ever be complete without having lunch in our favorite restaurant: Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. It's around 5 km from the town of Lucban, actually, it is part of the town of Tayabas. Anyway, the food there is my ultimate comfort food. I have dreams of their tasty sinugbo (grilled tilapia cooked in coconut milk and green peppers) and exotic enseladang pako (fern salad with sardines). The ambiance isn't that spectacular but the food was delicious. It took our waiter 10 minutes to serve the food and 10 minutes to clear the table...10 minutes apart. We sneaked in a bottle of wine to cap our lazy afternoon. We don't want to pay corkage fees, so we end up pouring the wine under the table. We can get that cheap.
We were heading back to Manila when the girls agreed to go hiking to the falls. I thought there were all sluggish from all that food but then, they were in the mood for a swim. It was just a good 10 minute walk down to Majayjay Falls. It was great because we have the falls to ourselves. It took me quite sometime before plunging into the chilly waters but I did it. I was thinking of running off the ledge, just like what we did in Tali Beach, but nobody was up to it. I was banking on strength in numbers during that time. Anyway, we ate, swam, took millions of pictures, ate some junk and headed home before it gets dark.Reaching Liliw before sundown, we scurried among the shops finding the best bargain for slippers. I bought several pairs for pasalubong when I get to the states. Tip to anybody going to the states: bring slippers. Better yet, bring slippers for pasalubong. The price of thong slippers is rediculous over there. Well, if you can muster a $70 Banana Republic sandals for your pambahay, good for you. Get two servants to fan you while you eat while you're at it, you Queen of Sheba!
We ate dinner at Anabelle's at Liliw, Laguna. Good food...considering it sprung from nowhere. I like the T-bone steak and their pasta is amazingly...italian. Great price, too. I wa wondering who owned the place but I was quite tired to do some social gestures to anybody. It's a small eatery with a low roof and a few tables. When I was smoking from outside, I noticed that it's just a basement of an old Spanish style house. I peaked through their glass mirror...lo and behold! Narra furnitures, mahogany china cabinet, extravagant chandeliers. I will not be surprised to see a $70 Banana Republic sandals on the doorstep. The owner has taste and so is his food.
As we were heading back to Manila, I was so tired. I could barely lift up my eyelid. But my friend, who was driving, keeps shouting on my ear, "DONT YOU DARE SLEEP ON ME!!" We agreed to stop beside a fruit stand where we bought 2 kilos of lanzones and a kilo of rambutan. No, we didn't finish everything, contrary to the legendary capacity of my appetite. We just emptied the rambutan bag. We have to keep eating or else I'll be dozing off the passenger seat. I even dont care if my arms and palms were soiled with rambutan juice when we arrived home.
It was a great weekend.
1 comment:
Hi there, I was browsing through QueerFilter, and I came across your blog. Your post mentioning Lucban caught my eye; my mother's family is from there and I've visited a couple of times. Anyway, cool. Happy blogging!
Post a Comment