{"id":2076,"date":"2013-07-30T06:30:19","date_gmt":"2013-07-30T13:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/66.147.244.209\/~canadiu3\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2014-02-09T06:41:08","modified_gmt":"2014-02-09T14:41:08","slug":"the-joys-of-road-tripping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2013\/07\/30\/the-joys-of-road-tripping\/","title":{"rendered":"The joys of road-tripping!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beckoning, wide open spaces.\u00a0 The seemingly endless stretch of highway, and the contrasting, picturesque charm of back roads and byways. Destinations bearing the promise of adventure and exploration, ever closer, as rubber hits the road.\u00a0 Nothing quite compares to a road trip.<\/p>\n

Barring the cacophony of \u201cAre we there yet?\u201d on loop from children in the back seat, road trips can be quite therapeutic.\u00a0\u00a0 Back when I had a car, I looked forward to driving longish distances; favorite playlist \u2013 usually \u201890\u2019s glam rock or torch songs with major chord progressions and dramatic, angsty vocalizations \u2013 blaring from the speakers, with me singing along at the top of my lungs.\u00a0 Now, I am happy to be a passenger on board someone else\u2019s car, or on a bus.\u00a0 And it generally doesn\u2019t matter what is blaring from their speakers.\u00a0 That\u2019s what earphones are for.<\/p>\n

My most recent road trip was in February this year, across Laguna, en route to Lucban in the province of Quezon. I tagged along with Norma \u2013 who was on holidays from Kamloops, BC \u2013 and her group of childhood gal-pals, many of whom are now semi-retired, but still extremely active. After a quick breakfast at a local fast-food chain (which, in the Philippines, is how many road trips begin) we piled into a rented SUV.\u00a0 This was quite the spur-of-the-moment adventure for me and another friend who tagged along, so seating arrangements had not been pre-planned.\u00a0 You know the \u201870\u2019s \u201chow many people can you fit in a phone booth\u201d craze?\u00a0 That\u2019s kind of what it felt like.\u00a0 Nonetheless, once we had figured out an \u201cin-out-in-out\u201d strategy for our rear ends, we hit the road with the excitement and enthusiasm of school graders on a field trip.<\/p>\n

Light-hearted banter and the chatter that generally marks a gal-pal-get-together filled the car, as crooner music from the girls\u2019 \u201850\u2019s and \u201860s idols played in the background.<\/p>\n

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Laguna boasts many historical spots, old churches, heritage homes, yummy eateries, and quaint shops.\u00a0 First stop was San Pablo Church, in the town of San Pablo. I am a sucker for old structures, and this neo-classical stone church built by the Augustinian order in 1680 is no exception: I was officially on \u201coooh-ahhh\u201d mode. The church, which was completed in 1714, has a fascinating structure of columns, a Romanesque domed roof and a four-storey octagonal bell tower adding to its beauty.\u00a0 Right outside the church, religious sundries are sold by peddlers, young and old alike.\u00a0 Of particular interest to me were the boy and girl shaped vigil candles, in assorted colors (each color representing a specific petition).\u00a0 I thought them interesting, and \u2013 I must say \u2013 a tad reminiscent of hoodoo rituals, albeit in pretty colors.<\/p>\n

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Back on the road, our driver (who had spent some time living in the area) asked if we would like to go to some shops selling native sweets.\u00a0 Though not part of the agenda, we gladly took him up on his offer.\u00a0 After all, what is a road trip without some unplanned stops along the way?\u00a0 Store after store of yemas, bucayo, pastillas, and other goodies greeted us, the all-too-willing sweet-toothed road-trippers.<\/p>\n

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Driving through the town of Poblacion in Nagcarlan of course merited a quick stop at the San Bartolome Apostol church.\u00a0 I absolutely loved the grandeur of its red stone exteriors, as well as the charm of its blue-tiled, Moorish inspired interiors.\u00a0 Three tableaus of antique santos featuring remarkable wood craftsmanship, stained glass windows portraying Christ and the saints, and a rather interesting rendition of Purgatory in a mural await inside the church.<\/p>\n

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Shoe-shopping was next on the agenda, for this is the thing to do when in Liliw, the \u201cTsinelas\u201d (slippers) and shoe-capital of Laguna.\u00a0 A stretch of stores and mini-boutiques (Badong\u2019s is perhaps the most well-known) selling all kinds of footwear dictated that we would be at Liliw for at least a couple of hours.\u00a0 This was a shoe-lover\u2019s dream; hopping from shop to shop, getting intoxicated on that smell of new shoes; a heady mixture of leather, rubber, dye and glue.\u00a0 A few other things caught my fancy:\u00a0 sidewalk vendors of fresh veggies, fruits, Laguna cheese, snails, etcetera; heritage homes on the inner streets; a few odd-looking statues on a balcony.<\/p>\n

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While the rest of the group got lost in shoe-wonderland, I followed a narrow back road, which opened up to the spacious courtyard of the magnificent St. John the Baptist Parish Church.\u00a0 The church, which was built in 1605, is at once awe-inspiring and intimidating, as it is romantic and whimsical.\u00a0 Inside the church\u2019s centuries-old stone walls: \u00a0a grand altar with several tableaus; beautiful stained glass windows; high wood-carved ceilings; stone archways with intricately painted details; the occasional glass dome ceiling detail; and patterned, tiled floors.\u00a0 Outside, statues of patron saints; sets of footprints cast into a stone path; and other such touches of whimsy.\u00a0 Truly a sight to behold.<\/p>\n

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On the road again, this time for a bit of a stretch as we drove to Lucban in Quezon.\u00a0 What I thought were back roads were apparently the main roads by which to get to our next and final destination: the Kamay ni Hesus (Hand of Jesus) shrine.\u00a0 Of course, being the insatiable sight-seer that I am, I coerced the driver into stopping by the road side for some photos of a breathtaking waterfall, which we viewed from atop a small bridge.\u00a0 Dodging oncoming traffic to get back in the SUV was a bit tricky, as there were surprisingly more than a few vehicles for such a small rural road.\u00a0 All the same, the view was well-worth it, and we made it back in one piece.<\/p>\n

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Kamay ni Hesus was really quite the surreal sight:\u00a0 huge statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, positioned on different levels atop a hill, a giant Noah\u2019s Ark Scene, and various other Biblical stories told in clay and stone.\u00a0\u00a0 The sprawling, verdant area is a favorite destination of Catholic pilgrims during Holy Week.\u00a0 I am admittedly not very religious (being more the faithful type), and could not resist the urge for some wacky shots when no one was looking. All within the realms of reason and religious respect, of course.\u00a0 We capped the afternoon off with merienda at a restaurant within the complex, which proved the perfect spot for some of Lucban\u2019s famous, super-tasty longaniza. \u00a0Pity that I did not get to take a photo of these yummy meat sausages; I was too busy wolfing them down.\u00a0 In the midst of a sudden downpour (typical, in that neck of the woods) we sat and munched away, safe and dry, spirits un-dampened by the wet weather.<\/p>\n

Back in the SUV, Manila-bound, the girls planned their next adventure.\u00a0 I drifted off to sleep, visions of road trips dancing through my head.<\/p>\n

Some practical tips for your road trip<\/h6>\n