Hometown Visit

Saturday was such a tiring day for me. After a strenuous Zumba session last Friday, I had to wake up early on Saturday morning to drive to Laguna.

We actually had other plans on that day, we were supposed to be somewhere else. But we had to change plans few days before for an important trip to my hometown. They say, you only get to see your relatives complete because of two things: marriage or death in the family. On that day, we were heading home for the latter. My cousin, who got married late and have been married for almost the same number of years as I, is now a widow. Her husband died in his sleep last week, leaving her with three kids, the youngest is eight months old. 

I can't really imagine how she feels on that hot Saturday afternoon especially when it's time to bid goodbye to her husband's body, one last time. She's a strong woman. Calm, composed with a heart that was made stronger by her faith to God. She even joked that she's been single for the longest time (she got married in her late thirties), and now she's single again.

It was heartbreaking. But she clings to hope and in the belief that life doesn't end here, that her husband is in a better place now. *sigh* May God bless her heart, and her family. 

Anyhow, that visit to the province was such a bittersweet moment. It's been a while since I went home to Laguna so that trip has also been an opportunity to rekindle some childhood memories.

Traffic was moderately heavy on that day and it took us two hours to reach my hometown.

A sign that you are already in Victoria (in case you missed the "welcome" arc) are these huge "itik" (duck), symbolizing the main source of livelihood of majority of the residents: duck raising. In fact, this town holds its annual Duck Festival. And in case you will have time to visit, you should try "kinulob na itik" (fried duck), salted egg, balut and penoy.

Pardon the photo. My sister wasn't a good photographer at all. Boo!

Last time I visited our old house was almost two years ago, when my daughter had a vacation with Mama. She was still so small back then so I am not sure if she even remembers. But this visit is definitely one for her books as she had a great time with our neighbors "white miming".

And this, ladies and gentlemen, was my view on my way to school when I was in grade school!

Let's sing now: "Sa bukid walang papel..."

I have so many childhood memories in Laguna. One of them is the night/day swimming with my cousins that usually happens during summer. It's like a field trip, we will make ourselves comfortable in my Tita's jeepney and we'll troop to Pansol in Calamba, Laguna. We'll swim all day and night until our skins are perfectly sunburned and wilted :) 

Pansol is nicknamed as The Resort Capital of the Philippines and it's where you'll a lot of hot springs ans private pools. You can make a reservation in advance or if you're a little adventurous, you can just approach ushers/brokers on the road. They are the guys holding a placard with with "PRIVATE RESORT" on it. You should be ready to haggle and firm to walk away if you are not happy with the deal :) 

Welcome to Pansol!

Stores like the one in the photo above is common in Pansol. A swan floater? Or maybe an airplane? How about a dora explorer theme life buoy? The collection is really huge, you'll have a hard time deciding. 

Or maybe not, my daughter's requirement was simple -- there must be princesses :

Because we can't go swimming yet coz she still got cough.

Some of the specialties that made Laguna famous are the following: buko pie, kesong puti, espasol etc. But wait, have you tried the chocolate cake from Mer-Nel's Cakehouse? OMG! The best chocolate cake in my memory! We used to have that cake all the time when I was still in college, for a birthday, for a class gathering, for celebrating the end of the hell week (exam week in UP) or even if there's no reason at all and you just happened to have Php120 extra from your allowance (that's the price of the smallest heart-shaped cake during my time). 

And oh, how can I forget Papu's siomai. Rumors have it that they are dirty, that's why they're tasty. I don't know if there has been a study that confirmed it, but so far in my college life, never have I stayed in the hospital or in the toilet because of it. I am only reminded of the times my tummy was satisfied by this tasty siomai especially during the times when I am working hard to stretch my allowance until the weekend :)

Too bad, I wasn't able to have the time to go to UP College for those. Traffic was really bad in College Crossing and also because my tummy was already satiated by another favorite from Bay, Laguna -- monay-bae!

As a bread lover, I grew up with pastries from local bakeries. Monay-bae is a family favorite. I remember myself holding a hot bun, cutting it in the middle and tucking my nose to it. Literally trying to finish it just by smelling it. TMO. And when I feel like I've smelled all the taste already, that's the time I will spread chiz whiz on it and enjoy it with a cup of Milo. 

Except for the price (it used to be Php2.50/pc when I was younger, Php5.00 the last time I bought, now it's Php10.00 per piece!!), nothing has changed with our favorite monay. The scent, the milky taste and the size is still the same. My sister bought a bag and the smell of the freshly baked buns filled our car. Even my little kid loved it, she even ordered to "Put Cheeze (chiz whiz!)".

Life may have given me a lot of changes, and I may have no time to go home that often. I may have been blessed to travel to different places but Laguna will always always hold a special spot in my heart. It is where the root of my family tree is planted, and it is the jar that holds my childhood memories. 

At the end of the day, wherever the Lord may take me, Laguna will always be a home to me.

Do you also have fond memories from your hometown? :)