Nuvali boat ride and fish feeding

        We finally made our long anticipated trip to Nuvali, Sta. Rosa. Nuvali is Ayala Land’s project that combines commercial, housing, educational and recreational areas. We reached Solenad 1 which boasts its man made lake with a massive number of koi at around 10 am. The time is just right when the heat of the sun is not at its fullest but it would have been better if we arrived earlier.

        There is supposed to be not a lot of people going around in the morning but coincidentally, there was a school field trip at that time. With a lot of kids around, fish feeding has not been peaceful but we are not bothered because we also love a lively atmosphere. 

        All the kids endured the sun’s heat and enjoyed fish feeding. You can buy fish feeds at the booth near the lake for only 15.00 per pack.

        This was the first time we’ve seen so many koi. The energetic koi competes for better position in catching the fish feeds that is thrown at them.

        Another attraction of Solenad 1 is riding a boat around the lake. They charge 30 pesos per person. The mass of people wanting to ride the boat is plenty and the majority of them were kids. We were lined up in groups of 12 and patiently waited for our turn. 

        After a few minutes of waiting, we can no longer tolerate the rising heat of the sun. So, we hid under the ample shade of trees near the docks. I think that the administrators should have placed more shelters.

        Life jackets are provided for passengers. 

        The boat ride is approximately 15 minutes around the man made lake with a tunnel and several fountains as an added attraction.

        There are also restaurants, a shopping center and a small play area near the lake for visitors to refreshed up and rest when the sun’s heat is too much to take.

       Despite the heat, the visit to Solenad 1 in Nuvali was surely fun and we also met new friends. If you want to visit Solenad 1 in the future, I recommend to bring bottled water. If possible, arrived at early morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the extreme heat.

Makiling Botanic Garden

If you are a nature lover and currently around the province of Laguna, The Makiling Botanic Garden is a must see destination. It is a part of the Makiling Forest Reserve and is located at the lower elevations of the Molawin-Dampalit watershed. It is home to many species of tropical rain forest trees, palms, bamboos, plants and flowers. It serves as a research site on the preservation, conservation and development of forest and natural resources as well as recreational and tourism for the general public.

On our visit, a large concrete sign on the right side of the road informed us that we have reached the place. Vehicles are not allowed inside the garden. There is a space provided near the concrete sign to park the vehicles.

Once inside, the first thing we see is the recreational area. It has a pavilion, fountains and picnic areas. Though there is an abandoned swimming pool at the back of one of the picnic areas. It seems the administration has chosen not to maintain it.

The recreational area has a wide space and the trees around it provides shade, making the area perfect for picnics and for children to play and run around.

Walking ahead, we noticed a stair going down the Molawin creek. We went down carefully for some parts of the stairs are slippery.

We come across a tourist on the creek taking pictures of us and we took pictures of them in return. They are really friendly. The water on the creek is clean but has a grayish color, maybe it's because of the minerals for Mount Makiling is a dormant volcano.

We found concrete trails on different parts of the garden where we really enjoy nature while keeping in mind our safety and being alert for falling branches.

At the middle elevation of the botanic garden, two things are noticeable. The abandoned comport room filled with vines and a tree with fruits that smells like bananas.

Roaming around the garden, we have seen a lot of flowers and butterflies. And as we are about to leave, we have been lucky to see a group of birds called Tarictic Hornbill. These species of birds is one of the many birds of Mount Makiling.

We are tired of walking up and down the slopes but are satisfied with our experience.The Makiling Botanic Garden makes its visitors remember and realize the importance of preserving our environment and natural resources.

Makiling Botanic Garden also accepts school educational tours. For field trip bookings, guided walk arrandements and use of facilities, you can contact through telefax: (049) 536- 2637 or email: makiling.bg@gmail.com.

The Makiling Botanic Garden is open daily except holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Entrance fee: P 20.00 per person.

How to get to there:
By Public Transport:
1. Board a bus ( BLTB Bus, Green Star Bus, JAM or JAC Liner) at the terminal in Cubao or Taft Avenue bound for Sta. Cruz Laguna.
2. Get off at Los Baños Junction.
3. Ride a jeepney to UPLB College of Forestry and tell the driver to drop you at Makiling Botanic Garden.
Tip: Raise your index finger (aka pointer finger) as a sign for jeepney drivers that you will go up along the College of Forestry.

By Private Transport:
1. From Manila drive to South Luzon Express Way (SLEX) and take the Calamba Exit.
2. Take the National Highway to Lopez Avenue in Los Baños.
3. Turn right onto Lopez Avenue.
4. Continue onto Jose R. Velasco Avenue.
5. Turn Left onto Narra.
6. Continue onto bridge.
7. Continue onto Domingo lantican Avenue.
8. Turn left onto Makiling
9. You will see the sign "Makiling Botanic Gardens" at your right side.

For more information, you can contact:
Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of the Philippines Los Baños
College, Laguna, Philippines
Telefax: +63 49 536 3572
Email: mountmakiling.cfnruplb@yahoo.com

Walking along the wood carvers road

As I step foot on Paete, stores filled with wooden and resin sculptures has received my eyes. I’m at the town’s center where roads crossed paths.  As I am not yet familiar to the streets, I looked around and see the town’s church and decided to start from there.

On the road to the church, I gaze and took photos upon the shops display. I even saw a porch with carved wooden furniture’s on one of the houses. I guess having wooden carved furniture is a common thing here for the town is known as the wood carving capital of the Philippines.

I passed an alley going to the church’s side door which as luck would have it, was opened that time. The church of Saint James the Apostle seemed reasonably old. I was surprised to see so many religious sculptures inside lined on both sides at the entire length of the wall. It’s not a matter of numbers but the spacing of the images is somewhat short compared to the other churches I’ve visit. It’s like having a parade of images inside.

From there, I asked a few local town people for directions going to the shop owned by Justino Cagayat Jr ., also known as Mang Paloy. I’ve known him because he was featured several times on the national news two years ago as the man behind the official wooden statue of Pedro Calungsod. Pedro Calungsod is the second Filipino Saint canonized in Rome on October of 2012.

His shop is far so I have to ride the jeep. Unfortunately, the shop was closed when I got there. I ended up having a chat with the owner of the shop beside it. Danny informed me how to find Luisito Ac-Ac, another famous sculptor of Paete.

Store of Danny Austria

So, I ride a tricycle going to Mr. Ac-Ac’s place only to find out that his shop is only a stone’s throw away from the town church. I regret that I have not learned it sooner because his shop is just along the road where I first walked and could have saved time.

Carving of Luis Ac-Ac, #28 J. V. Quesada St., Paete, Laguna, Philippines

Feeling a bit tired, I thought of having a drink first at a nearby store before meeting Mr. Ac-Ac and request for an interview. Not anticipating the arrival of a group of students on their educational field trip with a plan to take photos of Mr. Ac-Ac and his artworks. They beat me to him. Luckily the teachers called them to hurry up on taking pictures for the bus will be leaving soon.

When the students were gone, I approach Mr. Ac-Ac feeling nervous for I will be requesting for an unscheduled interview. But as soon as I introduced myself that uneasy feeling disappeared. I realized that he is a very welcoming and responsive person. He asked me how I found his place. I told him that I asked people for where would I find the most experienced and talented sculptor in town, and they lead me here. He joked on the most experienced as the oldest sculptor in town.

He allowed me to take photos inside his small gallery. His unique sculptures have made a fan out of me. Here, I picked-up information about him on paper cut-outs of publications that featured him in the past. “Luisito Ac-Ac is a multi-awarded sculptor who has done over a thousand pieces and are collected by art enthusiasts even from the US and Europe. He was labeled as Sculptor Par Excellence. He is the artist who sculpted the Jubilee Cross for the World Youth Day in 1995. Some of his prominent artworks are exhibited at the Philippine consulate in San Francisco, USA.”

After taking photos of his latest work, we resumed our talk about his most recent exhibit at PHACCI and Pinto Art Museum. Sadly I’ve never been to those places before so I could not relate that much. Aside from wood carving, Mr. Ac-Ac can also make sculptures of ice which he said is a lot easier for it does not need a lot of details. At present, Mr. Ac-Ac is at the age of 62 years and still active in wood carving. I see him as a man of humility and he’s passion as a sculptor will never fade. I am very pleased that I met him.

As I was about to leave town, I passed by another interesting store. It sells wooden pigs and sculptures of children playing a native Filipino game. In my youth days we called it luksong baka.

The tour around Paete is really special. It gives life to Filipino culture and arts. It can help children to dream and to desire to become great artists someday.

The town of Paete is located at the northeastern part of Laguna Province. Along the shores of scenic Laguna de Bay. About 2 to 3 hours of travel from Metro Manila.

For inquiries on Luisito Ac-Ac’s unique items, portrait and religious items, call or send a message at +63906-340-0390 or email to marygrace_acac@yahoo.com


Have you ever been in a place whose residents’ are artists? Please tell us your experience.

Heritage House of Jose Rizal

I just recently visited the house of Jose Rizal in Calamba City. I'm already a grown-up to finally see how his house look like. I heard from a couple of friends from other towns in Laguna that they still have not seen this shrine. I realized that even among the residents of Jose Rizal's province, his heritage house is still unfamiliar.

The house of Rizal that we see now is a reconstruction and an adaptation of the old one which was destroyed during World war II. It is maintained by the National Historical Institute and is located at the very heart of Calamba City, besides the church and plaza. The house that Jose Rizal's father, Don Francisco built for his family was large and was made of stone, red tiles and the best hardwoods from Mount Makiling. They built the first stone and hardwood house in Calamba.

Upon entry, visitors would see a spacious room. The ground floor used to have a small stable for horses and was used as storage for carriages. Now it serves as a display area for paintings and artifacts related to the Rizal family.  The living room, dining and bedrooms are on the upper floor.
I was amazed at the elegant stair leading to the second floor. As I gaze at the furniture and how the house was built, it is really evident that the Rizal family was prominent and well-off during the Spanish colonial times. 

My visit to the shrine persuade me to return and bring my family here to show them the heritage of the Rizal family and how the people from the past were influence by Spanish culture. It was a different experience being here.
The Shrine is approximately 43.5 kilometers from Ninoy Aquino International Airport. To visit the Shrine by car, take the South Luzon Expressway and exit onto Calamba Exit. Go straight to the Calamba City proper. The shrine is near the old Municipal Building and public market. Besides the Saint John the Baptist Parish Church.
The Shrine is open every Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00am to 5:00pm