Sa Nature Villa Banahaw - Dolores, Quezon

   My wife, despite of her not being into gadgets and IT stuff, is fond of looking at group-buying websites. One time, she asked me to look at a certain deal (at Ensogo.com.ph) that she has found: A 2,999 peso nature tripping at Mt. Banahaw with an overnight stay at Nature Villa for six.  It’s 500 peso per head... I mean 499 for me and 500 to the rest!

   I know Mt. Banahaw is roughly four hours away from Manila... and near places means cheaper fares. After a quick math, we realized that it’s time to click the “buy” button and call in four other peeps that’ll join the pack. And so the date was set, VL’s were plotted, and bags were packed.

   Here’s a quick glimpse on how we got to Nature Villa:

• Took a bus (JAC Liner going to Lucena) from Buendia, Makati to San Pablo City, Laguna at 4:30 am
• Dropped by at Chowking  San Pablo for breakfast, then rode a tricycle bound to San Pablo Public Market
• Waited for a while until the jeepney is full of passengers before going to Sta. Lucia
• Walked from the jeepney drop off point all the way to Nature Villa

   The bus ride was comfortable; I stared at the bus window and watched how the sky turns from black to blue, took advantage of their free Wi-Fi service and watched the DVD on board from time to time. We arrived at San Pablo, Laguna at 8 o’clock in the morning and stopped by at Chowking for breakfast. From there, we rode a tricycle going to the public market.

   Based on the Facebook page of Nature Villa, from San Pablo, we can find a jeepney going to Dolores, then from there, we have to take another ride going to barangay Sta. Lucia. Luckily, we found a jeepney that will go straight to Sta. Lucia. We waited for at least an hour until all of the seats are taken. It only took us half an hour to reach Sta. Lucia then from there, we just asked for directions from the friendly locals till we reached Nature Villa.

   Under a tall star apple tree is where you can find the placid Nature Villa - an extraordinary nipa hut surrounded by perfectly placed garden stones and flowering plants. I was amazed on how they hid the windows beneath the wall made out of tree branches. It’s a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate.

   Upon entering, we were welcomed by their friendly staff. I can’t find a word to describe how much I like what I saw inside the villa. I love the stairs which is made out of tree branches; I love the door and the bottle attached on it, the wooden chairs... I wish I have them all at my house!

   After a few hours of rest and a satisfying lunch (the all-time favourite crispy pata and chopseuy), we started our Mount Banahaw adventure. The tour covers a short trek to Sta. Lucia Falls and a number of holy sites in the foothills which Mount Banahaw is known for. Unfortunately, our tour doesn’t include going to the summit of Mount Banahaw (hope someday I will), though I’m still excited on what this tour has to offer.

   We were accompanied by Mang Palad: A long haired bearded man who, from the looks of him, surely has a lot of experience climbing mountains. He definitely knows a lot about Mount Banahaw. He told us that he stayed and lived at the top of the mountain for a year and he was featured in a foreign TV documentary show about Mount Banahaw.

On our way to Sta. Lucia Falls

   Coconut trees and green grass welcomes you along the way. A fascinating view of Mount Cristobal aka the Devil’s Mountain will make you want to stop for awhile and take a picture or two.  After a five minute walk, we stopped by the souvenir stores before going down to Sta. Lucia Falls.

A view of Mount Cristobal from our trail

   We’ll have to go down a long stairway to reach Sta. Lucia Falls. At the end of the stairs we saw the enchanting view of a stream in the middle of a serene forest. The alluring sound of the flowing water refreshed my mind and the smell of fresh air purged my exhaustion.

The clear cold water of the stream

Sta. Lucia Falls

   Mang Palad asks us to light candles on several holy stations where statues of the virgin Mary and Jesus Christ were sited along the stream as an offering and we didn’t hesitate (we bought our candles at the store near the villa before starting the trek).  Sta. Lucia Falls is not a typical falls as I thought it would be. Its water flows through long vines and drops like a bathroom shower straight down to the stream. Many believers said that the water from this falls can heal many illnesses. I plunged into the stream, the water is cold but it’s tolerable. I also enjoyed my bath from the falls. The water tastes like the bottled ones I bought back in Manila. After a relaxing bath, we faced the inevitable challenge – a long way back up through the stairs.

A perfect stress reliever

   After 260 steps (my count) up the stairs, we took a short rest before going to our next destination: the Jacob’s well.

   Actually, it is not a well. It’s a small cave with a very narrow entrance. It is said that the water inside this cave cleans the body both physically and spiritually. One important thing local from nature villa and Mang Palad told us before pursuing Jacob’s well is to not make any negative comments if ever we decided not to enter the cave, they said its better not to enter and stay outside if we hesitate. Reason why? We don’t know and was not specified and explained to us but I assume it could be something about their belief of the cave being protected by holy spirits. Because the water inside the cave is stagnant, ladies with their periods are not allowed to go inside the cave for sanitary purposes. I noticed Mang Palad paused for awhile before entering the cave. He offered a short prayer as he held onto the walls of the passageway. At first we thought that we will have a hard time going inside the cave, but once you learn where to put your feet and where to hold on to, you can be inside in no time. We also need to slide down into a stone slab in order to go inside. Good thing Mang Palad is there to assist us. This is a place a claustrophobic might not want to go into. But for advocates, this is a sacred haven.

Jacob's well from within

   I felt cold just by sitting inside. And it didn’t stop there... I even plunged myself into the cold water (with my whole body submerged) so now I was like inside a refrigerator. Good thing I wore clothes that could dry up easily. Imagine the feeling... it’s cold, dark, narrow... yet it’s fun! All in all, Jacob’s well is a great ten minute spelunking adventure.

   As the trek goes on, we stopped by this huge peculiar rock formation wherein I saw devotees lay their hands and solemnly pray. Then we went to our last two stops, the Kuweba ni San Pedro and the Kuweba ni San Pablo.

A place of worship

   The Kuweba ni San Pedro is a small cave where, according to Mang Palad, devotees write their names on the cave walls using their candles then pray to Saint Peter to ask him to bring them along into heaven when the time of judgement comes. We tried doing the said custom.

Kuweba ni San Pedro

   Our last stop is the Kuweba ni San Pablo which is located just a stone throw away from Kuweba ni San Pedro. There, we lighted our remaining candles as a thanksgiving offering to Saint Paul.

with Mang Palad

   As our adventure ends, my stomach crumbles. Back at Nature Villa, we ordered crispy kare-kare and sweet and sour for dinner. I’m sure you’ll eat anything edible after that exhausting yet exciting adventure that we had.

   What’s next for us after dinner? Here’s the thing: The ambiance of Nature Villa is a perfect escape from the stress of city living, a place away from pollution and close to Mother Nature. No television, no internet and no computer. The clean soft pillow pulls your body towards the bed and the cold fresh air makes you want to close your eyes. So, what’s next for us after dinner? - A good night sleep.

               
   We went back to Manila the next day after we had our breakfast.

   
   It was really a fun-filled nature trip. One thing I loved about this adventure is that I’m able to immerse myself into their traditions. That way, I understand and deeply appreciated the intense beliefs of the devotees and the local community. I wish they could maintain the cleanliness of the place. The latest news that I know of is that the government suspending all hiking activities on Mount Banahaw along Dolores and Sariaya trails until 2015 to let the mountain recover from the environmental damages.  I will definitely go back to Mount Banahaw but next time, I’ll make it sure that I will reach the summit! I still have to wait until it’s open again though. 

Killed Bills

127.00 - Bus fare from Buendia to San Pablo

150.00 - Chowking breakfast

13.33 - Tricycle fare going to the public market (40 php for 3 persons)

30.00 - Jeepney fare going to Sta. Lucia

499.00 - Nature Villa deal voucher (2999 php for 6 persons)

281.67 - Food (Lunch and Dinner - 1690 php for 6 persons)

200.00 - Souvenir shirt

16.67 - Tip for Mang Palad (100 php for 6 persons)

10.00 - Candles (50 php for 5 persons)

30.00 - Jeepney fare to San Pablo

127.00 - Bus fare from San Pablo to Manila

Php 1,484.67 - TOTAL