Where and What We Ate in Batangas

Taal Bistro

Calle A. Delas Alas, Taal

(043) 408 0029

All we wanted to try in Taal was their tapa (tapa is usually beef, but in Taal, it's pork). We wanted to find one for lunch in the market but the tricycle driver brought us to Taal Bistro, telling us we won't find cooked tapang Taal in the market.

I liked Taal Bistro's tapang Taal—tender and garlicky, I could have eaten it all by myself with a cup or two of rice—but found it a bit expensive.

Crab & Corn Soup Php 180, Ensaladang Taal Php 150, Tapang Taal Php 250

Renfel Fastfood

Brgy. Sabang, Lipa City

Branches:

Banay Banay Crossing, Lipa City

Old Bus Stop, Lipa City

When I asked my friend what was the specialty in his province, he said lomi (thick egg noodles). Lomi? Sounds so ordinary. But the lomi in Batangas really is different (no veggies here) and tastier than the lomi I know. Plus it's got hunks of meat toppings. Now, what is chami (see rightmost photo)? It's lomi with substantially less soup.

Chicken Lomi Php 80, Liver Lomi Php 75, Beef Chami Php 80

Japong's

Star Tollway Exit, Brgy. Tambo, Lipa City

Another Batangas specialty my friend mentioned was the bulalo. We settled for the first bulalo place we found: Japong's. Curious if their bulalo was any different from the bulalo I've had at home and in other places... well, no, it still tasted like any other bulalo I've had. But, that's not to say I didn't like it. The meat fell off the bones and the soup was slurp-worthy (we finished the entire bowl). Oh, and the tapa here is beef, definitely not tapang Taal (because we are in Lipa, hehe).

Spicy Tapa Silog Php 65, Bulalo Php 300

D' Lover's Line Bibingka

Old City Hall Compound, B Morada Avenue, Lipa City

Bibingka Php 17

Bibingka with salted egg Php 20

Bibingka with kesong keso (cheese) Php 20

Special Bibingka (with salted egg and cheese) Php 23

Here's a place in Lipa City my friend excitedly took us to: D' Lover's Line Bibingka. He frequents this little roadside hut for their freshly cooked and very affordable bibingka. The bibingka is served with a steaming cup (or two or three—refill is free) of salabat (ginger tea).

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
What and What We Ate in Batangas (you're here!)

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church

As if we haven't had enough of old houses, churches, and tons of history, we spent our remaining hours in Batangas roaming around the city of Lipa.

Photo from wikipedia.org

Casa de Segunda

(aka Luz–Katigbak Ancestral House)

Rizal St., Lipa City

Daily 9AM to 5PM

Admission fee Php 50

Casa de Segunda was built in the 1880s, damaged in 1942 during the war, remodeled in 1956, and restored in 1996. The house is named after Segunda Solis Katigbak, considered to be Jose Rizal's first love.

Segunda Solis Katigbak was born in 1863 to parents Don Norberto Kalaw Katigbak, the gobernadorcillo from 1862 to 1863, and Doña Justa Metra Solis. It was while Segunda was studying in Colegio de la Concordia (now called Concordia College) in Santa Ana, Manila, that a schoolmate, Olympia Rizal, invited her to a party where Segunda met Olympia's brother, Jose Rizal. The 16-year-old Rizal was so taken by the 14-year-old Segunda, that he sent her flowers, poems, and sketches. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be for Segunda was engaged to Manuel Luz, who the Katigbak family favored because the family wanted her to marry a local man (Manuel Luz was from Lipa, Batangas and Rizal was from Calamba, Laguna). Segunda married Manuel in 1879, at the tender age of 16!

San Sebastian Cathedral

(aka Lipa Cathedral)
CM Recto Avenue, Lipa City

The San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa, Batangas was built in 1779 and completed in 1894—that's more than a hundred years in the making! Only to be damaged 50 years later, by the second world war. Restoration work began in the 1950s. And another 50 years later, more work was put into the church to prevent deterioration. This day it stands proud with a fresh coat of paint of two colors, and inside even more colors. The paintings on the ceiling, walls, and columns and the grand pipe organ (the only one in Batangas, and one of 59 in the Philippines) were what caught my eye when I entered San Sebastian Cathedral.

Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church

(aka Monastery of Carmel of Our Lady Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace)
P. Torres St., Lipa City

The visit to Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church came as an afterthought. It was when we were in Casa de Segunda that I saw a page in a book that had rose petals (either a photo or pressed petals, memory fails me) and something about a miracle written below it that my Batangueño friend remembered about the miracle in Mt Carmel Church.

Photo from wowbatangas.com

We didn't go inside the church, but went straight to the place overlooking the garden where the miracle was said to have happened. It was September 1948 that in this garden the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Carmelite postulant named Teresita Castillo. In September, October, and November of the same year, there were showers of rose petals around the Carmelite Monastery. In 1951 the local Catholic Church declared it a hoax and kept the statue of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace away from the public. In 1991, a shower of rose petals was again experienced in Carmelite Monastery. The following year, Monsignor Mariano Gaviola, the archbishop of Lipa at that time, ordered the statue of Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Grace be brought out for public veneration.

The story of the miracle can be found here.

Photo by Ramon F Velasquez / Wikimedia Commons

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church (you're here!)
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon

Photo from wikipedia.org

Time was not our friend on day two. From Caleruega, we bypassed Laurel and went to Tagaytay for a short break. Laurel was put off for the next day. I am glad we did, for it gave us more time to spend at the two waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas Falls and Ambon–Ambon Falls.

On the third day, when the alarm went off, I slipped on my sandals, went to my friend's house next door for breakfast, and then we were off. I noticed my friend was wearing shoes...were we on for a long hike to the waterfalls? Just a short 20–minute hike, he assured me.

At the jump–off, where the tricycle had deposited us, we were told that it was easy to find Malagaslas Falls: we would cross a bridge and then cross the same river thrice.

Indeed, we crossed a bridge. And at the first river crossing, I stopped at the water's edge, turned to my friend, eyed his shoes, and asked him, "Are you sure?" With a smug look on his face, "These are waterproof." Two steps into the river and, poof!, waterproof no more. His shoes were absolutely waterproof...up to four inches of water! (Evil laugh!) He eventually took off his shoes, went barefoot and an ouch–ouch–ouch with every step, all the way to the waterfalls (the path was covered with tiny pebbles) .

We found Malagaslas Falls not quite deserted. It was a Monday and there was a group of men occupying one of the wooden tables, drinking and chatting. Much as we wanted to cool down in the shallow basins of Malagaslas Falls, the afternoon was turning gloomy, so we decided to find Ambon–Ambon Falls before it rained.

Malagaslas Falls

After another easy 15–minute hike (easy if you have footwear, not so easy for my friend who was barefoot), we heard nothing but water, and saw the upper half of Ambon–Ambon Falls; the lower half was obscured by huge boulders.

Nothing could stop my two friends from going farther to see Ambon–Ambon Falls' basin and its full height. One tried to scale a boulder...unsuccessfully. And one made like Legolas over the log. The one who had unsuccessfully scaled the boulder, tried to be an elf, but was more like a dwarf and so scooted over the length of the log on his behind. I was the bumbling, unadventurous hobbit who chose to stay behind.

Ambon–Ambon Falls

 

Scale the boulder or do a balancing act on the log (left) to see

the basin and the lower half (right) of Ambon–Ambon Falls

While waiting for my friends, I listened: there was only the sound of water and silence. I looked around, observed: the way we had come from was bounded by cliffs on both sides and was blanketed in shadows cast by the trees above. In the shadows, I imagined Gollum crawling over the boulders. Silence and shadows are not good for me.

Hello Gollum

My thoughts were interrupted by the voices of my friends who had come back from their quick exploration. The gray sky prompted us to head back to Malagaslas Falls and spend the rest of our time there.

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon (you're here!)
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

Caleruega

From Burot Beach, we took a tricycle (Php 150 per tricycle) back to the town of Calatagan, then a bus to Nasugbu (Php 40), and a tricycle (Php 20 per person) to Caleruega.

Caleruega

Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas

Entrance fee: Php 30

It was a Sunday and Caleruega was silently buzzing with people. Silently, for Caleruega is a place for retreats, recollections, reflections, prayers. We weren't in our Sunday's best, only in our Sunday's best for beaches (shorts and slippers), and we looked very out of place. We quickly made our way to the red brick Transfiguration Chapel for prayers and pictures. Had we had more time (and had we been better dressed for such a place), it would have been nice to have a quiet walk in the gardens of Caleruega.

Caleruega is huge, but we only had time to see the Transfiguration Chapel (#7 on map; click to enlarge)

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega (you're here!)
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan

From the trip back in time in the town of Taal, we slow motioned on two tricycle and three jeepney rides to the present: Burot Beach in Calatagan, on the northeast of Batangas. Our camp for the night.

There are no eateries and resorts in Burot Beach, but we were boy scouts: we bought food for dinner and breakfast at the town before heading to the beach.

There are no resorts in Burot Beach, but one of us was a boy scout: he brought his own tent. The rest of us rented a three–person tent for Php 400. We chose our spot under a tree and a nearby table.

There are grilling areas in Burot Beach, but one of us was a boy scout: the person who brought his own tent also brought his cookset and a can of butane. We cooked our dinner and ate on the table that was encroaching in our camping area. (The encroaching table was for rent.)

There is a washing area in Burot Beach, but we were no boy scouts: we didn't have dishwashing soap. The enterprising caretakers though had a little sari–sari store and we were saved.

There is no electricity in the area, but we were boy scouts: we brought flashlights and headlamps (and extra batteries too). This was most especially useful when one had to go to the crude toilets/bathrooms in the middle of the night.

There are open cottages for rent, but we were boy scouts and had set up our tents and so didn't need any cottage, open or otherwise... until it rained in the middle of the night and we had to get out of our partly–flooded tents (ha! fake boy scouts!) and seek shelter.

There is a wide sandy beach, sufficient tree cover along the shore, and a good view of the sunset. We, boy scouts, cleaned up after our early dinner, explored the length of the beach, went for a swim, watched the sky turn orange, and then retired to our tents. It was a nice breezy night and we all succumbed to sleep not long after.

There is a quiet and a darkness in the wee hours, with only the sound of the sea lapping on the shore and an occasional snore from the boy scouts who slept like rocks. But I did not sleep like a rock that night, and woke up at around 3AM to the sound of clanging cooksets. I listened a little more and decided to investigate. I grabbed my headlamp, unzipped the tent, took two hurried steps, and shone the light on the table where we had conveniently and stupidly left our leftovers in a covered–and–handles–folded cookset—it was gone. I tried to follow the sound of the clanging but my headlamp did not spot anything. This boy scout was a bit of a chicken and decided not to venture in the wooded areas out back just for a cookset. I waited til daybreak to tell the owner of the cookset, and then we set off to find it. We scoured the grassy areas and the woods. We eventually found the cookset still in its covered–and–handles–folded state, but with the food inside gone, and with, mysteriously, no marks on the cookset.

How we had left the cookset and how we had found it!

Photo from ebay.com.au

There are no ghosts and monsters in Burot Beach, just dogs. Dogs that know how to snatch a cookset (that had handles folded) from the center of the table, without leaving teeth marks. Dogs that could open a cookset and eat what's inside it, then leave it covered again. Dogs that we imagine had used its front paws to grab the cookset and ran away on its hind legs. Dogs that are smarter than these so–called boy scouts.

Expect these Expenses:
Tricycle from town to Burot Beach Php 150 (per tricycle)
Entrance fee per person Php 65 (day trip) / Php 130 (overnight)
Tent rental Php 400 (3–person tent)



Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan (you're here!)
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

Back in Time in the Town of Taal

Two things I knew of my Batangas trip: my flights dates and how to get to Batangas from Pasay. Nothing more. I had left all the planning to my good Batangueño friend.

It was only on the first day that I had learned of our itinerary. He had plotted out a clockwise route from Lipa, Batangas and our first stop was the historic town of Taal. Just how historic it was I had no clue, until I stepped off the jeep that had stopped a short distance from Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours.

Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours

(also known as Taal Basilica)

Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo

Brochure Php 5

Bell Tower (9AM to 4PM) Php 50

The church was built in 1575, rebuilt in 1642, destroyed by the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754, relocated and rebuilt in its present location in 1755, then destroyed by an earthquake in 1849. The Basilica that is standing now was built in 1856 (completed in 1878) and is said to be the largest in Asia.

In front of the largest church in Asia is a massive bell, which took residence at the belfry up until 1942 when it fell because of an earthquake. What resides now at the bell tower aside from bats? 

For 50 pesos each, we were allowed to go up the bell tower. The way was dark and dank, and there was a lingering stink in the narrow stairway. The breeze up top was literally a breath of fresh air. In the company of three huge bells (though not as massive as the one displayed in front of the church), we stayed a few minutes for the breeze and the view. And we prayed...that the bells wouldn't toll while we were up there.

View of the town from the Basilica's bell tower

After saying our prayers and gulping down fresh air, we headed back down the narrow staircase and made our way to...

Don Gregorio Agoncillo House

(also known as White House)

Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo corner Calle Felipe Agoncillo

8AM to 4PM

Admission fee Php 70

When we reached the gates of this white house, it was closed. There was no sign that the house was open to the public. We peered through the gate like little prisoners until we spotted a ghost! Just kidding. We spotted a lady inside. She let us in but didn't tell us anything about the people who had lived there.

So who was Gregorio Agoncillo? I found this little piece of information written on a little brass sign somewhere in the house:

"An active supporter of the Philippine Revolution against the colonial government of Spain in 1896. Exiled to Hong Kong in 1898 where, as a member of the Revolutionary Council established by General Emilio Aguinaldo, he continued the struggle to establish a sovereign Filipino nation. Solicited funds in Japan and Hong Kong for the revolutionary forces. 

Launched the modernization program of the sugar industry in Batangas and served as first president of the "Associacion de Agricultores de Oeste Batangas." Served as director of Philippine National Bank and the Manila Hotel."

Next house we visited was the...

Casa Villavicencio

32 Calle Gliceria Marella

Tuesday to Sunday 8AM to 5PM

Admission fee Php 70

Through a short film that we were encouraged to watch, I learned about Gliceria Marella Villavicencio and how she would give up her wealth, life, and family for the love of the country.

What is the significance of this house? This house once served as a meeting place of the revolutionary chiefs (like Andres Bonifacio, Miguel Malvar, Felipe Calderon) who came to Taal disguised as sabungeros. On June 12, 1898, Philippine Independence Day proclamation, General Aguinaldo referred to Gliceria Marella as the godmother of revolutionary forces. I did not make that up. I found that little note in the house.

We stupidly missed visiting the house right next door: the Wedding Gift House which Eulalio Villavicencio built for his wife, Gliceria. From Casa Villavicencio, we went looking for the...

San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps

(also known as Caysasay Steps)

and somewhere between the first and the 125th step we met some kids who led us to the...

Miraculous Well of Sta. Lucia

Under the arch of coral stone, which was part of a chapel that was destroyed in the 1754 eruption of Taal Volcano, is a well where the water is said to heal. People go there to pray in the little grotto off to the side of the arch and to wash themselves with the water from the well (there are changing rooms too!). Also nearby is the...

Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine

Photo from Lakad Pilipinas

The church and the well have an interesting story to tell, but for that, you have to head on to Ironwulf's blogpost.

After visiting the Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine, we traced our way back to Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo and walked westward, where we found...

Galleria Taal

60 Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo

8AM to 5PM

Admission fee Php 70

Galleria Taal was the home of the Ilagan–Barrion family and is now the home of Emmanuel "Manny" Barrion Inumerable's fantastic collection of old cameras from the late 1800s to the late 1900s! The cameras still look spiffy and, I am told, still work. Copies of old photographs are also on display in Galleria Taal.

It was almost noon and our stomachs were grumbling. It grumbled more when we were told that lunch for a minimum of eight persons can also be booked at the Galleria Taal. It would cost Php400 per person and the menu would consist of Batangueño fare.

Hungry, we decided to visit one more house: the house of Marcela Mariño Agoncillo down the road. But on the way there, we got sidetracked by another old house, which did not charge any admission fee:

Leon Apacible Museum

Tuesday to Sunday 8AM to 4PM

No admission fee; donations welcome

Photo from taal.com.ph

Leon Apacible was a lawyer and his house was also one of the meeting places of the revolutionary leaders (Jose Rizal included). Leon Apacible became General Miguel Malvar's right-hand man and led his own force of soldiers against Spain in capturing Batangas.

Then we were finally on to our last stop, the house of:

Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo

Tuesday to Sunday 8AM to 4PM

No admission fee; donations welcome

Photo from taal.com.ph

The house of Marcela Mariño Agoncillo is one of the oldest in Taal. It was built in the late 17th century by Marcela's grandfather. So who was Marcela Mariño Agoncillo? She sewed the first Philippine flag!

Taal Town is teeming with beautiful ancestral houses and I wished I was wearing a barong while strolling its streets...but then, with the blazing sun and my big black backpack, I would be sweating like a pig. On second thought, I wished I was wearing a barong while riding a calesa along the streets of Taal. That would have completed my back–in–time tour.

Map by Ian Paul Bautista Agojo

Tip: Period costumes can be tried on at Villa Tortuga for a fee. But the costumes cannot be worn on the streets.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days
Back in Time in the Town of Taal (you're here!)
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky

Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days

But this route here was done in two days over a dozen rides switching from jeepneys to tricycles to buses and injected with some sightseeing stops.

Don't mind that car up there. It took us two days on this route using public transportation.

We spent more time (and money) on the road than sightseeing
(Click to enlarge)

To complete our circular route around the northern half of Batangas (look at the map, we went around Taal Lake! And look at the list of places we visited...Taal Lake is...missing!), we also went through Tagaytay, which is part of the province of Cavite. The original plan was to go through Laurel (for Malagaslas and Ambon–ambon Falls) from Caleruega to complete our circular route without going through Cavite, but frequent timechecks told us we wouldn't make it to the falls in Laurel, and so decided to make Tagaytay our little rest stop.

Traveling around Batangas using public modes of transportation, jeepneys especially, entails a lot of waiting or a bit of hurrying. Waiting...because most jeepneys wait until full before it starts running its route. And a bit of hurrying...to catch the last jeepney to another town: jeepneys on certain routes only operate until 4 or 5PM, like from Balayan to Calatagan, Tagaytay to Talisay, and Laurel to Tanauan.

Around the Northern Half of Batangas:
Around the Northern Half of Batangas in Three Days (you're here!)
Back in Time in the Town of Taal
Boy Scouts in Burot Beach, Calatagan
Caleruega
What's in a (Business) Name? Treinta y ocho
The Waterfalls of Laurel: Malagaslas and Ambon–Ambon
Lipa, Batangas: Casa de Segunda, San Sebastian Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church
Where and What We Ate in Batangas

A Bit of Cavite in Between:
Wisdom from the Road #23
People's Park in the Sky