Last April 25, we celebrated the 37th wedding Anniversary of my in-laws. We decided to spend the day down south to a place that we've never been before, to the tourist capital of Laguna, Pagsanjan.
Pagsanjan is where the Bangkero Festival is held. The bangkeros are tour guides, who steer the tourists' boats. They are the boatmen who shoot the 14 rapids between rocks and boulders all the way to the Pagsanjan Falls (or Magdapio Falls), for which the town is well known but are actually located in the neighboring municipality of Cavinti. The Bangkero Festival is celebrated in the month of March (wiki).
Hard to admit, I am from Laguna but this was my first visit to this wonderful place.
Now on to the trip - we left Angono Rizal at 5:45am and headed our way down to Laguna via the Manila East Road passing by several towns that includes Binangonan, Cardona, Morong, Baras, Tanay, Pililia (all part of Rizal Province), followed by Mabitac, Siniloan, Pangil, Pakil, Lumban then Pagsanjan (Laguna). We arrived at 7:45am and we headed to Aling Taleng's Halo - Halo. My bud (Elaine) informed me that from Aling Taleng's Halo - Halo, we can already find resorts that has bangkeros. True enough, just when we were about to ask some people for a boating experience, someone approached us and offered their resort for the boat trip. We were then directed to Melissa's Resort.
It will take you an hour (or so) to reach Pansanjan Falls.
You will experience calm waters and the rapids and it's a fun experience.
The boat can carry 2-3 passengers and you will be accompanied by 2 boatmen (one in front and one at the back). At the start of the trail, you will feel how the calm waters freshen up the lives of the villagers, it was like summer all year long because they can just dip anytime they want. The water is clear and it was cold! Perfect for the summer time!
This was our baot, it was just me, Papa and Angge.
We were accompanied by Kuya Ryan and Ton Ton.
Let me share with you how it was done..
From how it's done, I cannot stress enough how hard it is to be a boatman. Imagine going through 14 rapids and at some rapids, they were literally lifting the boat. At one instance, my brother in law suggested that we (me, Papa and him) can step out of the boat first so the boat will be lighter..
They have a very tough job and they still do it.
Kudos to all the boatmen in Pagsanjan!
After that almost an hour boat ride, with 14 rapids, you will then reach the falls. I looked at this picture from my history books way back in elementary and now I am looking at it and it was a very good piece of earth.
To reach the falls, you have to ride the balsa.
You will literally go beyond the water falls, it's called the Devil's Cave simply because it was dark. In the cave, the water is up to waste high, as you reach through the falls the water will be up to your head.
Inside the cave, there is a rope where you can hold on to, if you want to go nearer the falls. The cold water that is falling down from the falls gives a huge windblow, as if you are at the middle of a typhoon. I loved it!
After about 15 minutes of staying at the cave and doing some swimming, we headed back to where we started. Then we went ahead to grab a cool recommended Halo Halo from Pagsanjan.
Aling Taleng's Halo Halo is one of the best halo halo in the Philippines.
Its secret ingredient was "minatamis na kundol" or sweetened Winter Melon. It is really a "Must Try" when in Pagsanjan.
Then we went to have our lunch.
Another recommendation from Bud was at Calle Arco. It was a home turned restaurant, that's why when you get in, you will see a lot of photo frames and a china wares. They have a separate space for their cafe and cupcakes as well.
The people there were very accommodating and I will definitely go back.
If you are in Pagsanjan, you can order in advance by calling Noel H. Dagle, numbers are: 0919 507 9278 / 0927 309 7796, or by emailing him at noelhadapdagle@gmail.com.
They also offer bed and breakfast :)
A plus in our stay in Calle Arco, there was this boy selling "Kesong Puti". My husband and mother in law really likes Kesong Puti and thus she baught some. The Kesong Puti was from Sta Cruz Lagun and it was freshly made.
Our overall stay in Pagsanjan, maybe around 5 hours was very well spent and was all worth it. Since it's just a 2 hour ride from our place (Angono) we will definitely go back!
A poster from Calle Arco!
Xoxo
It will take you an hour (or so) to reach Pansanjan Falls.
You will experience calm waters and the rapids and it's a fun experience.
The boat can carry 2-3 passengers and you will be accompanied by 2 boatmen (one in front and one at the back). At the start of the trail, you will feel how the calm waters freshen up the lives of the villagers, it was like summer all year long because they can just dip anytime they want. The water is clear and it was cold! Perfect for the summer time!
This was our baot, it was just me, Papa and Angge.
We were accompanied by Kuya Ryan and Ton Ton.
Let me share with you how it was done..
From how it's done, I cannot stress enough how hard it is to be a boatman. Imagine going through 14 rapids and at some rapids, they were literally lifting the boat. At one instance, my brother in law suggested that we (me, Papa and him) can step out of the boat first so the boat will be lighter..
They have a very tough job and they still do it.
Kudos to all the boatmen in Pagsanjan!
After that almost an hour boat ride, with 14 rapids, you will then reach the falls. I looked at this picture from my history books way back in elementary and now I am looking at it and it was a very good piece of earth.
To reach the falls, you have to ride the balsa.
You will literally go beyond the water falls, it's called the Devil's Cave simply because it was dark. In the cave, the water is up to waste high, as you reach through the falls the water will be up to your head.
Inside the cave, there is a rope where you can hold on to, if you want to go nearer the falls. The cold water that is falling down from the falls gives a huge windblow, as if you are at the middle of a typhoon. I loved it!
After about 15 minutes of staying at the cave and doing some swimming, we headed back to where we started. Then we went ahead to grab a cool recommended Halo Halo from Pagsanjan.
Aling Taleng's Halo Halo is one of the best halo halo in the Philippines.
Its secret ingredient was "minatamis na kundol" or sweetened Winter Melon. It is really a "Must Try" when in Pagsanjan.
Then we went to have our lunch.
Another recommendation from Bud was at Calle Arco. It was a home turned restaurant, that's why when you get in, you will see a lot of photo frames and a china wares. They have a separate space for their cafe and cupcakes as well.
The people there were very accommodating and I will definitely go back.
If you are in Pagsanjan, you can order in advance by calling Noel H. Dagle, numbers are: 0919 507 9278 / 0927 309 7796, or by emailing him at noelhadapdagle@gmail.com.
They also offer bed and breakfast :)
A plus in our stay in Calle Arco, there was this boy selling "Kesong Puti". My husband and mother in law really likes Kesong Puti and thus she baught some. The Kesong Puti was from Sta Cruz Lagun and it was freshly made.
Our overall stay in Pagsanjan, maybe around 5 hours was very well spent and was all worth it. Since it's just a 2 hour ride from our place (Angono) we will definitely go back!
A poster from Calle Arco!
Xoxo
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