Our
next stop, about 7km further, was Pililia
church. Although it is not as interesting as the ones we saw earlier, there is
a beautiful old Bahay na Bato just
before the entrance to the church compound. The gracious parishians said
the house was built around the same time as the church, and the owner and
caretaker are very friendly and show people around the house and antique
collection.
Next
town on our trip, Pakil, is known for its wood filigree
work. You can see the work in progress right at the V where, if you are coming
from Famy going toward Pakil, the National Hwy veers a bit to the right and the
road left heads in to Pakil town proper. The San Pedro de
Alcantara church took 35 years to construct and was completed in
1767. From 1788 it has housed the image of Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our
Lady of Sorrows),
also known locally the Virgin of Turumba. On September
15, the
feast of the Virgin
of Turumba,
devotees perform the turumba, a rhythmic "dance" that includes
stumbling, walking, gyrating as they go along the streets.
Across the church, on the other side of the plaza, is the interesting house and gallery of well-known political cartoonist and artist Danilo Dalena, worth a look around.
Paete is known for its papier-mâché and wood
carving. The Church of Santiago Apostol (right
photo), built 1717, houses 4 exquisite oil paintings. Considered by many as the
most impressive of the 4 is "el Cielo, el Paraiso, el Purgatorio, y el
Infierno" (Heaven, Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell) painted in 1850 by Jose
Dans. Personally I think as remarkable is the oldest one (1720, it is the
painting nearest the altar), it depicts a good 18th century form of
advertising--donate to the church and you will be saved.
Note the two paintings on the left as you enter--they depict the same scene of Christopher with the Christ child (see photos below). The first one was painted in 1780 and was covered by the second one that was made in 1840. It wasn't until the 1980s when restoration work was being done that the older of the two was discovered (below, left photo). The newer one (below, right photo) is more westernized and stylized, and the older "more native" one gives a more alive feeling--Christopher and the Christ child looking at each other whereas in the more recent one there is no eye contact between them.
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Holy week activity of note in Paete: the Good Friday procession is a showcase of the wood carvers’ art as the wood carving town of Laguna uses wood images that move.
From
Paete you can return to Manila, backtracking the way you came, or continue on to
Lumban for superb handmade embroidery, then
on to Pagsanjan for a refreshing halo-halo
at 83 Gallery Café on Rizal St, owned by a artist Ernest
Santiago. While you wait for the halo-halo, browse around the gallery and charming
garden (left photo). Continue on to Manila via Los Baños (expect to crawl your way through
here) then the South Super Hwy.
An alternative would be to stay overnight at Lagos del Sol beside Lake Caliraya--a large reservoir created in 1943 to supply water for a hydroelectric project. Lake Caliraya offers good windsurfing (particularly Nov-March), and a place to relax. Coming from Paete, the turnoff from the National Hwy to Caliraya is about 8.7km. (Lumban is the town just below Lake Caliraya.)
| With special thanks to Mr Ino Manalo, head of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, our fantastic guide during one of our trips around the Lake of Ba-y. |
The continuation of the trip would include visiting Pagsanjan, Majayjay, Liliw, Nagcarlan, San Pablo, and Pila.
