PAETE LAGUNA via binangonan,tanay and siniloan

My sister in law was invited by her friend in a christening last month in Siniloan Laguna.She was told that the place is already near Binangonan through Manila East Road so she thought of brining us with her. But since there was a sudden change of plan, and she opted to go with her friends the day before the event, Teresa and I had another idea in mind.

The farthest that I reached in Rizal was Tanay. From there, I know that one can go to Laguna or Quezon but I've never tried coz I don't know what public transportation to take. The event in Laguna prompted me to do a little research and after asking for directions from my sister in law, we decided to go and survey the area.

It was not meant to intensively explore the area. Yeah, our purpose was just to try the route, take our time, feel each stop and set the map for future travel plans in Laguna without going through Manila which is a long shot. We started 12:30pm from pantok Binangonan Rizal. It was kinda late coz we were too lazy to get out of bed early.

The jeepney ride from Pantok to Tanay Rizal took us 40 minutes at 28peesos each. We stopped by Tanay Church to say our little prayers and took a few photos before proceeding to the town  market (pamilihang bayan) where the jeepney terminals are for different destinations. The only trip to Laguna is through Siniloan and from there, you can transfer take a ride to many towns including that of nearby Quezon. The fare is around 55 pesos if I am not mistaken and the trip takes an hour or more through the mountain separating Laguna and Rizal.

We stopped by Siniloan to appreciate the place. I noticed that this is the town of tricycles, I thought there are more tricycles here than the number of people. We had lunch at a fastfood chain first ( sige na nga jollibee,lol) and observed the people. I love sitting in a corner and "people watch" you know. We visited the local church which has become a custom to me, after all, the catholic church in every town holds a lot of history and therefore is the spirit of the place. As I said, the jeepney terminal in the public market also has terminals which could take you to many places in Laguna and the nearby province of Quezon.

the Catholic Church of Siniloan Laguna

Since it was already 2:45 pm when we finsihed eating, we decided to go back to the market and board the jeepney to PAETE. Good thing actual travel time only took 15 minutes from Siniloan because we need to be back in Siniloan before 6pm or miss the last trip to Tanay. If that happens, we have to go Santa Cruz and take the longer route back to Manila and then Rizal.

We reached Paete through the highway along Laguna de bay. I was surprised that Paete is a small town. It is bordered by the mountains on the east and the lake on the west so there's not much area to expand. You could easily notice the laid back feel of the place.

The first thing we noticed after walking a few meters from the highway along the  lake was the Church. This is one thing that should not be missed here of coarse. PAETE CHURCH was first built in 1646 by the locals under the supervision of a priest. It was not until 1717 though that the new church was built made of adobe bricks and a mixture of egg white and other native materials to cement them.

The building was constructed in elaborate baroque style with an infusion of oriental artistry. The intricate retablo pieces were made by Paetenian natives, among them were Bartolome Palatino and Francisco Macahumpan. The large paintings inside the church were executed by another notable son of Paete, Luciano Dans—these are the Langit, Lupa,Impiyerno (Heaven, Earth, Hell), and the large murals of St. Christopher. The church with all its ornate designs and architecture was completed in 1840. (wiki)

PAETE is well known for its wood carvings and paper maches. It is for this reason that the town was proclaimed "the Carving Capital of the Philippines" on March 15, 2005 by then Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Wood carvings of fruits, statues, religious replicas  and many other thing could be found here. If you are into wood carving products,this is the place for you.

They are kinda expensive of coarse, and since I am not into it coz my house is too small for such fancies, we just surveyed some stores for a few small items that we can ring home. 

wooden figures where you can put your picture. cute cute (50 each)

house shaped wooden lamp shade (650php)

wooden wlecome note (100php)

hat/scraf holder (150php)

And  of course, one should nevel leave Paete without the kesong puti!!! I don't have any memory of ever tasting kesong puti so when a lady approached me in front of the church, I immediately agreed to buy 3 bundles for 200 pesos. She said it's 80 pesos per bundle. I donno if that's expensive or if you can negotiate for a cheaper price. I am as always an easy prey for vendors.hehe. Well, I never though cheese could be as salty as this one. I only managed to eat 2 pieces in a span of 1 week. Gave another 2 to my neighber and the rest ended up in my fridge until it's too hard to eat. 

I am not saying that you will not enjoy it. But I suggest you don't do as I did, try to buy a bundle first, try to taste it if you want before you buy a bunch, that's all I'm saying.lol.

kesong puti ( 80php per bundle)

We didn't get to see the wood carvers doing their thing. The store owner told us that they usually arrange mass demonstrations should there be any request or organized tours. The time we spent in Paete was too short for a lovely town like this. Another blogger told me to check a local cafe but we already had to go back to Siniloan to catch the last jeepney back to Tanay Rizal.

Crossing the mountains of Tanay took us to the other side of Laguna de Bay, Siniloan , Paete and the other small towns in between. It is here where life is quiet, peaceful and laid back. I can't believe that 2 hours away from my house is a place seemingly frozen in time. I suggest you take this route to Paete and other remote Northern Towns of Laguna. It's a cultural experience. I am glad we did. It is through Tanay-Siniloan route that I will visit the towns of Majayjay soon. I also want to go to Caliraya lake.:D

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PS: If you are from Manila, you can board the jeepney from Crossing-Shaw straight to Tanay and then to Siniloan.