TRAVEL: Lake Pandin, San Pablo, Laguna 2014

My mother celebrated her birthday last January 15, so Ed and I invited them out for Sunday lunch. She came with my sister and they actually didn't know where we're going! Hahaha. We took them to Pandin Lake, which is situated at San Pablo, Laguna. It is one of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo.

Seven Lakes of San Pablo:

• Lake Bunot
• Lake Calibato
• The twin lakes of Yambo and Pandin
• Lake Palakpakin
• Lake Muhikap
• Lake Sampaloc (the largest of the seven lakes)

We drove there by car and eventually reached the area with the help and assistance of the locals. You can park your car (pay later) and you're on for a little hike. We have this little kid in green jacket as our tour guide. 

I got really excited when we reached the lake! I mean, who wouldn't? For me, the scenery is perfect! The cool breeze touching my face is so relaxing! We didn't made any bookings or reservations and we noticed a little after we got there, some groups arrive. So I guess we were lucky that we got there early enough (around 9:30am)!

We were welcomed by the female elderly (lola in Filipino). We booked one of the raft and decided to order lunch that we can eat on board. At first I thought these lolas were just facilitating the kitchen. But no! They take turns on maneuvering the raft! Of course, with some help of their fellowman. Random thoughts came to me, like:  Is this for real? They must be strong! My respect goes to them. It's easier to get money by asking from somebody or by making utang, but they are different. They take pride of what they do. Hats off. I noticed they're wearing their uniform. So I guess Lake Pandin is being controlled/regulated, which I think is a good thing. It's not too commercial because the prices are fairly cheap and at the same time, the lake is being kept pristine.

These are us enjoying the raft!You can see by our outfit that it's so cold out there! 

Lunch! Yum-oh! Shrimp cooked in coconut cream (ginataang hipon na maliit), grilled tilapia (inihaw na tilapia, fresh buko juice, pako salad, banana, ube & leche flan (not in the photo). Their pako salad is the best I've tasted as of writing! And the buko juice? it's sooooo fresh! 

I mentioned above that Lake Pandin has its twin, right? Just a little hike (with a tour guide) and you will see Lake Yambo. We were always accompanied by a tour guide (the lolas or the ranger). And oh, you'll also notice that we were already wearing our lifevests while on the water...  Why? Lake Pandin is said to have maximum depth of 63meters. We didn't want to take chances :-)

After we got back from seeing Lake Yambo, there hanged the souvenir items for sale. They have necklaces, bracelets, and wallets. Also in the picture is my mom making a little flower/candle/prayer offering at the grotto. Belated happy birthday to you!

So that was our Lake Pandin getaway! I'm really hoping for more outings like this. I wonder where shall we go next...