Dolores, Quezon in pictures

Dolores is quite a small town, but if you want to explore areas further off town, tricycles are handy.

This is the Church where the main road leads to, and is the only Church in the town of Dolores. One of the masses I attended to here lasted two hours. Amazingly, I did not doze off. It was such a different experience hearing mass here.

This is one of the tree houses located in Kinabuhayan Cafe. I've always wanted to have one of these. For 500 pesos per head (negotiable for big crowds), you can stay here for the night.Here's another shrine that you meet while making your way down to the river at Sta. Lucia.

A winding staircase in the woodsIn my previous post, I talked about the shower-like water streaming from the mountainside. Here's another shot. It was amazing.

Some of the images by the river...

A hill amongst the mountains.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Sta. Lucia Shrine in Dolores, Quezon

The main road at Dolores, Quezon. At the end of this road is the Church, and beyond that is the mystic Mt. Banahaw.

I thought of maximizing our time there and see more of Dolores, Quezon. My wife said she'd ask around who would be interested to join us. Our first intention was go to Mt. Banahaw but not exactly do some serious trekking. What we had in mind was visit some of the more accessible sites around the mountain, like the river and the caves.

Soon my wife's cousins and brothers were discussing which place we ought to go to and soon they proposed that we go to Sta. Lucia located at the foot of the mountain. There's a river there, they said. Sounds good to me!

So we rented a couple of tricycles and we soon found ourselves in an uphill, cemented road for the 15-minute trip. The road stops at a row of shops offering native delicacies and souvenir items.

It's no contest. Filipinos are big on sweets. See the wok below? In it is sweetened coconut strings. When you order, they mold it into a ball and hand it over in a plastic bag.
There's also an assortment of charms that protect the wearer from harm and evil spirits, while others enhance your luck in business, and still others help you be more attractive with your loved one. There are also medicines for common maladies.
There are also snacks and drinks being sold here. After the shops, is a quick walk going to the start of the descending stairway to the river below. We took a shortcut here.
The stairway goes waaay down the mountainside. There are areas where the steps are really quite steep so it's good practive to hold on to the ropes by the stairs.

Along the way are shrines where you can offer candles and pray.
Soon enough, we're by the river with the Sta. Lucia shrine greeting us. There are other, similar simages in the vicinity, giving the place a mysterious and subdued atmosphere.Time for a swim! It is said that the waters here have healing properties.

There's this area where the water falls freely from hanging vines, creating a shower effect. If you are a sinful person, it is said that you will feel pain when you take a shower here. Somebody taps your back (in this case, one of our companions) to dispel bad aura and spirits.

Of course, while each of us took turns at the shower, we wondered who among us will cry out in pain. Thankfully, nobody did.

The water is also potable. We took some to drink and bring home.
We were experiencing overcast skies when we took a dip. The water was cool and we didn't mind it a bit when it began to drizzle. After we finished with the shower, the sun suddenly came out in dazzling white! It peeked through the trees and gave out a warm, white illumination. I've never seen the sun shine that way. I tried to capture it with the camera but the photo below does not do much justice.
Mt. Banahaw is truly a mystical place. It must be quite an unique experience to scale its heights. Right now, Mt. Banahaw is still closed from exploration and I heard this non-human intrusion is doing wonders to its flora and fauna. There are only sections open to the public, like this river and the caves.

Andy said that there is a place beyond called the fountain of youth, where you cross a channel of water and when you make it to the other end, you feel invigorated. Were weren't able to go there, unfortunately, as it was already getting late. What other unexplored areas are there, I wonder? We will discover these some other day, perhaps.

Tiyo and Tiya: in memoriam

The last surviving brother and sister of my wife's father has gone to meet the Maker ...

I simply knew her as Tiya. I rarely heard her name so I got stuck with the affectionate term of endearment. But everytime we visited Dolores, Quezon, Tiya would always welcome us with a wide smile and a hug. She always made us feel welcome. It was always actually a sad moment when we have to leave for Manila for she would cry, with my wife assuring her that we will be back to visit her again.

Tiyo Desio, on the other hand, I met only a couple of times. They have a house in San Pablo and that was where we visited them. The first time we did, he was already under medication but he looked really good and alert. In fact, he ushered us into their inner kitchen and brought out a bottle of brandy. I slightly winced and glanced at my wife, who immediately understood my message. Hard drinks don't sit well with me. But she didn't stop Tiyo Desio, and I likewise graciously took the shot offered me, with cold water hastily running after the hot liquid down my throat. I felt woozy when we left them a couple of hours later, but with a wonderful feeling with it. Tiyo Desio rarely had visitors, and he and his wife were really gracious hosts.

The second time we visited them, my wife's cousins also arrived less than half an hour later. It was like one big family reunion. Look the photo below ... can you identify where I am? It was really strange, but I look like one of them. The first time I went to Dolores, everybody remarked how I closely resembled Venal, one of the older boys in the family.

But I digress.

Tiya passed away December of last year. My wife went to her home province to pay her respects. Then last week, my wife told me the sad news: Tiyo Desio had passed away too. So off we went to Dolores to pay our respects to the last of the siblings.

That evening, my wife's brothers, cousins, and friends were at the house for a round of drinks. I also met Napoleon, who was getting well-acquainted with a couple of ginseng in the bottle. It was amazing how those tubers can live in a brandy world. While I mentioned that I don't really drink hard alcohol, I was offered the shot as it made its rounds, so accept I did. Bonding moment with in-laws and relatives.

Staying there and listening to their stories make you realize their hardships and the lengths they had to go through in the final moments of Tiya and Tiyo. But in the face of adversity, their kinship grows ever so strong. And in the true nature of Filipinos, they took things in stride.
Some questions turned up in the conversation. How come people don't usually come to birthdays and other joyous occasions? But when someone passes away, people from all over will take time to visit?

Dejarme and Orioste family in Dolores, Quezon

And though I did not voice this out, I was reminded of a question I sometimes ask myself: have you ever wondered if there will be a lot of people who will visit you at your funeral? It's a morbid thought, I know. But death is something that will happen to all of us. It's one of those questions that you ask but wouldn't really search for the answer.

Looking back, that night was more than just a bonding session. It was remembering those who have gone ahead and met the maker, and at the same time celebrating the companionship of those left behind.

Cheers to you, Tiyo and Tiya.