Road tripping in the rain

It was a rainy Sunday morning when me and my friends, Dennis, Elbert, Jabey, Randy and Vinzer went on our road trip. We were supposed to meet at 6:00 in the morning but due to the heavy rains, we were all a bit worried that our trip won't push through, thus we all arrived late.

We started our day eating taho (food made of soya and usually sweetened with melted brown sugar) in front of Marikina City Hall where we agreed to meet.

On board Randy's SUV, we proceeded to Daranak and Batlag Falls in Tanay, Rizal. It was my first time to go there and I was excited. We had to pay Php20.00 for the entrance fee. Since all of my friends, except Dennis, own a DSLR camera, they went on taking wonderful pictures and we pose for them sometimes (though we're not professional models, it was all for fun). I was always amazed at what they can do with a camera and I wish I could own one someday and learn the tricks of photography. The place is really beautiful although the paths were wet and slippery due to the rain. We explored every place we can reach and took pictures of every stone, insect, and water that we can see.

The next place we visited was an old, beautiful church in Pakil, Laguna. But since we arrived there at past lunch time, we decided to look from a place to satisfy our growling stomachs. There was only one karinderia (a small canteen selling cooked food) in the area and so we really did not have a choice. I remembered ordering sinigang but it was quite cold already. The food wasn't great but since we are all starving, we finished everything we ordered.

We immediately proceeded to the Church. They took pictures in and out of the church while I sat in a pew watching them, a little bit jealous of what they are doing. It was afternoon, we were quite lazy so we sat down on the stairs in front of the church while waiting for the others to finish. We, of course, had our picture taken there. We love having our group pictures whenever we go to a place.

Our next stop is the Japanese Garden in Cavinti, Laguna. There was a drizzle when we got there so we had to bring our umbrellas. They again took pictures while I was wondering why the place is called Japanese Garden since I can't find any plant, tree or flower that's different. I mean, there's nothing really Japanese about the garden. There are actually a lot of pine trees and it looks more like Baguio City. The place is beautiful and very nice for picnics. I wish we could have brought a blanket and some food. But then, I found the restrooms to be soooooo dirty. I wish they could hire somebody to clean it since they are charging entrance fees.

After having rested in the Japanese Garden we then went to visit St. Bartholomew Church in Nagcarlan, Laguna. But since it was Sunday and we arrived there late in the afternoon, a lot of people have already gathered inside the church awaiting for the mass to start. They took some pictures and we walked a few kilometers going to the Underground Cemetery.

We were however disappointed when we got there since the place was closed. But since the gate was made of iron grills, we just peaked through it and through the fence as well.

It was generally tiring but very much enjoyable. We did not allow the weather to dampen our moods... we went out to enjoy and that's what we did.