City of Seven Lakes
In November of 2014, I had a big video camera that begged me to go on adventures. My girlfriend at the time was Filipino, and she’d been wanting to show me what life outside of Manila actually looked like. San Pablo, a quaint provincial town a couple hours south of the city, seemed like the perfect excuse. She’d guide me through the culture, and I’d bring the Canon C100.
Sampaloc Lake
Our first stop after lunch was one of the main attractions of the town. Sampaloc Lake, and the surrounding shops adorning the lake’s shoreline. This, to me, is where the true Filipino culture came out to shine brightest.
Sari-sari stores bunched up together, all essentially offering the same goods, just by a different name. A couple offered up various street foods: fresh juices, fried bananas, and of course isaw (BBQ chicken intestines). Despite knowing deep in my gut I did like isaw, I couldn’t bring myself to knowingly eat it.
San Pablo Cathedral
We continued on to the San Pablo Cathedral. The Philippines is predominantly Catholic, thanks to the Spanish colonization of the islands. So it’s not much of a surprise to see a Catholic church being prominent in the daily life of a Filipino.
What made this one particularly stand out to me is that it’s been around since the year 1680. As an American, who judges everything’s age by our country’s founding in 1776, that’s pretty old.
As we explored the cathedral, a group of street kids started to take notice of my girlfriend and me. The usual “ang puti! ang puti!” rang out, as they noticed how white I was. They were particularly intrigued by my camera gear, and so they began playing a form of peek-a-boo whenever I was rolling. It was honestly all too adorable not to include in the final cut. We gave them some money to go buy ice cream, their eyes lit up, and they dashed over to the nearest ice cream cart.
Pandin Lake
But let’s be honest, we came here for the tropical stuff. Enough history for one day.
Pandin Lake, one of the seven lakes around the town, provided just that. Secluded away from all the hustle and bustle of the town, this lake just calmly whispered serene nothings into our ears. It required a good 15 minute hike into the jungle just to find it. But that extra effort was well worth it in the end.
Most visitors opt to rent one of the bamboo boats to go out on the lake. But I was content to just relax on one docked at shore, camera in hand. The pristine blue of the water, surrounded by the lush tropical green, just made me all the more aware of the Philippine’s natural beauty.
Pancit Canton
It was nearing the end of the day, and food was at the forefront of our minds. So we stopped off at one last spot just outside of town.
Pancit canton. A favorite amongst all cultures’ palates. Pancit noodles are a form of Chinese noodle that have been adopted by the locals. Cooked in soy sauce, served with various local veggies and typically shrimp, it’s truly a delicious meal. One I’ve even been trying to recreate at home ever since.
San Pablo proved to make an excellent adventure. My girlfriend got to share her cultural heritage with me, my camera got a good workout, and I got to see what life is actually like in the Philippines, all captured within a small rural town. That was the true Philippines. Manila couldn’t have truly shown me that.
As I’ve found, you often have to venture out of the big city to see what a country, and its people, are really like.