driving down to pila, laguna

no major trips for me for the long weekend. i'm serious about saving up for next year's big europe shebang.

but to make up for my travel diet, i asked susie if we could drive down to pila, laguna to check out the old houses. we were told that it was considered the vigan of the south, because of the old structures that line the streets.

since there wasn't much information on the internet on how to get to pila, we relied on a map published in 1985 entitled luzon by car. and according to some of the tourist maps i found, pila was between los banos and pagsanjan--quite a long stretch of land.

from south luzon expressway, we exited at calamba (exit 50A), and drove on, passing calamba, los banos, and bay. after the junction to calauan, where a huge duck can be found, we were greeted by the pila town marker.

true enough, the streets, particular rizal street, their main thoroughfare, was lined with old ancestral homes, which are being used as homes or as a cafe or a store. i was pretty glad that the houses and structures were still being used, as it assures that they will be renovated and maintained.

the main attraction was definitely the san antonio de padua parish. though it wasn't too impressive from the inside, the interiors were definitely something to brag about!

the church was designed using white and wood, giving the entire place a clean, elegant look. lines were all clean, and even the modern furnishings, like electric fans, were in keeping with the theme. no bright, jarring colors, just crisp paint and nice wood.

we took a break from the exploring at hardin sa casa ni juanito, which was a backyard with different tiny stalls selling food and drinks. there were small tables scattered in the garden.

photos of my pila, laguna daytrip.

town information:
pila, laguna on wikipedia
pila historical society blog
map of historic structures in pila, laguna