My Batangas Road Trip

There’s nothing like a good old road trip to clear one’s mind. My chance for a long and relaxing journey happened twice this week. I said chance because instead of a leisurely drive, I found myself lost more than once. Despite being lost, I enjoyed it. Nothing like a good trip to raise one’s spirits.

I went to Padre Garcia this week. Before I left the house, I decided to try going through the national highway just so that I could pass Sto Tomas, Tanauan, Malvar, and Lipa City… I had driven across the STAR Tollway several times, but I have never tried driving on the national road alone until this week.

At first, the trip went smoothly. But only until I reached an intersection in Sto Tomas. I figured that to go left would lead me to the town proper, just like going to the Los Banos town proper from Calamba. Therefore, I decided to traverse the road to the right. It turned out that this road was the one leading to the public market and the town centre! I was quite anxious because traffic near public markets are unbelievably heavy. But since I was there at a slow hour, the traffic was light. Finally, the road merged with the national highway again. Through Tanauan and Malvar I went without much event.

But once I entered Lipa, I was again faced with a decision of where to turn. I knew that I should go into the city to reach Padre Garcia. If I were to take the other road, it would lead me to Batangas City instead. Thinking that I finally figured out which road to take, I decided not to turn left at the intersection (since in Sto Tomas, turning left meant bypassing the city centre). So I chose the road straight ahead. Alas! I was wrong again! In the case of Lipa, I HAD to turn left to enter the city, and remaining on the national highway (which was what I did) would bring me to Batanagas City!

I realised this mistake - at last - when I saw the Robinson’s Place towering on the right side of the road. Then I knew I missed the turn again. Since it was almost noon, I decided to stay at the mall for lunch (I wasn’t sure if Padre Garcia had a good restaurant… and Lola’s kitchen has long been unused and empty). After lunch, I asked the guard where to go to enter the city. I even bought a map!

On the road again, I found myself acting as both navigator and driver. That was hard! It felt similar to driving while texting or talking on the phone… I was very distracted. Good thing I went to Padre Garcia with Kuya Junjun behind the wheel before. He showed me where to turn to avoid driving the wrong way on one-way streets (which make driving in Lipa confusing). I finally emerged from the city proper and found myself looking at the familiar dome of the Carmelite church. Then I knew - was sure - that I was on the right path. I was in Padre Garcia in 30 minutes… total travel time: around two hours (a painfully long time for some of my relatives… but hey, it takes me two hours to reach Sta Cruz, Laguna from my house - through the national road [no PCARRD, no expressway, and no Real], so this duration should be normal).

After finishing up in Padre Garcia - I visited some relatives and Lolo and Lola’s farm, and reported at the Municipal Hall - I decided to go home. And I faced another two hours’ drive home.

Just to make the trip more interesting, I visited the Padre Garcia church (which I think is under repair at the moment, but the architecture reminded me of the grand churches in Ilocos… complete with the huge concrete side beams usually found in Earthquake Baroque architecture). I also stopped by the Carmelite church (which I learned was a parish dedicated to St Joseph).

I meant to visit Apolinario Mabini’s house in Tanauan. But since I left Padre Garcia a few minutes before five pm, and the drive was slowed down by a sudden downpour in Lipa and by the jeepneys waiting for passengers at the schools, I decided against this when I entered Tanauan. After all, the house might be closed after five… and I was attempting to reach Los Banos before seven to watch a concert.

The stopovers made me notice how slower and quieter life is in that part of the country where houses are surrounded by sugarcane fields and where cows can still be seen roaming, and where kids are still amazed at seeing small cars (they’re used to see the big trucks and tractors typically used in farms). Where McDo and Jollibee haven’t penetrated yet, and where the municipal hall employees are all friendly and polite. I was amazed, because I live in an area where life moves a bit faster (although still at a relaxed pace as compared to life in Manila).

I once read that errors usually lead to adventures. True enough, because I made wrong turns along my way, I was able to see different parts of the towns that I shouldn’t have seen if I were on the right path all the time. Sometimes, getting lost is a good thing. Personally, I enjoy following a new road just to see where it’s headed… as long as it’s not too late in the day and I have a map with me.