lost in Quezon

After the wedding, it was time to go to the reception. By the time the wedding ended, I made a couple of acquaintances. We went together to the Queen Margarette Hotel for lunch. That’s the hotel I passed along the diversion road before reaching the church. After a delicious and filling lunch, we decided to leave. I decided to go to Sta Cruz first to visit Lola Estay, and since the route via Tayabas and Luisiana is shorter than going all the way back to San Pablo through the busy Maharlika Road.

My new friends told me that that road was more mountainous, but that wasn’t a problem because I’m used to going through the PCARRD-Jamboree road and the road to Cuenca and Alitagtag in Batangas. I just didn’t expect it to be so deserted! The view was spectacular… there were many coconut trees along the side of the road. Some portions of the highway seemed to cut through the forest because there were so many trees whose branches hung over the highway (I had to remove my shades while driving through the Luisiana area). Plus, the gas stations were few and far in between. Rice fields covered the gap between trees and gas stations. In Cavinti, there was this big bukal and there was a bridge over it. The water was so blue and clear… and cool to look at. The rocks on the stream reminded me of those at Flat Rocks and at the Botanical Garden in UPLB. So beautiful. Then, the view of the mighty river (is it the Pagsanjan River?) appeared. Even from a distance, the river could be seen so clearly, cutting through the green of the forest and the rice fields. There were many tour buses parked along the side of the highway so the view was more like a glimpse. After ninety minutes along this road, I finally got to Pagsanjan… and from there, the route to Sta Cruz was very familiar.

Somewhere in Cavinti, I saw a man getting bananas ready for the market. He was an interesting sight to see, because he seemed so isolated from the modern world, what with all the trees behind him, and there were no cars along the highway (except for my car, of course).

It’s just a shame that I drove alone… I couldn’t take a picture of the view because it’s dangerous to multitask it with driving (especially on the sharp curves… where the breath-taking view can be seen). And there’s no one to take the pictures (and I brought my camera! *sniff* *sniff*) for me. Ah, the hazards of being a driver. :0(

The next time I ply this route, I have to bring someone along… looking at the map was hard enough while driving at the same time. Plus, there are lots of pictures to take… Wait, I have to be the passenger! I’d love to use the SLR the next time, not the digicam.