This year, before summer officially started, we went on a spontaneous day trip to San Pablo, Laguna. Me and my husbay, Ging, wanted to see the famous Seven Lakes of San Pablo. The nearest lake and largest of them all was Lake Sampalok (Tamarind), which was the nearest in town. Actually, it is located in the town itself, near the church or poblacion. From a main road, you just have to make a slight turn to a narrower road heading to the city hall and church, and a little downwards that road, you will be welcomed by the lake. It's alongside a road where tricycles and small vehicles could ply. Since the lake is accessible and the area is developed, it's not conducive to swimming and it was not the lake you look forward to, spread a blanket and hold a picnic. You have vendors dotted along the lake, selling all sorts of sari sari store items like bottled softdrinks, snacks (chichirya), etc. It's like a cleaner version of Pasig River in Metro Manila. Why? Because it's paved on one side. The difference is, there are hundreds of fishpens and cottages on stilts around, and there are a few hotels and resorts along the lake road, if in case you want to spend the night and have a morning view of a lake and a mountain on the horizon (I don't know the name of the mountain). If you want to make the most out of your effort to reach the lake and if you are not taking a car, you can hire a pedicab to drive you along the whole stretch of the lake. If it's not too sunny, you see a lot of people- couples taking pictures, groups of teenager, just lazing around, sitting and just relaxing.
Ok, so we were not done. I checked the internet too look which is the best lake to go picnicking, considering that it's not too far from town. We found Lake Pandin on google map, and says it's the perfect place for a picnic. It took us about 20-30 minutes to reach the improvised parking space. You had to be careful in choosing which space to park because some spots are privately owned. Before you reach the parking space, you will pass by a massive land property, (might be a farm), which had a few horse stables and approximately thousands of roosters for cockfighting housed on the typical triangle-shaped shelters.
To reach Lake Pandin, you have to hike for about 15 minutes, uphill. We were accompanied by a little boy. As soon as we parked, he approached us and asked if we were willing to hire him as our trail guide. We asked how much he's charging us, and he told us that any amount is ok, so we immediately agreed. The hiking was a little tiring, because the sun was up, the trail was slightly uphill and dusty. As soon as we reached the lake, I immediately inhaled and exhaled the fresh air and green surroundings, and bought fresh coconut (buko) juice, which costs around 20 pesos only.
There were a few people queued for the raft ride. I asked the hospitable residents where to register. There was a registration booth. Glad to find out that the Lake Pandin tour/operations were run by a local cooperative, so everyone was benefitting, and not just one sole greedy businessman.
The package they offered costs 360 pesos per person, which included the 2-hour balsa (bamboo raft) ride, and lunch. Since we'd like to avoid the hassle of the food being served at the balsa and having to do a balancing act of eating grilled fish with your bare fingers and sipping your fresh buko juice, we requested to have our lunch served at the tables located at the jump-off point. Lunch was promptly served. It consists of grilled tilapia, paco (fern) and salted egg salad, rice, shrimp in gata sauce, bananas and bottled water. After lunch, we rested for a bit and waited for our turn to ride the raft. When it was our turn, we were asked to wear lifevests, since safety is their priority and the lake's depth reaches down to more than 200 feet. So anything that falls to the lake (may it be your phone, wallet, or jewelry) cannot be retrieved anymore, to avoid the risk of boatmen drowning too.
Our balsa ride was the relaxation we looked forward to- just the right sun, cool breeze and the sound of splashing water. All the balsas are guided by a thick rope connected to the opposite edge od the lake. Before we swim, the boatman suggested that we pass by the view of Lake Yambo. We docked on a land mass, went up on the side of a small mountain and reached the top to get a view of Pandin's twin lake, which is Yambo. If you want to swim at Lake Yambo, you have to take a different route. We took some photos, looked around, and decided to return since I was so eager to swim already.
Returning to the balsa, we continued bracing the calm waters and reached the edge of the lake where a few balsas were also afloat. I was prepared to swim, lie on the water, and just let the lifevest take me where it wants me to be. The water was cold, but just the right cold that refreshes. We swam and lingered at a certain spot for about 30 minutes. Funny thing that Ging had a hard time climbing back to the raft. He went on a long explanation that the lifevest was stopping him from climbing properly...well, I just told him that he has a weak upper body that cannot handle his whole body weight. I tried to assist him, but he was too heavy. The boatman was the one who hauled him up. Well, in my case, I was able to climb back to the raft, not very smoothly because of the slimy moss on the edge of the balsa, but accurately and with no trouble. We stayed on for a while chatting with our fellow balsa companions (two of them, a husband and a wife too), until the wind started to pick up and we decided to go back and let the other guests have their turn.
Overall, the trip was good. It was different from the usual beach and mountain environs we were accustomed to. I would recommend my family and friends to visit too.
