Luisiana: A town of Pandan, a Giant Waterfall called Hulugan and a Cafe named Ustingan

From now on, I'll be posting adventures from Nagcarlan and my other adventures from beyond my hometown. This will now be "The Man of Stills: Nagcarlan and Beyond".

This will only be the first Beyond Nagcarlan adventure that I will post so expect more to come.

Recently, I had an extraordinary waterfalls experience in a town founded by Don Luis and his Wife Doña Ana, the "Little Baguio of Laguna" as they call it, Luisiana (Luis Y Ana).

         During the 17th century, there was an area of land in Laguna known as Terreno de Nasonog (Lupaín ng Nasonog in Tagalog). In 1678, Terreno de Nasúnog was divided into three parts: Nasúnog de Lucban, Nasonog de Cavinti, and Nasúnog de Majayjay.

          Nasonog de Majayjay later became the town of Luisiana. It was only on April 3, 1854 that ecclesiastical independence was granted to Nasonog by the Governor-General (the Marqués de Novaliches) with the corresponding approval from the Archbishop of Manila, having Don Marcos Bartolomé as its first interim parish priest. Because of the role of Don Luis Bernárdo and his wife Doña Ana, the town was named 'Luis y Ana', later changed to 'Luisiana' (Source: Wikipedia)

Talay Falls 1st and 2nd Level

       Me and my group had the chance to see two of the many waterfalls of the town, Talay Falls and Hulugan Falls. Muddy trails and heavy rains made the journey quite difficult but everything is worth their beauty.

Talay Falls Third Level

      We went to Talay Falls first crossing the river atop Hulugan Falls along the way. Talay has three levels of falls and the highest level was the most spectacular. 


        At "Hulugan Falls", I had difficulties with the camera due to the rainy weather at the falls. But I managed to take some video footage with the action cam of our group mate Sir Louie. So below is a footage of what it's like being just below "Hulugan Falls" in the town of Luisiana, Laguna.

 

  

       After our waterfalls getaway, I find myself back in Luisiana to do some school work. Of course after finishing the job I grabbed the chance to explore the town. Like many of my town explorations, I started at the center of the town. The church and the municipal hall sit next to each other and across them is the town park. Pandan weaving is the main industry in Luisiana and there are many kinds of products available at the town plaza.

         Then I found myself at a restaurant standing at the edge of the town plaza ordering "Special Mami". The resto is an old wood panciteria style like the ones back in the days and that gave me the impression that it has been here for a very long time. For only P25 you can enjoy and warm your tummy with this delicious yet super affordable beef mami soup.



        After eating I decided to explore the town once more and I found the public market a few blocks away from the center of the town. I thought I've seen it all but then I stumbled upon this tiny cafe called "Ustingan Cafe" across the public market.

       Artistic and elegant as it seems, I got curious and decided to get in to order a coffee or something. The ambience is very cozy and to my surprise, the food was very cheap.

       I had a cup of "Cacao Tsokolate" and something called "Binilot". While waiting for my orders which did not take a very long time to be served, I went around to take some pictures.The cafe is full of arts and crafts and innovative arts too. The feeling is like being in an art gallery where you can enjoy the art and dig into some good food.

         The "tsokolate" tastes creamy and nice and the "Binilot" too. The "Binilot" is like pancakes rolled with nuts inside and chocolate syrup on top with cheese.. It tastes great! Just when I thought my Luisiana adventure is over, found "Ustingan Cafe" and that  completed and concluded my day. 

"Just when you thought the treasure hunt is over, Gold comes right before your eyes on its own"- Rem

 Going to Luisina:
From Manila:
                Bus Ride to San Pablo via Lucena City bound buses.
                Land Mark is SPC Medical Center
                Fare P127

                Jeepney ride From SPC Medical Center to City Proper of San Pablo
                Fare P8

                Jeepney ride from San Pablo City to Nagcarlan
                Terminal is near the San Pablo Cathedral.
                Fare P25
From my perspective:
                Jeepney ride from Nagcarlan to Majayjay
                Fare P16

                Jeepney ride from Majayjay to Luisiana
                Fare (to be updated)