Backpacking Philippines: A Daytrip to Liliw, Laguna and the Tsinelas Festival/Cafe Arabela

A Daytrip to Liliw, Laguna and the Tsinelas Festival/Cafe Arabela

Liliw is one of my favorite towns in Laguna, second only to my hometown of course. Located at the foot of Mt Banahaw and blessed with cooler weather than the lowlands (that's a secret), bordered by the towns of Sta Cruz (the provincial capital), Magdalena, Nagcarlan, Majayjay (all in Laguna) and Dolores town in Quezon. Its streets still retain the heritage houses vis-a-vis new brightly colored houses built with money pumped in by the thriving shoe industry that rivals that of Marikina.

My father and my sisters decided to visit again this quaint town to shop for sandals, visit friends and unknowingly witnessed the on-going Tsinelas Festival (Tsinelas or chinelas, a certain kind of footwear)

one end of Gat Tayaw St with the welcome arch

Liliw town was founded by Gat Tayaw, whose main street is named after him, during the 1500s. The town's name was said to be taken from a bird with a sound onomatoepeiac to Liliw (as in Liw! Liw)

gat tayaw street with banderitas and stalls

shoes and bags galore that ladies drool over

beaded sandals/flip-flops at my favorite store there: Aristocrat

After shopping you may visit Ara Bela, probably the most popular restaurant in this side of town with their not-so-pricey pasta, pizza, cakes and other delectable offerings frequented even by denizens of the big city. The place is usually full at lunch time so come early.

the cozy interior of Ara Bela has soft, dim lights and low ceiling fit for hobbits and other vertically-challenged people

delectable cakes and desserts for people with sweet tooth

double cheese pizza at Ara Bela

at P45 each for an 8 inch tall glass of mocha shake, this is a steal

for truly frugal foodies, there's street food

There's also Decio's near the church for Filipino food finds plus a handful of others on the main road and adjacent places.

How to get to Liliw, Laguna (commuting):

Liliw town can be reached the commute way by taking a HM Transport bus bound for Sta Cruz in Cubao (near Victory Liner) or on Taft Ave near corner Buendia stations. Alight at barangay Pagsawitan in Sta Cruz (a fork on the road where most people get off) and transfer to a Liliw-bound jeepney. There is also a way via San Pablo. For people coming from Quezon province or the fourth district of Laguna (like Paete), board a jeepney bound for Sta Cruz, get off at Sambat (Jollibee, Pagsanjan not the other Sambat in Sta Cruz) then transfer to a jeepney with Lilw signboard.

Labels: Calabarzon, Festivals, Laguna, Southern Tagalog

posted by GingGoy @ 8:28 PM,

35 Comments:

At May 28, 2007, 10:50:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Huy pareho kayo ni superpasyal ng feature ah. Mukhang maganda mamasyal dyan at dalin ang mga balikbayan at foreign friends dahil ang daming native buys. Nakupo, weakness ko yang mga pastries....
At May 29, 2007, 11:03:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Wow, super!

The food is making me hungry! Especially the pastries ha ... Hehe.

[:
At May 29, 2007, 1:58:00 PM, carlotta1924 said...: nabuhay ang tutubi! =)

grabe sobrang mouthwatering ang mga pagkain dun ha! gotta keep that town in mind. =)
At May 29, 2007, 2:20:00 PM, carlotta1924 said...: heheh ako rin sandamakmak na backlog ng posts wala ako masyadong contact sa compu eh.

nga pala uuwi nako bukas! hehehe =)
At May 29, 2007, 2:39:00 PM, Citizen of the World said...: Naunahan niyo na naman ako!!!
At May 29, 2007, 8:00:00 PM, Nick Ballesteros said...: Naku tutubi wrong timing ang pagpunta ko dito. Di ako makaalis ng opis kasi umuulan ng malakas. Pero gutom na gutom na ako. waaaahhh.

My wife has relatives in Liliw, though I don't think she knows where they live exactly.
At May 30, 2007, 1:34:00 AM, TonyB said...: Welcome back, bro.!
At May 30, 2007, 9:16:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I envy you dude!

You never get tired from all these travels, don't you?
At May 30, 2007, 10:35:00 AM, - said...: ang galing mo nman sir, pasyal lang ng pasyal..envy u .hehehe.
At May 30, 2007, 3:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I used to love to go to Liliw with my Mom and sisters and we'd go crazy with all the chinelas. :) Great photos Tutubi... the food looks yummy! :)
At May 31, 2007, 6:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: waaah sarap ng food at saka ganda ng pagkakakuha mo sa mga shoes at bag ha :)
At May 31, 2007, 8:36:00 PM, Anonymous said...: wow sarap naman ng mga ito!

super ang tsinelas gawa sa liliw.
At May 31, 2007, 10:57:00 PM, -= dave =- said...: Uy, isang travel post din, hehe. Summer's about to end na nga pala, dapat sulitin.
At Jun 2, 2007, 9:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: mukhang magkasama kayo ni superpasyal sa biyaheng ito ah! inggit ako sa ara bela food trip nyo hehe! pag pumupunta kami dito, laging lanzones lang binibili namin eh. thanks for sharing the to-do's :)
At Jun 4, 2007, 4:06:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Naku san ba yan? Gusto kong puntahan! I have a thing with tsinelas kasi hehe... It started something in my life :)

Sarap nung mocha! ;)
At Jun 6, 2007, 12:40:00 PM, Anonymous said...: nice, cutey tsinelas. in manila, they must fetch a fortune.
At Jun 9, 2007, 5:15:00 PM, jhenny said...: hay liliw!! ganda dyan,, ang dami talaga ng tsinelas :) i was there last May 28, we had a team building at the batis ng liliw, the water is so cold.. super enjoy kami at bago kami umuwi syempre pa super pili ng mga tsinelas :)
At Jun 21, 2007, 12:47:00 PM, Pestogirl said...: nice one tutubi.
liliw is really great.
isang pares din ng sapatos ang naging remembrance ko jan.
kakamiss ang soft taco nila. whaaah.
At Jun 21, 2007, 1:35:00 PM, Unknown said...: maganda jan sa liliw kaso lang hirap mag drive jan kasi its interior town. dapat malufet yung navigator mo at di lang passenger mode ang alam hehehe. very simple town but filled with shoe shops fit for even big named peeps.
At Jun 21, 2007, 11:57:00 PM, Anonymous said...: its one of the best weekend getaway, great shopping and best of all its near to lagunas artificial lakes (yup there is) i cant remember the name of old lady who makes the best pastillas in Liliw..
At Sep 3, 2007, 3:55:00 PM, christine said...: I went to Calauan Laguna last weekend to my tita's farm. And along the way my dad was telling me about Liliw and the tsinelas they're known for. totoo pala!
At Aug 7, 2008, 10:52:00 AM, Anonymous said...: if we're going to liliw, laguna what's the nearest resort accommodation for an overnight stay?
At Aug 7, 2008, 9:44:00 PM, GingGoy said...: anonymous, if you have a car, there are many resorts of calamba and los banos are nearby. There's Batisng Liliw also but never been there so I can't provide much info. Resorts in Pagsanjan are the nearest though. Just search for them here in my blog
At Aug 30, 2008, 12:59:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Hello, nice blog here. BTW, I posted a related topic on my blog and sited your blog in one of my links. i hope you dont mind. you can check it at http://changingseasons.today.com

thanks

ruthi
At Apr 9, 2009, 4:53:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "bayan ng liliw bayang mapangaliw sa huni ng ibon ito nanggaling ang nagtatag bayaning gat tayaw sa paanan ng bundok banahaw..." - hehe mahaba pa yan, kanta namin yan...naalala ko nung grade school lage namin kinkanta yan tuwing may bisita hehe...ei tutubi hilig ko din mag travel at lahat ng bayan sa laguna unang mga naging destinasyon ko hehe...pauwi me ngaun ng liliw at i'm happy sa site na to bro...keep it up!...Godbless! --bluesyntax
At Apr 9, 2009, 7:15:00 PM, GingGoy said...: bluesyntax, i frequent liliw, i'm from paete :P
At Jan 10, 2011, 8:23:00 AM, Anonymous said...: if we're going to liliw, laguna what's the nearest resort accommodation for an overnight stay?
At Jan 12, 2011, 10:46:00 AM, GingGoy said...: anonymous, there's batis ng liliw resort...plus the resorts and hotels in san pablo, pagsanjan and sta cruz laguna, all within strking distance from liliw
At Jul 1, 2011, 5:25:00 AM, Twentynine palms hotel said...: I wanted to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks.
At Oct 27, 2011, 8:14:00 AM, odrareg said...: I like its elevation so that it is not reached by flooding and also it is cool.

But tell me how are the streets, well paved or dusty, pitted, and dirty?

Are the people neat or they throw their rubbish in the streets and vacant lots.

Are the sidewalks cleared of illegal constructions, etc.

What about security, cellphone snatchers, burglars, assassins, any NPA guys there?

Now, about the pricing for renting a small home with running water and basic plumbing, and power supply, and internet access?

Pacho
At Oct 27, 2011, 5:56:00 PM, GingGoy said...: it's a small, peaceful town. roads are good in poblacion. no problem with NPAs too
At Jan 31, 2012, 11:15:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Its a small peaceful town. Are you sure?!
At Feb 23, 2012, 11:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ask ko lang po i cme from sta.rosa laguna... papano po kami makakapunta sa liliw? may dala po kaming sasakyan

thx
At Apr 10, 2013, 11:14:00 PM, JJ Somera said...: Hi! Is the HM Transport still in Cubao? (since I noticed that the posts are from 2007-2012) I'm planning to go to Batis ng Liliw and making my way there from Arabela could be difficult by just commuting...right?
At Apr 11, 2013, 10:07:00 AM, GingGoy said...: blojjer, yes HM transport still in cubao. i update past posts regularly when needed. from arabela it's just a jeepney or tricycle ride to batis ng liliw

A Daytrip to Liliw, Laguna and the Tsinelas Festival/Cafe Arabela

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