Abstract
This “lakwatsa” pertains to a trip to Talay, Hidden, and Hulugan Waterfalls, the natural falls of Laguna, undertaken by a group of students looking to unwind after completing their semester. The objectives were to enjoy the natural beauty, swim, and take photos. The journey involved public transportation, including buses, jeepneys, and tricycles, with costs kept low through student discounts. The trip was a refreshing escape, providing stress relief and enjoyment, with all objectives met successfully. The experience was budget-friendly and highly recommended.
Keywords: Talay, Hidden, Hulugan falls, Budget-friendly travel Laguna, Barangay San Salvador, Luisiana, Laguna
INTRODUCTION
If you are a student, you are probably looking for a place to hang out and have fun with your friends or even by yourself after meeting all your deadlines and successfully completing the 2nd semester of the 2023 – 2024 school year.
If you are looking for a place to unwind and release all the tension before the midyear starts, you might consider visiting this place my friends and I went to.
For context, we are not originally from Laguna; we come from other parts of Luzon and Mindanao. However, we are currently residing in Los Baños as students.
OBJECTIVES
The goals of this “lakwatsa” are the following:
a. To witness and document the beauty of natural falls of Laguna;
b. To swim and immerse ourselves in nature; and
c. To take as many photos (selfies and groufies) as our phone storage allows for future use.
METHODOLOGY/TRAVEL METHOD
This “lakwatsa” was conducted using public transportation. From Barangay Batong Malake, we went to Olivarez Plaza at 6:15 in the morning to catch the bus to Santa Cruz. After waiting for 5 minutes, the bus finally arrived, but all the seats were occupied.
Despite this, we got on the bus and found seats a few minutes later, making the ride more comfortable. The bus fare to Santa Cruz was 48 pesos with a student discount.
After nearly an hour, we arrived at the Santa Cruz terminal. Note that travel time varies depending on traffic; since it was early morning, there was no traffic, but our return trip took over an hour due to congestion.
From the Santa Cruz terminal, we waited a few minutes for a jeepney to Lucena or Lucban and asked the driver to drop us off at Barangay San Salvador, mentioning Hulugan Falls. The jeepney fare was 40 pesos.
Upon reaching our destination, we proceeded to the information desk at a waiting shed near the main road, where we were assigned a tour guide. A tricycle took us to a light-material hall a short distance from the information desk for registration and orientation.
The registration fee was 40 pesos, and since we planned to swim at Hulugan Falls, we rented life jackets for an additional 70 pesos. The tricycle fare from the information desk to the registration hall and the trailhead was 40 pesos in total. If you want food to be served afterward, you can buy and reserve “bibingka” for 100 pesos for three pieces.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Objective 1: To witness and document the beauty of Talay, Hidden, and Hulugan Falls
Natural falls of Laguna are significantly beautiful. However, further analysis revealed that Hulugan Falls is notably different from the other two. This is because Talay and Hidden Falls are less suitable for swimming compared to Hulugan Falls. The figures below show the comparison of these three falls.
Objective 2: To swim and immerse ourselves in nature
Our trail itinerary took us to Talay Falls first, then Hidden and Hulugan Falls. While trekking through the forest, it was amazing how stress-relieving the smells of nature were, particularly the scent of living plants and dried leaves.
The birds’ humming seemed to serenade us until we arrived at our destination, and the sound of small streams of water cheered us on as we navigated the steep slopes.
The most exciting part was swimming in Hulugan Falls and enjoying its cold water and refreshing breeze. We truly felt the healing power of nature, especially from our academic stresses.
We were also able to go near the cliff of the falls and experience an instant massage from the cascading water. However, we couldn’t document this part as we didn’t have waterproof cases for our phones.
Objective 3: To take as many photos (selfies and groufie) as our phone storage allows for future use
Overall, we accumulated a total of 245 raw photos and 48 short video clips, each with a maximum duration of 2 minutes and 7 seconds. Approximately 80% of these photos and videos will likely be used for social media, with the remaining 20% kept for memories. LOL.
CONCLUSION
This was an exciting and fun experience. All the objectives were successfully met. It was refreshing, relaxing, nature-filled, and budget-friendly. Highly recommended.
Budgetary Requirements for San Salvador, Luisian, Laguna, Philippines
Exploring the Natural Falls of Laguna
Thanks for the info!
Thank you!