Road Trip to Rizal

Rizal Province, the Philippines

December 30, 2008

Let the road lead you. That’s the guiding principle of a good road trip.

One lazy December day, Ki (my fellow “road-tripper”) and I did just that. For Manila urbanites, an out-of-the-blue road trip is mostly a toss between going north or going south. Going east is hardly even regarded as an option. (Going west would mean embarking on a boat trip.) But on this day, we headed eastward with no particular destination, no compelling reason other than to follow the road.

Road Trip with Ki

We drove the stretch of Marcos Highway, past dense suburbs and malls, wondering where its dead-end was. There was none; it just gradually lost lanes as it traversed the sparsely populated beyond. The eight-lane city highway in Metro Manila  eventually shrunk into a two-lane country road. It was in this winding highway that we found ourselves alone for long stretches, meeting only an occasional jeepney or motorcycle on the opposite lane.

The Long and Winding Road: Beyond Marcos Highway

Ki was anxious we might run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, as there seemed to be neither town nor gas station in sight. There was a small store (called sari-sari store in the vernacular, meaning variety store) that sold gas in one-liter Pepsi bottles. Ki bought one, just in case. After all, we didn’t know how much longer we needed to drive to see a town.

Zigzagging the highway on the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range offered spectacular views at every turn: forests, foothills, limestone cliffs, and the placid blue of Laguna de Bay beyond. The forest was densely verdant, seemingly pristine. We passed by a few resorts and inns here and there, but the area looked mostly untouched by development, a fact that considerably adds to its rustic charm.

A hill of undulating cogon captivated us – it was both a static and dynamic sight.

A Fool by a Hill: Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Rizal Province

A small roadside store conjured up images of South American countryside. Ki and I fancied we were in the Bolivian Altiplano.

Solitary Sari-Sari Store at the Sierra Madre

A row of motorcycles parked by a cliff, overlooking the rolling terrain, was like a scene straight out of the Latin American film Motorcycle Diaries.

Parking with a View: Sierra Madre, Rizal

A pair of flowers blooming by the road provided a shocking red accent on the shades of green around.

Redolence in Red

After an uncertain hour on the road, we finally drove into the old town of Tanay. As with most Spanish-style towns in the Philippines, at the town center stands an imposing stone church.

Tanay is an Open Book!

San Ildefonso Parish Church in Tanay

Seemingly unremarkable, the San Ildefonso Parish Church‘s facade belies its rich rococo retable. We found the interior of this centuries-old church colorful and charming – quite whimsical, actually – a stark contrast to its stone-cold exterior. The bas-relief Via Crucis panels on the walls of the church offered a curious twist. The scenes were updated to the 18th century, and they conjured up the Spanish era in the Philippines rather than the time of Christ in the Holy Land.

Pulpit in San Ildefonso Parish Church, Tanay

The Passion of the Christ: Bas-Relief Panel in Tanay Church

The church’s silence was broken only by the occasional pitter-patter of the prayerful who would come in for a quick rogation and a quicker exit.

Praying Lady in Tanay Church

Ki

Me

By the side of the church, I heard sobbing sounds. I peeked outside and found a boy slumped by the door. Whatever he was praying for, he agonized for it.

A Cry in the Dark

Comin' Out of the Dark

The hillside town of Morong was our last stop; it was saving the best for last. The car was bobbing up and down on the uneven terrain like a carousel. Then the lovely St. Jerome Church came into view, perched on a hill. Originally built in 1615, the church had had been renovated over the succeeding centuries but retained its antiquated allure. Unfortunately, the church’s main portal was locked.

Baroque Beauty of St. Jerome Church in Morong, Rizal

The neo-baroque facade was eye candy enough: richly detailed with bas-relief and adorned with miniature statues and a mural. Said to have Mexican and Chinese influences in its design, it is a testament to our strategic location at the crossroads between these two maritime trading countries.

Full Frontal Facade: St. Jerome Church in Morong, Rizal

By the Portal to the Past: St. Jerome Church in Morong

Finally, it was sundown when we made our way back to the city by the shore of Laguna de Bay. Road trips on a whim like this offer the most interesting discoveries. Pleasant surprises can be had in places that figure below everyone’s radar. Rizal Province is so near Metro Manila, yet it is mainly undiscovered as a drive-through getaway and a peek to our past.

It was Ki’s birthday; it was also Rizal Day, the death anniversary of our National Hero. It dawned on us that the road trip, although unplanned, was a fitting way to celebrate the life of Jose Rizal – by rediscovering our history and heritage in the province named after him.

End of the Road (Trip)