Our Viaje del Sol Day 2 trip brought more fun and excitement than that of Day 1. 
Casa San Pablo, Laguna
Ugu’s Potter’s Garden, Tiaong, Quezon
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Fourth Stop: KAY INAY RESORT / CASA SAN PABLO
What’s more wonderful than waking up to the sound of chirping birds, cool breeze, hot chocolate, and filling breakfast? This is really something I wish I could do in Manila amidst my really hectic and stressful life. (Here goes wishful thinking… :p )
We woke up early to enjoy more of Kay Inay’s Resort. Well, Juk stayed in bed until shortly before breakfast. The room was just too cozy to get up and do something else in the morning. I was actually torn between enjoying the four corners of the room and enjoying the surroundings of the place. In the end, Ailyn and I decided to instead enjoy the surroundings. So, we had our early morning swim, while Paz went jogging around the area.
Afterwards, we headed to Casa San Pablo’s al fresco dining area and filled our stomachs with fried rice, scrambled egg, fried danggit, tocino, banana, and hot chocolate!
Dining Al Fresco at Casa San Pablo
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Fifth Stop: SAN PABLO CHURCH and LAKE PANDIN
After our hearty breakfast, it was time to send ourselves away from the town proper of San Pablo to a more remote area where people commune with nature everyday. We wanted that, of course, as the next day was a work day and we needed to relax and make our lives a bit stress-free.
But before we headed to the lakes, we passed by San Pablo Church and said our prayers.
We were to tour Lakes Pandin and Yambo but since we only had an hour to do so, we decided to skip Yambo and enjoy Pandin instead. We were sure to be back for Yambo and the five other lakes anyway, so it didn’t bother.
We did a short trek to get to Lake Pandin. According to the manangs in the area, we could actually swim in the lake but decided to skip it after having our share of dips in Pansol’s hot spring and Kay Inay’s pools.
So we rode a barge which could accommodate 15 people at the most (21 plus the manangs = the rowers) to take a tour of Lake Pandin. Apparently, Lakes Pandin and Yambo are said to be the cleanest and the most picturesque among the seven lakes of San Pablo. And I have to agree for Pandin this time. But I’ll have to hold that judgement for Yambo until our next trip to San Pablo.
The View…
Us With The Manangs 
The manangs were very nice to us. They brought us to an opening in the lake, where a statue of Our Lady of Manaoag stood and where we drank cold, running water which, they said, came from the mountains. I did care less on the origin of the water because the water itself was just refreshing!
On our way back, we were given buko juice from freshly sliced young coconuts!
Refreshing Buko Juice
Trying Out the Mini-Barge On the Way Back
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Sixth and Last Stop: UGU’S POTTER’S GARDEN
Our trip to Ugu’s place wasn’t part of our initial itinerary. We were to have lunch somewhere else but since Boots (one of Casa San Pablo’s owners) was to bring some guests to Ugu’s in Tiaong, Quezon, he asked us if we wanted to join them for lunch. He told us that he already made reservations for his guests and that he would happily include us in the headcount. Lucky us.
Ugu is short for Augusto Bigyan, a ceramic artist who was responsible for the artistic interiors of Casa San Pablo. Personally, I didn’t regret driving all the way to Tiaong from San Pablo as Ugu’s place is indeed a place worth visiting!
Reserved For Us 
We had late lunch al fresco (again) in a reserved hut. From among the dishes served, I loved the kulawo, the fried tilapia with mango salsa, and the fern salad that I had to have second and third servings!
Aside from the having a sumptuous meal in Ugu’s, the place offers a lot of other details to see including a gallery of his own artwork which are for sale.
Kulawo 
Fried Tilapia with Mango Salsa
Fern Salad 
Address: Lucasan, Tiaong, Quezon
Contact Number/s: +63 42 545-9144 / +63 917 560-5708
Directions: From Manila, head towards the second to the last exit of the South Expressway going to Batangas. Follow the road going to Bicol which heads towards Tiaong, Quezon. Upon arriving in Tiaong, Quezon, drive past the Tiaong public market and watch for Tiaong Elementary School and Lusacan National High School. On the first intersection after Lusacan National High School, turn left. Follow the narrow road and turn left on Alvarez Village. The house is the red house mad of bricks to your left.
Ugu’s Humble Place
Ugu’s Work With His Signature At The Bottom
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Related Post: Viaje del Sol Series 1: Road Trip to Luzon’s South (Day 1)
Viaje del Sol Series 1: Road Trip to Luzon’s South (Day 1) « My Twenty Something Life said
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Geoffrey said
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re planning on a roadtrip to batangas, anywhere south actually, this feb 09.
pamalfaro said
On Geoffrey: You’re welcome! I just read your message now. I hope you enjoyed your road trip to Batangas.
And I also hope that you can tell us about it.
angelica said
Hi,
I’ll be visiting the country and planning on a food trip. Did you organize this yourself or did you get a guide?
thanks,
angelica
pamalfaro said
On ANGELICA: Hi Angelica! Thanks for dropping by.
We organized this ourselves using the map of Viaje del Sol. There are several attractions in that map and we just handpicked the attractions we planned on visiting (we only had two days to go around, we couldn’t visit all of the places suggested in the map). 
gail said
hi pam,
thanks so much for blogging about your trip. I am now considering CSP as our reunion venue for end of the year. could you please help me out with a few questions. i greatly appreciate it.
is the swimming pool at the kay inay resort part of your accommodations at casa san pablo or did you have to pay a separate fee? from what i understand, they are in the same compound, is that correct? and was the water warm like the hot springsin pansol? we are planning something in january so we prefer a hotspring for the children.
also, could you please rate the food and accommodations at casa san pablo? thanks so much.
pamalfaro said
On GAIL: Yes, the swimming pool is in the compound and it’s an amenity of the resort. No extra charge or fee. Food’s great. Accommodation is great too – rooms are really nice and the surrounding is very relaxing. The owner is usually on-site and he’s very hands on with his guests. You won’t regret
gail said
thanks much pam, you are so helpful…will go ahead w our plans then.
pamalfaro said
On GAIL: You’re welcome. Oh, the pool isn’t a hot spring like the ones in Pansol but from our experience, the temperature was okay for an early morning swim.