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| Clockwise: A group photo at Monte Maria, the beaches of Lobo, and the Taysan-Lobo road. |
Traversing rural areas, shorelines, and mountain paths, our trip was a pilgrimage, a nature adventure, and a tour of Batangas all at once. This blogpost recounts our holy week journey. This is my motorcycle ride series, of views and gears.
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Road to Batangas city
Our ride starts at dawn, just before 6 am in Las Piñas city. To get to Batangas city, we considered two routes: go through Muntinlupa and Laguna's service roads or go through Emilio Aguinaldo highway to get to Tagaytay and descend into Lemery, Batangas. We went with the latter, not only because it is the least busy route, but also because it has the more scenic views.
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| Stop over at Emilio Aguinaldo hwy. in Dasmariñas, Cavite |
Aside from the view of Taal lake that we're so familiar by now, we also got a glimpse of Fantasy world, an abandoned theme park along Diokno highway en-route to Lemery.
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| In front of Fantasy world in Lemery, Batangas |
I've never been inside this alluring castle before, but from afar, I can tell that it is worth visiting, even in its deserted state. Unfortunately, it is closed right now to tourists, and its fate hangs in the balance, as the owner's (ECE realty and development Inc.) plans for the future of this once called "Disney world of the Philippines" are yet to be laid.
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| A closer look at Fantasy world's buildings |
From Fantasy world, we descend further to Lemery town proper. There's not much for us to see in this part of Batangas, except if go through the town of Taal, which we diverted from, to get to the next town of Sta. Teresita faster.
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| At a shell station in Batangas city |
Next to Sta. Teresita are the towns of San Luis, then Bauan, and then San Pascual. It was a pleasant 1 hour ride until we finally get to Batangas city, our base for the day to explore Lobo and the Monte Maria shrine.
The Monte Maria shrine
Monte Maria is located in a cliff overlooking the Verde Island passage. It takes 30-40 minutes to get here from Batangas city. It is a shrine built in honor of Mary, mother of all Asia. Standing at 322 ft., it is the tallest statue in in the country, and the 9th tallest in the world.
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| Monte Maria Pilgrimage site in Batangas city |
It also functions as a building complete with rooms, a restaurant, and a viewing deck. Right now, tourists has free access to the chapel and restaurant on its first floor. The viewing deck-the tray-like structure on Mary's hands-on the other hand, requires a fee of P150 to get to, with an inclusion a tour guide.
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| At the shrine's viewing deck in the 17th floor |
The whole Monte Maria statue has 33 floors. It's still under renovation and the guide claims that the upper most floor, the crown atop Mary's head, will eventually be opened to tourists.
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| Batangas bay as seen from Monte Maria's viewdeck |
The sight from the view deck was spectacular. The Batangas bay was in full view, along with the peninsula of Mabini, Isla Verde, Marikaban Island, and a faint, but still amazing view of Mindoro in the distance.
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| Markers showing the future developments in Monte Maria |
Construction markers reveal that the site will be developed into a retirement village equipped with resorts, condos, and more tourists attractions; most exciting of which is a glass walk-way, that is presently under construction at the cliff's edges.
The coastal roads of Lobo
Our journey continues in the coastal roads of Lobo. Road widening projects are still being done in this part of Batangas, but it already hints of becoming a future tourist site.
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| Stop over at the coastline of Lobo |
Our drive along the beach roads was scenic. At some point, we paused our ride to bask in the relaxing views.
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| One of Lobo's pebble beaches |
The shores in Lobo are mostly pebble beaches. And while not as popular as other beaches in Batangas, they are steadily gaining reputation as an alternative vacation destination-a hidden gem, so to speak, that many people don't know about yet. Presently, establishments such as restaurants and resorts continue to sprung up in Lobo's coastlines. They are developments that herald great tourism for Lobo in the near future.
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| Taken before leaving the lobo shorelines |
From the beaches, we made our way into the other reason why we visited Lobo: the mountain paths of Mt. Banoy.
The Taysan-Lobo road
The Taysan-Lobo road is another hidden gem within Lobo. This 20 km winding road cuts through the mountains ranges of Mt. Banoi, and allows a thrilling ride all the way to the town of Taysan.
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| At a lay-by in Taysan-Lobo road |
Honestly, I'm surprised riders don't pay much attention to this path, but I guess the reason why is because it is far-off from the Metro, and they'd rather visit Marilaque or Cavite instead.
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| My father with his Kawasaki Ninja 650 |
In comparison to other popular ride destinations in the south, the Taysan-Lobo road doesn't have striking features like a tunnel or famous campgrounds like in Marilaque. Riders are rewarded instead with views of mountain ranges, cliffs, and rivers while crossing various bridges.
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| Nature sights in Taysan-Lobo road |
We had a 30 minute ride through thrilling curves and ascents until we got to Taysan. I would say that the Lobo mountain path is a well-kept secret indeed; a lesser-known but still enjoyable ride destination that is not yet spoiled by commercialization.
End of the ride
From Taysan, we made our way to the city of Lipa to take an afternoon break. Our ride home this time will be through the service roads of Laguna and Muntinlupa.
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| Break at Lipa city before heading home |
We were able to finish our day ride at 9:30 PM, approximately 3 hours since we left Lipa city.
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Ride summary
Our ride to see Monte Maria Shrine and Lobo made me see a side of Batangas that is often overlooked by visitors. A side that is suitable to spend holy week at; a perfect place for religious reflection and reconnection with nature. The views and sites along the road are worth the long drive from Manila: The Monte Maria shrine will continue to be popular as it become developed; the same is true for the beach roads and mountain paths of Lobo.
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| My top sights from the ride |
Truly, this part of Batangas is poised to be a major ride destination in the future, and I'm glad I saw it in its present uncommercialized and unspoiled beauty.
Total ride time: 15 hours and 30 minutes
Odometer before ride: 14, 005
Odometer after ride: 14, 292
Total KM: 287 KM
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