Getting ready to enter the Devil's CaveSince Pagsanjan is famous for its Pagsanjan Falls, my friends and I decided to visit the town and find out why a lot of people have gone gaga over “shooting the rapids.”

We enlisted the services of TRIPinas Travel and Tour Ventures, my chosen vendor in my past trips to Taal Volcano Island and Mt. Pinatubo.

We assembled at the McDonald’s at the corner of EDSA and Puyat Ave. at 7 a.m. After a brief orientation with the TRIPinas coordinator, we rode a rented van to our destination.

We arrived at the Pagsanjan Falls Lodge and Summer Resort in Brgy. Pinagsanjan at 10 a.m. We rented lockers for the stuff we would not need for the trip to the falls. Make sure to waterproof all the things you would be bringing at this point because you will be 100% soaking wet.

We put on safety gear and off we went to our destination in dugout canoes.

Before entering the canyon, called the Pagsanjan Gorge Tourist Zone or PGTZ, all boats would make a short stopover at an “entrance tollgate” balsa. Yes, they have a tollgate on water.

Apart from rowing against the current, the boatmen would sometimes literally lift the boat over rocky areas or narrow pathways using pipes inserted into the rocks.

At the halfway mark, we stopped for pictures at Talahib Falls, the first waterfall encountered by boat riders heading to Pagsanjan Falls.

At the so-called banca garage, we alighted from our canoes and trudged to the Natural Pool, where balsa were waiting to be utilized for crossing a huge waterfall curtain to Devil’s Cave.

Excitement and tension filled us as we slowly closed in on Devil’s Cave. What would be the feeling of being “massaged” by cascading water? Can our waterproof equipment containing our wallets and cellphones withstand the might of nature?

As expected, screams ensued when we passed through the curtain. Very cold, indeed!

We took a dip in the cave, but taking good photos was very difficult due to the mist from the falls. Utilize only a waterproof camera on a Pagsanjan Falls trip!

Back at the banca garage, we posed for a farewell shot near the most popular tourist spot in Pagsanjan. By 12:40 p.m., we had disembarked at the lodge.

With hunger creeping in, we sped off to Calle Arco Restaurant along Rizal St. Calle Arco is located along the street where you can find the town’s arch, Puerta Real.

We then visited Pagsanjan’s famous halo-halo joint. Aling Taleng’s Halo-Halo has been in the business since 1933. A Pagsanjan trip would definitely not be complete without a photo at Puerta Real. This town gate was constructed in 1878-1880. It was inaugurated in 1884 by Pedro Paterno and was restored in 1975 by then Mayor Gregorio Zaide, the historian.

Laguna has always astounded me with the beauty and splendor of its natural resources, culture and people. If you have not been to the “tourist capital of Laguna,” you are missing a lot! (Excerpted from http://larga-bista.blogspot. com)(Story/Photos by: Gerbs de Castro)