The Lakeshore Town of Victoria, Laguna

 * starting up the Victoria tour

* sky views

The last few months of the previous year were spent shuttling for work and visiting places in our province (can’t go too far yet because of work). One time, our random weekend travel turned into a town-to-town travel the start of which was the placid town of Victoria, Laguna.

* a preview of what eventually saw: boats, and boats, and boats

 

 * and boats, and boats, and boats

Named after a former Philippine president’s daughter, the town of Victoria did not start out a separate town but rather as a component village of the town of Pila. Nevertheless independence was soon granted for this lake shore town.

* talaba shells

* surprisingly enough, some trees grow along the shores

 * game for an afternoon swim

 * Pransis in contemplation

 * a cluster of houses near the lake shore

* some of the houses in Victoria, Laguna

The longish travel to the place equates to peacefulness that are now absent even to some provincials towns. One good experience as a visitor in this place is to visit the areas closest to the Laguna Lake. Here we were able to talk to some residents whose life depended on the riches of the lake. Although their houses have been wrecked many times by typhoons owing of course to their proximity to a body of water, it did not stop them from living along the lakeside. If one is game enough, you can do a short swim in the lake. Unfortunately, we could not do so without extra clothing.

 

 * the church facade 

 * an outside grotto

The town as a whole still retains Spanish/American traces: old, wooden houses and the clustering of important establishments such as the town hall, church, and market place. The church is a recent construction, 1963, followed next year by the convent. It is officially called La Resurreccion Parish under the Dioces of San Pablo.

 

* stalls in Masapang selling duck products

 

 * behold, fried duck!

 

 * itlog na pula

Duck and all the Derivative Products

Aside from the historical backgrounds Victoria is quite famous for its duck products. I remember watching that episode of Amazing Race in the Philippines where Victoria was part of. That episode included ducks, of course. After our visit, we opted to make a stopover in Masapang to buy some of the town’s products. We had fried duck and itlog na pula. Note that duck meat tastes different from chicken meat but will appreciate the food is prepared well.

[How to go to Victoria, Laguna: From Manila one can board a bus bound to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. There are buses along Taft Avenue near Gil Puyat LRT Station (Greenstar, DLTB) or along EDSA (HM). Drop off at Victoria, specifically on the corner going to the actual town proper (this will be on the left side if you are coming from Manila). One marker you can use is that this corner will be found after passing the area called Masapang. From there, you can hail a tricycle to take you to Victoria town proper. Fare will depend on the number of passengers and the time of your ride.]