Epic Roadtrip to Majayjay Falls

So last weekend, I tagged along with Erick and his HP officemates Elyn, Jade, Joel, and Keith on a trip to Taytay Falls in Majayjay, Laguna. I haven’t been out for a while and I kinda missed the feeling of being on a trip. Erick initially told me that it’s going to be a hardcore roadtrip – as in no plan on hand but drive the owner-type jeep until we reach Majayjay. I knew that he was worried about me but I told him not to be a worrywart. I’ve been on trekking and camping trips which means I can survive with just the basics. 

We were supposed to meet around 10am in San Pedro but the guys were late and we left around 11ish bound to Majayjay. We met traffic in Calamba which made us hungry. Thank goodness it wasn’t really a hot day. Traffic and hot weather are not fun especially when you’re on a long travel.

Our first stopover was Iskargu in Calauan. It’s the restaurant of Jade’s tita. We arrived there past 12noon, just in time for lunch. The parking was full which means they must be serving good food. We immediately parked the jeep as soon as one car left.

Iskargu means isda, karne, gulay—which is a really unique name for a Filipino restaurant.

I liked the Filipino ambiance of Iskargu. As soon as I entered the place, I remembered KaLui’s Restaurant in Puerto Princesa, Palawan because of its Filipino-theme. You can see Filipino touches on the interiors. The tables, chairs, and floor are made of wood and the rest of the restaurant was made of native products like nipa, sawali, etc. The windows are big and open which gives you a perfect and very refreshing view of the rice fields. Ah, I miss the life in the province!

Refreshing view from our table

On our table. My top food picks from our lunch..

That's ginataang kuhol at pusit (snail and squid in coconut milk), nilagang baka, and laing (taro leaves). YUM. 

After our sumptuous lunch, we were back on the road again. We headed to Majayjay which is more or less a 1.5-hour drive. We passed by different towns like Nagcarlan, Liliw, Sta Cruz, and then finally Majayjay. We didn’t expect that it was such a long drive from Calauan. So we occupied ourselves by telling stories and taking pictures of the sceneries along the way.

Our journey to Majayjay consisted of driving in almost deserted roads, passing by sleepy towns, and appreciating the rustic life. 

After passing through countless sharp curves and having numeorus “are-we-there-yet”moments, we finally arrived in Majayjay. I thought that Majayjay was the name of the falls. It was actually the name of the town where Taytay Falls is located. The name Majayjay came from the word “ma” which means more and “hay” which means sigh. So the town’s name, Majayjay, literally means more sighs because of its beautiful falls, I suppose.

Hay finally, Majayjay!

As we arrived in Taytay Falls, we paid Php30 entrance fee per head and then another Php30 for the parking fee. We started our short walk to the falls which lasted 10-15minutes I think. It was an easy trek because the path is already cemented and clear.

As we were nearing the waterfalls, we can hear the sound of it. It was very inviting and we could feel its cold spatter against our skin.


We immediately changed to our swimming clothes since it was already 3pm when we arrived there. After taking some pictures, we submerged in the freezing cold water…Brrrrrr. It took a few minutes before my body adjusted to the cold water temperature. 

Taytay Falls

HP team 

Our first falls trip. lol.

Falling with the falls :)

I am not a swimmer so I just stayed in the shallow area. Erick is always the adventurous one so he tried to swim near the falls.He seemed to liked it a lot. So just for the heck of it, I also tried to go near the falls. But that is the farthest that I can go with the help of Elyn and Joel.

Getting high at Majayjay

We enjoyed our time in the Taytay Falls. It was a short stay though. At 5pm, we decided to head back. We didn’t want to be driving in the dark.

We were back again at Iskargu for dinner. Yay! Another foodtrip J This time we had bulalo, talong sa gata, and papaitan which was my first time to try.. yes, seriously.

We also had yellow watermelon, honeydews, guava, and buko with young meat. Busog! Another sumptuous dinner care of Jade’s family. 

The aftermath..

Burp!

Iskargu’s food is a truly a comfort food – especially when you are tired because of the long drive and you’re craving for an appetizing food to fill your stomach. No wonder, they are always full. It was really a good meal not because it was free but it was simply one of the best home-cooked meals in the road.

Don't miss it!

So I must say that this day was a very pleasant one and the cheapest of them all. I only shelled out less than Php 500 for gas, snacks, and entrance fee. Super thanks to Jade and her family for feeding us lunch and dinner.. Yey!

FTW! Roadtrip, foodtrip, and adventure, and new friendships. As they say, it’s not the destination but the journey!