Navigating Laguna Loop: Majayjay

Majayjay is a highland town situated in the foothills of Mount Banahaw. The town stands 1000 feet above sea level and surrounded by the towns of Magdalena in the north, Liliw in the west, Luisiana in the east, and Lucban, Quezon in the south. 

Based on ancient stories, the town has no adequate roads but there are curved slopes and roads going to the gorges. In order to solve that problem, the conquerors hired laborers and porters. However, these people were having a hard time going to the town and one of them sigh and said "hay, hay, hay" while climbing the slopes of Mount Banahaw. That is why, they called the place Majayjay: " ma" means many and "hay, hay" which refers to the sound of sigh. It became a town in 1571 and Gaspar Osorio was the first leader of this town. In addition, Emilio Jacinto, the Brains of the Katipunan died in this town in 1899.

The welcome arch of Majayjay. 

The historical marker of Majayjay.

I went to a ten minute ride to this town via tricycle from the town of Liliw. The first thing I did in this town is to visit the town central where you can found one of the oldest and tallest churches in the province and a National Culture Treasure, the St. Gregory the Great Parish Church which was built in 1571. It was originally made of bamboo at burned in 1576 and the church made of stone was created in 1616 until 1649. The high structure of the church was built with the help of Father Jose de Puertollano which was renovated from 1711 to 1734. The church is also adjacent to the municipal hall where you can read the historical background of the town.

St. Gregory the Great Parish Church

From the town center, I took a five minute walk going to the place which is a product of forced labor. It is called as the Tulay Pigue (Buttocks Bridge or Puente de Capricho). This bridge serves as a shortcut to other barangays which lead you to the neighboring town of Magdalena. It is a very narrow bridge and you can go there after you passed the cemetery and the dumpsite where you will walk through the grassy slopes.

Tulay Pigue

The most popular natural tourist attraction in Majayjay is the Taytay Falls. Located in Barangay Taytay and you can get there by twenty minutes from the town proper. Then you will going to take a long walk to the canopy trail which leads you to the falls. When I was walking to the falls, I heard the splash of waterfalls from far away. Then, I was amazed on how the Taytay Falls looks like. It is a two-storey waterfalls in a remote location in which vegetation is abundant and it has a clear water flowing from Mount Banahaw. Before, it is a hard task to reach the falls because there were no marked trails during that time. In 2008, the World Bank supported the promotion of tourism in Taytay Falls.

The trail to Taytay Falls.

Taytay Falls, the main tourist attraction in Majayjay.

A rice field in Majayjay

Women were able to have their laundry in the river.

Therefore, my travel experience in Majayjay is one of the most memorable travels I need to treasure. First, the roads that you are going to pass is risky but exciting because of ascending slopes and intense zigzag which feels like a rollercoaster trip, that is why you need to become careful in driving. Second, I appreciated the rural life and simple ambiance in the town because of verdant mountains and forests and the traditional way of living especially using horses in transportation and women who made their laundry in the river. Lastly, Majayjay is such a town where you can experience the simple and rural life in the highlands. Let's aim high to Majayjay!