Food trip from Manila to Balayan

Cruising magazine went on a trip to the seaside town of Balayan in Batangas,

which is best known for its bagoong isda. Aside from the regular driving do's,

ANJO PEREZ writes about the places to stop by for good food, sweet fruits, and

fresh meat.

Cruising magazine went on a trip to the seaside town of Balayan in Batangas, which is

best known for its bagoong isda. Aside from the regular driving do’s, ANJO PEREZ

writes about the places to stop by for good food, sweet fruits, and fresh meat.

• It really doesn’t matter what time you leave for Balayan. Just make sure that the

early morning rush is over so you won’t get caught in the rush along the South Luzon

Expressway (SLEX). The distance to Balayan is just 100 kilometers from the Filinvest

on ramp in Alabang. (We set our trip meter to zero at this point).

• Some three kilometers from Filinvest is a Shell gas station. If you reset your

odometer to zero at Filinvest, you will be arriving at the Petron mega station at Km

6.6.

• About four kilometers after the Petron gas station, you’ll pass Splash Island. Start

slowing down as you will be getting off the SLEX on the next exit.

l At km 11.4, you will see the Carmona exit sign on your right. The toll from Nichols to

the Carmona exit is approximately P23.

• After leaving the toll gate, make sure to stay on your right and follow the turn

which leads to “Exit 36B”. (Making a left will take you to Biñan, Laguna). Turn right at

km 11.7. By this time, you’ll be on a bridge over the SLEX traveling westbound. Travel

straight on, this will take you towards the Emilio Aguinaldo highway.

• At km 12.2, you will be reaching a junction. Turning right will lead you to Balayan.

However, turning left will take you to a small eatery which serves the best “binalot”,

(piping hot rice with a viand of your choice together with a hardboiled egg and a fresh

tomato wrapped in banana leaves) in Laguna. The binalot store is on the left side of

the road some 350 meters from the junction. It offers adobo, menudo and longganisa,

among others. The binalot is already a meal in itself which comes very handy during

picnics and short trips. They are reasonably priced starting at P25 per binalot. Make a

U-turn to get back to the main highway.

• The Carmona stretch is quite long. Traffic tends to become heavy as you approach

the town proper which starts at Km 20. The traffic eases up again immediately after

passing the town of Dasmariñas.

• Slow down once you get to Km 26 on your trip meter. You will approach a

Y-junction (A big McDonald’s signboard can be seen at the junction) at Km 26.2.

Enter the left side of the junction. This will take you to Dasmariñas/Aguinaldo crossing

which is only 400 meters away. Make a left at the intersection.

• If you are a plant lover, you will pass by a row of plant merchants starting at Km

36.5. You can find numerous types of garden plants there starting from the most

common ones to the very exotic types.

• Want to buy fruits? Fruit stands abound along the stretch of Aguinaldo highway

once you enter Tagaytay which is approximately Km 45 on your trip meter.

• At Km 48, you will approach the Tagaytay rotunda. Take the first right which leads

to the Taal Vista Lodge, which is at Km 52.3. Getting hungry? Why not try a

vegetarian meal? Try out Tagaytay’s homegrown mushroom burgers which can be

found a few hundred meters from the Taal Vista Lodge.

• If you’re not into veggies, drive a few hundred meters more down the road to a

restaurant along the ridge which offers a great view of Taal Volcano and serves piping

hot Bulalo soup and the palatable deep fried tawilis (a type of fish which can only be

found in Taal Lake). The place is called the Lake View Restaurant which is at Km 54.

• From the restaurant, continue with the trip down the road towards Batangas. The

road condition is good, complemented by rolling hills on one side and a scenic view of

Taal on the other. The drive will continue on for about 10 kms. But slow down once

you reach Km 64.

• At Km 64.4, you will reach the Diokno Highway junction. Make a left here towards

Lemery. If you go straight, the road will lead you to Nasugbu and the Batulao golf

club.

• Road conditions on the entire stretch of the Diokno Highway is good even as it is

marked with tight bends and corners. Seven kilometers after turning at the junction,

you will see Fantasy World, still under construction, on your left.

• After this, the road goes downhill for 13 kms. At km 84.8, you will reach the Lemery

Highway, turn right at this junction. Turning left will take you to the town of Taal.

• From the junction, you are approximately 12 kms to Balayan. You will reach the

town at Km 97. The bagoong Balayan can be bought in the local market which is

inside the town proper.

• If you want to buy fresh fruits and tasty meat before going home, you can buy

them at the Amadeo Public Market in Tagaytay. At approximately Km 154, or after

passing by the Taal Vista Lodge as you are on your way back. Make a left at the

Y-junction which leads to Amadeo. You will see the public market on your left after

about a kilometer or so. Fruits are a lot cheaper there compared to those sold along

the streets of Tagaytay. The same goes for fresh and tasty meat which can be

bought for as cheap as P80 per kilo.

(Reprinted from Cruising magazine, July 2000 issue.)