My Share for #BeautifulSunday initiated by @ace108

With temperatures reaching up to 98° F. People are out looking for a place to cool down this summer. Any place that has water is a welcoming sight for all. People flock to beaches, resorts and the place that has the coolest water at this time are the rivers. The rivers here are called "Batis" and the water that flows down from the mountains is perfect to beat the heat. Today I will take you with me to a place that I have not visited for a very long time now. Come with me today and take a dip in the cool water from the mountains.

Water from the Mountains "Batis ng Liliw"

Located in Liliw Laguna, Philippines I was around 7 years old when I first visited this place. Surprisingly the place is still operational. I recall thay had bamboo huts with tables along the river and the area was very muddy. I am excited to see what changes have been made after a few decades.

The outside is not familiar to me anymore, but the name still remains the same.

Much has changed as shown in the tarpaulin outside as they have pools now. I was thinking if I would still see the flowing river with rocks and boulders. Could the natural surrounding have been turned into some sort of a resort with swimming pools replacing the natural surroundings? Let's go in and find out.

The parking area is very spacious and we found a perfect spot near the entrance.

In the parking area, there is a small canal with flowing water. Tapped water from the mountains to add a natural feel to the area.

I have been to other areas in the mountain and the water is safe to drink. In this case, it is not advisable to do so as it is best to drink water coming from the upper part of the mountain.

The entrance fee to the resort

Day Swimming

Adult 50 pesos or almost $1.00 USD

Children 40 pesos or around $0.75 USD

Night Swimming

Adult 60 pesos or almost $1.15 USD

Children 50 pesos or almost $1.00 USD

Cottages prices ranges from 400 pesos ($7.65 USD) up to 1,500 pesos ($28.67 USD) for the larger ones.

Air conditioned rooms are also available which cost around 1,500 pesos ($28.67 USD)

From outside you could already hear the flowing water. As I entered, things were very different and color blue is very dominant inside. The picnic areas and the pools are all painted with the color blue.

The water isn't very clear in the first pool and most of the people are in the upper section of the pool area.

They have turned the natural river into swimming pools. I do not have anything against swimming pools, but I prefer a more natural ambiance. I love seeing rocks and natural vegetation along with flowing water.

The upper portions of the pool are much more clearer and the people seems to be enjoying the cool water.

The last pool is the clearest and I had a small chat with the owner. She told me that the resort was handed down to her by her grandmother and she was strictly told to never ever add chlorine to the water. From what I know chlorine kills bacteria in swimming pools and I think they probably didn't need it since the water comes from the mountain.

My mind was still lingering and still wanted to find the natural river that I used to know. I asked the owner if the river still is still there. She pointed me to the back part where there is a pathway leading to the river. It got me excited and I immediately headed to the back. Here the place was surrounded by trees and is more peaceful.

There is also a short flight of stairs that leads to a statue of the Virgin Mary. Painted in blue, I guess by now you already know the favorite color of the owner.

My son climbed up the stairs and took a seat at the stone table. The table looks like something they use during a mass. I am just not sure if they held masses here during the Lenten season.

Anyway, I asked him to get down from it immediately and just explore the surroundings.

Rocks and huge boulders were there which pleased me very much. It reminded me how the place looked like before, but looks like they are making improvements to this area as well. I am not sure if this area would also be converted into a pool in the future.

For now, I would enjoy the nature surrounding me at this time.

I was told that in this river there are a lot of catfish and if I could catch one it is ours. I tried to look under the rocks and unfortunately didn't find any of the catfish.

The sound of flowing river is so relaxing even my son is enjoying just watching the river flow. We don't get to visit rivers too often and this is a refreshing sight away from the city.

As I sat on a boulder, I was imagining having a small house by the river. The sound of rushing water would hum you to sleep at night. Then in the morning it would invite you to take a cold dip.

The sound really has a very relaxing effect, as our friend has fallen asleep while sitting here for just a couple of minutes.

I explored a little and found something extra ordinary. I didn't know what it was at first as it looked like some sort of flower.

As I examined it closer, it looks like a species of banana. I do not know what type of species, but it has that pink color which is very different from the red bananas that I know of.

Normally, the fruit hangs down from the tree, but this one is shooting upward. We saw a couple of sprouts from the tree and took one home. I am hoping that it would survive once planted. It is a very unusual banana and if any of you recognizes this type please do let me know.

This ends our short tour around "Batis ng Liliw" and I hope you had a good time. Let me know what you think and tell me if you prefer the pool or the river. Hope to see you again on our next adventure. Until then enjoy the rest of the weekend and keep on Steemin.

 

Official Page

Batis ng Liliw

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All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 12-32 mm kit lens

 

 

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://watersnake101.vornix.blog/2019/04/28/water-from-the-mountains-batis-ng-liliw-beautiful-sunday/

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