Wandering Cheeky Girl: Tips Coming from Pahiyas Festival 2016, Lucban, Quezon

Hey, guys! This year's Pahiyas Festival at Lucban, Quezon, will be on May 15, 2017. So, I've decided to post my birthday celebration trip last year. Buckle up for a long post due to photos! :D

It was organized. There were allotted parking spaces. The barangay officials were in good coordination to their security and tourism team. They use radio for communication. I can say that they are prepared for the crowd. They designated people in traffic flow, information desk, and first aid. Also, they have the tourism office near the Lucban Church. Thumbs up for that!

Parking area for early birds

We had to ride a tricycle since parking was a bit from from the town

Herewith our tips:

Be there early! If you are like me who doesn't want many photo bombers, start your pictorial 6:30AM. It was 8AM when the people became too many to count. Aside from avoiding the crowd, being there early will give you a good parking spot. It was 11AM when we noticed that the parking slots are 2kms away the town.
Go against the flow of selfie takers. Ugh.. Sometimes, nakakalurkey talaga.
Pay a visit at San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church, commonly known as the Lucban Church. PRAY first. Attend the holy mass.
Witness the religious procession in an elevated ramp.
Go to tourism office for the Pahiyas route map.
Drop by at the Tiangge sa Lucban. Look for delicious Lucban longganisa, kiping,broas, and other delicacies; ornamental plants, handricrafts such as buri/buntal hats, bags
Mind other people. Don't start a war just because you do not know how to queue. I wonder when Filipinos be as disciplined like Japanese people. #hugot (Yesterday, when we were at Agila of Enchanted Kingdom, I was pissed because of people who doesn't respect the words, FALL IN LINE. Nakakainis! Stampede ata hanap eh?)
Bring umbrella. Rain is always expected there, according to the kind local who lent us her umbrella.
Bring water. Always hydrate yourself to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Bring extra clothes. Wear comfortable shoes since you will be walking like a kilometer.
Be responsible for trash. Kalat mo, linis mo. The Earth is not a public dumpsite, okay?

The Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival, is one of Philippines’ colorful harvest festival. It is celebrated every 15th of May to thank God for the bountiful harvest and honor the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro de Labrador. Each household tries to outdo each other in friendly competition as they vie for honor of recognizing their creativity. As incentives to their effort, prizes were given to the winning pahiyas based on a given criteria. This accounts for some of the most curious décor that the unstoppable spirit of the festival tends to show. Decking the hall or decorating the wall with “Kiping” and agricultural harvest is what “PAYAS” or “PAHIYAS” literally means. -- http://www.pahiyasfestival.com/

The decoration is not limited to kiping. Farmers show off their produce. I've seen raddish, tomatoes, sili, grains of rice, pepper, sitaw, and many more. This really proves that Filipinos are creative.

I was really in search for pancit habhab and kiping. We bought pancit habhab for 10 php only! There was this fried kiping stand which sells it for 15 php. It tastes bland with sweet taste of sugar.

What is kiping?

Kiping is a brightly-colored, leaf-shaped wafer made of rice paste and used as decoration. It is considered an integral part of the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon. --accdg to internet

Since I've been traveling for quite some time now, I can say that some provinces of the Philippines are still not tourist trap. I am surprised that even though the townsmen of Lucban expects an influx of people, they still managed to make their prices cheap. I've been to places wherein the price of goods and foods are thrice the SRP.

How to eat Pancit Habhab? Hahahaha!

What else can we buy?

HOW TO GO THERE?

Hi, @outoftownblog!

via Public transport: CT @outoftownblog: starting from Manila. First is by choosing the Calamba-Lucban route. Your take a bus bound for Sta. Cruz. You get off at SM Calamba where you can find the passenger van terminal that has public vehicles bound for Lucban. You can also take the Lucena-Lucban route. Starting from Manila, you take a bus that’s bound for Lucena City in Quezon. There are several buses taking this trip, their terminals located at Buendia-Taft, Pasay-EDSA, Araneta Center in Cubao, and EDSA-Kamuning. The ride will take you to Lucena Grand Central Terminal. From here, you can take a bus or jeepney to Lucban. Lastly, there’s the Sta. Cruz to Lucban option. Just take the bus to Sta. Cruz from Manila. Once you reach Sta. Cruz, you take a jeep for Lucban.
via Private Car: CT @outoftownblog: If driving, you should take the South Luzon Expressway and take the Calamba exit. You will pass through the towns of Calamba, Los Banos, Bay, Victoria, Pila, Sta. Cruz. Pagsanjan, Cavinti, and Luisiana. You’ll reach the town of Lucban thereafter which will be the first town in Quezon.

WHERE TO EAT?

Actually, we opt to go to Costales Nature Farm since there is really a crowd and I was starving. We cannot afford to wait for a long time. #NoPatienceIfMyHungerStrikes

You can eat there at Buddys' Pancit Lucban where you can have the authentic Lucban Longganisa and Pancit Lucban. You can also eat at Patio Rizal Hotel and Restaurant.

Costales Nature Farm