Destinations
Freshwater appreciation via Lake Pandin
Zest Magazine heads to Lake Pandin in San Pablo, Laguna.

Yeah, whenever we think of going swimming, we almost always think of going to the beach. In the Philippines, this is not at all surprising, considering that we have – as Charlene Gonzales once (in)famously stated – 7,108 islands (during low tide), less one if it’s high tide. But not as emphasized (though definitely high time that we should) is the abundance of other bodies of water in the Philippines, aside from saltwater. I’d say that for every El Nido (in Palawan) is a Lake Agco (at the foot of Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak)…
At least this was the very thought running through our heads when we raced to Lake Pandin, a body of water somewhat trapped somewhere in San Pablo in Laguna. Rustic comes to mind when here, with everything seemingly slowing down, as people (okay, tourists!) are paddled into the midst of the lake. And while there, everything becomes… poetic, particularly when the sun hits the waters, when just about everything turns green – mossy sans the reflection (as if something is lurking underneath) and then somewhat neon-ish when reflecting the sun’s rays (reminiscent of… Flubber, or merpeople, or the radioactive goo that turns mortal beings into superheroes/villains).
And with Lake Pandin, yes, there are (other, non-saltwater) bodies of water, indeed, that deserve to be discovered…
Lake Pandin is a somewhat “new” tourist destination that (get this) an all-woman organization started to tap after they realized it can help them make a living to help with the expenses in financing their families. In 2005, a total of 18 local women formed the Samahan ng mga Kababaihang Mangingisda at Bangkera sa Lawa ng Pandin because – as their prexy Cristina Abgrego said – “naisip naming maghanap ng kabuhayan para tulungan ang mga naghahanapbuhay sa mga bahay namin (we thought of finding a way to earn to help those who make a living for our homes).”
These women were, incidentally, already making some form of living catching fish from Lake Pandin, since most of them live in the area anyway. The formation of the association was, instead, a “leveling up” of that “making a living”, Abgrego said.
And so using the balsa (bamboo rafts) that they had, they started “touring” people into Lake Pandin.
The “tour” is simple:
- When you reach the bank of Lake Pandin, there’s a waiting area where you do the transacting for the tour (e.g. pay the fees, choose the type of tour).
- The bamboo rafts have bangkero/bangkera (man/woman who does the paddling) assigned to them.
- After agreeing on the payment/actual payment of fees, you are then queued. It’s a “first come, first served” arrangement, so tourists who arrived early will board a balsa You don’t get to choose the bangkero/bangkera (normally); instead, you’d board the available balsa that’s there (and have its accompanying guide/s) when it’s your turn.
- A “waiting period” happens when stuff need to be put onboard – e.g. food that you paid for.
- The guides do not paddle; instead, they just pull a rope (tied from one end of the lake to the other), which then brings the bamboo raft into the lake. There are “stops” – e.g. where the swing is (at the opposite end of the lake, coming from the take-off point), in the middle of the lake (where you can do some swimming), and so on.
- No swimming is allowed without a life vest. As per Abgrego, at least two tourists drowned in a different lake near Lake Pandin, so the local government told them (sounded to me like “threatened”) that their local effort will be forcibly closed if something like that happened there. There is, however, this awareness that it somehow seemed like a veiled threat that their effort to be sustainable – because it proved successful – will be taken from them so that the earnings will then go directly to the local government…
- While in the lake, you can eat the stuff you paid for (part of the package); go swimming; sunbathe; fish; or… do nothing.
- After two hours, the “tour” ends. You’d be taken back to the bank where it all started, and… so long/until next time.
The association now has 12 bamboo rafts – more than enough to tour the tourists who flock to the place particularly during summer; and more than enough to help support the now 22 members of the association.
And – by the way – they don’t just have all women members now; there is also a transman (there used to be two, but the other one moved overseas already), as well as four men (since they still consider the transman as “one of the girls”) who “do things women won’t do,” Abgrego said, “like replace the bamboos in the rafts.”
Truth be told, there’s not much in Lake Pandin (and so not much to do there).
That is, you don’t come here to – say – go swimming the entire day, picnic with the entire family (again for the entire day), or have water activities (e.g. wakeboarding or kiteboarding or whatever). The trip there will be very specific – i.e. go out in the water to swim for a few hours, grab some chow, then head back home. Now, if this isn’t your idea of “fun”, then Lake Pandin is obviously not for you.
But if the intention is to experience something largely undeveloped; to be in a still-rustic place; to be able to help (empower) a group of women who prove that adage that “if you teach a woman to fend for herself, she’d fend for her entire family”; to mingle with #KaraniwangTAO (and they even have a #KaraniwangLGBT, well-respected, as per the women we spoke with); or to be in a body of water that CAN charm, give Lake Pandin a chance to be experienced.
p.s.
We “lost” a rainbow flag in (the waters of) Lake Pandin. The wind blew so hard, one of Outrage Magazine’s rainbow flags fell in the water. No chance to retrieve it, so it’s there somewhere…
If you happen to find it, you may want to hand it over to the LGBT member of the association overseeing the tour (as Abgrego said: “We’re happy we have them here”). Else, give us a call/yell. Or… just enjoy how a rainbow is not part of the green waters of Lake Pandin…
Lake Pandin is located in San Pablo, Laguna. As soon as you reach San Pablo, there are tourist guides who will offer (for a minimal fee, of course) to bring you to the take-off area of Lake Pandin. At that take-off area is where the paying of the actual fees happen – usually from P350 per person per trip, or (if there aren’t many people) from P400 per person per trip. The payment often includes a meal (usually rice plus three kinds of viands, bananas, and bottled water).
Dining Out
Heading to Cavite to try Som Thai Silang Bypass
We go to Silang to check Som Thai Silang Bypass.
There’s this venue in Silang in Cavite that started referring to itself as “Little Bangkok”. And why not, when – in a compound – there are various Thai-related offerings, helmed by a Thai resto called Som Thai Silang Bypass.
We checked it, and… how was it for us?
@outragemag Looking for #LGBTQ #thai #cheapeats in #Cavite? We checked Som Thai Silang Bypass to see if it's worth visiting
Una, this place is closer to Tagaytay than it is to Manila. So magbaon ng pasensiya at pera sa biyahe… considering that, yes, you have to allocate more time and monetary allocation for the gas and tolls just to check this place.
Ikalawa, the actual resto isn’t grand; it almost looks like a karinderya in the province. But then again, it reminds me of the micro and small entrepreneurs in rural parts of Thailand, where locals convert their houses into mini-restos for lunch and for dinner. Just don’t expect much when here.
Ikatlo, the service people were nice (e.g. they’d ask you if things are okay), but they were… slow (e.g. I had to approach the teller to pay the bill).








And lastly… the food; how was it for us?
- The Som Tam (papaya salad, ₱120 for the solo serving) was – in a word – malansa (fishy). There are different ways to prepare this, with some adding shrimp paste (bagoóng alamáng) or dried shrimps (hibi). But the version of Som Thai Silang Bypass tasted like it used fermented fish (bagoóng isdâ) from Pampanga. Now… if you’re familiar with Pampanga’s bagoong, you’d know what I mean when I say malansa.
- The Tom Yum seafood (₱291 for the solo serving) was, at least, malasa (tasty) and contained lots of seafood.
- The Pad Thai chicken (₱249 for the solo serving) was… tasteless. This is sorta disappointing because when a Thai resto can’t make a proper Pad Thai, you start to have doubts re authenticity.
- The Mango Duo (two pieces of half-cut fresh spring rolls + mango sticky rice + garlic mayo and peanut sauce, ₱265) is a cheaper way to get spring rolls and dessert. Nothing special here, but the mango slices used were really sweet.
- The Chicken Satay ((with peanut sauce and vinegar, ₱210) was bland. We were anticipating red curry (or massaman curry) or at least peanutty taste, but neither was noted. Even the peanut sauce did not taste peanutty.
- Be warned that the servings here are small – i.e. when they say “solo”, they’re serious in limiting you from sharing.
- Be warned, too, that some Thai condiments – e.g. tamarind paste – aren’t available. “Ubos na,” we were told.
If there aren’t other Thai restos in the area, Som Thai Silang Bypass should suffice. But this is Silang, a municipality in the Province of Cavite that has too many restos to count. So yeah… you can try if you want, and considering its limitations. Otherwise, let’s just discover more lafang venues.

Som Thai Silang Bypass is located along Bypass Road, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite.
Dining Out
Still trying to find the promise of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña
#Pizza, #lasagna, #babybackribs aren’t Pinoy staples, and so – as we look for a venue where they’re properly offered – we ended up in Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña in Quezon City.

Truth: Pizza isn’t a Pinoy staple food. So even if we know that – when properly done – pizza can be really, really good, it can be challenging to find a local venue that knows how to properly make one. Heck, even the supposedly “award-winning” venues in Makati City aren’t that good, truth be told!
@outragemag Looking for #pizza #lasagna, #babybackribs in #QuezonCity? We #LGBTQ ♬ original sound – outragemag
The search for a good slice (or slices, preferably) of pizza led us to Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, which – seemingly belying its name – is making a name not just because of its lasagna, but also because of its pizzas (with some of them looking mouth-watering in socmed reels, yeah).
So… how did we find Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña?



Una, the place reminded me of small eating venues in non-touristy streets in Paris – e.g. turned picturesque thanks to hundreds of fake flowers that added character to multi-colored decors. So when there, you can’t help but think they have a very specific market in mind – i.e. socmed people.
Ikalawa, the staff were actually nice – e.g. they even provided us (and the guests in another table) with a phone stand for the selfies. And when you make inquiries online, they respond fast, ha.
Now – ikatlo (and lastly) – how was the food?
- The Famous Beef Lasagna (₱289) was hefty… for its price. Di tinipid. It was yummy, said Arthur, though a bit sweet for me. But we both agreed that the accompanying garlic bread was really good.
- Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña has various 12” types of pizzas to choose from, with the prices ranging from ₱520 to ₱590. To be on the safe side, we just ordered the Primo Pizza (₱590), which paired half of the 4 Cheese Artisan Pizza with half of Pizza de Barcelona (pepperoni and cheese with meat sauce and three kinds of cheese). And that proved to be – this has to be stressed – an intelligent decision. Because while the pizzas looked IG-worthy, and appeared to have lots of sahog, the very first bite wasn’t pizza-like. That’s because the dough used can be likened to pan de sal and not what’s usually used for pizza. It was more similar to the garlic bread served with the lasagna, actually. And for me, that it didn’t even seem well done was also an issue.
- The baby back ribs with shrimp aglio olio pasta (₱490) was… okay. Admittedly, the ribs were somewhat dry even if the flesh was soft enough to seemingly peel off the bones. At least the pasta (cooked al dente) was quite good.
Considering the many offerings of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, you are bound to find something that will please you if you decide to pay it a visit. That’s good for you… and for this business.
Admittedly, we have misgivings… like those pizza slices that left us with not-too-great memories. But that’s all good, as we continue discovering good lafang places.




Reach Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña HERE.
There are three branches.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña P. Noval Manila Branch is right beside UST, and is open from 10:30am to 10pm; parking is available along P. Noval St.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña Sta. Mesa Branch is in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and is open from 9:30am to 10pm; parking is available in front of the restaurant.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña QC Branch is located at 27 Roosevelt Ave. corner Gen. Lim St., right beside Fisher Mall, and is open from 11am to 11pm. Parking is available in front of the resto.
Dining Out
A taste of Thai in Pasay
We checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.

Okay… let’s be honest: Thai cuisine is among the best in the world. Particularly – this has to be stressed – those that were not sanitized to please foreigners’ palates. But this is also why it’s tricky when you look for Thai food outside of Thailand since you’re bound to get something that claims to be Thai, and yet not taste Thai at all.
@outragemag #thaifood craving in #MetroManila? We checked out #SoiChicken in #Pasay for this #LGBTQ #foodtrip
And so we checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.
So… how was it for us?

Una, the place itself was not bad – e.g. it was clean, walang sirang furniture, Thai-inspired decoration, et cetera. Yeah, the music playing wasn’t Thai or even Thai-inspired, but at least the overall vibe was.
Ikalawa, the place was not THAT busy. At least when we went there, past lunch time, it was more empty than full.
Ikatlo, even if there weren’t a lot of customers, service was still slow. Don’t get me wrong: the staff was nice. They were chatty. They provided you what you needed. Et cetera. But… they weren’t always there. As example: I had to stand to ask for the bill.
And lastly, the food was… okay. But – take note – hindi siya memorable.
- We started with Som Tum (papaya salad with salted egg, ₱295), which tasted like it needed more palm sugar and lime. The addition of the salted egg was inspired, though, making this special.
- The Pad Thai Soi (₱495) was not bad, too. But it was not as flavorful, either. It was almost like the chef wanted to be safe… which sadly deprived us of the flavors we were looking for. But at least the noodles weren’t overcooked, and there was acceptable amount of sahog, considering its price.
- The Tom Yum (₱485) was, perhaps, what disappointed Arthur most. Again, this wasn’t bad; you can tell that they didn’t use powder, but prepped this fresh. But it tasted… kulang/lacking – e.g. of lemongrass, and galangal. BTW: We ordered Jasmine Rice (₱69) but ended up not eating it.
- For dessert, we grabbed the Black Gulaman with Gata (which sounds more Filipno than Thai, we know; ₱225) that tasted like macapuno ice cream with gulaman pieces.





But you could all try for yourself, if you want.
But for us: babalikan anytime soon? Not really.
In the end: Yep, it IS hard to look for good Thai resto in Metro Manila… or even in nearby provinces. But we continue looking anyway. So come join us look for more good lafang places.

Soi Chicken is located at the ground level of North Galleon Bldg., MOA Eats, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
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