Shoes, food, and keepsakes: Attractions in Liliw
The town of Liliw in Laguna is one of the more looked-over towns when you compare it to the likes of Los Baños, Calamba, Pansol, and the like. It’s usually a pit stop that’s hardly explored… until today.
Here are a couple of shops and souvenirs we’d like to share about Liliw with you from one of Philippine Primer’s recent trips:
Entrada
A trip to Liliw is never complete without dropping by one of their many footwear stores along Gat Tayaw St, the city’s main street for shoe sales. Entrada, however, stands out from the rest thanks to its beautiful displays.
Entrada sells trendy sandals made from Abaca for as low as Php 200. They’re also known for selling beautiful shoes called pumps at low prices. One tip: buy in bulk the next time you pass by Entrada. They offer a lot of colors and sizes for one pair of sandals or shoes and it would save you a lot of time and money.
Address: Gat Tayaw Street, Liliw, Laguna
Phone: 049-563-1084
Socialite
Another one of Liliw’s most popular shops, Socialite has been around for several decades and is one of the pioneer shops in town.
They’re known for the variety of bags, shoes, and sandals they sell. One of the things you’ll immediately notice is their large sandal on display. While you can’t get something this big (unless your feet are actually that big), you can have a pair made to order and then delivered to Manila.
Address: 363 Gat Tayaw Street, Liliw, Laguna
Phone: 049-234-2048
Capiz Shell Bowls
Capiz shell, which comes from window pane oysters, used to be a staple in Filipino homes because of its namesake. Their shells are commonly used as materials for window panes, giving those ancestral Filipino homes a touch of local you can’t find anywhere else.
It’s also seen as a material for lampshades, but some shops in Liliw have taken it a step further and made something you hardly see nowadays: capiz shell bowls. These decorative bowls will give your dining room and kitchen counters that same touch of local flair you can’t get otherwise… unless you go all out and buy locally-made bowls and plates.
Espasol
It’s one of those rice cakes that the world can’t seem to understand, yet Filipinos know by heart. Espasol is a cylinder-shaped rice cake that’s a specialty in Laguna, though Liliw is where you can find some of the best.
It’s made from rice flour cooked in coconut milk and sweetened coconut strips, later dusted with toasted rice flour. They might look like rolls of paper, but once you open them you’ll be in for a surprise.
Espasol has a smoky and (sometimes) nutty flavor that will have you looking for more. It’s balanced out by how sweet the rice cake is. It’s the perfect pasalubong or souvenir from Liliw for anyone who wants snacks but doesn’t want to go too deep into snacking on sweet rice cakes.
You can find espasol in nearly every store selling pasalubong in Liliw for about P100 for 3 pcs.
Written by Andronico Del Rosario
Note: Price may change without notice.
