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This blog is an amateur photographer's attempt to show how beautiful the world really is. He is drawn to the colors of nature like a moth to a candle light. What are showcased here are nature's grand display of colors at sunrise and sunset, beautiful beaches and off-the-beaten track locations in his beloved Philippines, waterfalls and some of nature's great sculptures, architectural gems, and other views from around SE Asia that he was fortunate to see at one point.

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October 2, 2011

laguna: dawn breaks in sampaloc lake


Sampaloc Lake: Preparing for the day

Sampaloc Lake is often described as the largest and the most beautiful lake of the seven lakes in San Pablo in the province of Laguna.

I did not pass up the chance to shoot sunrise there when I got an invite from one of my friends. I've seen countless photos of the lake, mostly taken at sunrise, with lotus flowers in the foreground and the mysterious Mt. Banahaw in the background. The lake always seems so serene.

Sampaloc Lake Dawn
dawn breaks

We left Manila at 2AM and was there in San Pablo well before dawn. Little did I know that the lake was in fact right smack in the middle of San Pablo. In fact its just behind the city hall.

Sampaloc Lake Bamboo Raft
bamboo raft

The lake was not very large, just about 1.2 kilometers in diameter at its widest. Its actually an inactive volcanic maar, a shallow volcanic crater, that got filled with water overtime.

Early Morning Paddler
sunrise paddler

Things around the lake began to stir as the first rays of the day broke through low lying clouds in the east. I could see small fishpens, not very many, and I suspect fishing in this lake in not really a big industry. The lake was too small, but relatively clean.

A narrow cemented road winds around the lake and has become quite popular with joggers and bikers. A small section of the lake side was made into some sort of park, with tables and chairs. It was a good place to watch the sun rise.

Fish traps
fish traps

I turned my attention to the activities in the lake. I noticed that instead of canoes (in some lakes dugout canoes are common) and bangka, fisher-folks here prefer bamboo rafts.

Preparing the traps
getting ready

The western side of the lake is where most of the fish pens are. I read that most of the pens contain tilapia, but carp and bangus are also farmed here, but maybe not in great quantities. The lake also yields several species of shrimps.

Cleaning Fish Traps
cleaning the cages

 As I watched the morning flurry, I took a mental note of trying out the local delicacies - maybe fresh catch from the lake (there are small restaurants by the lake shore) if I have the chance on the next visit.

Here's breakfast!
breakfast

Before we left I noticed a man fishing on a canoe with a young girl, probably his daughter. It is in places like this where you can see that nature does provides, if one can wake up early.

Fishing in Solitude
serene

Sampaloc Lake, like the rest of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo, are being threatened by human exploitation. It is not difficult to see that soon more and more fish cages will cover the lake. The lake is not even that deep, just 20 meters on the average, and the nitrogen levels can easily spike up, no thanks to excess fish feeds. Commercial structures near the lake side also contributes to garbage in the lake.
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5 comments:

Andrea said...

The Lantaw strikes again! Galing talaga. These photos made Sampaloc Lake even more beautiful.

Marites said...

very, very nice! i wish i could travel and photograph Philippines as much as you do...great captures

Lantaw said...

@Andrea, thanks!I'm glad I did justice to the place

@Marites, there's always an opportunity to showcase the beauty of our country, you may not even need to go that far. Keep on shooting :)

Jenn said...

Beautiful. I've visited Sampaloc Lake several times but never seen it in such glory. Yes, you've done justice to this place indeed.

travel in philippines said...

Laguna is well known for their lakes and hot spring.Sampaloc Lake is one of the best lake in province of Laguna.

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