Even the simplest vacations can turn out to be the most memorable ones if they’re spent with the right people.

In the summer of 2011, we visited two of the seven lakes of San Pablo City. Lake Pandin is said to be the cleanest of all, and Lake Yambo is its twin almost right beside it. Tourism here began through efforts by locals themselves. It’s pretty amazing what even average citizens can do for the love of their hometown.

We took a bus to San Pablo and stayed at a nearby resort where we spent the night swimming. The next morning, we headed out to Lake Pandin, which I hear is one of the farthest of the seven.

It took a short trek to get there. Or maybe it was a little long; it was just that we were swapping jokes along the way and taking silly pictures of ourselves beside trees and ponies.

Still, we couldn’t suppress a long, loud “Woooow!” when we saw a glimpse of the lake.

You hire a raft for a couple of hours (or more) of touring Lake Pandin. You’re required to wear a life vest, while the wives of fishermen paddle the raft for you. Of course, we couldn’t help but do the jobs ourselves, at least for a short while.

The tour around the lake brought us to a grotto where there is a small statue of the Virgin Mary, and a stop to a short climb to view Lake Yambo.

We swam and took some jumpshots.

After lunch back in town, we went on a side trip to Liliw, the footwear capital of Laguna. We looked for a nice pair of sandals (and failed to buy one) and visited the old church.

So here you go — if you want an overnight nature trip near Manila, go to San Pablo. And bring some awesome friends along.