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Photo: The Chive
THROUGHOUT MY TRAVELS, I’ve found few things as sweet — or indulgent — as an enormous lunch followed by a solid hour on my back.
This is particularly called for on the days when you wake up in a humid 14-man dorm to realize you’ve missed the only train to ______ today and someone stole your cell phone from under your pillow.
I respond to situations like this by finding the biggest, most delicious meal around. And if I happened to be in San Pablo City, Quezon Province, Philippines, I’d head to this place for a traditional Filipino meal and a relaxing afternoon — in a waterfall.
The Labassin Waterfall Restaurant bills itself as surrounded by “almost untouched nature.” It’s located beneath a manmade dam…so to be clear, the nature here has been touched all over, and advertising the spot as “close to nature” is a fairly bold stretch of the truth.
But the sound of falling water, the jungle, and the fact that you eat with water running over your feet still makes the spot pretty unique.
Not to mention that when you’re finished eating, you can flop down on a wet rock like a fat slug and let the waterfall roll over your shoulders. 
Where you can come to the table barefoot and still get service. Photo: bless this stuff
Emily Hanssen Arent
Emily Hanssen Arent is a writer and traveler who has found a home in Boulder, Copenhagen, and Jerusalem. She is currently a graduate student of Middle Eastern Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel, where she writes, studies, and struggles daily with Hebrew and Arabic. You can follow her @emilyharent.
Hi Emily, great post. Just a slight correction, though. San Pablo City is in Laguna Province.