Climbing a volcano can be on one of those lists that can be daunting to do. But I got brave when I read it would take about 1h to climb. So I settled to trek the Taal volcano, which last erupted in 1977.
I booked a car with driver (Anthony) with a local travel agency online (Filipino Travel Center) 48h before the trip. It was convenient because it was last minute and I still had time to get security clearance. On Sunday 7:50am the driver arrived to pick me up from the trip. I wanted to start at 8:00am. The day was fresh and blue skies were disagreeing with the weather forecast (cloudy with thunderstorms).
We drove fast out of Makati and out of Manila, underneath the expressway, passing multiple shopping centers and their epty parking lots. We passed by Santa Rosa Laguna, and drove up through Talisay (province of Batangas), to reach Tagaytay around 9:15am. After a dizzying drive down a steep road, we arrived at our resort, where after check in, a boatmaster (Nato) gave me a lifejacked to embark on his boat.
We sped on water, bow up in the air, flying on a motorized fishing boat for about 30min, on a glass mirror lake. The first mountain evoked an extincting volcano, hiding the fact that there are 3 volcanoes on the island.
The lake had many islands but the volcanic island was the most popular.
On the island, a small community of 5000 inhabitants and growing are living without electricity, depending on what the land grows, tourism and fishing. As soon as the boat moored, I was invited to stay on the boat to take a picture, which they printed within 5min. Then a horse ride was suggested, which I refused since the whole point was to walk. The horses were small pony sized horses. The trail was dirt trail but as it was early and it rained the night before, there was no use for the face mask they brandished around.
The fresh air and fresh manure accompanied me along the trek up, with little shade to shield from the sun. A hat, sunscreen, umbrella and water are the best accessories, along with a camera. My guide Nato wore flip flops and walked so fast we barely exchanged words at the beginning. I finally asked him to slow down when we arrived towards the top, as the slope got steeper and we were passing through volcanic activity with fumes coming out of the warm ground.
At the top, the pretty sulfuric lake was brightly shining and glistening in the midday sun, contrasting with the lush green vegetation surrounding it. In the shades, it was good to rest and fan myself with local craft, while debating whether to get fresh coconut juice.
I didn't debate long and forgot myself in the scenery and the fresh coconut juice. Did you spot the island in the middle of the lake? I was on an island, which had a lake with an island volcano, which also had a lake and a tiny cute island in the middle...
There are still some fumes on the edges of the crater, and water can be seen boiling below in the lake, enough to make one sweat again. The sulfuric lake was pristine, without boat or fishing activity.
Strangely enough, there were vendors calling out for golf players, as if there were a 18-hole golf course nearby. I suppose a mini golf and a pose with the lake as background would be a nice photo op. But it was time to walk down as the sun was starting to burn, and there were a lot of tourists coming up on their valiant small steeds.
The ride back to the small resort dried my t-shirt, and gave me another view and lighting on the scenery.
And a meal in a nice wooden gazebo was the perfect pick me up from the heat and exhaustion: steamed tilapia, chop suey vegetables, chicken adobo, and rice.
It was the perfect time and place to have a nap, but the tablecloth got invaded by thousands of micro ants, which became visible as soon as the waiter took away the plates and food. After a bit of rest I wanted to drive back leisurely while admiring the landscape of pineapple farms and side roads stalls. The region was known of its pineapple farms after all.
Taking the expressway from Santa Rosa Laguna, we quickly arrived back to the hotel mid-afternoon, and gave me enough time to enjoy the rest of the day resting and enjoying the stormy skies over Manila. It was an enjoyable day trip, providing fresh air and mental rest out of the city. And I learned a few more words in Tagalog.
I booked a car with driver (Anthony) with a local travel agency online (Filipino Travel Center) 48h before the trip. It was convenient because it was last minute and I still had time to get security clearance. On Sunday 7:50am the driver arrived to pick me up from the trip. I wanted to start at 8:00am. The day was fresh and blue skies were disagreeing with the weather forecast (cloudy with thunderstorms).
We drove fast out of Makati and out of Manila, underneath the expressway, passing multiple shopping centers and their epty parking lots. We passed by Santa Rosa Laguna, and drove up through Talisay (province of Batangas), to reach Tagaytay around 9:15am. After a dizzying drive down a steep road, we arrived at our resort, where after check in, a boatmaster (Nato) gave me a lifejacked to embark on his boat.
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| Interceptor |
We sped on water, bow up in the air, flying on a motorized fishing boat for about 30min, on a glass mirror lake. The first mountain evoked an extincting volcano, hiding the fact that there are 3 volcanoes on the island.
 |
| Taal lake and volcanic island |
 |
| Boatmaster Nato at the helm |
 |
| View from Tagaytay |
The fresh air and fresh manure accompanied me along the trek up, with little shade to shield from the sun. A hat, sunscreen, umbrella and water are the best accessories, along with a camera. My guide Nato wore flip flops and walked so fast we barely exchanged words at the beginning. I finally asked him to slow down when we arrived towards the top, as the slope got steeper and we were passing through volcanic activity with fumes coming out of the warm ground.
At the top, the pretty sulfuric lake was brightly shining and glistening in the midday sun, contrasting with the lush green vegetation surrounding it. In the shades, it was good to rest and fan myself with local craft, while debating whether to get fresh coconut juice.
Strangely enough, there were vendors calling out for golf players, as if there were a 18-hole golf course nearby. I suppose a mini golf and a pose with the lake as background would be a nice photo op. But it was time to walk down as the sun was starting to burn, and there were a lot of tourists coming up on their valiant small steeds.
The ride back to the small resort dried my t-shirt, and gave me another view and lighting on the scenery.
It was the perfect time and place to have a nap, but the tablecloth got invaded by thousands of micro ants, which became visible as soon as the waiter took away the plates and food. After a bit of rest I wanted to drive back leisurely while admiring the landscape of pineapple farms and side roads stalls. The region was known of its pineapple farms after all.
Taking the expressway from Santa Rosa Laguna, we quickly arrived back to the hotel mid-afternoon, and gave me enough time to enjoy the rest of the day resting and enjoying the stormy skies over Manila. It was an enjoyable day trip, providing fresh air and mental rest out of the city. And I learned a few more words in Tagalog.
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