Climbing a volcano, a small one in the middle of lake Taal

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.

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

The lake had many islands but the volcanic island was the most popular.

View from Tagaytay

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.

Salcedo market, food fest etc...

This market was highly recommended by colleagues and guidebooks alike, and I am glas I visited it whenever I manage to wake up early. It is a parking space during the weekdays, and filled with stalls selling foods, goods from independent grocers and farmers, nearby restaurants, etc...

One entrance with a guard doing bag check

Surrounded by high rise buildings

There are a lot of freshly grilled and fried food, but also proper cooked meal that can be enjoyed in the middle of the market.

Grilled seafood and fish

Grilled meat

Of course there are butcher and fresh fish produce as well. But the fun of it is discovering local specialties.

Rice cakes with sometimes stuffings, wrapped in leaves

Salted eggs and dried fish

Pigeon dishes

Something to quench your thirst in the heat

There are some local crafts as well but mainly it is for food and maybe spices and grains etc. I got some pancake mix with 'ube', which is purple sweet potato (vomanga in Malagasy). It was fun to check out the fruit stalls as well, and I got myself some papaya.

Strawberries and durian, pineapples

Papayas

Dragonfruit and soursap

Pretty grocer's display

It will take many visits to taste all the stalls, and I hope I can come over when I am not traveling.

Tita Bambi is sooo right

And with that a Saturday morning is well spent.

'Ber' months in the Philippines

ALl Saints day was quite a big holiday and there were lots of advisories about traffic that i received by SMS. As soon as midnight struck though, it felt like the Christmas decoration fever was fully unleashed and the street lights and building decorations multiplied.

What I discovered though was that a good place to enjoy the Christmas tres and decorations are the home section of department stores. So I went out chasing out after decorated trees.

SM City mall, Makati

It was quite pretty seeing the way they were decorated. I particularly enjoyed the oeverloaded trees, as they showcased different themes in luxurious ways.

My favourite decoration

 I specially loved the flowers decorating the trees, inciting you to sniff the fragrance of the tree and flower, which is obviously missing since everything is made of plastic and fabric. A suggestion tot he shop would be to add room fragrance...

Almost Easter tree

And then there is the preppy colored ones which turned the tree all sorts of pastel colors, ready for the Easter bunny.

Candy tree

And my guilty pleasure was the hunger inducing tree with all breakfast and sugar food. Something for the sweet tooth in us all.

Rainy season tree

The good thing about strolling among those trees was that it felt very flowery and summery, and it felt like I was indulging in a bit of escapism from the boring skyscrapers and construction sites all around me.

With that, it felt like a painting, and rather peaceful to look at.

A guide to surviving malls, based on an afternoon in SM Mall of Asia, Manila

Like me, you think you are used to malls, indulging in therapy window shopping and even more shocking actual shopping for hours.  Or maybe you just detest shopping, and unfortunately I cannot relate. Whether a destination or a living hell, a mall tests your surviving skills.

When someone at work suggested I visit this landmark of consumerism, SM Mall of Asia , in the promise of great food and halo halo, I easily got honey trapped. Here are the lessons learned from that Sunday casual 3h visit.

1-It is always useful to find something to get, to pretext a visit to the mall and justify your guilty conscience. For example, I had to get gifts for family and friends, and wanted to taste the famous halo halo from Razon's. 

 2-Get an idea of the mall layout to get a vague sense of direction and size. When it is famous for being one of the 10 biggest malls in the world, it is best to prepare mentally.

3-Schedule your visit wisely. It may be to avoid traffic, rush hours at the food court, or to grab special sales, or to catch the sunset on the bay. Arriving the mall at noon like me was useful in finding shops empty and getting to browse without a crowd. However it was impossible to grab a drink or a bite until 3PM.

4-Find an information booth to grab a map of the amusement park facilities. If you are a planner, you can print it home and even mark down the shops you need to visit. If you are like me, you end up queuing for the fancy touchscreen maps and wandering thrice though the same places.
5-Localize the bathrooms. They are a good source of tissue and a venue for interesting happenings. I saw 2 ladies completely soaping up their faces to have a proper face wash in the bathroom, no doubt after participating in a costumed parade, monopolizing the sink, while dozens of women were queuing for the toilet and waiting to wash their hands.
6-Don't forget to indulge in pampering. Every mall I visited so far in Manila (Greenbelt, Glorietta, The Landmark) actually had their layout smartly organized by activity: shopping for clothes, books, shoes, luggage, electronics; food courts; pampering (massage, nails, cosmetics); cinemas;ice rinks; There is also always an area to drop the kids off before doing errands.


Bonus - Stop for a drink and watch the show. There is always some entertainment in malls: fashion shows, product placements, etc...It is a good opportunity to people watch and gossip, or try to learn the local body language and customs. Besides, one needs to hydrate and rest, while missing the comfort of your own bed.

Before you add up your bills* and face the harsh reality, there is always a poolside doze

Poolside

*if you had a shopping list, good for you. You probably bought more than expected anyway. It is not on the survival guide because it never worked on me.

Intramuros, a hot walk though Spanish heritage

On my first Saturday in Manila, after a week of evening shift finishing at midnight, I was glad to see the sun again and enjoy the daylight on my skin. Waking up early to be at the local community market at 7:30am was surprisingly easy. I ogled the street food being cooked (meat on sticks, fresh seafood, all sorts of stews, ...), and bought some overpriced vegetables and yummy rice cakes for munching. I didn't stay long as I had to do laundry before breakfast. Luckily I could just dump the clothes in the machines and swim laps for simultaneous dirt cleaning and fat burning.

After a good breakfast/brunch, a laze around the bed, it was time to head for the Intramuros area. On the map it looked like crossing the whole metropolis from east to West. So I registered with uber, upon recommendation from work, and checked out the fares. I was pleasantly surprised as a 45min ride would be about 300PHP for a private car, and 192PHP for a shared car. Being on my own, I felt it would be a good opportunity to meet new people...And so after leaving the hotel with the blessings of the debonair security guard, I rode through large avenues, small shortcuts between private houses, questionable areas, to end up in a huge traffic jam on a big avenue leading to the old quarters of intramuros. My main reason for visiting was the Manila Design week that featured some events in Intramuros area, around Plaza de Roma.

Manila cathedral

Jeepney in front of cathedral

I was dropped off at the Plaza de Roma, in front of the Manila Cathedral (after a mini karaoke session in the car), and was welcomed by the heavy heat of midday sun. An umbrella/parasol and a mini towel are very necessary accessories when walking around. I am amazed how ladies maintain their make up outside. There were not many booths on the Plaza de Roma so I visited the cathedral briefly, mainly to rest form the heat, and walked 2 blocks behind the cathedral before giving up. There was just no shade to walk about. I should have joined an electric cart tour but I felt it was touristy.

Intramuros street

Casa Manila

To shake off the feeling, I entered Casa Manila and browsed the souvenir shops for postcards. When my clothes dried I ventured out again, looking for a cab to return to the safety of Glorietta mall, not too far from the hotel. The cab asked for 350PHP because of traffic and started being chatty and showed me places. Upon arrival at the mall entrance, he asked me for more money for his 'services'. Shocked I generously gave him 20PHP more and learned my lesson.

I entered the dizzying mall and was sucked into its consumerism: found lunchboxes in Daiso, got casual pants in Uniqlo, and shoes at Sebago, energized by a normal size strawberry lemonade. Finally I made my way through The Landmark mall where I got groceries before crossing to Greenbelt mall and finally a warm sticky walk to the hotel. All in all, a very useful day that drained me of all my water and energy.

View from the Greenbelt pathway, into the park

Mabuhay!!! a safe landing in terra incognita

It was hinted more than 6 months ago, and the prospect was dangling like a sweet carrot in front of me, without real dates and details. Then suddenly it was confirmed for a duration of 2 months!! A travel duty in Manila!

I had about a month to get used to the idea, do the necessary paperwork (security training, plane tickets, visas) and prepare the logistics of my absence. Add in the stress of looking like a local, but not knowing the language, not knowing anyone locally and not being able to establish any social circle before landing, and I became a bundle of knots and nerves.

On D-day, I managed not to be too stressed and forgot only my eyeglasses, unwilling to face reality yet. Checking the weather at destination revealed typhoon Karen was about to make its landing and affect the Manila area. Nothing was mentioned at the airport so I blindly trusted the pilot and air controllers and boarded the plane. After an uneventful 5h flight to Doha, I then walked the long shopping corridor of duty-free shops in Doha to board the 8h30 flight to Manila, stuck between 2 big men, one with questionable odor, and the other with a passion reciting religious verses out loud...Luckily there were good movies to distract me from my neighbors.

I was wearing my winter coat in the plane, and it quickly became cumbersome upon landing in Manila. The heat and humidity did not surprise me so much as it was 5PM and the sky was cloudy. After a health control checkpoint (filling in a form and giving it to a lady), the queue through immigration was fast despite being very crowded. I finally realized that my visa stated I would be in the country as 'foreign government official'...not sure I like the sound of that!

With my 2 suitcases, big cabin luggage and winter coat on a trolley, I eagerly exited the airport looking for my taxi booth. I crossed back and forth the road in front of the main exit, looking for the booth, to eventaully find it and able to dry my sweaty t-shirt in the comfort of aircon.

Airport transfer to the hotel had been arranged and paid for. All I needed to do was see a strangely familiar landscape of shacks, traffic jams (on a Sunday afternoon), followed by luxurious high rises. Local colours were added by colourful Jeepneys, and sidecar motorbikes that can rival any rickshaw in other parts of the world. It took about 30-40min drive to the hotel. And I was greeted by a big German shepherd and its handler, sniffing me and my luggage (the dog, not the handler), discharged of all my luggage and accompanied to reception to fill in all the information that one uses on the internet. The young receptionist then guided me to the elevator to bring me to my room and home of the next 2 months. I then realized the common areas, except the lobby, did not have AC.

So when this young man opened the door to the serviced room, a breath of very fresh air welcomed me into a very big 1-bedroom flat (double the size of my rented studio). I was way above ground, too high according to the security recommendation of 2 to 7th floor, but the feeling of height was grand.

I could get used to this..Mabuhay indeed.

A teaser for Budapest trip

Before I go into too much details into this girl trip, here are some highlights