"A volcano within a lake, in a volcano within a lake, on an island."

It was my youngest sister's birthday and aboard their minivan, our entire family happily spent the weekend on a road trip to hilly Tagaytay City, 70 km south of Manila. The home to the magnificent Taal Volcano, an active volcano, one of the most active in the Philippines.  

Taal Volcano was formed during one of the major eruptions in the middle of the lake. The last notable one was in 1977, however there were 33 more eruptions since then.  Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS) continuously monitors water temperatures and seismic activity there. They strongly prohibit people to live on the Volcano Island because it is a high risk area and it is marked as a permanent danger zone. 

Taal Lake is actually a crater of an inactive prehistoric super volcano.  In this lake, surrounding Taal Volcano, there were many other eruptions that formed other craters and micro-lakes. Tagaytay city is a ridge that sits on the rim of the caldera, meaning this will be the first to be hit if this super volcano comes to life. This was something that our Geology professor told us back in college. 

If adventure is right up your alley, there are boat trips with hiking trails to the volcanic crater from Talisay, Batangas. Check out advisories from Philvolcs first.

However, if you prefer appreciating the magnificent scenery from a distance, then a relaxing day trip to Tagaytay City will more than satisfy and delight your senses.

There are many ways to get to Tagaytay City. Above is a link showing how to get there. Like many travelers, we chose the SLEX (South Luzon Express Way)  Sta. Rosa exit where we had a quick stopover in Nuvali to enjoy the leisure park and feed the koi fish.

Tagaytay City is a memorable place for my family. When we were young, growing up in a Catholic School, we spent countless spiritual retreats here.  

This was where Yohann and I had our first out-of-town date together in 2001. We also spent days up in the hill near Taal Lake staying with my best friend and her family's mountain cottage in the middle of a forest Talisay, Batangas.

Garden Wedding in Tagaytay City in March 2006

Tagaytay City was also where we had our garden wedding in 2006   My sister (who was celebrating her birthday) got married here too in 2012.

History has it that People's Park was supposed to be a Palace in the Sky, a project that former first lady, Imelda Marcos initiated, to build a mansion on the land owned by the government possessing the best view of Tagaytay.  It was rapidly pushed to be completed for the intended visit of President Ronald Reagan back in 1983.  The presidential visit didn't take place and the mansion remained unfinished to this day.  It was later converted to an urban park. The view and cold breeze up on the summit is wonderful but a lot of maintenance and renovation work are still needed. Entrance to People's Park in the Sky is Php 30 (USD$ 0.65) per person. 

If you get the opportunity, do drop by Tagaytay Highlands next to the park. We were fortunate to visit this exclusive community after our wedding back in 2006.

After a short hike to the summit of People's Park,  tummies will definitely growl afterwards.

 Dencio's Bar & Grill  is a large restaurant chain offering Filipino cuisine. Filipino comfort food at its best, wonderfully shared with the family with this amazing view. Cost would be around Php800 (USD$ 17.37) for 2 people.

 I wrote about my first visit to Sonya's Garden here back in 2012. Click here for the article. It's a popular garden wedding venue. There's a Bed & Breakfast, Restaurant serving organic produce, an organic farm, landscaped gardens, greenhouse-looking function rooms, an apothecary and a bakery serving the yummiest Spanish bread that will make you forget your name and start speaking in Spanish. Just kidding. This is my Spanish-speaking brother's inside joke whenever his colleagues ask him how he became so fluent in Spanish. He always replies with, "I ate the Spanish bread from Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay."

Skyranch. We briefly stopped by Skyranch for a peek. The sun's blazing heat and large busy groups made us skip it. Perhaps next time.

We made a coffee addiction detour to Bag of Beans Coffee Shop, Restaurant & Bakery for coffee, drinks and dessert. Here, we ordered their famous blueberry cheesecake. 

Don't leave Tagaytay without trying this. Blueberry Cheesecake (Php 160 / USD 3.50 per slice) with a mug of House Blend Brewed Coffee for Php 120 (USD$ 2.60) regular / Php150 (USD$ 3.25) for bottomless. We bought a whole blueberry cheesecake and we shared it with everyone including my daughter who went hyper sugar-rush crazy after having several bites. It's not too sweet at all by the way.  It exceeded my expectations. It was smooth with the right amount of sweetness.

This is a popular destination in the south to do your plant and seedling shopping. Along Sta. Rosa Tagaytay Highway, there are fruit and vegetable stalls. You can purchase a chilli plant for Php 50 (USD$ 1.09) and a thyme seedling for the same price.  I also went crazy fruit and vegetable shopping. I got 4 fresh organic romaine lettuce for Php 100 (USD$ 2.17) and 3 pcs ripe avocados for Php100 (USD$ 2.17). I also got bananas and freshly harvested pineapples.

On the way home, a quick stop to buy buko (coconut) pie and other local sweet treats is a must for Filipino families. A popular one is Rowena's Cafe. Though we didn't try it due to the long parking and waiting queue along the main road which was causing traffic. 

Instead, we went to the Orient, The Original Buko Pie at the Caltex Station along Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. It's always sold out and they don't accept order reservations by phone. We waited for an hour (eating fish balls at the nearby food cart) for freshly baked buko (coconut) pies and I must say they were worth the wait, nothing fancy but there's a lot of coconut meat in it. 

Which activity in Tagaytay do you enjoy best?

A food trip with the view of the Taal Volcano no doubt. :)

Love & light,

Arni

It's the weekend and a diversion is due. A case of wanderlust and itchy feet.  Nuvali, in Sta. Rosa  -Canlubang, Laguna, south of Manila is a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the metro. A master planned development that is sustainable and environment friendly surrounded by medium to high end subdivisions with a harmonious suburban vibe.  There are pavements wide enough for jogging and walking. There are smooth roads and off road trails ideal for biking. Yes,  you can rent bikes here too.

What's Up Lately? How have you been?

The Holy Week in the Philippines is a huge event. Shops are closed on Good Friday. Everyone seemed to have left the capital, away on a beach vacation somewhere  in one of the 7500 islands or touring in another country for a week long break, others are on a pilgrimage somewhere visiting 14 churches while the rest of us are on house arrest  err staycation. 

The afternoon in the suburbs is dead silent except for our neighbor's roosters who seem to tirelessly belt out karaoke tunes nonstop. Here's wishing that my baby daughter's nap time is undisturbed by its constant crowing.

Currently reading:   Le Jour Ou J'ai Appris à Vivre  par Laurent  Gounelle

                                (The Day I Learned to Live)

It's about a French Man living in San Francisco told by a stranger that he is going to die soon and how this changes his life.

Currently drinking: Kapeng Barako or barako coffee with beans grown and roasted in Batangas, Philippines

Currently enjoying: The scent of sampaguita flowers my daughter picked from the garden.

Currently watching:  I just started watching a local film, Heneral Luna, based on a true story of an arrogant and fiery tempered general who was betrayed by the very Filipino Government that he fought for during the American Colonization of the Philippines in 1899. He was assassinated by politicians to protect their own personal interests and ambitions. Heartbreaking, I can't bring myself to finish watching it.

Currently feeling:

Awakened. (like someone just slapped me, awakened). My laptop died on me this week while working on a friend's project. I'm afraid it can't function well with the drafting programs I have been using.  I was depressed when my laptop crashed. It was the only thing that allowed me to practice Interior Design.  With it gone, it made me question whether its demise and my constant delay of finishing drafting works are manifestations of an actual lack of passion in this domain. It's still a big question mark.  I think in my head  practicing design in my home country I fear may not lead me to where I want to be in this field.  Yes, it did shake my core and I'm currently lost career-wise while being here. 

Currently contemplating and reflecting:

Living a Life with Intention. I have been reading a lot of articles about mindfulness and living with intention on a day to day basis and I am moved by it.  

Here are some interesting links about the topic:

10 Secrets to Living Your Life with Intention

5 Steps Toward Living with Intention

I'm spending this Holy Week answering important questions while profoundly thinking about my answers and what I need to do.

Currently celebrating:

Our 10-year wedding anniversary today.  Wow! I still can't believe we got married a decade ago. :)) 

What about you? What are you currently reading, watching and zzzzinking about?

What are your Easter Plans?
Love & Light,
Arni

In the last couple of months with soaring air fare prices going to Coron, Palawan during the peak season from November to May, it made us wonder how we can travel to Coron with limited budget. Airline prices to Coron/Busuanga Airport from Manila are at a sky high at Php 7500 (USD 162) return per person. I remember Coron residents previously mentioning their frequent travel to Manila by ship for administrative purposes to save on costs.

The archipelago of the Philippines is made up of 7,500 islands. 29 years ago in the absence of budget airlines, the most common mode of transport to get to other islands is through water. The thought of it at first was a frightful one due to a terrible sea incident crossing Batangas and Lubang many many years ago aboard a very small ferry.