Taal Lake and Volcano: The Golden Hour to Twilight

Taal Lake and Volcano at the blue hour

The transition from day to night or night to day are among the favorite times for photographers to shoot. Besides minimizing the strong shadows that result from the sun being way up in the sky, the light during this transition gives a colorful, mesmerizing effect to the scenery. Often, very average-looking scenarios suddenly appear radiant and dazzling when bathed in the sun’s golden rays. What more for scenic locations such as Taal Lake and Volcano when viewed from the ridgeline of Tagaytay.

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Tanauan: A Hero’s Legacy and His Timeless Insights on Philippine Society and Politics

stained-glass mural at the Apolinario Mabini Shrine and Museum, Tanauan, Batangas

We had originally intended to drop by the city proper of Tanauan and a shrine just outside the city center as a side trip to our Wawa Baywalk visit. As it turned out however, we ended up not just enjoying the natural beauty of Tanauan’s landscape. Beyond that, we got to appreciate more fully the legacy of a true national hero and his profound insights on the struggles and triumphs of the Filipino people. Insights that still ring true for our present time.

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Beauty Amidst a Disaster: Tanauan’s Wawa Baywalk

coconut palms along the Wawa Baywalk, Tanauan, Batangas

It looks more like a tropical beach scene rather than the shores of an inland lake. The coconut palms swaying gently in the early morning breeze gave us that vibe. The looming figure of an active volcano in the not-so-distant background reminded us, however, that we are on the shores of Taal Lake, home to a volcano that had its last major eruption only 5 years ago. However, a different kind of disaster had recently made its mark on the beautiful scenery in front of us.

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Abe’s Farm and Kapampangan Cuisine

Abe's Farm in Magalang, Pampanga

Driving back home from Nueva Ecija meant passing by the province of Pampanga. This province is well-known for its gastronomic work and has often been referred to as the country’s culinary capital. It would be a mortal sin therefore if we would not take the time to sample the culinary delights in one of the reputable dining spots in this gourmet province.

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Lake Farm de la Marre: Vistas of Pantabangan Lake and the Sierra Madres

Pantabangan Lake and Sierra Madre Mountains viewed from Lake Farm de la Marre

We had passed by this area 10 years ago on our way towards the surfing town of Baler, Aurora. The drive had taken us through a mountain road that offered glimpses of a reservoir below formed by a huge dam. Years later we would take the same road but head on a detour towards an agri-tourism park that offered scenic views of the same lake and the surrounding mountain range.

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Nueva Ecija’s Lumang Gapan on a Rainy Day

heritage structures at Lumang Gapan, Gapan, Nueva Ecija

After making it through another stormy week, we thought the weather would be much better as we drove north to the province of Nueva Ecija. Unfortunately, another weather hazard – tropical depression Verbena – made its way through the southern part of the country and helped dump rains into other parts of the Philippines. It was too late to make changes in our hotel bookings so there was no other way but to weather the storm. Literally.

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La Union: Why Elyu Is More than Surfing

surfing at Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union

Super Typhoon Fung-Wong (local name Uwan) left a trail of destruction after hitting the Philippines recently. This typhoon reached an exceptional size of approximately 1,800 kilometers in diameter at peak intensity, practically covering the whole country. Its eye exited the Philippine land mass at the coastal areas of La Union province. The latter was hit hard with structures suffering damage due to storm surges, howling winds and floods.

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Coffee, Hot Cocoa, Rice Cakes and Taal Lake Views

view of Taal Lake and Volcano from Miara Events Place grounds

Given that Tagaytay is less than 30-minutes’ drive away from our place, it is inevitable that we would frequently end up here whenever we wanted to dine or just have coffee. It is one of the better places in the country to savor a meal while feasting one’s eyes on a gorgeous scenery such as Taal Lake and Volcano. Let’s just hope this volcano doesn’t blow up in our faces while we’re at it, as it last did 5 years ago.

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Perlas ng Silang One More Time

Perlas ng Silang, Silang, Cavite

PAGASA, the national weather and disaster-warning agency of the Philippines, recently announced the start of the northeast monsoon or amihan season in the Philippines. A few weeks before, it had announced the end of the southwest monsoon or habagat season. For Filipinos, both developments spell the end of heavy monsoon rains and the onset of dryer and colder weather associated with Christmas. For us, it means the beginning of travel to destinations we could not previously visit due to heavy rains, floods, and muddy conditions.

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The Devil’s Mountain and Lukong Valley Farm

Mount San Cristobal in Dolores, Quezon

The southwest monsoon or habagat season in the Philippines is officially over but not so for the rainy season. Which is mildly frustrating since we have been trying to get to a beach under sunny skies for the past month or so with no success. We finally decided to head to an upland farm that offers scenic views of two nearby inactive volcanos. One of them, to our mild surprise, happens to be dubbed as the “Devil’s Mountain.”

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Lipa, Batangas: Reminders of a Storied Past

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sebastian/Lipa Cathedral

The previous week saw a major earthquake down in Cebu, a phreatic eruption of nearby Taal Volcano and yet another typhoon up north in Luzon. This is to be expected when you live in an area that is part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. Together with recent revelations of massive corruption involving billions of pesos in flood control projects, this sad state of affairs made for a truly gloomy beginning of October. So, to add a little luster to our week, we decided to visit a nearby nature park along Taal Lake.

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Narvacan, Ilocos Sur: More Than Just a Passageway

Narvacan Tobacco Farmers Tourism Park and Commercial Complex

In most of our trips to the Ilocos provinces, we would often just pass by this town and relish a few of its scenic views from the road before continuing our drive north. Except for a brief stop along a section of its rocky coastline, we had never spent time at the town of Narvacan in Ilocos Sur. That would change during our last visit to the Ilocos Region some months back.

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Remembering Bantayan Island

Kota Beach, Santa Fe, Bantayan Island

Bantayan is one of those islands in the Philippines that always brings back fond memories. We spent our honeymoon there and got to enjoy a memorable vacation on its beaches on our second visit a few years ago. Here’s our tribute to this tropical paradise of white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, and laid-back atmosphere.

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Imelda’s Garden, Cuenca: Beyond the Spirits of Yesteryears

Taal Lake and Volcano viewed from Cuenca

For us, the mere mention of the town of Cuenca, Batangas conjures creepy feelings associated with mysticism and the paranormal. Almost 40 years ago we embarked on a missions trip to this town and discovered that occultism was rampant there. We even had a few supernatural encounters in the course of our work. Fast forward to this year and our latest visit revealed a vastly different setting.

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Majayjay’s Destinations: A Look Back

Sprite Falls in Majayjay, Laguna

It’s a quaint town tucked away at the southeastern edge of Laguna province and at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. With an approximate elevation of 1,000 ft. above sea level, Majayjay is a popular summer destination for visitors wanting to escape Metro Manila’s concrete jungle. It was once branded as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” during the Spanish colonial era, when prominent personalities visited the area.

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Idling Away at Amadeo’s Alitaptap Art Café

coffee and cookie at Alitaptap Art Café, Amadeo

On a sleepy afternoon recently, several trucks from the local power company suddenly materialized on our street. They began replacing transformers and electrical cables in our subdivision resulting in a power outage for more than 5 hours. As dependent as we are on electricity, it would prove to be difficult to wait out this power interruption at home. So, fighting our drowsiness, we made for the next town and on to a café that we had been wanting to visit for quite some time now.

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Meandering Around Calauan’s Balumbong Falls and UP Los Baños

Balumbong Falls, Calauan, Laguna

The last week of July saw two tropical storms along with the southwest monsoon generating intense rainfall and flooding over wide swaths of the Philippines. Although we were relatively safe from the worse effects of the inclement weather, we had to stay indoors for practically a week. So, when the skies cleared beginning last weekend we drove for a quick getaway, even if just a short ride from home.

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A Touch of Heritage at Lucban, Quezon

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church/Lucban Church, Lucban, Quezon

Located at the base of mystical Mt. Banahaw, Lucban has a relatively mild climate for most of the year. Because of this, the town was christened the Summer Capital of Quezon Province. In recent years, it has become famous for its Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, a pilgrimage site for Catholic devotees but also a favorite tourist stopover. On our latest trip however, our interest leaned towards the colorful Bukid Amara and the heritage structures in town.

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Bukid Amara’s Kaleidoscope of Colors

Bukid Amara framed, Lucban, Quezon

We’ve often dropped by the town of Lucban in Quezon province on our way to Mauban, its waterfalls and Cagbalete Island. In none of those trips did we bother spending some time inside Lucban. Eventually however, we realized just what we were missing and decided to make the two hour+ drive to Lucban recently. Our first stop was at a flower farm within the boundaries of the town sometimes dubbed as the Summer Capital, Art Capital, Dance Capital, Tourist Capital, and Rice Capital of Quezon province.

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Liliw: Red Bricks, Tsinelas Shops and Ancestral Houses

St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Liliw, Laguna

It used to be popular for its cold springs. In recent years, the town of Liliw is better known as the “Tsinelas Capital of Laguna,” visited for its good quality yet inexpensive footwear. We’ve already been to Liliw a few times in years past but as we drove home from our Majayjay visit we still stopped by the quaint town. Lunch here was our first reason. But we were also looking forward to relishing the sight of the iconic red brick church and the town’s old but well-preserved homes.

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