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Published: February 16th 2012
Jeepney
Like a hummer stretch Admittedly, it was probably a mistake to party till 6:30 AM after 2 days of flying on my first night in Manila. Especially since my plan was to wake up at 8 Am to ride a horse up a volcano in the town of Tagaytay and Lake Tal.
So, I was going to go to sleep 9ish, which turned into a couple of beers with the French and Canadians in the hostel, which turned into a few more beers, and then a ridiculously belligerent cab ride to republic club accompanied with belligerent French songs the whole way. The club was sweet. 600 Pesos cover ($15 - more than I ever spent in Austin to get into a club and in the Philippines, that's an average day's salary). Dancing and drinking with the locals and fellow travellers, made for a global experience under the influence. The party started to wind down around 4. So we gather and head out. On the cab ride back, the cabby runs out of gas half way back - so fuck it, we go to another bar - and with no cover, it is a very different crowd. From there the rest of the night is
pretty much a blur.
8 AM, I'm awoken by my enthusiastic, newly acquired travel companion. A Swedish girl, who much like me, wants to do and see as much as possible in our given time. An so, with that creed in mind, an hour and a half of sleep will have to do.
The rest of the day is travel, a 2 hour bus ride to the town of Tagaytay, where we meet our tour guide. He takes us in a super sketchy, yet cosy tri-cycle ride down the mountain to the Lake Tal. When we get there, we negotiate our fare for the boat, and horse ride. We eat some lunch and take a boat to the volcano. At the base, we meet our horses, and get on our way. 20 minutes later, I'm captivated by a view, that seems to keep getting better. The day peaks with a 10 minute meditation. I realize how grateful I am. I made it to the Philippines, and I'm surrounded by amazing people.
Tomorrow, heading back south for some hot springs and trekking. Time to get some sleep.
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Carol Goldin
non-member comment
Lovely shots from the first day!
Oh Daren what beautiful pictures from your first day. And I'm so glad you found a nice travel partner to link up with.When was the last time you were on a horse? Keep having fun and stay safe. Enough drinking. love Mom