Blogs from Taal Lake, Philippines, Asia

General Info: Currency: Philippine Peso Cost of living: 500ml bottle of water 25P, 1kg of bananas 70P, Regular size PizzaHut 250-300P Almost all day flight to Manila airport, then horrible 3h ride in traffic jam on the bus. Finally we reached the hotel late evening and decided with two other girls to arrange our trip for next day. After lovely dinner in Chineese restaurant I went back to my room to rest before upcoming long day. Next day 6am pick up from the hotel, I was waiting there for my fellows in front of the hotel, chating with hotel employees. I couldn't resist the impression one of them was the lookalike of Barack Obama, just take a look at the photo below ;) When we gathered together and hit the road, after over 2h car ride ... read more

One day in Manila was enough pollution and congestion on the roads to make us feel sick so we headed out of the city bright and early to a small town called Taygaytay. We took a minibus there for 3$ each and in a van where you would expect to fit 8-10 people, they squeezed 18 people in, plus the driver! It was not the most comfortable 2 hr drive, but it got us there in good time. From Taygaytay we took a tricyle (motorbike with a side car attached for passengers) 30 minutes through some scenic countryside roads to Talisay, the main port for boats to Taal Volcano, our destination for the day. As with anything in SEAsia our tricycle driver had “a friend” who would give us the “best price” for a boat trip ... read more

Actually it wasn't THAT bizarre. But I did try some new foods for me! Most of this post will be about my lunch at Josephines, overlooking the beautiful Taal lake and volcano. But first let me say the best mangos in the world are from the Philippines! The food here is really great, and even the cafeteria has tasty food. I admit that I like Asian food more than American food on any day of the week. That said, I have been trying not to eat too much because if I gain weight, it takes me a lot to work it off - and I've had no time or energy to work out when I get home from work. My co-workers here were generous enough to take me out today to lunch. After my second training ... read more

Five women and a lad out to conquer a volcano….ok….a little far-fetch. We’re just out for a little bit of adventure, and that is, to ride a horse up to Taal Volcano and enjoy a spectacular view. As soon as we arrived in Tagaytay, a group of men lined on the side of the road are flagging us for a boat ride to Taal. We drove at the end of the line and asked for the cost. We managed to haggle a boat ride to Taal Island for about AU$40. The flaggers escorted us to a resort’s dock and caught one of their outrigger boats or banca. The trip to Taal was choppy. The waves got really rough. Our boatman gave us tarpaulins to protect ourselves from splashes. Mix of emotions flooded my senses. I found ... read more