Day 2 - Taal Volcano
It was a delayed itinerary.
We were supposed to leave our place at 8.30 AM to Buendia LRT Station but with the crowded platform on a working Monday we could not buy the tickets nor enter the platform! Queue in front of the ticketing machine was long and cashiers would not sell tickets headed to the south (towards Ayala) so we were stuck.
9.30 AM Cab ride to Jam bus station (PHP 100/cab)
So we decided to take the cab in order to board the bus headed to Tanauan, Batangas. After some negotiation, the taxi driver decided to bring us to the nearest Jam's bus station for PHP 100.
10.00 AM Departure from Jam station to Tanauan, Bantagas (PHP 104/pax)
Battling the traffic, we took off on a Jam bus headed down to Tanauan at 10 AM.
11.30 AM Arrival at Tanauan jeepney terminal, lunch
The bus driver dropped us off near the jeepney terminal, where we had cheap burgers and siew mai (in the Philippines, they call them Sio Mai) for lunch.
12.00 PM Departure from jeepney terminal to Taal Lake, Talisay (PHP 26/pax)
Until the jeepney was filled (which didn't take long) we took off to Talisay. Let the driver know where you are headed to (Taal Lake) so that he would bring you to one of the jetties.
12.30 PM Arrival at Taal Lake, depart from jetty to Taal Volcano (PHP 360/pax)
PHP 360 (non-negotiable) includes a round boat-trip, environmental fee and docking fee. If you hadn't bring along some water, and perhaps a hat, with you, it's better to make your purchase at the jetty first as they charged reasonably. The prices at the volcano are cut-throat and especially at the crater.
PHP 360 (non-negotiable) includes a round boat-trip, environmental fee and docking fee. If you hadn't bring along some water, and perhaps a hat, with you, it's better to make your purchase at the jetty first as they charged reasonably. The prices at the volcano are cut-throat and especially at the crater.
1.00 PM Arrival at Taal Volcano, begin hiking
The hike would take about one hour. You could opt for a horse ride (about PHP 400) so to save energy and minimize the volcanic ashes you are about to inhale. If you have dust allergy (like my husband does), please be advised to bring a face mask. You can still buy one here for about PHP 20 to 30.
2.00 PM Arrival at the Crater Lake
Surrounded by the Taal Lake in Talisay, Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano, and the smallest one too, in the Philippines. It has claimed over 5000 lives. Its last eruption was in 1977 but strong seismic activities have been sensed since 1991. At the crater you could see a lake (the Main Crater Lake) that runs 2km wide. In the middle of the lake is the Vulcan Point Island.
3.00 PM Begin descending, then depart from Taal Volcano
4.30 PM Arrival at the jetty, departure from Talisay to Tanauan (PHP 26/pax)
5.30 PM Take a jeepney ride to Santo Tomas bus stop (PHP 8/pax), flag down a bus headed to Manila (we took a bus to Alabang) (PHP 50/pax)
It's okay if there are no seat, you may need to stand for 10 minutes or so as people will get off a few stops later. Most passengers were not bound for Manila.
7.00 PM Arrival at Starmall, Alabang
Though this didn't mark the end of our journey today (we still had to take the scariest one-hour bus ride to Cubao - I regret, take the cab next time!) but I would stop here.
The trip to Taal Volcano was worth it, although a better planning would do a greater job in elevating the experience. If you could, hire a travel agency to plan the itinerary for you. A private mini-van would make a great transport so you wouldn't have to take several bus and jeepney rides to go back and forth.
Batangas has many places and delicacies to offer and we couldn't explore due to poor time management and knowledge. It's a one-of-a-lifetime experience, and one beautiful volcano to pay a visit to. However, go at your own risk! Taal is still an active volcano and is bound to erupt anytime due to the regular seismic activities, besides its eruption is unpredictable.
Boracay Day 4 to 7
4.30 PM Arrival at the jetty, departure from Talisay to Tanauan (PHP 26/pax)
5.30 PM Take a jeepney ride to Santo Tomas bus stop (PHP 8/pax), flag down a bus headed to Manila (we took a bus to Alabang) (PHP 50/pax)
It's okay if there are no seat, you may need to stand for 10 minutes or so as people will get off a few stops later. Most passengers were not bound for Manila.
7.00 PM Arrival at Starmall, Alabang
Though this didn't mark the end of our journey today (we still had to take the scariest one-hour bus ride to Cubao - I regret, take the cab next time!) but I would stop here.
The trip to Taal Volcano was worth it, although a better planning would do a greater job in elevating the experience. If you could, hire a travel agency to plan the itinerary for you. A private mini-van would make a great transport so you wouldn't have to take several bus and jeepney rides to go back and forth.
Batangas has many places and delicacies to offer and we couldn't explore due to poor time management and knowledge. It's a one-of-a-lifetime experience, and one beautiful volcano to pay a visit to. However, go at your own risk! Taal is still an active volcano and is bound to erupt anytime due to the regular seismic activities, besides its eruption is unpredictable.
See my travelogue in the Philippines:
Manila Day 1Boracay Day 4 to 7
No comments:
Post a Comment