Batangas: Walking tour around old Taal

After our visit to Taal Volcano, we drove all the way to the heritage town of Taal, Batangas via STAR Expressway to visit the grand old houses and other heritage structures there. I've been to Taal many times before. But the town never fails to fascinate me. In fact, we're in the process of stakeholder consultations to determine if the town wants to push for inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Unfortunately, it is not yet in the tentative list. But the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape is. To make a stronger case for UNESCO inscription, countries usually cluster sites and structures into a single inscription that together, tell a compelling story with universal value to humanity.

One idea would be to expand the Taal Volcano listing from a natural site into a cultural landscape, to include the underwater ruins in Taal Lake and the town of Taal. Together, these sites tell a story of resilience amidst volcanic eruptions and how communities rise after every eruption of the volcano.


For this trip, we got to visit to visit the Taal Basilica National Landmark and Agoncillo House, as well as the Villavicencio Houses. As always, I stopped by the Taal Market to buy piña cloth for my barongs.


It's a good thing new restaurants have opened offering several local dishes of Taal. We had Taal Longganisa and Taal Tapa among many others at Don Juan BBQ which is right beside the Taal Market.


There are several tour options in Taal. you can contact Heritage Tours and Travel through Bennet (0918) 3155634 for a guided tour of the heritage town. There are half and whole day packages with meals (see their site at heritours.multiply.com).

You can also visit Villa Tortuga for a different kind of tour experience. It includes lunch at the old house complete with colonial-period costumes for you to wear while dining. Contact Lito Perez of Camp Suki at (02) 7250819 or (0917) 8246900 for reservations.

Where to stay in Taal
Baby Joven-Quiblat and Benny Quiblat have rooms available for visitors. You can reach Baby at (0917) 8970363 for rates and avalability.

Robert Arambulo, a balikbayan architect from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, also has rooms available in his restored Taal house called Casa Severina. Contact him at (0917) 5018060.

Casa Cecilia has eight bedrooms and a restaurant that serves great tasting Taal cuisine. Specialties are bulalo (with a twist) and their maliputo. Contact numbers are (043) 4080048 or (0906) 2225339.

Batangas: Taal Volcano trek

While most only get to see Taal Volcano from the Tagaytay Ridge, a few adventurous souls venture down to Talisay, Batangas to set foot on Volcano Island and trek to the crater lake. A good number ride a horse going up to the view point, while others trek up. Even more challenging is the trail that leads all the way down to the banks of the crater lake.


Boats to Volcano Island are readily available. In fact, you'll see touts with small signs trying to get you to ride their boats around Tagaytay. But the problem with this is having to haggle with them. So I decided to take a boat from the Taal Lake Yacht Club where fees are fixed and parking is free. The boat and guide to Taal Volcano costs Php1,800 there (maximum of five passengers).


This time, I chose to trek up to the crater lake viewpoint. The trail is 1.7 kilometers and you can finish it in about an hour. It was quite funny that the horses and their caretakers followed us up, hoping that we'd get tired and decide to ride a horse the rest of the way. The horse ride should cost Php500 for the trip up and back. You can arrange this at the resort to avoid haggling when you get to the island.



Note that there is also a Php20 landing fee when you reach the island. Along the way, you get to see vents spewing out sulfuric gases. The view from the top is really stunning as you get to see the entire lake as well as the coast of Batangas.

As I mentioned, you can opt to go down the crater lake. But this would cost a bit more. I've never been down there. And too bad we didn't have time to do it since we planned to visit Taal Town after lunch.

Taal Lake Yacht Club
Talisay, Batangas, Philippines
(043) 7730192

Dinagat Islands: Tagbirayan Beach in Cagdianao, Surigao del Norte

Dinagat Islands was a province of the Philippines until February 11, 2010. If it still was a province, I would have been celebrating my completion in December when I set foot on Dinagat Islands, my 80th province (81st if you count Shariff Kabunsuan, another defunct province).

But even if it's been ordered back to Surigao del Norte, I was quite surprised to discover that the Provincial Government of Dinagat Islands is still up and running. In fact, a few days before I arrived, the Bugkosan sa Isla or Dinagatan Festival 2010 had just ended.


To get to Dinagat Islands, you have to hop-on a ferry in Surigao City. As soon as I arrived in Surigao City from Cebu, I rushed straight to the ferry port. There are ferries to various towns in Dinagat Island such as Dinagat Municipality and the capital town San Jose. The one for San Jose leaves at 12 noon. While the one for Dinagat Municipality leaves at 1 p.m. Make sure you mention the exact town because if you say Dinagat, they will point you to the ferry that goes to Dinagat Town.


Since I just stayed overnight, I got to visit only a few places. One of the beaches I saw in Dinagat was Tagbirayan Beach in Cagdianao. We were actually trying to look for a beach in Dinagat Municipality but couldn't seem to find one. So we crossed to Cadianao, the opposite side of the island which faces the Pacific Ocean. I noticed that the waves were stronger there. I later read that they have also have a surfing area in Cagdianao.

The gold sand is very soft and your feet will easily sink in. They have several resorts in Tagbirayan Beach. If only I had more time in Tagbirayan Beach, some of the nearby islands looked enticing. Tagbirayan is definitely a must-visit when you are in Dinagat Islands.

Update (03/29/11): The Supreme Court flip-flops again and reverses its earlier decision nullifying the creation of Dinagat Islands. Dinagat Islands becomes the 80th province of the Philippines.

Powerade for my Taal Volcano trek

Last December, I made a trek up Taal Volcano. I usually take a horse up the crater lake viewpoint. But this time around, I decided to walk for some exercise.


Like in most of my hikes, I was expecting to consume a large amount of water since I get dehydrated really quick. This time around, aside from the water, I decided to bring with me some 500ml bottles of Powerade. I drank my first bottle midway through the trek. And I was pleasantly surprised that I did not need much liquids until I reached the top. I only opened my bottles of water when we got back to the shore.



It seems that Powerade is a really viable hydration solution. It's important during strenuous activities like these that you get the proper hydration. I checked out the label and discovered that Powerade has the right amount of electrolytes and carbohydrates which explains why it provides effective hydration and energy.


I found it funny that the horse owners followed us up hoping that we would tire out and finally say yes to riding a horse up. But I guess, I wanted to challenge myself to walk all the way. And thanks to proper hydration, I was able to do it.

I got the blue-colored Mountain Blast flavor. Powerade also comes in Berry Blast and Orange Burst. And good thing, it's conveniently available in supermarkets & convenience stores. So when going on your own mountain trek, make sure to Power up! Drink up!

Top Philippine travel destinations for 2010

It's time again to come up with my personal list of top Philippine travel destinations for 2010! If you haven't visited my Facebook album Travel Year 2010, please do. Almost all my trips for the year are featured there. It looks like this year was my biggest travel year to date.

For 2010, I visited 51 provinces in 16 regions of the Philippines, 17 provinces for the first time. Plus I finally set foot on all 79 provinces of the Philippines! Had I not canceled my trips to Leyte and Samar, I would have visited all 17 regions this year.

So here are my ten favorite travel experiences around the Philippines for 2010!


1. Overnight with the Manobo community of Agusan Marsh
If there was a hidden paradise in the Philippines, it must be the Agusan Marsh. To visit the marsh requires several hours of land and river boat travel to get to the marsh itself. I stayed with the Manobo community in Sitio Panlabuhan, Loreto, Agusan del Sur for a night. No electricity so you're really one with nature. If you want to visit the marsh, e-mail info@ivanehnares.com since we are planning a trip there from March 4-6, 2011.


2. Lake Sebu's Seven Falls, Zip Line and Lang Dulay
Lake Sebu, South Cotabato has several cultural and natural attractions which makes it a worthwhile destination for tourists who look for more than the usual destination. For this trip, I visited the Seven Falls and tried out the Seven Falls Zip Line. Plus I met with National Living Treasure t'nalak weaver Lang Dulay.


3. Whitewater tubing, anthropomorphic pottery and pawikan in Maitum, Sarangani
Sarangani is very popular because of Gumasa Beach, a powder white sand beach in Glan. But on the opposite end of the province is Maitum, which has the Pangi River whitewater tubing, Pawikan Sanctuary, and a small museum dedicated to the anthropomorphic pottery that was found in Ayub Cave in Brgy. Piñol. Whitewater tubing in Maitum was fun!


4. Trek to the Batad Rice Terraces in Ifugao
Finally, after all those years planning to visit the Batad Rice Terraces, I finally did!


5. Bantayan Island, Cebu and island hopping to Virgin Island
I found myself back in Bantayan Island, Cebu this January for an Out of Classroom Learning Activity (OCLA) with my Tourism 114 class, 45 students total. One of the best food experiences in the country is the weekend dinner buffet at D'Jungle. Plus this time, we got to visit Virgin Island off the coast of Bantayan.


6. Rice planting experience in Mayoyao, Ifugao
Mayoyao, Ifugao called me back January. I had previously made that long trip to the Mayoyao Rice Terraces for the rice harvest tour in July 2008. This time, I was at the rice planting (Pfukhay ad Majawjaw) tour as part of an OCLA for my Tourism 115 students. And you can experience it too from January 28-30, 2011. Just contact Josh Nalliw at josh21020@gmail.com to book a slot!


7. Sandboarding and 4x4 ride in the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes
Ever heard of sandboarding? Sandboarding is the newest adventure activity in Ilocos Norte, which has its very own desert of sorts - the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes. An already popular activity are 4x4 jeep rides in the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes.


8. Dakak Park Beach Resort in Dapitan
When flying to Dipolog, make sure to include Dakak Park Beach Resort in your itinerary. In fact, most tourists fly there to visit Dakak, a really popular beach resort which has maintained its quaint 1980s charm. And when in Dapitan, don't forget to visit all the Rizal-related heritage sites.


9. Danao Adventure Park's E.A.T. Danao in Bohol
Have you heard of Bohol's E.A.T. Danao? The Eco, Educational, Extreme Adventure Tour of the Danao Adventure Park is arguably the country's best adventure attraction! Make sure to try their zip line and canyon swing!


10. Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur
Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur is one of the most majestic waterfalls in the country. It's not just just the height of the falls but the width that makes it really spectacular. Tinuy-an Falls is 55 meters high and 95 meters wide. And some say that it is the widest waterfalls in the Philippines. I may have been here for just a few minutes, but I genuinely enjoyed the visit.


11. Visiting Jolo, Bud Datu in Indanan and Quezon Beach in Patikul, Sulu
How could I forget that exciting trip to Jolo, Sulu? And yes, Quezon Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. It's a pity thinking of how much potential Sulu has for tourism only if banditry and insurgency is curbed in the province.

This year, I also got to visit over 30 cities in 12 countries and territories. I visited Hong Kong, Macau and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia twice this year; and Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands for the first time. I also was in Spain, Indonesia and Thailand. I'll make another post on European cities I visited in 2010. Indeed a great year!