Taal Volcano Island: A Tryst with Nature

Taal Lake – View of  the dormant Binintiang Malaki

After getting a taste of adventure at the Pagsanjan Falls the previous week, we decided not let the momentum drop and thus planned our next trip to the country. This time our destination was going to be the Taal Volcano Island. This was still an active volcano on an island on Taal Lake culminating in a breathtaking view of a crater lake resulting from an eruption many years ago from the top of the mountain.
The journey included multiple modes of transport. It involved going from Manila to Tagaytay by bus. Tagaytay is located 50 km south of Manila in Batangas district.  This was followed by the now notorious tri-cycle ride to the banks of Taal Lake, followed by a boat ride on Taal Lake to the volcano island, followed by a trek or a horse ride to the top of the mountain for a view of the Crater Lake.
We were the same group of six that went for the trip to Pagsanjan Falls. However we had a few hiccups to start with. Firstly, we got a bit delayed due to my extended Saturday sleep and then we faced some difficulty in locating the stop from where the bus would leave. We reached Pasay from where we were directed to Baclaren. After some wait we managed to board a bus to Tagaytay. This was a highly frustrating ride and there was traffic all along and there was no highway where we would get a long stretch at top speed. We finally reached at around 2 PM. Tagaytay was bit of a hill station located at some height so the weather was more pleasant than Manila even during the day. 

The Legendary Tri-Cycle

We grabbed a few bites at the KFC and soon were on that highly adventurous tri-cycle ride. This one was an absolute killer and definitely required a prayer or two to survive it. It was down a hilly road with my head constantly banging against the iron rod on the roof ironically meant to provide stability. The tri-cycle zoomed through the bends on the hilly road and each turn looked like a miracle. I thought I would be thrown into orbit anytime on those turns.  Our prayers were answered and we somehow reached the river banks safe and sound. Now it was time for the boat ride. This was the best part of the journey. The water was as blue as it can get and the boat ride long enough to be enjoyed. We sailed into a cool breeze and then the ripples turned into waves and a cool spray of water acted as a pleasant face-wash. We reached the island after a pleasant boat-ride. The guide on the boat would be with us and guide us to the top of the mountain. Taal Volcano Island seemed to be far away from civilization. The small village did not seem to have electricity and I could only watch a few kids playing basketball. There were two ways you could reach the top of the mountains – either trek or on horse-back. Our group opted for the former though soon we realized it will not be easy. 

Taal Volcano Island

Firstly it was a long enough trek and extremely dusty, so much that we were provided with face masks.  We resisted the temptation to take the horse-back and just moved forward. With each step up the slope, the route felt more dusty and the weather hotter. Soon most of us were in sweaty t-shirts.  On the way we spotted a rock from where we could see smoke coming out of a hole along with a smell of sulfur. The familiar smell of rotten egg brought back memories of the Chemistry lab in school. This told us that the volcano was still active though unlike to erupt while we were around (It has been quiet since 1977). We moved on after clicking snaps along the way and finally reached the top of the mountain. The place gave us a great view of the crater lake, the water of which had a tinge of green.  The mountain top had a few eateries and a unique mode of entertainment where in you could strike a golf ball into the crater. I duly tried that and send a couple of golf balls into the crater. 

The Trek

After the usual round of photos, it was time for us to now return as the clock was ticking away and it was mandatory to reach the lake bank before sun-set. After some clicks we were on our decent which as expected was a lot easier. The sun was slowly going down and we just about reached the banks at sun-set. The boat-ride on the way back was equally fascinating as the evening had set in so it became cooler. It helped us to cool down and shrug off some of the tiredness of the trek. 

Crater Lake

It was fully dark by the time we boarded the now iconic tri-cycle and with the heart in my mouth we made our way up the slope – this time in absolute darkness. Luckily both the tri-cycles made it and all six of us were safe and sound in Tagaytay. As mentioned earlier, this was a hill station and the evening was significantly cool and pleasant. We decide to walk around, check out a few shops, eat some road-side food before we finally boarded the bus to Manila. There was no bus which would take us directly to Makati City so we boarded the bus to Pasay. We took a cab from Pasay back home rounding off another adventurous trip.