Taal Volcano Hike

eerie and placid Taal Lake

August 22, 2009

Talisay, Batangas

Another beautiful Sunday. Hiking with Cha and Hiroe in Taal volcano, one of the smallest, lowest, most dangerous and most active volcanoes in the world, was a fun experience.

The sun was up brightly and light clouds were hanging in the sky, thanks to Hiroe's five teru teru boys. Making a teru teru boy (paper doll) is a Japanese way of wishing for a good weather on a planned trip. 

Hiroe and Cha enjoying the boat ride 

We woke up at 4 a.m. and left Cabuyao Laguna at 5. We reached Tagaytay at 7 and there we met kuya Jun. He offered a boat ride to Taal for P1,500. Fair enough, I thought. 

But it was when we actually arrived in Taal that we had a slight discussion with the folks there. The acting leader of the guides was very pushy, asking us to pay P850 each for horse-back ride ascending Taal. He even told us that the hike would take one and a half hours. But we insisted on walking. They still did not allow us to hike up so we ended up paying P800 (for us three), he said for the guide and some environmental fees. Only later did I realize that he did not even show us a receipt! What a shame!

trekking Taal Volcano with Cha and Hiroe 

But thank God we did not give in to their prodding. And as it turned out, the hike only took us about 45 mins! Along the way, we saw horses and I felt sad for them. They all looked so exhausted. :(

We reached the crater viewing area at around nine. There were a lot of tourists when we arrived but we managed to take some photos and move around a bit. 

despite of the distinct sulfur smell around the crater, the sight around there was simply breathaking