Soft Luxe Travels: Taal, Batangas - Souvenirs, Volcano Views, and a Zigzag Road Trip to Tagaytay

 

After we were informed that the food will arrive after 30 minutes, I asked mom if she wanted to go with me to Taal Tees next door and check out the souvenirs and merch.

I took a quick shot of Taal Basilica when I went out

The shirt that I liked only came in large

I wanted to buy those bayongs (woven straw bag), but I felt that they were overpriced. The smallest was about $3.15

This one costs $78.66

It was still early when we finished eating. My sister didn't want to go back to the market anymore to check out the Filipiniana because she said that they were expensive. She decided to go to Tagaytay instead to buy some goodies. 

Very reminiscent of Calle Crisologo but the buildings here are well-maintained

Minor Basilica and Parish of St. Martin of Tours

We also passed by Marcela Agoncillo's house, but I wasn't able to take a photo. We were supposed to go there, but my sister wanted to go to Tagaytay as soon as possible as we might get caught in the rain. 

The Road to Tagaytay

I am a city girl through and through and I take photos of malls wherever I go. 😁

Just a little mental note to visit that place one day. 

Lemery's welcome arc is better than Taal's!

Waze made us pass through different routes and before we knew it, Taal Volcano was right in front of us! 

We stopped here, so Kuya and I can take photos

There were so many of these wild grasses that my sister absolutely abhors as they give her nasty allergies. 

Waze took us to another dirt road. We were in the middle of nowhere! 

How far from the city exactly?

This far! 

This carabao was eating! 

On our way back from Vigan, we saw this on the road. And now we get a carabao! 

Look at that road and those trees! It looks like a scene from a fairy tale...or a portal to another world!

There were lots of coconut trees around

Another glimpse of Taal Volcano

Finally, we reached Laurel, Batangas. This town is named after the Laurel clan, of which Jose P. Laurel became the 3rd President of the Philippines. He is my grandfather's uncle. Here we'd call him great grandfather, but as I understand in the west, he'd be my great uncle. His son, Doy, became a Vice President.

The Long and Winding, Zigzaggy Road

After all that beauty from Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, came this very challenging route. 

This mountain path had a lot of zigzags and sharp curves. We are so blessed to have a very skilled driver. I've never had more respect for Kuya Fil than on this road. It was about 25 minutes of this. It's worse than the Baguio zigzag road. 

They put these up to prevent landslides, but they don't really do much. The ones in Baguio didn't stand a chance after the last typhoon and now (as I write this, the present typhoon Ragasa). 

These are dangerous curves and this path is not lighted, so imagine passing by here at night! 

Kuya Fil said that if you're not a seasoned driver, you'd get dizzy on this road. I really don't like Waze as it will suggest routes that don't have traffic, regardless of the driving conditions. I'd rather have traffic than this. 

This was a ravine. It's scary to look down. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of dirt roads, wild foliage, and steep curves, we were back in the city and entered Tagaytay!

Stay tuned for my next post about what we did in Tagaytay!