Talisay and the Volcano Ridge
I am packed. I am bringing my biggest bag and I have put lots of stuffs even though I would only stay overnight in Talisay, Batangas. I have planned to visit - again - this former sleepy town with a closer view of the famous Taal Volcano, where my grandparents and majority of relatives reside. Although I grew up in the city, I still reminisce my childhood summers spent near the lake with my cousins.
Travel time to Talisay took almost 4 hours coming from Pampanga. The bus ride from Dau Terminal to Cubao, where most bus terminals going to Batangas are located, was a little bit quick since the North Luzon Expressway was renovated and widened at the Bulacan part where most traffic congestions occur because of its proximity to Manila. It only took an hour bus ride, getting off almost exactly in front of the bus terminal going to Batangas. Luckily I caught the bus going to Batangas Pier that passes to Tanauan City just as it leaves the terminal for another long journey south of Manila.
The ride to Batangas is shorter in distance but longer in time. It passes at EDSA, the main thoroughfare in Manila, were most public transporters ply their route and private cars alike passes going to home and work, and even delivery trucks are abound. The snail pace at EDSA makes you want to close your eyes and take a quick nap. After that would be the South Superhighway with bottleneck traffic at Bicutan and Sucat Exits and the ongoing construction areas of the Skyway. South Luzon Expressway is a smooth ride, but the national highway passing by Barangay Turbina in Calamba and the town of Santo Tomas in Batangas, is a bottle neck at times particularly during rush hours.
I alighted at the Tanauan bus stop and walked my way up to the public market which is a few hundred meters away and can be easily reached even if you ask for directions among the locals. I needed to buy the famous kapeng barako (ground Batangas coffee grains) at the market and hop for my next ride, a jeepney ride going to Barrio Sampaloc in Talisay. The public market is a big market and if you are not familiar, you might get yourself lost, as I have done a couple of times. Crowded stores, stalls, and sidewalks awashed with vegetables and products to be sold might confuse your sense of direction sometimes.
The jeepney ride was short, but the waiting might increase your boredom. The jeep only leaves when it is full or when it is full enough that no one can sit anymore. On slow days they sometimes leave when it is 1 or 2 passenger seats vacant. This time there was this lady on a hurry, paid a couple of those vacant seats so that the jeep can leave as soon as possible. She was trying to catch a wedding celebration, which as you all know, is a very important family gathering.
Talisay offers a majestic and closer view of the famous Taal Volcano. If you have visited Tagaytay, the volcano island is the one that you always see in the middle of the lake. It was said to be the world’s smallest volcano but some facts have indicated that the entire Tagaytay ridge was believed to be part of the volcano itself. Life is very simple in Talisay, except when the volcano is showing signs of a possible eruption, in which, everything becomes exciting and heart-pounding, especially to all those who are living in the volcano island itself, at the foot of the main crater.
There are a lot of jump-off points to go to the crater. Most resorts have bancas, those small boats that can take you to the island. Any resort would be good since most of them knew each other, but I would prefer Villa Amparo, they have a couple of affordable rooms to stay if ever you try to plan to extend and stay for the night. Although banca fares do not come cheap, the best way is to organize your tour into groups since the boats can carry up to 6 or 8 passengers, thereby making it affordable by sharing the boat expenses.
At the island, you need to register first and pay the appropriate fee, and you can start hiking up to the crater ridge. There are horses if you would prefer a horseback ride, but it is not really that tiring to trek by foot, although there are a couple of places where the hike up is difficult and dust are a handful, actually buckets full, hehe...
The view from the ridge of the crater is magnificent, as you can see closer what an active volcano looks like when it is hibernating. There is nothing to worry since volcanologists always issue corresponding alerts whenever there are abnormal signs coming from the volcano. In the last 20 years, there hasn’t been any signs of eruption in the works, and the island would be off limits by then if the volcano shows danger signs. The lake itself gives a hint if things would be happening for the worst.
While in Talisay, you can also try, along with the local Batangas brew, the Tawilis and Maliputo which are fishes that are only found on Taal lake. They also have one of the tastiest and freshest Tilapia that can be easily steamed in minutes. Taliseños are very accommodating and hospitable people, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a lot of things, - well, except for an internet connection - which is limited to some places near the national road.
Going back to Manila is just waiting for the jeep to pass by in front of Villa Amparo Resort, but up to 3:30 in the afternoon only. You can catch a ride until 9:00 PM from Talisay town proper which is a tricycle’s ride from the resort. If you are early, you can ride the jeep that goes to Tagaytay for another scenic route, just ask the local tricycle to take you to the jeep terminal. And from the Tagaytay Rotonda, there are buses going to Pasay via Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite.
The journey to Taal Volcano can be done in half a day if you have your own ride which will make travel time shorter than the bus ride, although I did prefer to stay overnight to catch up with my cousins while drinking beer beside the lake and telling each other stories, adventures and misadventures and setting up the videoke machine out on a cool starry night.
Cheers!
Travel time to Talisay took almost 4 hours coming from Pampanga. The bus ride from Dau Terminal to Cubao, where most bus terminals going to Batangas are located, was a little bit quick since the North Luzon Expressway was renovated and widened at the Bulacan part where most traffic congestions occur because of its proximity to Manila. It only took an hour bus ride, getting off almost exactly in front of the bus terminal going to Batangas. Luckily I caught the bus going to Batangas Pier that passes to Tanauan City just as it leaves the terminal for another long journey south of Manila.
The ride to Batangas is shorter in distance but longer in time. It passes at EDSA, the main thoroughfare in Manila, were most public transporters ply their route and private cars alike passes going to home and work, and even delivery trucks are abound. The snail pace at EDSA makes you want to close your eyes and take a quick nap. After that would be the South Superhighway with bottleneck traffic at Bicutan and Sucat Exits and the ongoing construction areas of the Skyway. South Luzon Expressway is a smooth ride, but the national highway passing by Barangay Turbina in Calamba and the town of Santo Tomas in Batangas, is a bottle neck at times particularly during rush hours.
I alighted at the Tanauan bus stop and walked my way up to the public market which is a few hundred meters away and can be easily reached even if you ask for directions among the locals. I needed to buy the famous kapeng barako (ground Batangas coffee grains) at the market and hop for my next ride, a jeepney ride going to Barrio Sampaloc in Talisay. The public market is a big market and if you are not familiar, you might get yourself lost, as I have done a couple of times. Crowded stores, stalls, and sidewalks awashed with vegetables and products to be sold might confuse your sense of direction sometimes.
The jeepney ride was short, but the waiting might increase your boredom. The jeep only leaves when it is full or when it is full enough that no one can sit anymore. On slow days they sometimes leave when it is 1 or 2 passenger seats vacant. This time there was this lady on a hurry, paid a couple of those vacant seats so that the jeep can leave as soon as possible. She was trying to catch a wedding celebration, which as you all know, is a very important family gathering.
Talisay offers a majestic and closer view of the famous Taal Volcano. If you have visited Tagaytay, the volcano island is the one that you always see in the middle of the lake. It was said to be the world’s smallest volcano but some facts have indicated that the entire Tagaytay ridge was believed to be part of the volcano itself. Life is very simple in Talisay, except when the volcano is showing signs of a possible eruption, in which, everything becomes exciting and heart-pounding, especially to all those who are living in the volcano island itself, at the foot of the main crater.
There are a lot of jump-off points to go to the crater. Most resorts have bancas, those small boats that can take you to the island. Any resort would be good since most of them knew each other, but I would prefer Villa Amparo, they have a couple of affordable rooms to stay if ever you try to plan to extend and stay for the night. Although banca fares do not come cheap, the best way is to organize your tour into groups since the boats can carry up to 6 or 8 passengers, thereby making it affordable by sharing the boat expenses.
At the island, you need to register first and pay the appropriate fee, and you can start hiking up to the crater ridge. There are horses if you would prefer a horseback ride, but it is not really that tiring to trek by foot, although there are a couple of places where the hike up is difficult and dust are a handful, actually buckets full, hehe...
The view from the ridge of the crater is magnificent, as you can see closer what an active volcano looks like when it is hibernating. There is nothing to worry since volcanologists always issue corresponding alerts whenever there are abnormal signs coming from the volcano. In the last 20 years, there hasn’t been any signs of eruption in the works, and the island would be off limits by then if the volcano shows danger signs. The lake itself gives a hint if things would be happening for the worst.
While in Talisay, you can also try, along with the local Batangas brew, the Tawilis and Maliputo which are fishes that are only found on Taal lake. They also have one of the tastiest and freshest Tilapia that can be easily steamed in minutes. Taliseños are very accommodating and hospitable people, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a lot of things, - well, except for an internet connection - which is limited to some places near the national road.
Going back to Manila is just waiting for the jeep to pass by in front of Villa Amparo Resort, but up to 3:30 in the afternoon only. You can catch a ride until 9:00 PM from Talisay town proper which is a tricycle’s ride from the resort. If you are early, you can ride the jeep that goes to Tagaytay for another scenic route, just ask the local tricycle to take you to the jeep terminal. And from the Tagaytay Rotonda, there are buses going to Pasay via Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite.
The journey to Taal Volcano can be done in half a day if you have your own ride which will make travel time shorter than the bus ride, although I did prefer to stay overnight to catch up with my cousins while drinking beer beside the lake and telling each other stories, adventures and misadventures and setting up the videoke machine out on a cool starry night.
Cheers!
Thank you very much,
Carl