Revisiting Taal Volcano

Talisay, Batangas

3 July 2016

Our adventure continued from the green slopes to the red lava rocks and steaming sulfur vents down below the crater!

After scaling Mt. Tibig our adventure leads us to the crater of the smallest considered volcano in the world - Taal Volcano.

I love volcanoes and because of this, I kept on going back to Taal to witness its never fading beauty.

We assembled at the office. Janice and Michael fetched me and Jeannie at 0330H. Myra and her team were coming from Tagaytay.

We left the office at 0415H bound for Talisay in Batangas. This is the jump-off point for Taal Volcano. Talisay is approximately a 2H drive on private vehicle from Manila.

We met our guide at Flying V gas station in Talisay together with Myra and her team. We were seven.

At 0658H, we registered at the jump-off point and boarded the boat that will bring us to the Taal crater island at the middle of the crater lake.

 

The weather was nice. The sky was clear.

We started hiking at 0715H. I love this hike because the trail was wet from a night shower and so the volcanic dusts had been minimized. 

 

There were fewer tourists at that time compared to my previous hikes on the volcano.

As early as 0900H, we were at the crater rim and had a quick rest with a "Buko" and "Halo-Halo" refreshments.

The green crater of Taal volcano.

Enjoying at the crater rim!

 

Enjoying the red lava!

 

 

 

At 1015H, we started our descent from the crater rim and reached the jump-off point at the volcano island at 1115H, tidy up and boarded the boat going back to first jump-off point. We left the volcano island at 1123H.

Before heading back to Manila, we decided to have lunch at Green ATS in Tagaytay.

View of Taal lake from Tagaytay.

Early dinner at Green ATS.

We left Tagaytay back to Manila at 1445H.

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Exploring Taal Basilica

Town of Taal, Province of Batangas

11 February 2012

Onboard JAM liner bound for Lemery Batangas, I traveled down south of Manila for another fun road trip, photo ops and to explore a town called Taal in Batangas. 

According to Philippine history, Taal was first founded in present day San Nicolas in 1572 by the Augustinian Friars but due to the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754, the town was moved to its present site for protection. The town became the capital of Batangas until it was moved to Batangas City.

Church Facde

After 3 hours of bus travel, I finally reached the sleepy town of Taal. The first view that captured my interest was the gigantic fascade of the Basilica de San Martin de Tours (also known as Taal Church). 

Church Interior

Philippine history says, Taal church is the biggest church in the Philippines, was first built in 1575 in present day San Nicolas but abandoned in 1754 due the eruption of Taal and rebuilt in 1755. Then an earthquake shook it down in 1849 and once again rebuilt in 1856 by Architect Luciano Olivero. 

Dome

The Taal church is an amazing architectural structure. Its massive stone columns is a very nice subject for photography. The large original bell is displayed at the plaza. 

Caysasay Church

After spending an hour taking shots at the plaza and enjoying the view of the fascade, I went inside to see its interior. The interior is superb. The dome and the ceiling are painted. There are portions though that are under construction. The pulpit is still intact and the altar is magnificent. 

Caysasay Interior

After exploring the interior of the church, I decided to climb up the bellfry. After getting approval from the church admin office, I climbed more than 50 steps on a very narrow stairway going up the bellfry. At the top, the view of the town of Taal immerged just like a painting canvass. The bellfry though is under construction. The original bells were replaced with new ones operated by an electric motor.

Ancestral Houses

After exploring the Taal church, I decided to see one more church nearby. The Caysasay church I believe, just like Taal, is also ancient. The exterior though is quite plain. The interior is still intact. The paintings on the ceiling, the pulpit and the dome are still in good condition. 

Several Heritage houses can be found along "Calle Agoncillo". Taal s now a Heritage town and is known as the Barong Tagalog and Balisong capital of the Philippines.

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Photo gallery

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