Manila (Philippines) 15 Jul - 18 Jul 2006

Hotel: The Malayan Plaza, Ortigas

Booked this hotel from www.booking.com.  There were 4 of us for the trip (not counting those friends who were already in Manila).  Got 2 one-bedroom apartment.  Not too bad except that my roomie freaked out on our first night as we saw one roach running around the apartment.  We had to get the guys to come and get rid of it.

The highlight of the trip was the Tagaytay trip.  It was a super long drive out of metro Manila but the trip was well worth it.  The view was spectacular.

Upon reaching Tagaytay, my friend brought us to a place where we can take a motor boat to Taal volcano.   When we reach the foot of the volcano, we were given the choice to either walk up or take a horse.  We decided to go with the horse option because we didn't want to spend time walking up and down again.  It cost us PHP1,800 (after bargaining) per horse.  It was sad to see that all the riders are kids.  We, of course, didn't hesitate to tip the kids upon knowing that they only got PHP80-100 per ride.  That's very little compared to the PHP1,800 we paid for the ride.

The ride up to the crater was fun.  My rider actually got down on a less steep slope and let me ride the horse on my own.  At some stages, my horse did gallop. If you are a greenery person, you would enjoy the scene up.  There's nothing but greens.

The view from the top of the crater lake (also known as Taal lake) was awesome!  The water look abit still though.

We were busy cam whoring while our riders and our horses took a rest.  We even bought them soft drinks.  Yupz, soft drinks are sold at the top.

Smoke coming up from the slopes.  Do note that this is NOT an extinct volcano.  It's dormant (last erupted in 1977).  Total amount of lives it took over the last few eruptions stands at 5,000-6,000.

We took the chance to snap a few more shots.

Time to get back to land.  Manage to steal a few shots of the sunset.

Was still able to steal more shots of the sunset while on the boat back to land.

We were treated with yummy authentic Filipino cuisine while still at Tagaytay (before heading back to metro Manila).  It was a feast.  The driver didn't want to join us initially as he prefers to sit by himself.  But we forced him to.  Well, we come together, we eat together and we go back together.

I have never had McSpaghetti so naturally, I got to try.  Didn't like the spag too much as it's too dry for my taste.  Comes with a piece of fried chicken.

The last day has arrived and we took a cab to Clark Airport.  This will be the first and the last time we fly into Clark coz it's just too far from town.  When we arrived, we took their public bus but the journey was too long.  I love to eat in the airport...any airport so I didn't hesitate to buy a cup of instant noodles.

The entire trip was tiring as per the rest of my other trips.  But it was fulfilling as I get to get on a volcano!!!

Philippines 13-20 Dec 2004

Hotel: The Peninsula (Manila)

This was my second trip to the Philippines but my first Filipino wedding.  Purpose there was to attend a friend's wedding.  It was interesting especially the money dance where we get to pin money on the bride's gown as she dances with the groom.  Of course, besides getting all tired helping out with the wedding, we do get some time off for sight-seeing.

The couple arranged for us to stay in The Peninsula hotel at very good rates.  It's within walking distance to Hard Rock Cafe.  As this was my first experience with a business hotel, I was quite amused to see a fax machine and a box of stationery (complete with rubber band, paper clips, eraser, pencil) at the work table.  The mini bar even has an international adapter so guests who forgot to bring along theirs won't need to request from Housekeeping.

The bathroom is huge!!  Comes with bathtub, a separate room for standing shower and another separate room for the toilet.  The best part of the bathroom was the huge and well lit vanity unit!

 I thought the lobby of the hotel very well decorated for Christmas :)

The hotel is also walking distance to Greenbelt which is the shopping paradise to almost every lady.  Comes with 5 Belts and you can take your time to walk around.  Some of the brands available in Greenbelt are Charles & Keith, Kate Spade, LV, Prada....just to name a few.  You will just be so spoilt with choices.

After staying in the city for a few days, we went up to Tagaytay. The drive was about 2-3hours from Metro Manila (depending on traffic). Thanks to a lovely family for hosting us, we have free accommodation up the dormant volcanic land.  We were given two rooms in the basement and 1 room on the second level.  The helper in the house was also nice enough to help us open 30 coconuts :)  Thank goodness the helper was a male.

Our first stop was the flower night market.  This was also the place we bought 30 coconuts and got them stuffed in our MPV.

Another place we visited was the St Mary Magdalene Parish.  It was said to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.  Worth visiting if you like really old stuffs for photography's sake.

The Ilog Maria Honeybee farm was an experience to me.  The toilet looks like a beehive.  We manage to see how honey was being harvested, how it was made into candle, soap, cream, ointments, lip balm...etc.  Being a natural tourist, we took the shopping basket and practically swept whatever was on the shelf into the basket.  Having a stronger currency compared to pesos has its perks too.

My dream place - Yah, one day I would like to stay here - is Sonya's garden.  Fresh salad from the garden, cozy rooms and awesome greenery!  I love how welcoming the entire place is.

The interior was pretty too.  The first picture in the frame shows the massage bed near the bathroom.  They do have masseurs you can get into your room.  A full body massage cost P200 (equiv to about SGD7) The last picture in the frame was actually the shower area.  I mean, who on earth would shower near some cushions right?  And it didn't even look like a shower room! 

The view facing Taal Volcano was just spectacular.  Worth the few hours drive!  Sipping hot chocolate at Starbucks and facing this view is simply heavenly!

Places we had our meals in Tagaytay but I can't really recall the restaurant name.

 

The place my friends had their wedding was really romantic.  Too bad it was open air and very warm.  Besides perspiring the entire time, the mosquitoes were feasting on us.  Experience was one of a kind for me...would prefer either a wedding in Tagaytay or in a hotel :p

Clearer low-res photos here.