Friday, January 11, 2008: The Road to Tagaytay	Return to Journal TOC >>
We’d hoped to go hiking with Ro’s friend Cecile, or to have her come to Boracay with us, but when those plans fell through, Cecile suggested that she take us south of Manila to Tagaytay City, Cavite province instead. We happily agreed, since I really wanted to see Taal (the world’s smallest active volcano) and Ro wants to explore the markets as well as catch up with Cecile. Ro does a lot of rhapsodizing about the marvels of the fresh buko pie that they make in Tagaytay, and does a lot of text messaging to find out the best places to get it. The plan is to drive to an observation point with a great view of the volcano rather than climb the volcano itself, which requires a boat trip (since the volcano is in the middle of the lake formed from a larger volcano’s crater) and a ride up the side on horseback (and there’s some doubt about whether the tiny Philippine horses will actually hold me). Afterward, we’ll have lunch, visit some of the area’s other attractions, and do some shopping. Cecile has arranged for a car and driver, and they pick us up bright and early. Once we’re out of Manila, the roadside is filled with buko and pineapple groves on the way. Once we get near our destination, we stop at a store called Rowena’s (how could we not stop?) to buy their famous mango tarts. I also buy a bottle of the local coconut liquor, called lambanog. (It’s very cheap - only p90, or about $2.25 for a bottle.)
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