Tagatay

Sunday saw us all heading out of the city to Taal Lake in Tagaytay. It is about a 56 km drive mostly through two lane roads up into the mountains. The drive gave us an opportunity to see suburban life and cool down a bit in altitude. Taal Lake is huge with several islands in it. On one of these islands it Taal crater. This is still an active volcano with the most recent eruption being in 2009. It is a very small volcano and when it erupts it is mostly lava flowing down the sides without all of the spitting ash and fire.

We drove through town to see what was there and finally settled on a restaurant for our lunch. Alexander's sat on the cliff overlooking Taal Lake. We ate on the big veranda porch with a warm breeze blowing and lots of good food. Mickey was having nap time at first, but soon joined in to help us consume all of the goodies Rommel chose for our lunch.

Following lunch we took a walk to the edge of the cliff for a spectacular view of the lake and the crater.

Remember the bicycle taxis in the city? Well out in the countryside the bikes are replaced by motorcycles. I actually saw one with seven people riding it. Even some of the shops have these vehicles.

That's the Starbucks logo on the back of this very fancy one.


Tagaytay is primarily a vacation spot. What we would call cottages are considered rest houses in Tagaytay. A friend of Rommel suggested we stop at her family's rest house for a short break in the afternoon. 


This home actually has a history behind it. A pair of young Filipino actors who played opposite each other throughout their childhood decided to marry. They commissioned an architect to design a rest home and the main criteria was that everything be white. The exterior, the interior, the artwork, the furnishings - all white. Well the marriage did not last and the parents of Rommel's friend purchased "the white house" as it is known locally. Most of the home remains true to the original design with a few new personal touches added here and there.


From the road it looks like a white concrete wall with several windows and a garage door. But, once you enter, the home and the view it commands take your breath away. The house is on four levels with each having indoor and outdoor areas. All rooms look out over Taal Lake, the volcano and the countryside far below. It is incredibly unique.

The house is built down the side of the cliff and the various terraces have beautiful flowers and ferns. 

After our tour Auntie Anita served us goodies from the local bakery while we signed the guest book.

Following our rest it was Sunday mass at Our Lady of Lourdes church. At the time we chose the mass was in Tagalog. It is fairly easy to follow most parts, but the sermon went right over our heads.