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- May 17, 2006
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Taal Volcano, Philippines
So about 1 ½ years ago I made a so called Bucket List, like in the movie. Peruvian Jungle (Rainforest), Australia, and hike a volcano. I got the itch while in Italy and hiked up Mt. Vesuvius, the mountain that wiped out Pompeii. To my disappointment it was very reminiscent of my first trip to the Grand Canyon, nothing but white clouds and rain. There was no visual of the crater or the mountain. It basically looked like a cliff up in the clouds. So after much thought (a couple of weeks) I decided to go and see this volcano I have heard about for a year, Taal Volcano in Tagaytay, Philippines.
Besides, I was on my way to New Zealand so I thought, why not take a detour? After about 20 hours of travel I arrived in Manila and met a couple of friends I have met on a prior trip to Europe.
Traveling the streets in Manila is easy to describe, synchronized chaos! Busses, taxis, tricycles (which are just bicycles pulling a buggy), and what they called ships. It was crazier than Hong Kong, Mexico, Naples (Italy), and Peru. It truly is a must see and I think should be a man-made wonder of the world! After a 2 hour van ride we reached the lake where we caught a river boat and traveled to the village where we would hike to the top. Most people hire a horse to get up the rocky, muddy, steep dirty trail but I didnt go there to ride an ass!
It looked like rain and in the Philippines it could easily mean a Typhoon like they have been having. So despite grey skies and the unavoidable haze, here is Taal Volcano!
The locals came to see the new shipment, sell water and try to rent us horses to get to the top like most normal people
Once we got there the trail was all mud and slush
Along the way
It must have been, bring your horse to the basketball game day!
So about 1 ½ years ago I made a so called Bucket List, like in the movie. Peruvian Jungle (Rainforest), Australia, and hike a volcano. I got the itch while in Italy and hiked up Mt. Vesuvius, the mountain that wiped out Pompeii. To my disappointment it was very reminiscent of my first trip to the Grand Canyon, nothing but white clouds and rain. There was no visual of the crater or the mountain. It basically looked like a cliff up in the clouds. So after much thought (a couple of weeks) I decided to go and see this volcano I have heard about for a year, Taal Volcano in Tagaytay, Philippines.
Besides, I was on my way to New Zealand so I thought, why not take a detour? After about 20 hours of travel I arrived in Manila and met a couple of friends I have met on a prior trip to Europe.
Traveling the streets in Manila is easy to describe, synchronized chaos! Busses, taxis, tricycles (which are just bicycles pulling a buggy), and what they called ships. It was crazier than Hong Kong, Mexico, Naples (Italy), and Peru. It truly is a must see and I think should be a man-made wonder of the world! After a 2 hour van ride we reached the lake where we caught a river boat and traveled to the village where we would hike to the top. Most people hire a horse to get up the rocky, muddy, steep dirty trail but I didnt go there to ride an ass!
It looked like rain and in the Philippines it could easily mean a Typhoon like they have been having. So despite grey skies and the unavoidable haze, here is Taal Volcano!
The locals came to see the new shipment, sell water and try to rent us horses to get to the top like most normal people
Once we got there the trail was all mud and slush
Along the way
It must have been, bring your horse to the basketball game day!
