june-2011

HUB
the centuries, it has fi gured prominently in
local history and folklore. Credit that to its
moody resident volcano, which has erupted
more than 30 times in the last 400 years.
Some of these eruptions have been quite
catastrophic, burying coastal towns and
sending clouds of ash as far as the country’s
northern provinces some 500 km away.
Despite the area making recent headlines
with its minor earthquakes, Taal has
thankfully stayed quiet and remains a
popular weekend destination. Proof of
this comes every Saturday morning, when
Manila’s highways get a familiar upsurge in
southbound traffi c. Visitors troop to these
parts for a variety of reasons; some wish
to take in the local culture of the lakeside
towns, while others go for more outdoorsy
pursuits. The rest are content to just hang
around and get comfy in this incredibly
scenic setting. Here are our favourite ways
to enjoy a weekend by the lake.
THE VIEW FROM ON HIGH
Your fi rst-ever glimpse of these legendary
waters will be from the city on the ridge.
Located high above the northern shores
of Taal, Tagaytay enjoys the best aerial
view of the lake, which can be seen plainly
throughout the city’s entire length – you
can’t miss it after you’ve entered the main
highway that runs parallel to the ridge. Feel
free to stop by the roadside to take in that
awesome vista, or savour it from a table
at one of the many restaurants lining the
highway. Tagaytay’s popularity with the
Manila folk has resulted in a cosmopolitan
dining scene, with food places ranging from
simple nipa hut eateries serving traditional
Filipino fare — think piping hot, beef
bulalo stew, or crispy, deep-fried crablets
on steamed rice — to decidedly swankier
aff airs serving anything from Indian
to Italian.
There’s even a handful of restaurants
that have become attractions in themselves.
One of these is the long-running
Mushroomburger — a humble fastfood
joint that has cooked up its unique,
mushroom-infused burgers for more than
25 years now. On a grander (and much
058
classier) scale is Sonya’s Garden, with its
verdant countryside environs that see
diners coming back time and again. Owner
Sonya Garcia remembers the time over a
decade ago when her private home-turnedresto
merely entertained friends. “I used
to have only one building for my guests”,
she recalls. “Tagaytay has gotten busier
since then and we’ve had to keep up with
the times.” She’s not complaining, of course
— her establishment now has an attached
day spa, bed-and-breakfast cottages and a
souvenir shop.
TAAL IS WHERE SOME
OF THE BATANGAS
PROVINCE’S OLDEST
SETTLEMENTS
WERE STARTED
TOP-BOTTOM: Hire boats
are widely available for an
upclose encounter with the
volcano; jeepney around;
fresh, locally grown produce
A TOWN BY THE LAKE
An hour’s drive south from Tagaytay
brings you back to the lowlands and onto
the southern coast of Taal. You know
you’ve reached it when you start hearing
the locals speak Filipino in their distinctive
Batangueño accent. This is the heartland of
the Batangas province, where some of its
oldest settlements were started. When the
Spanish conquistadors fi rst arrived here in
1570, they found the area to be a bustling
centre of commerce, with the natives
already trading with merchants from other
islands. Many of these early settlements
survive to this day. Modern cities like Lipa
and Tanauan retain their original names
despite centuries of colonisation and
development.