How I enjoyed the Beauty of TAAL for less than 1000pesos|| PINAYAVENTURES

Do you have 1000pesos to spend and would like to have something fun to do on a weekend? Taal Adventure may be the getaway you are looking for.

Video on how we braved the storm to see the beauty of TAAL above.

July 30, 2017 - Me and my Tres Marias sisters Cath and Jo with the Travel Squad decided we do a second round on our attempt to get me to a successful climb as the TANAY Tres Maria's 1st climb did not turn out exactly as planned.

Since Cath has a car we decided to just chip in for the gas and have Adrian(Jo's bf) drive it. We met around 7am and started our journey despite the gloomy weather. It has been raining in Manila for almost 2 weeks and we almost thought of a plan b just in case the weather would not permit us to go to Taal.

We had a quick stop when we saw fruits and had to buy some to take back to Manila at one of the bikers stop in the area.

After that quick stop we proceeded with our adventure towards seeing the beauty of Taal crater up close. We followed Waze and Google Maps to get to the place and after less than 2 hours we found the location. We passed by a place offering tours and we got to haggle the price of a boat ride and use of the resort amenities for only 1500pesos. So the tricycle driver showed us our way to the resort where we can leave the car and our belongings.

Normal rates of resorts(do not worry about contacts, there are a lot of individuals offering the tour along the way)

It started raining, and according to our boatman last Friday and Saturday Coastguard cancelled trips to the island due to bad weather condition. Lucky for us they gave a go signal this Sunday as we really wanted to see the beauty of Taal crater.

Waves, splashes, waves, splashes.... We did not anticipate getting wet as most if not all of the blogs we read and pictures we saw did not involve getting wet. We braved the storm and finally arrived at the island where we could either hire a guide for 500pesos or a horse at the same rate to get us to the viewing deck.

After paying the environmental fees we decided not to get a guide nor a horse but eventually still got a horse on the 1st station as I was afraid I would not be able to make it plus it was AA's(my daughter) 1st climb. The horse arrived and I am not sure if it was the universe way of having me walk and achieve my 1st climb goals or pure coincidence but it was not a big horse. So I decided to just walk and just let AA ride the horse instead.

This is where we stopped to wait for the horse

BEWARE: You will be offered a lot of things that you do not need during this climb so be smart

TIP:
1. If you think you can't make it, take a horse at the Registration area as you get yo choose the horse plus you will pay the same amount regardless of where you started riding the horse.
2. Bring lots of water and drinks. Yhey say the higher you get, the more expensive things get and this is true as a mountain dew costs 50pesos at the viewing location and a buko juice or gatorade will cost you 100pesos.
3. The sellers will ask you to buy drinks for the guide an offcourse you will as you would like to thank them but if you brought extra drinks then you can give that yo him/her instead.
4. Honestly you do not need a guide as the trail is easy and you would not get lost. There are 14 stayions with cross that will guide you to get yo the top. But if you would like to help a local feed his/her family for a day get the horse instead of just the guide as it will cost you the same amount(alteast you get to have a photo riding a horse or if you evwr felt tired plus you have a guide to take your pictures.

The climb was easy for Cath, Jo and the rest of the travel squad as they are used to climbing even hardcore mountains. I would not say the same for me, I am.fine with walking but what was difficult was the hills that we needed yo climb to get to the top. Lloyd was literally pushing me and we had to stop quite a few times so I can catch my breath. They say Taal Trek is a 2/9 when it comes yo difficulty level and I made it. Finally a successful 1st climb and something to tick off my bucketlist and the fun part is that I did this with my family and closest friends.

Tres Marias 1st succesful climb

We also went to Red Lava for a better viewing experience as well as the actual viewing deck. It was a bit risky because of the wind but it was all worth it. Taking a picture was also hard as because of the wind your face will be filled with dust which explains our wacky pictures while attempting a good one.

Seeing it from afar when we are having Bulalo in Tagaytay is good but seeing the crater is great and a once in a lifetime adventure that I am thankful I got to experience.

1st climb with the family achieved

Here's a quick breakdown of how much we spent individually:

Our adventure consists of Me(Apryl of pinayaventures, Lloyd(my husband), AA(our daughter), Cath, Jo, and Adrian.

BOAT RIDE - 1500pesos/5 adults(300/each)
ENVIRONMENTAL FEE - 100pesos/each adult and 50pesos/child
RED LAVA ENTRANCE- 50pesos/each
GAS and Tolls - 300pesos/each (Thanks Jo and Adrian for taking care of the toll fees)
FOOD - depends on where you will dine in our case we went to Mahogany Market to eat Bulalo and we spent less than 200pesos each

In total we spent less than 1000pesos each for this very enjoyable adventure. We will definitely be coming back as the pictures Cath took for some odd reason was not saved and also because we would like to go back on a sunny day(hopefully).


                                            xoxo,
                                  APRYL of Pinayaventures