taal volcano island: an unexpected solo hike with a side of chaos
so i found myself on taal volcano island after a random detour during a gig in manila. i'm a touring session drummer, so my schedule’s always a mess, but this little volcanic gem was too tempting to skip. i just checked and it's 25.08°c there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the air was thick with humidity, but the breeze from the crater lake made it bearable-almost like nature's own air conditioner with a weird glitch.
getting there was half the adventure. i took a bangka boat from talisay, which is basically a wooden canoe with an engine that sounds like it's about to fall apart. the boatman told me, "watch your step, the volcano might sneeze," which i later learned was local humor for sudden steam vents. i overheard someone at the dock saying the last eruption was in 2020, so yeah, it's still very much alive.
once on the island, the trail was a dusty, rocky mess. i wore my trusty converse (rookie mistake), and by the end, my feet looked like i'd been in a bar fight with a bag of flour. the hike itself? steep, short, and surprisingly quiet. no crowds, just me, a few cows, and the occasional local vendor selling buko juice for 50 pesos. someone told me that the crater lake water is so acidic it could strip paint off a car-didn't test that theory, but it's a fun rumor to repeat.
at the top, the view was surreal. the crater lake was this eerie green, like someone spilled a giant bottle of mint syrup. i sat there for an hour, eating a cold empanada i'd packed, watching the steam rise from the ground. a local kid ran up and said, "don't fall in, the fish bite," which i'm pretty sure was a joke, but i didn't stick around to find out.
if you get bored, tagaytay and batangas are just a short drive away, though honestly, i was too wiped to explore more. i did check yelp for a post-hike meal and ended up at a roadside carinderia where the adobo was so good i almost cried. the owner said, "you look like you need more rice," and she was right.
would i do it again? maybe. but next time, i'd bring better shoes and a hat that doesn't make me look like a lost tourist. taal volcano island is one of those places that's equal parts beautiful and slightly terrifying-like dating someone who's into extreme sports.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/hong-kong-sure-it-wasnt-what-i-expected
- https://topiclo.com/post/tokyo-busk-or-bust-surviving-the-cold-with-empty-pockets
- https://topiclo.com/post/healthcare-quality-in-stockholm-top-hospitals-medical-centers-and-why-im-still-kinda-stressed
- https://topiclo.com/post/parttime-job-opportunities-for-students-in-prague-the-lowdown
- https://topiclo.com/post/sustainability-in-samarinda-how-green-is-this-urban-space