๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐จ.
Alexandra Stoddard
Hello there, Hive Community! How are you doing? :) In this blog, I will share my October 2019 trip to Manila.
I've always been curious about what it's like to visit Tagaytay because everyone always raves about how amazing the place is, and it's also known for being the most cold place in the country after Baguio. This is a throwback from our trip last 2019. Christian, a close friend from college, messaged me and invited me to accompany him on a holiday trip to Manila. I accepted his invitation. I said yes without a second thought and immediately booked a flight for the two of us. He informed me that his workmate is from Laguna and that he is inviting him to visit there and will give us a tour of Tagaytay, Cavite, Rizal and Metro Manila.
I was very excited about this trip because it would be my first vacation trip to Manila, as I usually go there for work.
Flight to Manila
We booked our flight about a month before our scheduled departure and because it was getting close, our round-trip plane ticket for each person cost approximately 3026.04 pesos (about $60.52). As we still have work to do during the day, our flight is scheduled to depart at approximately 10 p.m. By the time we arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it was already past 12 o'clock. We were picked up by Kuya Roy, the workmate of Christian. Due to the fact that we stayed at their home, we did not incur any accommodation expenses. They had prepared a late dinner for us as soon as we arrived in Santa Rosa, Laguna, which was extremely generous, and the family of Kuya Roy has been incredibly welcoming to us, treating us as we were members of their own family.
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๐๐ถ๐บ๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐บ (๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ต-๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ต), ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ฏ'๐ด (๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต-๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ด ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต) ๐ค๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ
We got up at 5 a.m. to begin our journey on time. Kuya Roy took us first to Nuvali Park in Santa Rosa, Laguna, which is owned by Ayala Land. The park features a pond overflowing with Koi and is surrounded by towering trees. The area is well-known among bikers due to its large size and designated bike paths. People can enjoy the place's sleek and picturesque cross-country ambiance.
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Following Nuvali Park, our next stop is Ligaya Drive, a public area where you can pose for photos with the Taal volcano. Taal volcano, located in the middle of Taal Lake, is the second most active volcano in the Philippines. The most recent eruption occurred in January 2021. Its enigmatic shape and majestic beauty frequently captivate viewers who visits the place.
We stopped by Orient: The Original Buko Pie Bakeshop on our way to Ligaya Drive and bought a buko pie. According to Kuya Roy, this is the original buko pie in Cavite. And, yes, the buko pie is extremely delicious and creamy. As a fan of buko pie, this was the best I'd ever had! There are a lot of Buko Pie shops in Cavite, so look up some recommendations online ๐
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We went to The Gingerbread House PH in Alfonso, Cavite. The entrance fee is 150 pesos ($3) per person. The theme of the place is Candyland, which brings out our inner child in all of us. Inside the ginger house, there is a restaurant as well as a museum. The location is ideal for children and the young at heart.
We decided to have lunch at Kuya Roy's house in Alfonso, Cavite. When we arrived, it appeared to be a festive one. We were given a lot of food. They are extremely friendly to us.
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The Puzzle Mansion Museum in Tagaytay, Cavite, is the next stop. Georgina Gil-Lacuna, who enjoys constructing puzzles, was recognized by Guinness as having the world's largest puzzle collection. In the museum, you will find various jigsaw puzzles with time frames indicating when the puzzle was completed. You will be astounded by Georgina's dedication in creating the puzzles. Georgina made the puzzles for fun, and it ends up in a museum as it grows to 1,500 pieces. Her legacy lives on in the museum even though she died in 2014.
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The day's most exciting moment. Sky Ranch Tagaytay is our final destination. The entrance fee is only 50 pesos ($1) per person. There were a lot of people inside the park when we arrived. They have a variety of rides available, and the fee per ride varies, but we only rode the Ferris Wheel. We waited because the lines were also long. It's only a 15-minute ride. The Taal volcano and the Tagaytay road will be visible from above. We just want to take a lot of pictures and enjoy the ride. It was indeed a beautiful moment.
The area was surrounded by fog and was very cold, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the moment. We just strolled around Sky Ranch, watching the other rides. Following that, we take a lot of pictures. The atmosphere is very enjoyable. Such a great experience for us.
Thank you to Kuya Roy and his family for taking us to such beautiful locations. Our first day has come to an end, but it was fantastic. We just ate dinner at home and took a nap because we had a tour the next day. I'd like to return and explore more of Tagaytay with my family. If you have any suggestions for what to do next in Tagaytay, please suggest and leave them in the comments section. ๐
To Metro Manila and Rizal are the destinations of our next trip. We'll see you on the rest of our journey!
The Duo Xplorer is a couple from Cebu City, Philippines who are life adventurers. They may differ in some ways, but they all have one thing in common: they enjoy traveling and exploring to new places. In life, it's not where you go, it's who you travel with.
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