Talisay, Batangas

Our first stop was to Talisay, Batangas where my mother grew up and my grandparents built the Tropical Jungle Lake Resort (a touring experience, and boat excursion to the Taal Volcano). The Taal Volcano is one of the Philippines known landmarks and a portion of a chain of volcanoes along the island of Luzon.

The island was constructed over 500,000 years ago by 2 tectonic plates that collided. The Taal Volcano is known best for being an island within a lake, on an island within a lake, on an island (you follow?) It is located a 45-minute boat ride straight from my grandparents marina. My family and I hiked to the top of the volcano on January 1st, 2019. Talk about starting the new year at a peak.

For the first week in my mom’s hometown, every morning started off at 5:30am. My mother, my aunts and I would take a walk and chase sunrise down the road of Santa Rosa. Although we took a different route each time, it always ended at the farmers market for fresh groceries and breakfast food.

Food - a tremendous part of the Filipino culture that resembles quality family time with a table full of delectable traditional homemade dishes. Native Philippine food consists of a variety of grilled sea foods, pork and chicken. Side dishes include; white rice and dipping sauces, a mix of soya sauce, chilli and calamansi (mini lime looking fruit, that is still quite sour but way more sweet than a lime) always included. Food was always fresh, hand-picked or straight from the sea, and guaranteed cooked to perfection every time.

“The culture of the Philippines comprises a blend of traditional Filipino and Spanish Catholic traditions, with influences from America and other parts of Asia. The Filipinos are family oriented and often religious with an appreciation for art, fashion, music and food.” - iexplore.com

On December 22nd, 2019 my family and I took our first hike to the Malagaslas Falls, located in Laurel Batangas, a few minutes from my mother’s stomping grounds. Upon our arrival to the trail leading to the twin falls, we were greeted by a troupe of stray dogs who lead us down the path through the jungle, lined by coconut trees and traditional root vegetables like Taro plants. We were even greeted by other wild animals like the Carabao (a domestic water buffalo native to the Philippines), some chickens and multiple acres of rice fields. Arriving to the view of the Malagaslas Falls was one of my first eye opening moments on the trip. I realized that there is so much more to see and this is simply just the beginning.

In addition to the characteristics of Filipino culture noted above, I was presented with the fact that Filipinos LOVE Christmas, which made our arrival ideal timing for festivities. Considering that the culture is very religious and family oriented, Christmas time is the best time of the year. As crazy as it sounds, the holiday begins as early as September! Christmas is the special time when families and communities gather together and celebrate on the streets for “fiestas” full of food, music and entertainment.

The Philippines is an island with endless activities. I spent Christmas day with my family in the highlands of Tagaytay city that had the most unbelievable view of the Taal Lake. We had lunch on top of the mountain at a restaurant called Jose, where we were served traditionally grilled meats and vegetables and some stews, then continued to spend the afternoon at the

Sky Ranch.

The Sky Ranch is an amusement park located on Tagaytay highlands with a perfect view of the Taal Lake. On our way back to my grandparent's place, we stopped into The Gingerbread house PH, a family attraction at a life size "gingerbread" themed village. (I really wasn't joking when I said Filipinos love christmas...)