Loading...
Start a new Travel Blog! Blogabond Home Maps People Photos My Stuff

Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop

a travel blog by Joey Carlotta


Tomorrow being a holiday and with nothing better to do, I thought I would take one of my favorite Sunday drives with one of my favorite road trip partners, my mom. The truth is that mom has not been well, struggling with cancer, and I have been wanting to spend more time with her and what better way to spend quality time with another person than to go on a road trip together. I am calling this route the Taal Lake Loop as it will take us around the Taal Lake pretty much like the Laguna Lake Loop but shorter by about half the time. It is ideal for mom in her current state as she tires easily and it passes thru the old town of Taal where their Basilica is located. Mom is a devotee of the patron, San Martin de Tours.

As with previous trips, I promise myself that I will log distance and time and take as many pictures as I can but as usual I never complete these tasks. My phone, a Nokia E90 Communicator, is what I use to take pictures. For a camera phone, I think that the pictures are pretty decent considering that I just aim and shoot using default settings. The phone also has GPS and I have been wanting to create a database of waypoints which I have also failed to do. Anyway, besides creating a personal log of the trips I make and a place to post what pictures I take, a primary objective for this blog is to give people ideas for their own road trips. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for them by giving too much detail away. Go buy your own maps and get lost once in a while. It makes life more exciting.
view all 22 photos for this trip


Show Oldest First
Show Newest First

Alabang

Muntinlupa, Philippines


The trip starts at home in BF Resort Village in Las Pinas. We leave at about 9:30 AM with hopes of being in Tagaytay by noon for lunch. I have previously made it to Tagaytay in 2 hours using this route but I plan to drive at slower speeds to keep it comfortable for mom. Anyway, 15 minutes and 10 kilometers later through the Las Pinas Friendship Route, Ayala Alabang and Filinvest, we enter the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Traffic is relatively light for a long weekend and considering all the road repair going on. In another 30 minutes and 30 kilometers we are paying for toll and shortly thereafter exit towards Batangas.



permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Muntinlupa, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

Santo Tomas

Batangas, Philippines


The traffic on the road between the SLEX exit and the entrance to the Star Toll was likewise light. The stretch is about 5 kilometers. I always have to keep an eye out for the sign to turn right onto the Star Toll. The signs are posted immediately before the turnoff and easy to miss if you are going at a fast clip. There are a number of industrial estates along this stretch that can cause some buildup during weekdays. On this particular trip, the police had an inspection roadblock for Manila-bound vehicles which caused the traffic to backup considerably. I wonder who or what they were looking for?

The first exit on the Star Toll is the Sambat Exit that takes you to the lakeside town of Talisay where there is a turnoff that leads to Tagaytay up a well paved but steep and curvy road. This is a good alternative when traffic is extra heavy on the traditional routes. After the climb you will find yourself close to the Tagaytay Picnic Grove. Talisay, by the way, is where you can hire boats to go to the Taal Volcano island. There are several resorts along the lakeside road including the Taal Yatch Club. You will emerge in Lemery if you follow this road to the end. I make reference to this route later approaching from the opposite end of the road.

The star toll is a pleasure to drive. It is well paved and traffic is always light. The road climbs and dips making driving interesting. The countryside also opens up in all its green glory. There are a number of exits to places unknown that are so tempting to explore but keep an eye out for the exit before the end of the toll way. You will want to take the Batangas exit and not the Lipa exit which will bring you to Lipa proper with its city-style traffic. There is a break in the road where you will have to make a short U-turn crossing the opposite lane onto the exit toll plaza bringing you back to the national highway on which you turn right going towards Batangas City.



permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Batangas, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

Cuenca

Batangas, Philippines


You will now be in the outskirts of Lipa but the traffic will still be heavy as the area is very populated and primarily commercial. You will pass the Basa Air Force base on your right. Keep an eye out again for a right turn going to Cuenca. Again, the sign post is immediately before the turn and easy to miss. On this trip, there was a sign on the road about a bridge that was closed. I disregarded this sign and almost paid for it dearly. On the stretch between the Star Toll Exit and the Cuenca turnoff there are numerous stalls selling what appears to be aluminum cookware of all sorts. Makes you wonder where all the aluminum came from.

Cuenca is a pleasant place to drive through. The terrain is hilly with denser forest cover. The view is dominated by Mount Maculot. About halfway through Cuenca, we found out what the sign at the turnoff was trying to tell us. The bridge on the main road was out. Fortunately, a local offered to ride with us and show us an alternate route through interior roads. He mentioned that there was a bit of rough road but assured us that our 4X4 could take it. Mom sat straighter in her seat and appeared to be making a silent novena. From experience, these locals have a tendency of understating road conditions and distances so I took this with a chuckle and a grain of salt. There is a related story when we get past Lemery later.



permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Batangas, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

Taal

Batangas, Philippines


The road turned out to be relatively good with only a short span unpaved. It passed numerous chicken farms and orchards. Fortunately it was not raining because there was a river crossing. The road was very narrow specially the stretches deeply carved out of the adobe hills. It was with a sigh of relief when we returned to the main road where our guide got off P100 richer for his service. We wouldn’t have made it without him. The detour made us skip the town proper of Cuenca where freshly roasted Barako coffee beans can be bought. From there it was a short drive through the towns of Alitagtag and Sta. Teresita before entering the town proper of Taal. Caution must be taken not to follow the signs to Manila via Lemery as this will skip Taal. If you are into knives or want to buy a souvenir, stop at one of the many roadside stores selling fan knives (balisong) and other bladed items.

Taal is historical with many preserved old houses. The massive Basilica sits up on a hill dominating the town and overlooking the Balayan Bay. Taal is also known for cloth embroidery. There are several museums and heritage homes that can be visited. We arrived in Taal shortly before noon but we wanted to stick to our lunch objective in Tagaytay so we were off again after a short prayer in the Basilica. There are several relatively good restaurants in Taal. Their speciality is the soupy and beefy bulalo and tawilis, a small fish which apparently only grows in Taal Lake.

From Taal you enter Lemery and you will have the Balayan Bay immediately to your left. This road ends up in Nasugbu. There are 3 turnoffs after entering Lemery, the first backtracking to Alitagtag and Sta. Teresita bypassing Taal, the next going to Agoncillo and onto Talisay and the third in Calaca going to Tagaytay. The last turnoff is the one you wish to take. On a previous trip also with mom, we decided to take the Agoncillo road that hugs the coast of Taal Lake and ends up in Talisay below Tagaytay. This route is quite isolated but the close up views of the volcano island are spectacular. The road was very rough to non-existent and put my 4X4 to good use. Suffice it to say that mom, who was in good health then, almost had a heart attack. The drive took twice the amount of time as compared to using the regular route. It was awesome.



permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Batangas, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

Tagaytay

Cavite, Philippines


You start a gradual climb immediately after the turnoff in Calaca towards Tagaytay. This stretch is about 40 kilometers without gasoline stations so make sure you load up in Lemery if you need to. The road is well paved and very scenic. Watch out for the theme park with a fairytale castle halfway up. The road ends near the boundary of Batangas and Cavite with a left turn leading to Nasugbu. Traffic on the Tagaytay road was quite heavy with many cars parked on either side. We had a 1 PM lunch in Diners which is always pleasant. We wanted to have some coffee before heading home but all the regular places were full to brimming. The rest of the way was light and fast and we got back home by 3:30 PM.




permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Cavite, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

BF Resort Village

Las Pinas, Philippines


6 hours including stops in Taal and Tagaytay, 190 kilometers and about P1,000 for food and gas was time, effort and money well spent. Making mom happy and spending quality time together was pricless. I don’t know how she will be in the time to come and how many more road trips she will be able to go on as she is appears to be getting frailer by the day but I cherish the all times we have been able to go out of town specially those with just the two of us. I will miss this road trip buddy of mine but will always have her in my heart where ever I go. To those thinking about it, I urge you not to hesitate. Life is too short so heed the road that beckons and take a loved one along. And remember, when in doubt, stop and ask. It's better than going around in circles.

Happy trails!



permalink written by  Joey Carlotta on February 24, 2008 from Las Pinas, Philippines
from the travel blog: Sunday Drive - Taal Lake Loop
Send a Compliment

Viewing 1 - 6 of 6 Entries
first | previous | next | last

View as Map View as Satellite Imagery View as Map with Satellite Imagery Show/Hide Info Labels Zoom Out Zoom In Zoom Out Zoom In
find city:
trip feed
author feed
trip kml
author kml

   

Blogabond v2.40.58.80 © 2024 Expat Software Consulting Services about : press : rss : privacy