More Colors at Perlas ng Silang

The highlands of Tagaytay which offer a scenic view of Taal Lake and Volcano from its multitude of cafes and restaurants are just minutes away from our place. So, when taking visiting friends from Metro Manila on a tour around our locality, Tagaytay is often the first option. But as it often happens, most of them have been to Tagaytay numerous times already. Fortunately, a place that just opened in 2022 has proven to be an option that can satisfy both their eyes and their palates.

Chasing the Sunset at Taal Volcano

We have been dreaming for ages about catching the sunset at Taal Lake and Volcano from a view deck at Tagaytay. Now that we live just 30 minutes away from such a view point this would surely be a leisurely exercise – and one that we can keep doing for as long as we live at our present location.

Coffee Stop at Marj’s, Tagaytay

Gone are the days when the sole consideration for going to a restaurant or café was the quality of the food and drinks. For some time now dining has come to include not just the food but the whole experience. A crucial element of the latter is the aesthetics of the dining space.

Trying Out the Cafés and Restos of the Country’s Coffee Capital

We had known for several years that Amadeo town in Cavite has been christened as the Philippines’ Coffee Capital. This despite the fact other regions are more famous for their coffee such as Batangas and Benguet. Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao also has a much larger land area devoted to planting coffee and supplies almost 35% of the country’s dried coffee and green coffee beans.

Café and Restaurant-Hopping in Silang

The volcanic vog (air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by a volcano react with oxygen and moisture) from nearby Taal Volcano in the last few days have inundated us here at Silang. As of this writing conditions have improved somewhat but we decided to stay indoors until it is much safer to travel. Which is a shame since there are many good coffee spots and restaurants – many of them Instagram-worthy – that we could visit in the area. Here are some of them:

Balite Falls: Revisiting Amadeo

It has been a while since we last went to a beach and were looking forward to visit Calatagan’s white sand coastline in Batangas province last Friday. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit iffy. Instead, we changed gears at the last possible moment to visit a cascade that has been our go-to place in Cavite besides Tagaytay.

Flower Fields Forever: Perlas ng Silang

The town where we now reside, Silang, is probably one of the least known tourism areas in the province of Cavite. But, as we are now discovering, it has a beauty and charm that is only now emerging amidst the spate of industrial and commercial developments in the area.

Maragondon: Dark Echoes of a Revolutionary Past

The western Cavite towns of Maragondon and Ternate were probably the least visited part of the province several years back due to its road distance from Metro Manila. That has changed in recent years due to the construction of new highways. Five years ago, we grabbed the chance to visit Maragondon. While in town primarily for the natural beauty of its rural countryside, we subsequently realized that the place also has a considerable historical significance.

Dining and Coffee with a View: Tagaytay and Taal Volcano

It is one of the most visited places in the Southern Tagalog or Calabarzon region because of its scenery and mild climate, a destination offering a quick escape from the urban jungle of Metro Manila. Located along a 32-kilometer-long ridge of the same name, Tagaytay City in Cavite offers a cool setting overlooking Taal Lake and the Taal Volcano complex.

Ternate, Cavite and Ternate, North Maluku: A Migration Story and a Creole Language

For a long time, we have often wondered if Ternate town in Cavite, Philippines is remotely related to a city of the same name in North Maluku in Indonesia. The Maluku Islands are also known in English as the Moluccas and, back during the 16th century onwards, as the Spice Islands – an obvious reference to the region as a center of the spice trade. Ternate in North Maluku is particularly famous for its aromatic cloves.

Chilling Out at Tagaytay and Talisay

On the way to Nina’s uncle and aunt at their retirement home in Hacienda Escudero in Tiaong, Quezon, we embarked on a short side trip to two adjoining towns for our coffee fix amidst the usual views of Taal Lake and Volcano. Although outside Manila, the first destination along the way – Tagaytay – was just an hour and a half away from home. That meant an easy and relaxing drive.

Peaceful for Now: Taal Volcano

Majority of the time when looking to dine near a nature destination not too far from the urban jungle of Metro Manila, we head out to Tagaytay City in Cavite province. Along Tagaytay Ridge are numerous cafes and restaurants that offer panoramic views of Taal Lake and Volcano in the adjacent province of Batangas.

Waterfall Chasing in Amadeo, Dining in Silang

Leo’s continuing recovery and physical therapy means we won’t be able to do those arduous treks that some of the more spectacular cascades here normally require. But our itch to visit these attractions overcame whatever trepidations we might have.

Cavite Beyond the Usual Spots

One thing we’ve learned during this year of quarantine is appreciating the beauty of places not too far from the metro. Our preference is for off-the-beaten-path destinations which often suggests travel to remote places far from home.

Time Travel with Bag of Beans

At home for more than a month now, with the National Capital Region here in the Philippines in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we sorely miss dining at a place closer to nature but just outside Metro Manila. Invariably, one such location that comes to mind is a café nestled in the highlands of...

Amadeo and Silang: An Unforeseen Visit

Perhaps there’s nothing more frustrating than hiking to a waterfall only to discover that it has completely dried up once you get to the spot. From experience, however, we learned how to adjust quickly and make the most of our circumstances. And that was how we ended up visiting the towns of Amadeo and Silang...

Chasing Beaches in Cavite

People have often asked if we could recommend nice beaches within 2 hours drive from Metro Manila. It’s an almost impossible question to answer since driving just to get outside of the metropolis would already take 2 hours in many cases. And then the nearest white sand beaches that we know – in the provinces...

Maragondon and Ternate: A One-Day Getaway

The western part of Cavite province, though only about an hour and a half’s drive away from home, is a rarely visited place for us. The last time we’ve been there was more than nine years ago when we joined friends for a visit to the Puerto Azul Beach & Country Club and Caylabne Bay...

Amadeo’s Balite Falls

Despite its proximity to Tagaytay City the town of Amadeo in Cavite has pretty much remained under the tourism radar. A small town of less than 40,000 people, Amadeo is nonetheless known as the “Coffee Capital of the Philippines," acting as a major supplier of coffee beans to Metro Manila’s numerous cafes. Looking for a...