Lonely Travels: Tagaytay + Silang
July 6 is my birthday, and I gifted myself a staycation in Tagaytay.
For those who do not know, Tagaytay is a city in Cavite province of the Philippines. It is a popular tourist destination south of Manila, famous for its cool climate due to its elevation. It is also nearer to Manila than is Baguio, another famous place in the north for the same reason. Do note that Baguio is higher (and consequently cooler) than Tagaytay.
So whatâs the plan, you might ask? Nothing really; I just want to go someplace. I donât have an itinerary, and I donât know where to go. So randomly walking around it is.
Oh, by the way Tagaytay is close to Taal volcano, which is actively erupting then. Itâs not as intense as last 2020, so no dramatic video/pictures. Twisted as it is, I was quite hoping for more spectacular events while Iâm there, perhaps something 2020-like. Iâm morbid like that.
I booked a hotel at Reddoorz at least a week before. The place is not expensive; I was able to book the place at around â±1000.00. Here is the place:
This is what the place looks like:
Note that I am not endorsing Reddoorz, nor they sponsored this post. One can dream. đ
The day started when I arrived in Tagaytay around 08:00. Itâs quite early and hotel check-in is 14:00, so I just randomly walked a short segment of the road going to Batangas.
The volcanoâs not clearly visible in these clips, but I hope you can see the big smokey plume. I overheard those are sulfur emissions; the air did smell a bit sulfur-y but not oppressively so.
Afterwards, breakfast at a nearby McDonaldâs. They had balcony seats overlooking Taal lake, but unfortunately theyâre all occupied.
Another random walk led me to Brewed Awakening. Similar to McDonaldâs, they had huts overlooking the lake, which enabled me to get these pictures.
The waitress convinced me to have a second breakfast.
Kapeng barako, macapuno and jackfruit tarts while overlooking an erupting volcano. Nice.
Word of advice: to maximise worth of food expenses, do not eat at fast food establishments. Instead, find local eateries, carinderias, or local sari-sari stores and purchase your food from there. Yes, they can potentially be more expensive than global fast food chains, but you get the benefit of trying out local cuisine and experience local customer service (as opposed to generic run-of-the-mill fodder). I canât recommend this at Dasmariñas however as people there can be quite rude, but thatâs another story for another time.
As it is just around 10:00 when I finished, I decided to walk all the way to Peopleâs Park in the Sky. According to Google Maps, thatâs almost two hours walk from the cafe, a great way to kill time (remember, hotel check-in is 14:00).
Took again random pictures along the way.
As you might have noticed by now, I like to take back roads and nature-y pictures. And yes, I suck at photography, thank you very much.
By 11:00, I was near Tagaytay City market. Seeing as itâs near the Reddoorz hotel, I decide to visit the hotel first. By the time I arrived at the hotel, it was 11:30, and I was informed that early check-in will cost â±200/hour. A bit excessive, so I walked to Tagaytay Picnic Grove to pass the time.
By the time I arrived at the entrance of the grove, I was tired and quite hungry. I contemplated going inside the grove and seeking food stalls, but for some reason I didnât have the courage to. I walked aimlessly around the vicinity for a while. Getting frustrated with myself, I went back to the hotel, killing another 26 minutes and logging an additional 1.9km. At this point, I must have walked at least 9km, including all detours.
It was around 12:30 when I reached Leonardaâs Restaurant with Bed & Breakfast for lunch.
And here is my lunch: solo pancit canton, costing â±120:
Itâs decent enough, not bad but nothing to write home about. It did accomplish the job of banishing hunger.
I checked in at the hotel at 14:00. Here are some photos of the roomâs interior:
Bath towel and basic toiletries were provided, plus two bottles of mineral water.
Basic toiletries: two bath towels, two toothbrushes, one very small toothpaste tube, one very small container of 3-in-1 shampoo+conditioner+body wash, four cotton buds, and one roll of toilet paper. If youâre wondering if this is intended for two persons, itâs because it is. I alone am renting the place.
The room is quite comfy and cold, even without the AC turned on. In fact, I did not use it at all except for the last hour of my stay.
There is a 28-32in TV (not sure of the actual size) in the room with a USB stick plugged in, containing several music videos and movies. To pass the time I watched The Larva Island Movie. The movie is definitely for children, and is quite good if you just want to rest your brain or youâre a fan of fanfics based off of English-dubbed anime. I wholeheartedly agree with its IMDB rating.
All this time I want to take a bath but canât until I have a bar of soap. You might ask: why not use the free 3-in-1 shampoo+conditioner+body wash? Two answers:
One: have you seen how small it is?
Itâs so small, it almost fits inside my action cameraâs cage. Itâs 30ml.
Two: I donât have a washcloth to smear its contents into.
Around 16:30, while still drizzling I went out to buy soap. Walking along Santa Rosa - Tagaytay road, I managed to reach 7-Eleven (a cool 2.5km) and bought my soap from there.
Turning back, the drizzle got stronger until it became full-fledged rain. Quickly needing someplace to wait for the rain to pass, I had early dinner at Don Juan Restaurant (it was around 17:30).
I ordered pork bbq and garlic rice for a total of â±224.60 (service charge is â±9.60).
My meal. I was served 4pcs of bbq total, served in a bed of napa cabbage.
Food is really nice, especially the vinegar dip which completes the bbq. Itâs quite pinkish in color. Could someone tell which vinegar variant is this, or whatever they mixed in it? Itâs so good, I would want a bottle of it.
The heavenly vinegar. Please gimme a bottle or the recipe.
The service is not so good however. Not downright horrible, but not as welcoming as the one in Brewed Awakening or the hotel staff. Maybe because I look like a wet hobo.
After at least an hour in the restaurant, I walked back to the hotel. I think I reached it around 19:00. By this time, my legs and thighs are hurting and one of my toes has a blister. I had a nice hot shower with my hard-earned soap bar.
The hotel advertised free WiFi. According to speedtest.net, I had 30mbps down and similar up, which is quite similar to what I have at home. Unfortunately, it does not reach inside the room. Fortunately, every room has a mini balcony in front of it (you can see them in the pictures above). After blogging for a bit and watching Sonic the Hedgehog from the all-mighty USB stick, I managed to fall asleep around 23:00.
Sleep was not deep however, as it is so cold! AC is off, but it feels like 20°C even under the covers. I woke up around 04:30.
Around 05:20, legs and thighs still aching, I walked outside for breakfast. It was foggy and cold.
I got curious yesterday of the opposite road going to Silang (Google Maps says itâs going to Brgy Balite 1), so I went there in search of someplace to eat.
The aforementioned road. Quaint; much like.
I found a sari-sari store (sorry, I forgot to record the name) where I had breakfast.
A cheap breakfast with a dog (yes, a stray joined me) in front of a gorgeous view. Nice.
After breakfast, I wanted to explore the street more, but several dogs at a distance discouraged me. Going back, I was treated to a gorgeous sunrise.
Free dessert, whee!
Anyway, stayed at the hotel until checking out around 11:30. Since my thighs are still aching, I took a tricycle to Fora mall.
The ride took a total of 8 minutes, 30 seconds and cost â±80.00. And I walked the path for almost 2 hours! Even the driver was shocked when I told him that. No wonder, he pretty much took the same path as I did.
I then rode a jeepney to Robinsons Silang, and had my lunch at Lotsâa Pizza.
Great Manhattan large pizza from Lotsâa Pizza, â±295. Great substitute for more expensive pizza chains like Shakeyâs or Pizza Hut (yuck!).
Remember my earlier rant about prioritising local food over fast food chains? Well, I was planning on eating at Cafe Agapita, but itâs a 26 minute walk from the mall which I couldnât make due to my aching feet. And itâs already 12:00 and Iâm hungry, so cheap fast food it is.
I explored the mall and its surroundings after lunch. Bought two Bob Ong books at Pandayan Bookstore and got a massage at Vibes around 14:00. By 15:30, I convinced myself to try walking towards Cafe Agapita for some coffee (Lotsâa Pizza didnât have one).
Walking around the town proper, I canât help but notice that Silang is quite an interesting place. It is bike-friendly: roads are mostly two lanes and slow (not traffic-prone, but does not encourage high velocity). I also saw quite a lot of bikers. There were also several bike shops scattered around. The atmosphere also feels like being in a bustling small town. For those who can relate, itâs like Lupao, Nueva Ecija. I look forward to exploring more of this town and Silang as a whole; maybe I can make this my next adventure.
By 16:00, I kinda want some noms. I got curious by the Forastero Cafe, so I went in.
Inside Forastero Cafe. Sorry for the flares; it might be the dirty lens piece.
I had the large iced coffee and sour cream fries, for a total of â±195. Not bad: coffee is great though fries is quite on the sweet side (which is weird considering itâs sour cream). Donât be fooled by the dodgy-looking storefront; this is a hidden gem. I will always choose this over Starbucks, as I donât like paying for overpriced shitty brown caffeinated water for pretentious people.
By 17:30 I was walking again, this time looking for a ride home. Boarding a jeepney, I was in SM Dasmariñas by 18:00.
SM Dasmariñas by 18:26.
And this concludes the end of my staycation/food trip/walking adventure. I hope you enjoyed it as much I did. âTil next time!
For those who are wondering how much this cost, I estimate around â±4000 for the two whole days, including the hotel. Excluding the hotel, most of my expenses went into food, since as you might have garnered I didnât put in too much effort on minimising. If you want the same experience but for cheaper (future reminder for me!), I suggest:
- Accommodation: choose a cheap one. This is Tagaytay after all: explore the outdoors, donât stay indoors. I believe there are much cheaper options than Reddoorz; I saw some cheap hotels lining the roads.
- Transportation: Biking instead of taking a car/motorcycle or public transportation. Bicycles donât require purchasing fossil fuels, fattens the wallet, helps the environment, and slims down tummies. Biking to Tagaytay is a popular activity regardless of your starting point, as well as riding around the city regardless the time of day.
- Food: as most backpackers and thrifty travelers will tell you, bringing or cooking your own food is a great way to minimise food expense. A second alternative is to buy from sari-sari stores and carinderias: not only theyâre a bit cheaper than full-blown restaurants, youâre also helping local businesses. Just choose clean-looking ones and use your common sense; after all, medical bills are still more expensive than a meal at a five-star restaurant.
- Entertainment: Come on, this is Tagaytay; sight-seeing is free! Enjoy the cool weather and the trees whether under them or looking from a distance. Especially if youâre coming from urban jungles like Manila: experience real nature rather than fake ones at malls. Speaking ofâŠ
- Malls: avoid them. Granted, most here are owned by Ayala which guarantees a top-notch experience, but really, malls? Personally, I would rather recommend you walk along the main roads of Tagaytay than walking inside malls, as you can see more exciting things at the roadside (like Taal volcano) than inside a mall. Go to a mall because you need to buy something, not because you âneedâ to. And even then I would like you go to Mahogany Beef Market & Bulalohan instead. But if you want a crappy Tagaytay excursion then by all means you do you.
Updates:
- 12 Jun 2024:
- Removed travel date from title; added in post header instead.
- Fixed formatting
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