A fun Tagaytay trip that’s followed by a volcanic eruption

January 12, 2020 - Tagaytay City, Philippines

Taal volcano view few hours before its eruption

I was in Tagaytay with other two close friends one weekend for a short trip. Our Saturday was filled with fun. The weather was so good and we really enjoyed seeing the magnificent view of Taal volcano, Taal lake and the green forests surrounding it; we felt like princes and princesses at Fantasy World; and we savoured Tagaytay's famous Bulalo.

On Sunday, we planned to go boating on Taal Lake and hike the Taal volcano. We were supposed to go to People's Park as well in the afternoon and stay there to relax before going back to Manila.

For some reason, those plans were cancelled so we just kept ourselves entertained at Sky Ranch Tagaytay and we also tried the zip line along the cliff for the first time. It was amazing! It was my first time to try it and it felt so relaxing just watching the nice views from above. Then we had lunch, we went to the famous Starbucks cafe that's overlooking Taal lake, we bought some delicacies and we finally decided to go home at around 2:30 pm.

We only heard about the news that Taal volcano was erupting the moment we rode the bus that's heading back to Manila. We were like "Buti na lang di tayo tumuloy umakyat sa Taal" ("Fortunately we did not continue to climb Taal"). If we did, there's a possibility that we were still there while the volcano was erupting and doing our best to evacuate. If we stayed until evening, we might get stranded at Tagaytay since the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) was not passable due to ash fall and we won't be able to go back to Manila on time. The ash fall also caused troubles on rail transports.

At that moment, I realized that God makes a perfect timing for everything. Maybe, He did not let us climb the Taal volcano because something worse was about to happen. He let us go home a bit earlier than planned because we will get stuck in Tagaytay if we stayed longer and we would have difficulty in breathing because of the sulfur smell coming from the volcano.

Because of the Taal volcano eruption, a lot of families have to leave their homes and evacuate in order to keep themselves safe. The ash fall reached Metro Manila which resulted to the N95 face masks being out of stock on a lot of stores. This caused panic to a lot of people in the nearby provinces and cities.

During this time, I decided to start a small drive to make donations to the affected residents. I reached out to my workmates and friends to give even a small amount that we could donate. I was lucky enough to have a stable job that time and I have the means to help. I thought if we have extra budget, it's not bad to be share especially if we know that it will mean a lot to those people who will benefit from our help.

Donations to Taal volcano eruption victims

Most of the time, we spend hours planning the things we want to do because we always want to make the days worth it. But there are instances when we end up not accomplishing them. It's not because we did not take an action, but something else arose that needs more time and attention.

When something did not happen according to what we have planned, we should not get disappointed or upset. As they say, "everything happens for a reason". It's either God is saving us from a misfortune or He has bigger plans for us. So always be thankful and be optimistic.