Frequent traveling teaches you a lot of things, some good, some not-so-good. Travel is not all fun and happy and glamorous. The truth is, anything can happen on a trip. You can lose your passport or other important travel documents, you can get ripped off with unreasonably priced food and drinks (I’m looking at you, Puerto Galera), or it can rain (right, Batanes?). And we know that nothing ruins travel plans faster than a rainy day.
December 2015, my travel buddies, Gelo and Claire, and I spontaneously decided to go to Tagaytay for a daytrip. It was our last hurrah for 2015, a quick escape just before we dive in to the craziness of the holiday season. We had no itinerary and the extent of our planning only covered the meeting place, time, and Claire’s request to have breakfast at Bag of Beans. We also had no car; commuting was fine with us.
On the night before the trip, it rained. We decided to push through; we’d just bring umbrellas. It was still raining on the morning of the trip. And on the afternoon. And at night. It rained ALL FREAKING DAY. If not for that brief calm moment in the afternoon, we wouldn’t have seen Taal Volcano at all because it was too cloudy and foggy during the rest of the day.
Thank God my friends are both very “game” and flexible so we still had a good time. Here’s how we managed to enjoy this cold, wet time in Tagaytay:
Bring a waterproof camera
I first saw SJCam when Gelo brought his on our climb to Mt. Pulag. With his recommendation, I bought one and I’ve been using it ever since. It’s no GoPro but it’s way cheaper (got mine for only PHP 6,000), produces good quality photos (14 megapixels, and with a little bit of tuning and some editing, your photos can look pro), and is perfect for underwater and rainy day shots because of the waterproof case.
Wear appropriate attire
Your waterproof camera won’t be any use if you’re not wearing rain gear yourself. A raincoat would be great but not necessary; a waterproof or fleece jacket will suffice. Claire wore a light cardigan and she was okay. The important thing is to have a cover up since rainy Tagaytay is colder than your everyday Tagaytay. But even more important is your footwear. Don’t wear new shoes like Claire did!
Lighten up a gloomy day with desserts and hot drinks
We started off with breakfast at Bag of Beans. Along with our hot choco, Gelo ordered shepherd’s pie, Claire had blueberry cheesecake, and I had this beautiful, glorious apple pie ala mode.
It was a lovely combination of sweet (apple pie), sour and creamy (blueberry cheesecake) and savory (shepherd’s pie). The only thing missing was the view of Taal Volcano which was completely covered by clouds and fog.
In the afternoon, we had coffee, tea, and tarts at Filibeans, a tiny café in the veranda of Leslie’s Restaurant. Filibeans is a charming little place, perfect for afternoon viewing of the Taal Volcano and lake. Fortunately, the fog subsided for a short time so we were able to capture photos and of course, groufies.
Eat bulalo
A trip to Tagaytay is incomplete without bulalo (beef marrow stew). Since we couldn’t get around much because of the rain, we spent a good portion of the trip just eating. We had bulalo twice!
For lunch, we had bulalo at Don Juan Tamad which was across Leslie’s, on the other side of the highway. It was good especially on a rainy day like this, but we all admitted that Leslie’s bulalo would have been nicer. And so for dinner, just when we were about to board the bus back home, we turned back and headed to Leslie’s for bulalo round 2. Yes, we totally pigged out.
Laugh it out
This is crucial. Unfortunate things can happen while traveling so having the right mindset makes the difference. There are things that you can’t control but you can definitely control your attitude. I was lucky to be with two people who are so easy-going and positive, which is exactly why I love traveling with them. It’s amazing how when we’re together, we always find funny stories to laugh at. Despite the rain, we had a good time because we chose to just laugh it out and charge it to experience.
What are some of your travel misfortunes and misadventures? Share it by leaving a comment!
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