Once you get close to Tagaytay the view become incredible. The road you travel up is built upon the mountain ridges and the buildings situated along the route seem to cantilever into space. The drop offs seem so shear. One wonders how they built the houses and why the hillside doe not crumble and give way under the weight of the buildings. The rattan industry seems to thrive in these heights of land as the vendors and gatherers are busy plying their trade along the route into Tagaytay.
One you enter Tagaytay proper it seems to stretch forever along yet another in interminable mountain ridge. One almost cannot get a sense of the layout of the land simply driving along the main route through town. Again, the sheer drop offs afford a fantastic view of Taal lake and the various volcanoes that dot the landscape below. One wonders at the forces of nature that shapes the cauldera below and the
unimaginable human suffering the volcanic blasts would have wreaked upon the former inhabitants through the millennia.
After driving through town we once again began to climb as we approached the Palace in the Sky tourist attraction. The road seemed to attain new heights as we drove up and finally stopped at the parking spot at the base of the structure. We had to pay for parking there and pay to get into the Palace in the Sky. Fifteen pesos to get in are not much when you come from a western attraction but the sad state of affairs in the building and grounds leads one to wonder why the have neglected the Palace so badly and what they are charging for? The fee's collected assuredly do not go towards maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and grounds. The metal fencing surrounding the palace are rotten trough with rust. The beams supporting the massive roof are mildewed and covered ion a black mold that would condem any building in the USA, Canada or Europe. It seems as if paint if forbidden there and tin sheeting covers broken walls and fencing. Grafitti is everywhere and the empty areas are wet, dirty and strewn with garbage. Perhaps the sad state of affairs at the Palace in the Sky are a testament to the animosity some feel towards the former dictator... pop's President of the Philippines Fernando Marcos who build it as a presidential guest house.
Leaving the Palace in the Sky we drove back into Taal proper and decided to visit Picnic Grove. Once again we had to pay an "Entrance" fee. This time it was 50 pesos per person. What appeared to be a pleasant outing soon turned ugly as the beggars and dubious parking "attendants" queued up to lead us to a parking spot and proceed to beg for money under the guise of selling boat trips on Taal lake. We repeatedly told one such hanger on "No", "hindi" and "ayow" several times as we drove to the parking area. He continued to run ahead of the car waving us on. At a "T" intersection he ran left and we drove right hoping to lose him and park ourselves. Not to be outdone he followed us and amid a crowd of 6 such men he waved us into the parking spot we had found. He then proceeded to as for a fee for helping him park us and try to sell a boat ride on the lake. We waved him away but one of us stayed with the vehicle to ensure it was not broken into or vandalized. At every step along the way t the picnic area we were repeatedly accosted by anyone and everyone who sakes us to buy a boating trip on Lake Taal. We got to the ridge overlooking the actual picnic site and what a disappointment it was. The slope was littered with trash and broken fencing and steps. Each booth had a sign that said we had to pay 150 PHP to rent the booth and needed a ticket. The washrooms were nowhere to be found and when they were located they were the plastic "Johnny on the Spot" types used in contraction areas across North America. One had a padlock on it the other on a sign suggesting a donation be made to the attendants at the park. One look inside and that idea was quashed. No one seemed to have cleaned the portable toilet since Ferdinand Marcos had been in power. There was no toilet paper and every surface had either faeces or urine splashed across it, dirty diapers and paper trash stuck to it. It reached to high heaven too. It seems the toilets are outsourced to a third party vendor and they save a lot of money not maintaining or even cleaning the toilets. Needless to say no donation was made for that tragic lack of maintenance.
Upon leaving our driver had words with the two guards who seems to be on the premises. When asked why the "Boat Sales People" were pestering us for parking donations they shrugged their shoulders and said they are selling tickets to Taal Lake boating excursions only. Further discussion got them to admit to the problem but, most assuredly, they will not interfere in the money making habits of such a large lobby group especially, if it means they have to leave the comfort of their guard post and actually do something to protect the paying public from harassment.
Leaving Tagaytay we stopped along the route leaving the town proper and bought young coconuts and bananas from one of the many venders along that route. We made that one seller very happy as we bought all 17 coconuts he had on hand. We opened one to drink the juice and brought the rest home to enjoy later.
It would be fun to see more of Tagaytay someday. The views are stunning and the people are nice. Shame about the beggars and bandits that seems to have their hand out at every stop along the way forcing you to pay for parking over and above entrance fees. Tagaytay would be a much nicer destination if they cleaned up the trash and offered clean washrooms after removing the said human trash form the parking lots of major tourist attractions.
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