Day 3 – 12 March 2024, Tuesday

For our third day in Manila, we decided to go on a day trip to Tagaytay, a popular weekend getaway located about 60km south of Manila. We looked at a few tour operators on Klook and Tripadvisor but they were pretty expensive, so the ever-resourceful WY trawled the Internet and found a couple of companies offering more competitive rates.

We settled on CarAndDriverManila, click here to visit their website. For a day trip to Tagaytay, they quoted a rate of 7,000 pesos (S$168) for 9 hours. Extra hours are charged at 250 pesos (S$6) per hour. Payment can be done in cash to the driver or by credit card, which incurs an additional 4% charge. We chose this company because the rate was all-inclusive, including petrol, tolls and parking, which made it more straightforward.

I woke up at 6:40am, washed up and had breakfast at our Airbnb apartment. At 7:50am, our driver informed WY that he had already arrived at Gramercy Residences, 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled pickup time. The car was a Toyota Veloz, a 7-seater MPV with a powerful engine and good air-conditioning. The seats were spacious and comfortable too.

Our driver asked if we had any specific plans for sightseeing in Tagaytay, and whether we would like to go for a boat ride on the volcano lake, which cost 5,000 pesos (S$120) for a boat. The boat ride would allow us to go up close with the Taal Volcano. It sounded nice but it was expensive so we said no. The good thing about having the driver at our disposal was that we could dictate where we wanted to go, and how long to spend at each stop.

The drive from Makati to Tagaytay took around 1 hour 15 minutes. Once we got out of Metro Manila, the traffic on the expressway was much smoother. About halfway through the journey, the driver took the CALAX, or Cavite-Laguna Expressway. This section of the expressway opened only recently in late 2023 so it was still very new, with not many vehicles utilising it yet. Once we exited the expressway at Silang, the road was back to normal and narrower, but traffic was relatively light on this Monday morning.

At 9:17am, we arrived at People’s Park in the Sky. Our driver told us he would wait for us at the carpark while we toured the area, so we paid the entrance fee of 50 pesos (S$1.20) each and went in on our own. After passing through the gates, a man asked if we would like to take a jeepney ride to the top of the hill for 50 pesos each. I asked him how far it was to the top of the hill, and he said it was 500 metres. As it was an uphill climb, and the price seemed reasonable, we paid him the 100 pesos and gleefully hopped on the jeepney.

Taking a jeepney ride was something on my Manila to-do list. I knew that taking a jeepney in Metro Manila would be quite challenging because of the heavy traffic there, and the fact that the routes and stops are quite ad hoc. You can hop on or hop off anywhere along the route; there are no proper stops for you to board or alight, and the routes are not well marked. Jeepneys are a common mode of transport for the locals and most tourists don’t use them. Hence, we thought this would be a great way to experience riding a jeepney, albeit a short ride at a tourist attraction.

The jeepney we rode was a gleaming silver colour, not colourful like the regular ones plying the streets. We were the only two passengers so we had the whole jeepney to ourselves. We took photos and videos as it rumbled up the hill, but the ride lasted for less than three minutes and it was over before we knew it. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the experience.

People’s Park in the Sky was originally named Palace in the Sky and it was meant to be a mansion to host the state visit of US President Ronald Reagan in November 1983. Construction began in 1981 but was halted when President Reagan later cancelled his visit. The mansion was never completed after the People Power Revolution in February 1986 led to the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos, making the unfinished mansion a symbol of the Marcos administration’s excess.

The mansion was left to its own devices until 1996, when President Fidel V. Ramos ordered for the mansion to be converted into a “people’s park” for everyone to enjoy. Squatters were relocated, dilapidated buildings were demolished, an access road was built and park facilities such as souvenir stalls, an amphitheatre and viewing decks were installed. Today, People’s Park in the Sky is a popular spot for locals and tourists to have a picnic and enjoy the view, and what a view it was.

Sitting at the highest point in the province of Cavite, People’s Park in the Sky is about 709m above sea level. It was a cloudy day and the morning sky was slightly misty. The viewing deck had a panoramic view of the surrounding green hills and the Taal Volcano and crater lake below. Taal Lake lies within a caldera about 25km long and 18km wide. There is a smaller Volcano Island near the centre of the lake. A tuft of white clouds hovered above the Volcano Island. However, they were in fact a plume of smoke rather than clouds, a reminder that Taal is still an active volcano.

In fact, Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the Philippines, with 38 recorded historical eruptions. The last major eruption was in January 2020 and it killed 39 people. In the past three years, there were also minor eruptions accompanied by volcanic earthquakes and tremors. Due to its proximity to the capital, Taal is one of the most observed volcanoes in the world.

Fortunately for us, there was no eruption or tremors during our visit so we were able to fully enjoy the view. After taking lots of photos and videos from the viewing deck, we went down to the lower floor, where many souvenir shops were located. We each bought three packets of banana chips (100 pesos/S$2.40 for 3 packets) from a stall there. We also bought some fridge magnets and souvenirs. After coming back to Singapore, we ate the banana chips and they were super yummy. Wish I had bought more!

We then walked over to the nearby Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of Fair Love. We climbed a set of stairs to reach the small shrine, which is located beside the access road to the summit. Inside the shrine, there was a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. A staircase led us to the roof of the shrine, where there stood a much larger statue of Christ with his arms outstretched, reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, but much smaller in size and grandeur. The view from the roof of the shrine was amazing as well.

After taking many photos, we walked down the hill and met up with our driver at the carpark. We left People’s Park in the Sky at 10:30am and proceeded to our next stop, Sky Ranch, located about 12km away. We arrived at Sky Ranch 20 minutes later.

Sky Ranch is an amusement park owned by SM Prime Holdings, the conglomerate that also owns the SM Supermalls, with 85 malls in the Philippines. WY wanted to come here because it has a great view of Taal Lake and Volcano. Admission tickets to the Sky Ranch cost 100 pesos (S$2.40) but it does not include any rides. Individual ride tickets can be bought at the designated ticket booths inside the park.

Those who intend to take many rides can buy the Ride-All-You-Can (RAYC) voucher from one of the four authorised online channels – Klook (click here), MetroDeal, SM Tickets (click here) or StarDeals (click here). At the time of writing, the RAYC voucher costs S$9.35 on Klook, 350 pesos (S$8.40) on SM Tickets. Note that after purchasing the RAYC voucher online, you’ll still need to redeem the RAYC ticket at designated booths inside Sky Ranch.

Even though it is Ride-All-You-Can, the ticket doesn’t include all the rides. It includes only 16 attraction rides, with unlimited rides for 14 of the attractions and one-time ride for Sky Eye and Express Train. I looked at the list of 16 attractions and saw that it excluded the Zipline, which was something I really wanted to try, so I concluded it was not worth getting the RAYC.

WY and I were very keen to take the Sky Eye ferris wheel (200 pesos/S$4.80) but sadly, we were too early and it only starts operating from 1pm. I then went to take the Zipline on my own. A ride on the Zipline costs 300 pesos (S$7.20). After putting on the harness and helmet, the staff passed me the handgrip and asked me to climb the stairs to the top of the tower. The tower was about 10m tall so it wasn’t very high. At the top level, another staff member attached a carabiner to my harness and affixed the hand grip onto the zipline. He asked me to lean back and hold on to both of the handles throughout the ride.

With a whoosh, I stepped off the platform and off I went! It was exhilarating to zoom across the landscape while being suspended in the air. I have done ziplining in Chiang Mai before and enjoyed it immensely. The one here at Sky Ranch was much shorter and it took less than half a minute to reach the other side.

I thought that was the end of the ride but to my surprise, there was also a return journey. Actually, I shouldn’t be that surprised because it is only logical since the equipment office is at the other tower. So, I climbed to the top of the second tower, and rode the zipline across to the first tower once again. The return journey was actually more scenic because I had a direct view of Taal Lake and Volcano. The entire ride was short, but highly enjoyable.

After my Zipline ride, we walked around the rest of the amusement park to look at the other rides. They were mostly kiddy rides, nothing too thrilling or exciting. I imagine it will be quite crowded on weekends with locals who bring their families here for a fun day out and to enjoy the slightly cooler weather. But on a weekday like today, it was very quiet. Many of the rides were not even operating because there was no one to ride them.

The view from Sky Ranch was really quite good. Here, we saw the Volcano Island and Lake from a different angle. We were also closer to the Volcano Island compared to People’s Park in the Sky. After taking our fill of photos and soaking up the view, we exited Sky Ranch at noon and had lunch at Mang Jose, one of the restaurants located right outside the amusement park.

Mang Jose serves Filipino cuisine, which was what we wanted. I ordered the Lechon Baka (350 pesos) while WY ordered the Chicken Inasal Paa (310 pesos). We also ordered the Halo Halo (160 pesos) as dessert to share. Including 10% service charge, the bill came up to 902 pesos (S$21.72).

Lechon Baka is charcoal grilled beef seasoned with Filipino herbs and spices like lemongrass, garlic, onions, soy sauce and fish sauce. The beef slices were nicely marinated and very tender. Even the steamed rice was delicious. WY also enjoyed her grilled chicken leg. But the winner was the Halo Halo dessert. Halo means “mixed” in Tagalog, and this dessert is made of crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients like fresh coconut strips, red beans and ube jam. It was a bowl of delectable sweetness guaranteed to make you happy after eating it. I get the same feeling after eating a bowl of my favourite Chendol in Singapore.

After a satisfying lunch, we departed Sky Ranch at 12:50pm for our next destination. I didn’t do any research on Tagaytay beforehand but I happened to chance upon Acienda Designer Outlet on Google Maps while searching for things to do. WY and I both like to shop so we asked our driver to send us there for a look. We arrived 20 minutes later.

Acienda Designer Outlet (click here) touts itself as the first true international outlet mall in the Philippines. There are over 100 units dedicated to fashion brands for clearance of past season products, offering deals and discounts up to 70% off the original retail price. The size of the outlet mall and the brands on offer were decent, with the usual suspects like Adidas, Nike, Asics, Levi’s, Oakley, Onitsuka Tiger and more, but nothing really luxurious like Coach or designer labels, which was fine for me. I ended up buying stuff from Macbeth, a Southern Californian brand with something of a cult following. Macbeth Footwear was co-founded by Tom Delonge, one of the members of the punk rock band Blink-182.

We left Acienda Designer Outlet at 3:06pm and made our way back to Metro Manila. WY thought of going for a massage but I thought we had enough time to squeeze in a visit to a record shop at Greenhills Shopping Centre before the massage. Based on Google Maps, the distance from Acienda to Metro Manila is about 60km and it would take around 1½ hours by car, so we should reach our destination before 5pm, which was within the 9 hours that we had booked the driver for. So, we asked our driver to send us to Greenhills, and he could be dismissed from there.

The traffic was smooth on the expressway but once we reached the city an hour later, there was a huge jam and the traffic came to a standstill. The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) Highway passes through six of Metro Manila’s 17 cities and major financial districts. It is the longest and the most congested highway in Manila, stretching 23.8km. In fact, Metro Manila tops the world rankings for the worst traffic congestion among 387 metro areas in 2023.

We were crawling ever so slowly on the EDSA Highway, with no alternative or escape routes. As a passenger, it was frustrating and tiring but I know it must be much worse for the drivers. Just imagine how much petrol and time are wasted from being stuck in perpetual traffic jams, day in and day out. The traffic situation here really drove home how important urban planning is, and how essential metro/subway systems are for metropolises. We really need leaders with foresight and good governance to make tough decisions and implement solutions.

We eventually reached Greenhills Shopping Centre at 5:11pm, exceeding our 9-hour booking by a little bit, but our driver was gracious enough not to mention it. We each tipped him 500 pesos, so the final amount we paid was 8,000 pesos (S$192) for our car and driver.

Greenhills is Manila’s first-ever shopping complex, built in the early 1970s. It contains over 2,000 stores housed across several buildings and wings. The record shop I was looking for was called Music Depot and it was located on the ground floor of the Theatre Mall building. Theatre Mall looked every bit like a mall from the 1970s, with an old-school design and many small shops crammed together.

Correspondingly, Music Depot was also old school, occupying two shop units side-by-side. They had a good collection of secondhand and new titles, including vinyl, CDs and even cassettes. I browsed through the 7” singles and managed to unearth a few MJ and JJ titles that I didn’t have. They were going for only 200 pesos (S$4.80) each. It took me much longer than expected to go through everything and I ended up spending almost an hour at Music Depot. My final damage was 3,050 pesos (S$73.20), which wasn’t so bad, really.

I met up with WY again and we began to look for a place to have dinner. We walked around the different buildings but nothing caught our fancy. After about half an hour of walking around aimlessly, we finally decided on a place called Le Ching Tea House, which served Chinese food. We wanted something soupy for a change so I ordered the Wanton noodle soup (280 pesos/S$6.72) while WY ordered the Special soup with noodles (290 pesos). I also ordered two pieces of Monggo Bao (red bean bao). The noodles were decent but the bao was very bad – the skin was so thick and the filling was tasteless.

After dinner, we browsed the tiangge area, which was like a flea market bazaar with many small stalls. The apparel shops sold lots of knock-off shoes, bags and clothes, which looked like they were sourced from the 999 Shopping Mall/wholesale centre we visited yesterday. There were also many stalls selling foodstuff like dried mangoes and other dried goods like ube jam.

We tried looking for a massage parlour at Greenhills but there was nothing decent. We were getting tired by then so at 7:45pm, we hopped on a Grab car back to our Airbnb apartment. The drive to Gramercy Residences took 20 minutes and the fare was 320.33 pesos (S$7.71). Strangely, there was an additional 3% foreign payment method fee imposed on this Grab booking. All the earlier Grab bookings from the previous two days didn’t have it so I’m not sure why it suddenly appeared. But all the Grab bookings henceforth had this additional fee, which was a bummer. You can save on this additional 3% if you pay by cash.

After a nice shower, it was time to chill. I drank my San Miguel lychee flavoured beer that I bought from The Landmark supermarket on the first day. It was a tiring day with the long drive out to Tagaytay, but a fulfilling one.