Taal is a town with ancient roots, but it moved to its present site in 1754 to escape the ravages of the Taal volcano. It eventually became home to numerous revolutionary figures.

There are already plenty of blog posts that will give you the lowdown about the city, so this is going to be mainly pictures.

I will point out, though, that estimates of two hours to get there by bus (even from areas more central than far-flung Quezon City) are wildly off the mark... From Cubao, our local JAM terminal, it took four hours to get to Lemery, and three hours and 40 minutes to get back... Then you have to get yourself via motor-tricycle between Lemery and Taal (you can get the trip for 50 pisos if a local does the haggling, and certainly hold out for no more than 70...).



So... Not quick. We were really glad we hadn't opted for a day trip...

Instead, we had booked in at one of the historic buildings the town is noted for. This one is called the Paradores de Castillo, and its decor very nicely underlines its heritage status.







During our not-quite-24-hours, we toured the "Wedding Gift House", the Basilica of St Martin of Tours (definitely fork out the fee -- 100 pisos for foreigners -- to climb up to the belfry), the Spanish Cemetery, and the Leon Apacible Museum, which occupies what used to be the family home. (There are numerous other possibilities for visits that we either didn't have time for, or that were only open at the weekends.)

I have nothing but admiration for this style of housing. Airy, cool, spacious, elegant -- why don't we build things like this any more...?























We also spent LOTS of time wandering the lovely streets, where almost every house is photogenic, and churches, markets, and gown-shops join the camera-friendly mix.













To victual up, we can recommend Janet's Kitchen (a very simple, very cheap little eatery), the Cafe G (which does nice pancakes), and our hotel garden, which provides San Mig, shareable portions of nachos, and a friendly one-eyed cat to keep you company.

Taal's biggest challenge is to keep an eye on its traffic. Motor-trikes and jeepneys are anything but easy on the ears and nose... Nevertheless, this is a gem of a town, and well worth visiting.