Ride, Run & Row Weekend in Batangas

Most Pinoy tourists are familiar with the overlooking view of Taal Lake from Tagaytay City. But there’s something special about seeing the lake at eye-level from towns in Batangas.

This serene spot in Pusod Taal Lake Conservation Center in Brgy. Kinalaglagan, Mataasnakahoy offers a beautiful panoramic view of the freshwater lake and Taal Volcano. The center is situated in the eco-tourism area, where you can do early morning or sunset kayak rides or just commune with nature. The view of fishing boats on the lake at dawn here was just beautiful.

This was the starting point of the Batangas Earth and Water Festival organized by First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (FAITH) and Lima Park Hotel, the premiere luxury hotel in Batangas which hosted our stay over the weekend. The activities, based on different elements, aim to promote sports and wellness tourism in Batangas. Last year, the festival celebrated Earth and Wind with Kite-flying events. This year, it was Earth and Water. They’re planning to do Fire next.

Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! Go Planet! Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Outside Slacker joined the Earth part represented by a 5K-20K-3K run and bike relay, which followed a very challenging trail of steep slopes of the scenic roads of the towns of Mataasnakahoy and Balete.

While I like leisurely biking for ~~food-tripping~~ sightseeing, I knew I was in no position to compete with hardcore Navy personnel, serious bikers, marathoners and duathlon athletes who had signed up for the race. So I just volunteered to cover the event from the sidelines.

I got a nice comfy to ride instead at the back of a marshall’s motorcycle to get ahead of the athletes and get to the best vantage points.

Water is really more my element, so I opted for a very relaxing non-competitive kayak ride at the Picturesque Taal Lake. With the fishing boats on the shore, the view of Volcano Island in the distance and birds swooping down, it was very peaceful. For those who want to commune with nature longer, apparently you can sleep right by the lake. The Pusod Taal Lake Conservation Center has a Treehouse Bed & Breakfast that’s listed on Airbnb. Thanks, for the tip, Just Wandering!

The next day, we both joined Karipasan 2015, a Wellness Fun Run around the grounds of Lima Technology Center, which aimed to raise funds for educational communities in the Visayas devastated by typhoon Yolanda.

All in all, it was a very fun weekend that let us see firsthand the eco-tourism potential of towns in Batangas. There’s really more to Taal Lake than admiring it from a distance. I heard you can actually kayak all the way to Volcano Island from the conservation center in Pusod. It would be cool to go trekking on the island next time we visit.