Hidden Valley

Today was the highlight: Hidden Valley, in southern Laguna (a 20–30 km drive)—I mentioned it in a previous post.

Huge pools heated by a volcanic hot spring.
FYI: The Philippines is teeming with volcanoes; and on Luzon alone—the large island where the capital is located (see the map of the Philippines)—there are several: Mount Pinatubo, which erupted in 1991; Taal Volcano; and Mount Makilin. The weather was cloudy and hot. Imagine this beautiful mix: a storm, thunder, and heat. It gave us a superb tropical downpour just as we were heading out to explore the jungle and the waterfall (Springs Falls), which intensified because of the rain. It was hard to take photos, but we managed.

On the tedious walk back from the jungle, still in the rain, we took a dip in the last pool. It was magical.
We ended our day with some interesting discoveries, like rice cake (Puto) and other delights from Pinoy pastry shops. We learned a lot about the local flora and fauna.
Now, exhausted—it was 10:30 p.m. local time on October 8—I’ve finished writing for the day…
P.S.: You’ll find more photos on our Facebook profile in the “Mobile Uploads” album while we wait to upload enough to this site…

See you soon for new adventures