Tagaytay and Taal Valcano

Tagaytay is about a two hour drive from Manila in the mountains. We enjoyed the fresh mountain air and cool breeze. This city over looks the Taal Volcano and lake which makes for a dramatic scenery and great photos.

Another popular form of transportation was the tricycle.

We spent some time at the People's Park in the Sky. Words can't describe the peace and tranquility felt here.

Despite hesitation from our driver, Jun Jun, we made the 45 minute steep trek down the mountain. I was determined to check out the Taal volcano, the smallest volcano in the Philippines. My plan was to hire an outrigger and hike the volcano. They also offer donkey rides to the top, but I prefer to hike. Unfortunately the volcano was active and my plan was crushed. However, we still took an outrigger ride and got pretty close.
Our Captain sang to us and pointed out attractions during the voyage. We saw a lot of dead fish in the water, I guess this was due to the volcanic activity.

Finadene

This is signature sauce in Chamorro cuisine. It is served at all the restaurants here. I like it best as a dipping sauce for grilled meat.

I thought all of you at home might enjoy it at your summer cook-outs!

The basic recipe is (although there is lots of variations):

• 2 part soy sauce
• 1 part lemon juice and/or vinegar
  
• 1 chopped white (or red) onion & or green onion
• chopped boonie peppers (a local fresh chili) to taste, substitute habanero peppers or jalapeno peppers
• diced tomato

Mix all the ingredients together and serve.

Manila!

Our first stop in South East Asia was Manila, Philippines over Memorial Day weekend. This was my first time in this part of the world and it was quit a culture shock. Luckily we did a lot of research and stayed in a safe area and had a trusted driver show us around.
I was shocked by how crowed the city was. Traffic was horrific with many traffic jams and people walking out into the streets in front of cars. The most popular form of transportation was a Jeepney.
We stayed in Mikati which is the business district. Makati has amazing shopping, cafes, and bars. It was such a treat to be in a big city! We loved the energy in this part of the city.We spent an afternoon strolling in Fort Santiago which is in Intramuros, the historical district.
Our friend highly suggested we check out the fish market. We ended up ordering enough food for 10 people. It was fresh off the boat and delish! We left in a food coma, feeling a little shameful for leaving so much left over food!
This is a service oriented city. Everywhere we went we were greeted with a "Hello Ma'am-Sir", so much so that it became a joke between us. My favorite part of the trip was a 90 minute $25 Swedish/Shiatsu massage at the hotel spa. You can't beat the currency exchange!