EXPLORING THE BALI OF BATANGAS
What do you do when a trip you’ve spent months planning for gets cancelled? For some Davaoeños, meticulous planning is required when travelling abroad. Most international flights are only offered in NAIA, so travellers coming from Mindanao have no choice but to spend extra money for Davao-ManilaDavao tickets.
One November morning, I was informed that our flight to China was postponed. I could say that I wasn’t extremely affected by the news, but it broke my heart to think about the money we spent for our Davao-Manila-Davao flights.
So instead of having our flights rebooked, which would cost as much as the original rates, we came up with a cheaper yet equally exciting plan. Through Facebook, we discovered affordable local tour packages that can we squeeze into our tight schedule. With little preparations and zero expectations, we booked a day trip to explore the hidden wonders of Batangas.
From Manila, we took a two-hour ride to the municipality of Taal in Batangas. It was easy to tell, from the preserved ancestral buildings surrounding us, that we’ve arrived at the heritage town that looks a little bit like Calle Crisologo in Vigan City (minus the cobblestoned street). We walked around Taal Park and ascended the steps leading to Taal Basilica, the largest Catholic Church in Asia. Also known as Basilica de San Martin de Tours, the original structure of Taal Basilica was destroyed by the 1754 eruption of Taal Volcano. After enduring the second wave of destruction and rehabilitation, Taal Basilica was eventually reconstructed in 1856 and inaugurated in 1865.
After an hour of sightseeing, we drove to Villa Jovita Resort in Barangay Agoncillo. Villa Jovita is originally popular for its non-chlorinated, riverside pools. Early this year, however, Villa Jovita became known as the Bali of Batangas for its Bali-inspired attractions. For only P250, you can have access to the swimming pools and the Bali Corner, an outdoor set-up designed to resemble popular attractions in Bali, Indonesia. My favorite is the swing—a smaller version of the one in Ubud, Bali— which allows riders to be catapulted into the air, and then swung back to the ground again, with the aid of a harness. It was a daunting yet refreshing experience, one I would definitely recommend even to the faint-hearted. If you feel that you’ve had enough swinging, you can lounge by the colorful beanbags and canvas hammocks shaded by a canopy of trees, or simply make enough memories by taking pictures of the large bird nests scattered all over the Bali Corner.
Villa Jovita, with its views of lush greeneries and rivers, has become a favorite vacation destination and prenup shoot location. After the launching of its Bali Corner, the resort has gained social media attention and an increase in the number of visitors everyday. Instead of using your domestic flights to go mall-hopping in Metro Manila, I would recommend embarking on a memorable road trip to Batangas.