I took a photo of my husband from the rim of the volcano | by Althea Tan
I never thought that, one day, i’d sit on the mouth of Taal Volcano, the smallest in the world, and snap away photos of my husband wearing a sombrero, standing on a makeshift bench with cream-like, velvety clouds as his backdrop. Wonderment and awe engulfed me, so I spread my arms to give thanks to God. To put my feelings about the experience lightly, I quote William Thacker from the movie, Notting Hill: Surreal, but nice.
The rim of Taal Volcano | by Deck Chua
Nevermind the heat that easily forms a mirage on the hairy backs of emaciated horses forced to carry heavy bags, and semi-dehydrated men and women. Some of these animals could barely trek the steep slopes of Taal. There were scary moments when I felt my horse would trip but it must have experienced something worse, like climbing up the hill on a stormy day, that it regained balance. Still, they looked beyond tired. I was aghast and, to be honest, disgusted by the lack of consideration for these manes. Hello, PETA? My tour guide, a nice woman whose sun-kissed skin I envy the most, told me that some of the horses die in exhaustion. I believe that. I felt sorry for my horse that I offered to just walk. [Read more...]
