The 2nd part of the journey takes us to the Southern Part of Luzon.

The Philippines is one of the countries which lie in the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", thus making the country abound with several active volcanoes. One of these volcanoes is Taal Volcano,.

Taal Volcano, has been called the smallest active volcano in the world. It is located about 70-km south of Manila on an island inside a lake called Taal Lake. What makes Taal Volcano more unique is the fact that the volcano itself has a lake of its own inside its crater which is called the "Crater Lake." One can even swim inside the Crater Lake but don't stay too long because the lake's water is a very diluted form of sulfuric acid with high concentration of boron, magnesium, aluminum and sodium in salt form.

Since 1572, there has been 26 recorded eruptions, hence named the “Killer Volcano”. It’s most devastating eruption occurred in 1754, when it buried the towns of Lipa, Sala, Tanauan and Taal with lava. In 1911, the volcano erupted again, claiming 1,344 lives, leaving only a puppy as the sole survivor.

Batangas is in southwestern Luzon. It is bounded on the north by Cavite, on the east by Laguna and Quezon, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the south by the Verde Island Passage. Batangas City is the Capital.

Taal Lake and Volcano, although usually viewed from Tagaytay in Cavite, is in Batangas. In fact, the entire province is said to be once the base of a huge volcano which erupted violently and Taal lake used to be its crater. The irregular coastline is dotted with coves, peninsulas, and bays.

Matabungkay Beach is a 2 kilometer long white sand beach situated in the town of Lian, facing the South China Sea. The area is ideal for water sports, such as swimming, boating, yachting, fishing and skin diving.

The sand however is not pure sand, it is somewhat rocky, so if you have very sensitive foot pads, you might refrain from running on the beach!

Cavite province lies at the southwest entrance of Manila Bay across the Bataan Peninsula, it is bounded on the east by the provinces of Rizal and Laguna, on the south by the province of Batangas, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the north by Manila Bay and the city of Manila.

Although it is mostly known for its historical sites, it also boasts of several beaches and resorts along its coastline. One of these resort is Puerto Azul .

Opened in 1980, Puerto Azul is one of the country's tourism showcases. It has an impressive resort, and country club complex sprawling along seven coves with gray sand beaches. It has been the site of many international aqua sports competitions.

I got to visit this place after our rural practicum in Marigondon, Cavite with my classmates in the University of the Philippines, School of Public Health, back in 1985. It was a welcome respite, after a month long immersion in Public Health Issues and preparing for thesis and graduation.