Taal Volcano

Steve recently took a little field trip to the volcano that is located 1/2 hour from us. There is a lake there called Taal lake. In the middle of the lake is the cone for Taal Volcano. Inside the cone is another lake, called Crater Lake. So he drove to the shore of Taal Lake. Then he took a banka (small boat) over to the cone. From there, he rode a horse to the top of the cone to look down inside.

Here you can see the the volcano sticking up in the middle of the lake. Down through history, eruptions from Taal Volcano were responsible for the destruction and relocation of our city, Lipa City, 4 times. Everyone is fairly confident that the city is far enough away now to avoid further destruction.
This is taken from the rim of the volcano. You can look down and see Crater Lake, and you can also see Taal Lake beyond the other side of the rim. I (Jen) actually swam in Crater Lake many years ago. It is warm (in places, TOO hot to swim in) and very sulfuric. Taal Volcano is very active. It was actually evacuated earlier this year for fear that another eruption was imminent. You can see smoke rising out of the ground inside the rim.
There are also places in Crater Lake that are at the boiling point. Here, you can see the bubbles that are forming in the water.
Steve thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Taal Volcano and wants to bring his family next time. Any objections from the grandmas? :)