See you at Manila

When we were flying to Kota Kinabalu, we saw an article on Taal Lake Volcano in Manila, Philippines. That moment itself we all decided to go there someday. And finally the day has come and in another 7 hours, I will be flying to Manila. Hopefully even this trip should be successful, as all other trips.

About Taal Volcano: (Info from Wikipedia)
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is situated between the towns of Talisay and San Nicolas in Batangas. It consists of an island in Lake Taal, which is situated within a caldera formed by an earlier, very powerful eruption. It is located about 50 km (31 Miles) from the capital, Manila. It is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines, all part of the Pacific ring of fire.

The volcano has erupted violently several times, causing loss of life in the populated areas surrounding the lake, the current death toll standing at around 5,000 - 6,000. Because of its proximity to populated areas and eruptive history, the volcano has been designated a Decade Volcano worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters. It was thought to be named as "a volcano inside a volcano" because many believed that the lake that circles the volcano was once a crater or mouth of a volcano.

A level 1 Alert is in force for Taal which is giving signs of increased activity in June/July 2009.

1. For the first time all my roommates are accompanying for a trip with me. (Nag, Surya, Srini, Mahi, Santu)
2. For the first time we have not done any bookings till the last day and there is no plan in the place.
3. This is the costliest visa fee we have ever paid ($110.50)
4. This is the first time ever we were asked for a bank statement for the visa.
5. This is the first time ever that we were not asked for our passport numbers while booking an international flight.