It was a fine saturday morning when I fetched my fiancee for a birthday surprise. To make it more memorable, we let our daughter join the fun.

With little sleep and an exhausted mind from a week of hard work, I arrived at her office lobby hoping to put a smile on my sunshine.

A hug and a kiss is enough to stir her up for a roadtrip to the south. Already packed with today's surprise, we drove towards the southern end of Manila - into Tagaytay City.

The moment we reached the junction I look at her and smiled. Another adventure awaits.

So I made a left turn towards the area Talisay, Batangas wherein we would need to ride a boat for 30 minutes to reach our destination. The place? Well one of the active volcanoes of the archipelago. The Tall Volcano.

To be precise, to its crater.

With our charms, we had a boat ride just for the three of us at a discounted rate which rarely happens.
The ride was full of adventure due to the fact that we are light in weight which allows the waves to have a play with us. Add the scenic view and fresh air towards the place, this is already a rewarding treat.

She smiled. I smiled back. Looking through her eyes I know she's thankful. That I have captured her heart once again. She plays with our daughter as the waves continue to topple our boat which reminds us of our river rafting adventures back at Bali.

For awhile I knew the best is yet to come. So we enjoyed the ride until we landed safely on the docking station just a few
meters away from the tourism hut for us to register.

Out of nowhere my daughter jumped and told us that she wants to ride a horse...

What can I do? And so we did. We rented 3 horses that will take us to the crater of Taal. With 2 adult guides plus a kid on my back to help us push through would be enough. Seeing my ladies enjoy the ride like the usual survivors as before is my moment.

My enjoyment and purpose.

And after 30 minutes of trek?

Well. There you go.

A Happy Birthday