Sky Watch Friday: a cloudy day in Tagaytay

overcast sky at Taal Lake

view from the Palace in the Sky

Taal Lake is a freshwater lake in Batangas. Within the lake is an island with an active volcano, called Taal Volcano. Volcano Island contains a lake about 2 kilometers across, called Crater Lake. Within Crater Lake is another small volcanic island, called Vulcan Point. Vulcan Point is the world’s largest island within a lake on an island within a lake on an island.

On a clear day, Taal Volcano is best viewed from Tagaytay City ridge, the highest point in Cavite at 640 meters above sea level. The People’s Park in the Sky, formerly known as the Palace in the Sky, stands on the highest point of Tagaytay City. It was built for the official state visit of the former US President Ronald Reagan, but Reagan cancelled his trip due to political unrest during that time. It’s an unfinished 4-storey structure that offers the most spectacular view of Tall Lake and Volcano, Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay. The palace was crumbling the last time I was there---it’s hard to imagine the affluence it enjoyed during the heyday of the Marcoses.

For more Sky Watch Friday photos, please visit Wiggers World.