As I take my first step out of Ninoy Aquino Airport, the deep humidity of the Philippine air hits me like a sudden rush, as it has done every single time I arrive in my homeland; but I’ve never been happier to be back. My father, mother and I walk down the familiar downward pathway to the public area where crowds await their loved ones and I look around for familiar faces. After a few minutes I hear a crowd of screams and in seconds a dozen arms grab me at once. Tears start to form in my eyes as I hug the family that I haven’t seen for years.

The car ride to Batangas was just as uneasy as our turbulent arrival. It was midday and as usual, the Manila roads were jam packed and were made even worse when the drivers tried to squeeze themselves into the smallest spaces just to get a little further. Two hours later, we arrived in our home province, Batangas, but it took another 15 minutes to reach our home in the municipality of Talisay.

I spent the first six years of my life in Talisay. Back then, there weren’t as many resorts as there are now, but with the popularity of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano increasing every year, the number of resorts have ten fold; as have the trade in the Barangay ‘district’ of Balas, that include both local and national businesses and companies.

After my 14 hour flight, the array of Filipino dishes awaiting to be eaten almost made me dizzy. There in the table in front of me was the soy sauce based chicken adobo, the Spanish inspired kaldereta and the Italian (but Filipino altered) Spaghetti Bolognese. I could have died a happy woman…after eating the food, of course!

The reason for my week long holiday was my cousin’s debut, which is the traditional celebration of a Filipina’s 18th Birthday, and much like the debutante’s of the upper class, are introduced in to society as mature adults. I needed to find a dress for the party, so the next morning, my cousin, Ate Leah, and I, (ate being a form of respect for any woman older than you, pronounced "at-ee’") drove back to Manila for some retail therapy.

Our first stop was the Divisoria, a place known for its shopping centers of ukay-ukays or thrift stores. It was busier and hotter than normal, but the stress from dodging crowds, pedicabs and tricycles that didn’t seem to acknowledge my existence was rewarded with the unparalleled price for goods in the 168 Mall. The next stop was Greenhills in San Juan, an inside market for goods that are slightly higher in quality than those in the Divisoria, and slightly pricier too. It was harder to haggle here, with stall owners knowing the quality of their products, but it was worth visiting as practically everything I needed was under one roof - apart from a dress!

Lastly we arrived in Glorietta Shopping Mall which lies in Makati and is an amazing maze of stores including authentic Filipino department stores such as SM, Rustans and the Landmark as well as hundreds of globally known labels including Levi’s, Converse and Topshop. I shopped for hours with help from some first class sales staff who continuously asked “can I help you m’aam” or offered “we’ve got that in red, black and blue m’aam” and lastly stated the price “only P20,000 m’aam” (equivalent to £20), and finally, after a whole day of searching, I found the perfect dress from the renowned Filipino store, Edgar Allan.

I was too busy to eat a proper meal throughout the day, so I snacked on various delicacies including Balut, which is a fertilized duck egg with a semi-developed embryo inside, with a pinch of salt that I dipped in chili vinegar. A mere half an hour later I was lured towards the Philippines most popular fast food chain, Jollibee, which not only sells the standard fries and chicken, but a staple food for Filipinos, rice!

I ate my only proper meal of the day at the famous Shangri-La Hotel Buffet. I couldn’t help but feel slightly regal as I enter the hotel with its warm amber ambiance, its massive staircase and grand open hallway. The buffet hall is unlike any other; east meets west with dishes from around the world which are served in huge chafing dishes and grouped into their own sections of the hall. The desserts are neatly aligned in glasses and bowls, whilst the very special ones are displayed in their own glass cases. After a hefty main course, I finish the meal with halo-halo, a dessert made of crushed ice and condensed milk that can be mixed with a wide variety of other Filipino ingredients and desserts, and served in a sundae glass. I chose pinipeg (dried rice), ube (sweet yam) and lech flan (cream flan).

As an archipelago island, the Philippines is comprised of over 7,000 islands, one of which is Boracay, which is only a short flight from Manila and located in the Visayas region in the northwest point of Panay. My two days there didn’t last very long but the memory of fine sand and clear water along Boracay Beach was the epitome of beauty that will stay with me forever. Though my only plan for the couple of days was to sunbathe, my dad chose to be the most active family member. He spent the first half of the first day snorkeling in the sea and returned with tales of rainbow coloured fish and coral in all shapes and sizes that shone like crystal under the blaring sun. The second half of his day showed him a glimpse of his future retirement in the Philippines as he sat on a hired fisherman’s boat for two hours, hoping to catch tilapia that he wanted to “cook on the beach.”

Along White Beach was Sulu Videoke and Disco Pub and though we hadn’t planned to go partying because we had to travel back to Manila the following night, my cousin and I were tempted by the sounds of a karaoke system followed by the announcement of a “Live Band at 11pm!” Live bands were just as popular as going out to a club, and the friendly atmospheres of other tourists, some who could sing and some who really couldn’t prompt us to stay for the rest of the night. The crowd was overtly friendly and I made a whole tourist group of friends from the United States, who shouted more than once, “I love this place!” I did too, and I really didn’t want to go home the next day.

The day after we arrive from Boracay, I found out that my cousin had hired a boat to take us to Taal Volcano, which lies within an island on Taal Lake. The volcano is still active though there hasn’t been a major eruption since 1967, when my mother was only seven years old and remembers having to evacuate Talisay and walking to Tagaytay.

The boat arrives at Talisay Green Lake Resort and I step on and was literally taken aback by the unsteadiness of it. I hold on to the sides, completely terrified that I’d fall off, made even worse by the fact that I’m not the best swimmer in the world.

As I wait for the horses to take us up the volcano, I’m surprised by the amount of people that actually reside on the lower levels of the island, who seem completely unphased that the volcano is still active! My attention suddenly shifts to the two "horses’" that are being lead in our direction. They look more like donkeys. "Your horses", the guide confirms.

More than half way up the volcano, ate Leah’s "horse" decides that it doesn’t want to move anymore, stamping its foot on the ground, so we take a short break. As I sit on my horse with a massive straw hat, I look around and notice small gaysirs; not the explosive nitrogen types, but the ones which emit slight liquid and steam that rises way above the land and the higher we got, the more patches of red hot soil I see and the stronger the sulphuric smell gets.

We eventually reached the top and it was a lot more peaceful and beautiful than I imagined. The water within the volcano glistens and everyone else who has made it up decides its time to take a serene break and relax under the several huts providing shade, before its time to travel back down.

Finally it was the day of the Debut. The location was in Royal Tagaytay, which is higher in altitude than Batangas and much cooler. The most common form of transport in the Philippines is the jeepney, and dozens were hired to take more than a hundred family members to the location.

The windy were really uneven, but the scenery becomes more beautiful the closer we get. From way up high I see Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, vast lands of green and perfectly aligned flowers along the edges of the road.

It’s worth visiting Tagaytay even for a calming drive. Most of the main roads are along the hill tops, so the views of the world below are spectacular and the cool breezy air is a welcome change from the sometimes unbearable heat of Talisay. As we pull into Royale Tagaytay, and see everyone in formal attire and meticulously designed dress, I already knew it would be a magical night…