Cigars are a better choice

There are two very good reasons why smoking cigars is a better choice than smoking cigarettes.

The reasons are, health and relaxation.

The important benefit to your health is that a proper cigar, as described above, is not inhaled into the lungs. It is far too strong for that and will make the smoker feel quite ill. The smoke of the cigar is enjoyed only in the mouth and in the nose from the aroma. Of course cigar smoking is not totally safe. If one smokes too many there is the risk of cancers of the mouth and possibly of the nasal tracts. Remember the passive smoking risk to others, especially indoors. Remember that smoking cigarettes also increases the risk of a heart attack as well as cancers.

Cigarettes are mainly smoked because of the addictive nicotine boost coming from the smoke inhaled into the lungs. The flavour does not seem important to the regular cigarette smoker, only the strength of the nicotine. A good cigar, well made with quality fillers and wrappers will provide a bounty of flavour even in the mouth. A light nicotine boost will be felt also. Good cigars can be expensive, more than a pack of cigarettes, so many smoke no more than one or two a day, or less.

Smoke a good quality cigar of a reasonable size. Good quality can, of course mean Cuban, but if you live in the USA, then remember that the late President John Kennedy made buying them illegal with the embargo at the time of the Cuban missile crisis. A White House staffer of that era recalled that, before signing the embargo, JFK ordered one of his aides to buy up as many Cuban cigars as he could in Washington DC. JFK was clearly a Cuban cigar aficionado.

Many Cuban cigar makers emigrated to other parts of the Caribbean and continued their business. The Dominican Republic was one destination which now produces excellent cigars. Cuba was part of the Spanish empire until 1898 and from there, plants and seeds and know how were exported to Mexico and the Philippines which both now have very good cigar makers still.

A reasonable size means that you should forget the cheroots and thin small cigars which are too similar to cigarettes. A Corona, Torpedo or a Robusto would be fine.

The best time is when the experience can be enjoyed at leisure, as part of a relaxation period. The best place is often in the fresh air, the garden or poolside, though many prefer the golf course.

Make the change, gradually if preferred, to two cigars a day rather than two packs of cigarettes a day, and your health will be safer and you may become less stressed.

Great pleasure can be enjoyed from selecting, cutting and lighting a good cigar.

Rudyard Kipling once said "A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke".

A Town by a Volcano

On a bad day the mist rolls up the hills from the lake below and engulfs the area of Tagaytay. Driving up the side of the ancient volcano’s crater using the road from Nasugbu, Batangas, on the Philippine’s coast on the South China Sea, to Tagaytay, on the rim of Lake Taal, the air temperature may drop startlingly from 31°C to 20°C and there can be a hammering of monsoon rain for half an hour. The mist rolls thickly across the road and some of the Filipino drivers, unnerved by this, apparently hitherto unknown, phenomenon, pull over to the verges and stop. Only expatriate drivers continue, having experienced thicker fog in Europe. They switch on the headlights and the fog lights, which they may have scorned when they bought the car.

On a fine day, when driving up to Tagatay from Manila, the tropical blue skies and sun reveal yet again the dazzling beauty of Lake Taal with its volcanic island protruding from the blue water.

Taal is an ancient volcano forming part of a chain of volcanoes along the western side of the island of Luzon. It is located about 50kms from the capital, Manila. The Philippines is a part of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, which comes from Japan southwards and arcs east to the Philippines, Indonesia and New Zealand.

Lake Taal itself is, in fact, in the crater of a larger volcano, with a second volcano, whose short cone protrudes through the lake, forming an island.

This volcano is, by no means extinct. Wikipedia reports that “a notice on 28 August 2008, notified "the public and concerned authorities" that the "Taal seismic network recorded ten (10) volcanic earthquakes from 5:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. today. Two (2) of these quakes that occurred at 12:33 and 12:46 P.M. were both felt at intensity II by residents at barangay Pira-piraso. These quakes were accompanied by rumbling sounds. The events were located northeast of the volcano island near Daang Kastila area with depths of approximately 0.6km (12:33pm)”

Nonetheless, Lake Taal, on a clear day is a very beautiful sight and many trippers come up from Manila to enjoy it. Along the road around the lake, in the town of Tagaytay, there are many good restaurants and hotels where good food in pleasant surroundings can be taken with a view of the lake in the background.

Tagaytay is a very pleasant place for Manileňos to escape to, for a day or a weekend during hot, humid, polluted summer days in the city of Manila. Tagaytay, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level has an average summer temperature of 22C, with a humidity level of 75%.

The rich volcanic soil, on the sides of the hill up to the lake, make the area a prolific spot for fruit and vegetable growers. Pineapples and sweet corn on the cob seem to be crops in demand. In addition flowers which do not thrive in the lower lands do well in the semi tropical climate and one can see many varieties common to Western Europe, such as Lupins, Dahlias and Foxgloves. The first mile of the hill near Tagaytay is lined with stalls selling fruit, vegetables and flowers, although prices tend to be a little higher than in the usual markets because of the increased demand from passengers on tourist buses, which often stop by these stalls.

Tagaytay was also the drop zone for troops of a US Army Airborne Division in February 1945. The aim of the troops was to secure the ridge against the Japanese forces to ensure the free flow of men and supplies from their beach landing point in Nasugbu, Batangas proceeding to the liberation of Manila.