Remembering Bicol

I remember going to Bicol last August 2009 together with my family, a couple of friends and my husband (who was my boyfriend that time). Albay is such a wonderful place to explore. There are so much to see besides the famous Mayon Volcano. And here are some photos of places we've visited while exploring the exciting Bicol Province of Albay. 

Adventure #1 – Mt. Mayon and Cagsawa Church Ruins

We arrived at Daraga Terminal on a sunny Friday morning. My mother's sister, Tita Angelina, has a two-story house not far from the terminal. This served as our kindly abode while we are in our vacation trip in Albay.  (We were so grateful for my tita's sponsorship that day. =)

Perfect photo of the volcano. 

At any rate, you can't hardly tell if its Mayon without the ruins, right eh? 

We headed off first to our first destination - Mt. Mayon and Cagsawa Church Ruins Park. The beautifully perfect-coned Mayon Volcano is the most famous land form and symbol of Albay, even the whole Bicol Region. It encompassing the town of Camalig, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo, my mother's hometown.Though I saw a couple of volcanoes before such as Taal in Batangas and Bulusan in Sorsogon, I must say that Mt. Mayon is the most beautiful volcano I've ever seen because of its symmetrical cone shape. I think it is also the most active volcano in the Philippines.  

Meanwhile, the centuries old Cagsawa ruins stood there like a sentinel. It is located inside a local government park in Barangay Busay, Cagsawa in Daraga. The ruins are the remnants of an 18th century Franciscan church bulit in 1724 and was destroyed by the eruption of the Mayon Volcano on 1814 (thanks to Wiki. lol). 

that's me!

me and my squeeze :p

candid shot.

Here are the 'turistas' (L-R top - Me, Tinay, Mama (partly hidden);
2nd row - Ate Janice, Miriam; below - Madel, Bude; photographer: Kuya Don)

Adventure #2 – Albay Park and Wild Life

We supposed to visit the centuries old Daraga Church but Johnson, my cousin and our persistent tour guide, suggested that we should visit their newest attraction in Daraga – the Albay Park and Wildlife! Johnson was right! The place was really neat- a great place to spend an exciting sunny afternoon with friends and love ones.

The entrance fee to the park is just Php 20.00. Very cheap, but the enjoyment- priceless!

So funny those monkeys were that Bude poses like one of them.

The picturesque lagoon as our background

I remember when we rented three small boats.

 I was in a boat with Mama and Leo. We conducted a race and our boat won!

Kudos to this adorable bir

Adventure #3- Lingnon Hills

Not too far away from the zoo is Lingnon Hills. It was nearly twilight when we hiked the hills. I could feel the cool and gentle breeze while hiking toward the summit. It was so refreshing, I fell in love with the place immediately. When we reached the summit, I could see the panoramic view of the Sea of Albay at the eastern part. On the other side was the breathtaking view of Mayon Volcano at dusk.  Again, we took pictures and savor the serenity of the place. If you’re the adventurous type (the extremely one), you will love the place because some cool people out there will offer you extreme activities  like Zip line and rappelling. 

a birds eye view of Legazpi City at night

Adbenture #4 – Bagacay Beach

We headed off the following day to Tita Dominguita’s place at Bagacay. The travel via jeepney was exhilarating because it’s so unusual for me and my sisters to travel on top of a jeepney. We really liked the experience with great gusto! While travelling, I noticed how pleasant the surroundings were. The rice paddies, coconut trees, nipa huts and the native folks were so amusing to tourists like me.

My aunt’s place was impressive- the farm, the woods (that leads to the rocky beach of Bagacay) and the calm sea were all perfect.

Bagacay Beach is a window to the wide Pacific Ocean.

The shore was rocky, shaded with trees of different kinds.

It was a perfect weather that day. From afar was the majestic Mayon Volcano beyond the bluish-green waters of Bagacay Beach.

more photos:

Adventure #5 – Danlog, Sorsogon

Danlog is located at the boundary of Albay and Sorsogon. I don’t know if it’s still part of Albay or the window to Sorsogon. Anyway, we just went there to visit another aunt, Tita Liliosa, and it happened to be their town fiesta, too. Tita Liliosa’s place in Danlog was very charming with her neat house in the middle of the coconut trees forest. 

I hope you'll like our adventure. I will be posting more of our adventures so see you around. CIAO!