Mount Mayon Adventure---Counting the Hours
Nope! I wasn't counting the hours before the volcano erupts. In fact, she was so pretty and accommodating during our entire stay. It was sunny most of the time. Thank, God! When our plane landed in Legazpi where we stayed, a British woman who sat in front of my seat exclaimed, "Oh my God. She is so pretty!" when she saw Mt. Mayon from where she was nestled. I couldn't agree more. This world-famous volcano, known for it its perfect cone, is truly a beauty.
I was counting the hours though because this holiday happened a few days before my buddy would fly back to his homeland and we don't know yet when he'd be able to visit Southeast Asia again or when I'd be able to fly farther than Southeast Asia so we can continue our adventures together. This Mt. Mayon escapade of ours was a continuation of the weekend we spent on the island of Camiguin. So we just wanted to make the most out of it. Hence, we did a few exciting and exhilarating activities.
Originally, I wasn't part of this trip so there were a number of changes made for me to be able to fly and make memories. With all the rush and uncertainty, it was all worth it! No regrets. The most important thing is being able to see Mt. Mayon in person, which I only saw in my history and geography books back when I was in grade school and having another chance to spend time with my buddy.
LA PIAZZA HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER
In Camiguin, the weekend prior to this trip, we were already thinking about where we can stay in Legazpi. We had my buddy's Lonely Planet book for suggestions and Expedia was also there to help. There were a few beautiful options we looked into, but we eventually chose La Piazza Hotel, which is just a few minutes drive from the airport. CLICK HERE to access the hotel's website for accommodation options.
The rate was affordable enough (less than Php 2,500.00) for a short stay. They offer free airport pick-up. And there is a free scheduled trip as well to the airport upon check-out. You just need to phone them about your flight details or shoot them an email. The accommodation includes breakfast buffet and the room is really big enough and the bed the we had? It can accommodate 4 people, I think. :-D But I bet you need to negotiate with them if there's more than two people who'll stay in the room. Location wise, the hotel is close to the city central where there is a mall (Pacific Mall) and just a few blocks from it, you will be able to see the bus and jeepney terminals.
VIEW OF MT. MAYON FROM DARAGA CHURCH
The old town of Daraga offers one of the best views of the volcano in the province especially from its church, which is an example of mix Renaissance Gothic and Mexican Baroque architecture. It is now considered a National Cultural Treasure. Tourists can see the volcano from the side of the building. There is also a restaurant nearby where you can probably have lunch or snacks while enjoying the view of the volcano and the fresh air. The place is called Labuyo Restaurant. Labuyo is local chili primary used by Bicolanos who traditionally love spicy food. In our case, we just had sandwich and shake in a very affordable rate.
Daraga is just one jeepney ride away from Legazpi where our hotel was located. The fare is only Php 7.00 per person and I must say the people were friendly and I wasn't scared at all. You can almost ask anyone for the rides you need to take and ask other passengers for the fare and a few directions.
Going back to the church! While we first spotted the ancient structure, it right away looked very familiar to me. I wondered. Then I realized, I've watched countless Filipino movies growing up as a kid in the 1990's and some scenes were actually shot in this location. If I remember it right, a few parts of the movie "Pangako Ng Kahapon" were filmed here especially the burial scene of the governor. It starred Alice Dixson, Donna Cruz, and Agot Isidro. :-D
CAGSAWA RUINS
These are the remnants of an 18th-century Franciscan church that was built in 1724, but was destroyed by the eruption of the Mayon volcano in 1814. It's just a cheap jeepney ride away from the church of Daraga. The place now serves as a park and there were handful of tourist when we arrived. And commonly here in the Philippines, there is an entrance fee. However, it's not an amount (Php 10.00) that'd make you penniless at the end of the day. :-D The place is surrounded by paddy fields, thus, the photo you can see below. There is a line of souvenir shops too and some stalls sell drinks. We had Mountain Dew to quench our thirst. We were lucky enough that it was sunny the entire day, but quite frustrated of the cloud surrounding the cone of the volcano since morning. :-D
LIGNON HILL
I'm not sure how it is pronounced locally, but my buddy and I would jokingly say Lin-yon like Mignon.Hahaha :-D After visiting Daraga church and Casagwa ruins, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up and prepare for the sunset view of the volcano at Lignon Hill. This hill can be seen from the aiport. It's usually accessed by motorbikes, SUV's, taxis, but in our case, we just took the tricycle and walked ourselves up to the top of the hill. It was completely tiring especially that we had to run at some point to make sure we won't miss the sunset. Our attention was even called because out of excitement probably, we missed the entrance fee booth. :-D The fee was Php 25.00 for foreigners and Php 20.00 for locals. But they charged us both Php 50.00 so they must've thought I was a foreign tourist too. Hahaha :-D
The hill reminded me so much of Cat Ba, Vietnam where trekking to the top of the hill was as tiring except that here in Lignon, we didn't have to combat a typhoon and shoo away barking dogs that tried to attack us there. We saw a lot of people, probably locals and tourists, jogging and we saw some students too who were dating. Hahaha I couldn't blame them. The view was, indeed, romantic. You have the volcano as your backdrop. You have a great view of the city central. The air was so cool and soothing. And the sunset was dramatic, painting golden hues to the pretty Mayon. ;-) Just check the photos below and you'll see what I'm trying to say. :-D
ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) ADVENTURE
At first, I thought the holiday was just looking at Mt. Mayon from different angles, from different locations, and eating local food until my buddy shared about ATV. I remember knowing about this on Kris TV, but I never thought I'd really be able to try it. And after doing so, I would say this activity is a must-try and visiting Mt. Mayon won't be complete without it.
My buddy and I didn't make prior arrangements about ATV as we wanted more options. In other words, we wanted to find the most affordable deal. We inquired from our hotel's in-house travel agency, but it was in Cagsawa Ruins where we found the best deal. We just approached one of the guys there who handed flyers about ATV. They also have an office there. We booked our activity then for the day after.
The following list contains the packages to choose from:
1.) Cagsawa Trail - 45-minute to an hour of adventure through sand, rocks, and water. Estimated travel distance of 6 kilometers. Php 699.00 per person.
2.) Green Lava (from the 1968 eruption) - 2.5 to 3 hours of adventure passing through Cagsawa trail, dry river, forestry. Destination is 2,100 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. Php 1,500.00.
3.) Black Lava (from the 2006 eruption) - 2.5 to 3 hours of adventure at Mabinit Lava bed with an option to experience zip line from the helipad. Php 1,850.00 per person.
4.) Black and Green Lava Trail - 3.5 to 4 hours of adventure with two lava trails. On the way, you will have an exciting overlooking view of Legazpi City, Daraga, Camalig, and Guinobatan. This option only uses their 350cc unit thus the rate is Php 4,500.00 per person.
5.) All-in Trail - all trail packages in one adventure ride. This package also uses their 350cc unit for a price of Php 5,000.00 per person.
Options one and two use the 150cc unit, the ATV we used as seen in the photo below. The price varies per person, per unit. For my buddy and I, we chose option two that brought us to the Green Lava. Plants started to grow in this area 40 plus years after the eruption in 1968. The name of this agency is Bicol Adventure ATV Casagwa Site. You or your group may just walk in and book before or after touring Casagwa Ruins. They also offer free pick-up from your hotel!
Before reaching the Green Lava, we had to go through rapids, soft sand, dusty roads (we were provided with helmet and mask), a snake (lucky for us it was dead and my buddy almost stepped on it), rocky roads (not the ice cream), and experienced engine suddenly turning off (four times for me and was obviously my fault :-D)! Everything was like life in general. But it was all worth it. And I wouldn't exchange any adventure with my buddy for anything else. The view on that part of volcano was truly spectacular. It was breathtaking. If you and your friends plan to do the same, make sure to do it in the morning to avoid the scorching heat of the sun. I swear it would be epic and the memories you'll make will undeniably be priceless! ;-)
THE RESORT TOWN OF SANTO DOMINGO
Visiting the place wasn't part of the itinerary until one of my buddy's IG friends commented on this photo and suggested we go to Santo Domingo to check out the black sand beach, which is very rare according to some notes from the internet. We then headed to the terminal and took a jeepney going to this town. We had my buddy's map to guide us through. The beach also offers views of Mayon from a different angle. This time, from the sea!
The jeepney dropped us off in front of the church. The weather was so hot that we gave this dirty ice cream a try. The flavor was mango and we wished it was ube. Hahaha It was yummy though and perfect for the hot temperature. We were not able to take photos of the church as there was a funeral going on so we just walked ourselves to the beach, stopped over at a bakery and bought mamon and pan de sal (local bread) and paired them with some soda! :-) I wish I could share some sweet secrets here, but my buddy's going to hate me if I did so. Hahaha :-P
As we walked along the shores and eventually to the main road, we couldn't help, but notice tsunami warning signs on the road. There was even an evacuation instruction in case a tsunami hits the place. My buddy knows tsunamis scare me so while walking we also thought about what we can do in case one strikes the place while we were there! :-D We just kept on going while sweating like mad. Hahaha We stopped at a few sari-sari store trying to get Minute Made orange juice drink. But we were unlucky! Everything was sold out! The heat and non-stop walking drained us so we decided to head back to Legazpi after taking loads of photos and a funny video. :-P
DINING
We invested more on activities rather than the food itself. We know though that Bicolano cuisine is one of the best in the country so we thought our trip would not be complete if we didn't try anything local. In our stay, we had free breakfast in our hotel and we usually just go to fast food restaurants like Chowking, our favorite. We also stopped by at the market's fruit section to buy some ripe mangoes. But before we flew to Legazpi, we already had our pre-Bicolano treat in Bonifacio Global City by eating Laing at Elias restaurant. So during our last night in Legazpi, we looked for something local. We dropped by at a few local restaurants, but we ended up eating in 1st Colonial Grill. And I would say I had my best meal in Legazpi at this restaurant. :-D We had Bicol express and their Tinapa platter. The only frustrating part was when they ran out of salted egg and had to replace it with normal boiled egg. :-(
EAST MEETS WEST :-D
Here's a very rare photo of my buddy and I. We're on top of the world. Hahaha not technically, but our feelings were so high for each adventure we accomplished for this holiday. The inspiration to this trip may be something else and I don't want to go into details anymore, but this is truly another holiday to remember. There will be more. And I will fill this diary with more holidays and more adventures with my buddy. By this time, my buddy's already back in his hometown. I don't know when would be the next journey. But I will still count the hours, not because someone is leaving, but for the next adventure to come. I know there will be more and giving up is not an option! :-P
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