Smart Backpacker: Bicol Adventure

October 24, 2011.
I arrived from Seoul, South Korea around 8 pm. My co-teachers and I spent four days in Seoul.

From the airport, I boarded a bus in Buendia-Taft en route to Tanauan City, Batangas (my residence) to get my stuff. This Bicol Tour was scheduled way ahead of the Korea Tour. And because of the Korea Tour, I had to cancel my Hong Kong-Macau Tour.

I arrived in Batangas past 11 pm and slept for almost three hours. Woke up around 2 am and boarded a bus back to Manila.

My flight to Legaspi was scheduled 6:30 am and I had to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight.

I was not able to sleep at the airport, fearing that I might be left behind.

It was past 7 am when the plane landed in Legazpi City.

And the view from the plane of the airport is simply one of a kind!! I remember the same feeling when the plane landed in Batanes.

After disembarking from the plane, I was still mesmerized by the sight of Mt. Mayon!

The first thing I did was to find the nearest lodging, and there was a hotel beside the airport.

I needed to get some sleep!

I paid P600 for a 2-hour sleep.

The hotel offers the best view of Mt. Mayon.

After sleeping for 2 hours, I immediately went to my first spot.

Day 1

First in the list that day was the Cagsawa Ruins.

I took two separate jeepney rides just to reach the site.

First was to the city and the next ride was to Cagsawa. Combined, both rides were more or less 40 minutes.

From the highway, one still has to walk for five minutes before you can reach the site.

There were plenty of tour guides available at the spot.

The marker of the Cagsawa Ruins

I stared and marveled at the sight of Mt. Mayon!

After 2 hours, I decided to go to another spot.

My guide told me I could hire an ATV ride to the base of Mt. Mayon. I was so excited! This idea was not part of my itinerary!

I hired a habal-habal ride to the jump-off point. The ride to the spot was good only for fifteen minutes.

The second stop for the day - ATV Tour.

Contact Numbers -
Landline - (052) 742-9871
Mobile nos - 0905-455-7594 / 0915-938-6451

http://mayonatvtour.com/

Weather was cloudy that day. And there were only a handfull of tourists. In fact, I was the only one renting the ATV that day.

This is the start of the ride!

The actual trail of the all terrain vehicle going to the lava front crossing thru small rivers and rocky areas of the galley trail is about 9 kilometers and I drove for about more or less 40 minutes from the starting point until to the lava front.

The sight of Mt. Mayon is simply breathtaking!!

After 30 minutes, we arrived at the Mayon Adventure Land.

One can also enjoy the zipline adventure here.

No zipline today! Trekking was my choice!

My guide and I trekked to the top of the lava base.

There is a helipad at the top of the Lava base/wall.

After one hour, I decided to descend and go back to the jump-off point.

I had a tight schedule that day.

The third stop -

Daraga Church

An 18th century Baroque church built on top of a hill (overlooking the magnificent Mayon Volcano). This church was supposedly built by the women (thus the name "Daraga" which means Lady/Single Woman) when the men fled from forced labor during the Spanish era.

I decided to go on to my next spot.

That afternoon, I went to Sorsogon.

It was already past 2 pm when I reached Sorsogon.

Originally, I wanted to go to Donsol. But the townspeople told me that whale watching was not available during December, and so I went to Bulusan instead.

I took a bus from Legaspi to Sorsogon, then a jeepney ride to Bulusan, and finally a motorcycle ride to Bulusan Lake.

Bulusan Volcano Natural Park

Bulusan Lake

One of the 32 renowned ecotourism spots in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day and I was not able to see the volcano.

Going back to town, I passed by the famous-

Masacrot Spring

From Sorsogon, I went to CamSur. I arrived around past six in the evening.
The following day, I decided to experience wakeboarding!

Day 2

Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC)

I paid P225.00 for one hour of wakeboarding.

My initial attempt at knee boarding was successful.. Although, I dislocated my shoulder twice.

Around 1 pm, I decided to go another spot.

Deer Breeding Farm, Ocampo, CamSur

It took us almost 2 hours before reaching the site. I hired another habal-habal for this adventure and paid P600.00

Afterwards, I decided to go to Naga City. I checked in at Camsur Tourist Inn.

I paid P600.

Day 3

The following day, I decided to have a city tour and I went to the different churches of Naga City.

First stop -
Our Lady of Penafrancia Church