Cool Bicol Tour

Hi Folks! Happy Easter! BEFORE I TELL YOU ABOUT OUR TRIP TO PALAWAN, LET’S LOOK BACK AT OUT TRIP TO SOUTHERN LUZON’S LAST FRONTIER.  WE KNOW IT’S BEEN DEVASTATED SOME TIME LAST YEAR BUT IT’S BACK ON ITS FEET AGAIN.

My constant reminder to everyone who wants to experience summer in its full glory: Don’t forget your hat, shades and SPF70 sunblock and you’re ready to conquer the scorching summer heat.

~~~oOo~~~

 SORSOGON, BICOL REGION 

Being the travel bugs that we are, we really couldn’t help but try to explore our beautiful country as much as we can. And so as soon as another long weekend hit our calendar, we hit the road again, this time, going as far south of Luzon as possible (We even met some friends at the Petron gas station at the South Express Way —Wing and Joedi as they stopped for breakfast before heading to Batangas).

 

 From left to right: Joedi, Peter, Wing

Anyway, as I was saying, we headed as far south as possible, passing by Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon —- a long 12+ hours on the winding roads of Bicol region, exploring the following sites:

 Mt. Mayon in Albay

 

 

Passing by Albay on our way to Sorsogon, we noticed that the sun was about to set and there’s no telling when we can pass by Mt. Mayon again, hence, these snapshots. 

Cagsawa Ruins, Albay 

 

 Good thing we took those shots of Mt. Mayon the other day. Otherwise, we won’t be able to record its towering magnificence. Coz when we  visited Cagsawa Ruins, it was cloudy. Only the base of Mt. Mayon can be seen at the backdrop.

Hoyop-Hoyopan Caves (Ihip-Ihip in Tagalog)  

 

  

   Have you noticed the varying shapes of the stalactites and stalagmites? There was one that looked like a hand and onather one that stood like Moses (a character in the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible). Amazing! This was also where we bought huge crystals for only P100-P300. They are believed to be sources of positive energies and good vibes. There’s no harm in believing, right?

Rizal Beach, Gubat

 When I researched about this spot  online, they depicted it to have white sand. However when we got there, the sand wasn’t white at all. It was greyish when wet,  brownish when dry.  There were also seaweeds. Must be because of the season then. Oh well. Can’t do anything about it now.

Mt. Bulusan 

 

Bulusan Lake

Bulusan Cold Spring

We opted to swim at the Bulusan Cold Spring instead of the lake. The lake looked eerie. Though the water was clear, I didn’t want to have silt and mud on my skin. The cold spring looked very commercial. There was even a slide which I used to  my heart’s content (2 rounds were enough for my fast-beating heart,hehe). Oh, we only paid less than P50 for the use of the entire facilities (pool, shower, towel)

Irosin Hot Spring 

  

Masacrot Hot Spring

 Both springs were oh-so-hot.  They both looked so natural and homey plus entrance fee for each was just around P10 per person.

 Tikling Island

   

We thought the tip of South Luzon was THE END. But no, crossing the sea via a small motorboat, we reached this little piece of paradise. The turquoise beach of Tikling Island was laden with all sorts of shells of different sizes. Those expensive shells you buy at boutiques and stores? You just pick them up here! The downside is, it’s difficult to walk around. Hehehe.  

In Sorsogon, we stayed at Fernando’s Hotel, a very homey inn with numerous cozy air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant, garden and boutique. It was just quite expensive, around P1800/room/night exclusive of meals.

In Sorsogon, we also got to taste their famous Bicol Express and tried to have a feast in every restaurant we visited. Biggs in Legaspi which is the largest fastfood chain in the region (larger than Jollibee or McDonald’s) serves good and affordable Pinoy Meals.

Mango Grill in Sorsogon that also offers free videoke services, was one scrumptious find. There,  we sang our hearts out that got the locals wondering if I was a real singer (naks!). 

 

  

And on the way back to Manila, when we passed by Lucena in Quezon, we tried the Bicol Express in Travesia which is quite ironic coz we were no longer in Bicol then.  We missed visiting Donsol where we hoped to swim with the Butanding, the largest whales in the world. Unfortunately, the season was still a bit rainy and they only visit the country during summer. Well, hopefully, we can go back there in time to swim with them, via plane we hope! Braving the winding and scary roads of the Bicol region once is enough to last us our whole lifetime. All in all, I can say that our trip made us realize more how beautiful our country really is, despite all the economic and political crises we are all undergoing. But that’s another story.