By Benjamin Layug
WHEN one thinks of Albay, the first image that comes into mind is Mayon Volcano and its nearly perfect, postcard-pretty cone. There is, however, more to see in Albay than just its signature volcano. Arriving in Legaspi City in the midst of its monthlong Magayon Festival, our media group of travel writers, photographers and Department of Tourism personnel were in for a feast for the senses and a plethora of activities (courtesy calls on Gov. Joey Salceda, our host, as well as Mayor Herbie Aguas of Santo Domingo and Mayor Leo P. Templado of Tiwi; dining, island hopping, lake cruising, spelunking, observation of cottage industries, visits to old churches and ancestral houses, etc.).
To be near the action, we all stayed at the relatively new Ninong Hotel, an elegant and classy 40-room boutique hotel near the Provincial Capitol, Albay Astrodome (where we covered the 2015 Miss Daragang Magayon beauty contest and the quite raunchy Bikini Open) and Penaranda Park.
Mayon’s 10-kilometer radius broad base encompasses Legaspi City, Ligao City and Tabaco City and five (Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Malilipot and Santo Domingo) of Albay’s 15 municipalities and, wherever we traveled, there was no escaping the commanding presence of the 2,463-meter high volcano.
We visited a number of great places for viewing its splendor—the Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga; Sumlang Lake in Camalig; Aguas Farm in Santo Domingo, and Corangon Island off Tiwi.
At Sumlang Lake, we enjoyed the rural scenery of coconut, banana and fruit-tree plantations, rice fields, water lilies, swimming ducks, grazing cows and the occasional, roosting cattle egrets while cruising on board a delightfully furnished bamboo raft, with Mayon Volcano as a backdrop. At Corangon Island, we had a panoramic view of the Magayon trio, the province’s three most beautiful mountains—Mount Mayon, the 1,450-meter high Mount Malinao, and the 1,328-meter high Mount Masaraga. Its quiet charm reminded me of White Island in Camiguin.
Short stopovers were made at a number of ancestral houses in Camalig and Spanish-era churches (Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Great in Legaspi City, Church of Saint Lawrence the Martyr and Sinimbahan Ruins in Tiwi, Church of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne in Malinao, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Malilipot, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Tabaco City and the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Camalig).
We also observed the abaca product manufacturing process at Natural Carpet Industries in Camalig and pottery making at Philippine Ceramics and Crafts Arts (PhilCeramics) in Barangay Putsan in Tiwi. We also did some spelunking at the popular and easily accessible Hoyop-Hoyopan Caves, a natural, three-level, tunnel-like limestone cave in Camalig. The cave’s name is derived from the Bicol word meaning “eternal whispering breeze” or “blow-blow” because of the sound of wind whistling through the main entrance.
For lunch and dinner, we dined at some of Albay’s top restaurants—Balay Cena Una in Daraga, Rayben’s Place Restobar & Grill in Camalig; DJC Halo-Halo & Snack Inn in Tiwi and Waway’s and 1st Colonial Grill in Legaspi City—where we tried out the best of Bicol’s distinct and spicy cuisine, such as Bicol Express, the tasty pinangat and kandingga (the Bicolano version of bopis). At DJC, we also tried out its unique, delicious and popular halo-halo, while at 1st Colonial Grill, some of us bravely tried out its sili ice cream. The rich, decadent and sinful desserts of Balay Cena Una were to die for.
One of the highlights of our three-day tour of the province was riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) of Bicol Adventures ATV, along the challenging Green Lava Wall Trail, to Mount Mayon.
Our ATV ride, with all its bumps and curves, wasn’t short of excitement as we traveled a landscape dotted with big lava rocks ejected by the explosion of Mayon Volcano more than 100 years ago. The 7-km (14-km total trail) long river, sand and rock adventure challenge took about three hours, give or take, and from the 1968 lava wall located 2,500 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level in Barangay Miisi, Daraga.
Upon arrival, we had an exhilarating view of Albay Gulf, Misibis Bay, Legazpi City, the Third District of Albay in the west and, in the distance, the peak of Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon. We also enjoyed a quiet moment as we viewed the perfect cone of Mayon and a most dramatic sunset, with the cool breeze touching our skin. What more can you ask for?