An amazing taste of Bicol Express

We were supposed to climb Mt. Mayon on June 12-14, 2011 but with the 6-km restriction still in effect due to Mayon’s Alert Level 1, we suddenly thought of alternative destinations where we could stay for three days in Bicol region. I and Papong arrived very early in Manila on June 11 and with the luxury of time, we were brought by MTM (Mother Theresa of Mountaineering) to several unique places in the metropolis because our flight to Legaspi was scheduled on Independence Day. Our stay in Manila was remarkable as it was highlighted by a double eat-all-you-can in Malate and MOA, instant shopping at BCG Taguig and a face-to-face experience with Johny Deep on Pirates of the Caribbean at MOA Imax cinema.

From a cozy transient house in downtown Legaspi on June 12, we travelled all the way to Cagsawa Ruins; perhaps the most visible remainder of Mayon’s cruelty. This place is also a perfect place to see Mayon in all its glory although we didn’t settle for that because of the cloudy sky. We instead drove through 180 degrees to see Mayon on the other side in Mayon Rest House (MRH) located in Tabacco, but the place didn’t give a clear Mayon perspective either.

After a sumptuous and scorching lunch made of Bicol Express and laing, our next stops were Tabacco Church and Busay Falls; afterwhich we enjoyed the rest of the day at Ligñon Hill Nature Park, the 360 degrees point of Legaspi City.

On June 13, we headed to Caramoan Island, an isolated island located at the heart of Caramoan cape. It occupies the lower eastern portion of the Province of Camarines Sur. It is bounded on the north by the town of Garchitorena and the Pacific Ocean; on the northeast by the island province of Catanduanes; on the south by Lagonoy Gulf; on the east by the Maqueda Channel and on the west by the municipality of Presentasyon (courtesy of nextboracay.com). When you get there, you will really be enticed by the very fine white sand and blue waters. The group of islands is very clean and commercialization is purely inexistent. Because of its loveliness, it hosted several Survivor Series shows like Survivor Denmark and Survivor France, among others.

From Guijalo port, we navigated directly to Pili, Camarines Sur on June 14 to see and experience Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC), a world-class and unique watersports park designed for wakeboarding, wakeskating and waterskiing. For beginner riders to the professional wakeboarders and skiiers from all over the world, CWC offers a 6-point cable ski system, coupled with restaurants, sand bars, spas, pro-shops and grand stands to hold guests. From then on, Papong and MTM were instant wakeboarding addicts.

On our way back to Manila, I got the lone chance of taking picture of Mt. Mayon when I was on the plane. Mayon is indeed extremely beautiful.