DAY 3 - LEGASPI AND LIGAO - BICOL

(editor's note: I forgot to post this because my mom numbered the days wrong. What I posted as day 3 was actually day 4. This is day 3. It's going to be out of order temporarily so I hope you don't mind.)


We had an early day today because we needed to get a head start on our trip to Mayon Volcano. Today’s itinerary included a visit to said volcano, lunch at a well known restaurant called Waway, the Cagsaua Ruins, merienda at a popular halo-halo specialty shop, Bicol University, and dinner with the Vega relatives in Ligao.

Mayon was amazing! Legend has it that Mayon chooses when to reveal itself to first time visitors and if you are welcome, you will get a chance to see it’s almost perfect shape. The almost-perfectly cone-shaped mountain is beautiful even when the view is partially covered by clouds covering its peak. We drove up to the middle of the mountain, and took some pictures of the view of the city. The temperature was very different up there - very cool air and windy and we even had a few minutes of sprinkles when dark clouds passed by. We were a little disappointed that Mayon didn’t “reveal” herself by the time we were ready to go down, but when we were just about to reach the bottom, we looked up and saw that the clouds cleared for a bit and there she was! How majestic! We were surprised by how beautiful she retained her shape even after the eruptions! The lava pathways were visible on the mountain, and it was amazing how even after people know how active it is, we saw so many little houses and communities living along the way. (Apparently, Mayon only erupts from its central spout and only in one direction. That's how it retains it shape and that's why people built houses on it - they're on the opposite side. That doesn't mean it's impossible for it to erupt somewhere else, but I sure hope it doesn't!)


The Cagsaua Ruins were fascinating! Here was an old steeple of a church built in the 1700’s, and the steeple is the only part left after the eruption in 1814. There were about 1200 people killed; most took refuge in the church thinking they would be safe. The last eruption was in 2006, and around the church steeple was visible evidence of the devastation from the area. Fortunately, the lava avoided the Cagsaua ruins, and it preserved the spot from further damage. But, in the same year, the city was also hit by a typhoon so strong that it created floods as high as coconut trees. (According to my mom's aunt, the area was hit by three typhoons, but it was the last one that was the strongest and the most devastating.) The floods brought huge boulders from the mountains and the whole community around the mountain that was along its path was destroyed. Around the ruins, the “tour guides” (young kids who sell pictures of previous eruptions and tips on where best to take pictures) informed visitors of their local experiences from the eruptions and the floods. They showed pictures of the mountain during one of the eruptions, and “before” and “after” photos of some towns around it. One of the most fascinating photos was of the mountain right after the 2006 eruption which showed it brown, barren and very dry from the heat. Now, not even 2 years later, it is lush with plants again, and rich with vegetation. We took lots of pics – some following the tips of these guides and they turned out great. In the ruins were also some crafts made of abaca – bags, slippers, home décor and some snack stores – ice cream, water, and soda. Rachel, since she came here, has wanted to do 3 things: drink soda from a plastic bag, ride a tricycle and eat sugar cane. She accomplished the first one at the Ruins with Orange Soda.

A short trip to the halo-halo specialty place cooled us off on a very hot and humid day. We were lucky that we hadn’t experienced intense rain, and were able to see Mayon even while it was cloudy. The halo-halo was special indeed – as it was the first time I saw halo-halo prepared with cheese! After the treat, we headed off Bicol University to pick up my Aunt Ofelia (she's whom I mentioned before), then to the local church to pick up my other Aunt Nena, and then we went off to their house for dinner. Dinner was fun reminiscing about relatives and listening to stories about my mom’s ancestry (which can get confusing at times. People have so many cousins here!). We fondly said farewell shortly after 7:30. The rain that we had been fortunate to avoid came down strongly during dinner, and as soon as it calmed down, we headed back to Naga. We were all exhausted from a day full of great experiences! Tomorrow – we plan to take it easy – or at least we think it will be easy!