Fun things to do in Province of Albay

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From Tabaco, Albay we proceeded to Ligao City; stopped for photo shoot in Ligao River with big volcanic rocks spewed by Mt. Mayon in its recent eruption; had delicious lunch in a native-inspired restaurant; passed by Kawakawa Hill; and bought some souvenir items at the fund raising kiosk Of Carmelite Nuns.

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Weather permitting, you can go to the following places in less than a day: Legaspi Seaport, The Embarcador, Kapuntukan Hill, Lignon Hill, Albay Park & Wildlife, St. Raphael Parish Church, Plaza, and pili delicacies & abaca souvenir stalls at Tahao Road.

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Our next stop was Tabaco City. Because "TABAKO" is the vernacular for TOBACCO, I was expecting to find tobacco fields similar to those in Ilocos Region, but there was none. I laughed at myself when I learned that the name of Tabaco was derived from 2 words "TABAK KO", meaning MY BOLO/MACHETE. Such was the utterance of a farmer who thought that the Spaniards (who came to their house to ask what the name of the place was) were going to get his daughter. He meant to frighten them by shouting out loud that he was asking for his bolo/machete. And like other stories, the Spaniards thought that what the farmer uttered was the name of the place.

At Tabaco City, we first stopped for prayers and photo shoot at St. John The Baptist Parish Church, a centuries-old stone church with a separate, massive structure for a bell tower. Then we went shopping for abaca items at the municipal trade fair just across the church. Having no umbrellas or rain jacket, we were "trapped" in a stall when heavy rain poured. The proprietress of the stall must be happy because I bought a lot from her while waiting for the rain to stop. The rain didn't stop, so we just ran to our car.

We went to Jollibee for brunch, afterwhich we passed by the Tabaco International Seaport to have a glimpse of Natunawan Cove. Then, we proceeded to Mayon Resthouse (now closed for operations), and the Mayon Planetarium and Science park. It was like being in Baguio City, with the cold weather and thick fog. The sight of Mt. Mayon was supposed to be the best from this place, but although the shower abated, the thick fog remained, obscuring the majestic view of Mt. Mayon. While it was showering where we were, we noticed that the place behind the volcano was bright, so we crossed our fingers, hoping to have better weather when we reach Daraga.

As we went downhill, I noticed the sign "Holy Rosary Mountain". It was already late for us to go back and check out what's on top of the mountain. We were told that there is a chapel; another person told us there is a big Holy Cross...Bookmark for next trip to Tabaco.

Knowing my hubby was into landscape photography, our driver wanted to bring us to Busay Falls in Malilipot; and to please me, he wanted to bring us to the cheapest source of abaca bags and other handcrafted abaca items. But before he could make a left turn to the direction of Busay Falls, hubby and I decided to forego the stopover. We know that Busay is one of the most beautiful waterfalls, cascading in mini-falls, forming 7 tiers of catch basins; we know that it is regarded as the highest of waterfalls in the country, with a height of 800 feet from the top BUT we didn't like to take the risk of going up without the proper footwear and weather protection. It was still showering and the clouds were dark, foreboding a possible heavier downpour.

If you happen to have better weather on your Albay tour, by all means, explore Busay Fallls. I have it bookmarked for our next trip.

We also felt that the shopping for abaca bags and handicrafts wasn't a priority, so we headed off for the next destination. On the way to Tabaco City, we had a glimpse of the big volcanic rocks spewed by Mt. Mayon in its recent eruption. The riverbed was backhoed to clear the waterway of the big boulders.

We decided to make Legaspi City our transit base for our the Albay tour. Going to Legaspi is easy. Getting an inexpensive but comfortable place to stay is easy, too. We opted to stay at Legaspi Tourist Inn which is in the central business district, very near shopping centers, restaurants, pharmacy, the scenic harbour area and jeepney terminals.

We were only 2, so getting an expensive van was impractical. With the help of LTI frontdesk staff, we were able to get a car for our planned tour of cities around Mt. Mayon. It wasn't a luxury car (1993 Lancer), but clean, cool and road worthy, and more importantly, we felt safe, secure and happy with our driver.

Even if you opt to commute, Legaspi would be a good choice for jump-off point because the jeepneys going to tourist destinations are easy to find on the road or at their terminals.

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Before going to the more popular tourist destinations, find time to discover Sto. Domingo. It has earned the titles of Cleanest and Greenest Town In Bicol Region; Birthplace of Bicol's Pride, "Sarung Banggui"; and Home of Architectural Gem, St. Dominic de Guzman Church. This picturesque town is only a few minutes drive from Legaspi City.

Stopping by the St. Dominic de Guzman Church is a good way to start your Albay tour. You can pray and light a candle to ask God's blessing for a safe tour. Then, you can explore the church premises and read the historical marker to better appreciate the significance of this massive stone church to the community.

To maximize going around Legazpi and neighboring areas it is useful to hire a jeepney. Our friend sho lives in the area rented a jeepney for Php 1500 for the whole day.
Our first stop was in the Kawa-kawa Nature Park. The park is shaped like a cauldron and there are stations of the cross in the rim. At the bottom is an obstacle course and there is horse backriding. Entrance is free.

Next, we went to Huyop-huyopan cave. The cave has 4 chambers and it takes 30 min to go through them. Entrance fee is Php 150 for the group (5pax). The cave is not really very spectacular but there is another cave near it that is more adventurous, the Calabidongan Cave. But since it we were not ready to go caving we did not go there.

After Cagsawa it was time for lunch. We had pinangat and Bicol express at Tita Let's, in Camalig.

Next stop the Cagsawa ruins (entrance fee Php 10). This I think is the major stop for most people going to Bicol. Picture of the ruins with Mt. Mayon at the background. There are kids there who can take your group picture and they would even give you tips on how to pose for the camera. Just give them a tip for their effort. ;)

We had halo-halo at DJC in Legazpi (near Robinsons Mall) before going to Lignon Hill.

Lignon Hill is a recent addition to places to go in Legazpi. It offers a great view of Mt. Mayon, the Albay Gulf and a view of the city. There is also a zipline (Php 200) which I think is not worth the money since it's very quick. Entrance is free.

Since we will be staying at Tabaco, our last stop is the Mayon Rest house. The place is almost at the foot of the volcano and the view is great. The place has a restaurant and a planetaruim. But it was closed when we got there. Entrance is free.

The Cagsawa park's prominent landmark is the belfry of the church of Cagsawa town after the most violent eruption of Mayon in 1814. Now, Mayon's wrath has repeatedly caused mudflow in the area of Cagsawa, the latest in 2001.

Nowadays, the Cagsawa park is also the location of craft shops from bicol craftsmen. A place to do your shopping for inexpensive pasalubongs.