Ambot ah! Travel Blog

Bicol Itinerary: 7 days Solo DIY trip to Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon

Bicol, for me, has one of the most diverse set of tourist attractions in the Philippines. It has alluring natural features, remarkable historical structures, lively festivals, great food, and sought after adventure destinations. Since it was my first time to step foot this part of the Philippines, I didn’t want to miss out on the best the region had to offer. It’s a shame I only had a week to explore Bicol … there’s just a lot of interesting places to visit. My plan for this trip was to visit as much of Albay and Camarines Sur Provinces and then squeeze in a quick side-trip to Sorsogon before heading back to Manila.

5853806858 77ef3ea7a7 Bicol Itinerary: 7 days Solo DIY trip to Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon
Bicol Region Itinerary Map

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Ligñon Hill View Deck: Mayon Madness Take 5

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Ligñon Hill is the go to place among many travelers in Legazpi City to see great 360 degree views of Mayon Volcano and surrounding areas in Daraga and Legazpi. Aside from the view deck there are also many attractions at the Ligñon Hill Nature Park such as a zipline, paintball grounds, and nature trail among others. Although it is best to go there during early morning or late afternoon hours to avoid the sweltering heat, I went to Ligñon Hill around 9:30am as a stopover on my overland trip from Legazpi to Naga City, Camarines Sur. Indeed, Ligñon Hill shouldn’t be missed for its overlooking views and easy accessibility.

View of Mayon Volcano from the 159-meter (511 feet) high Ligñon Hill Nature Park

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Legazpi City Seawall at Sunrise: Mayon Madness Take 4

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It’s a very rare occurrence that I wake up early during my travels. When I went to Legazpi City, however, I couldn’t just pass of the opportunity to view the beautiful sunrise along the coast of Albay Gulf and the clear view of Mayon during the early morning hours. The experience also got me a first hand encounter of everyday activities along the seawall of Legazpi like fishermen waking up early to tend to their catch and joggers, also taking advantage of the cool morning breeze.

5256943418 f934349fce Legazpi City Seawall at Sunrise: Mayon Madness Take 4
Early morning fishing activities in Albay Bay

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PLDT MyDSL WIFI-Modem Review

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I’ve been using a PLDT MyDSL internet broadband service for quite some time now. I made the switch since my previous Smartbro’s Share-it connection deteriorated. Smartbro was running fine at first but I’m guessing their network got overloaded in my area as subscriber numbers base grew too much. Anyways, I’m very satisfied with PLDT MyDSL’s reliable service at the moment and was very excited when they released a new WIFI Modem, which is PLDT’s first modem-and-Wi-Fi router-in-one.

5694157186 c8bbcf748b PLDT MyDSL WIFI Modem Review

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Cagsawa Church Ruins at Dusk: Mayon Madness Take 3

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The Mayon Volcano was finally clearing up and just in time for sunset! I rushed to the Cagsawa ruins in Daraga, Albay to get the famous shot of Mayon showing off the ruined bell tower of the ill-fated Cagsawa Church. From the Daraga town proper, I hailed a jeep and dropped off at the highway intersection going to the Cagsawa Ruins (there’s another jeepney route, which goes the other way to Ligñon Hill, so better inform the driver where your headed). There were a lot of tricycles parked at the drop-off point but I chose to walk the way to the Cagsawa ruins since I wanted to take photos along the way. Great thing I did because I wanted to take photos of the Mayon Volcano with Albay’s natural countryside scenery.

A carabao grazing at the grasslands surrounding the iconic Mayon Volcano.

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Daraga Church Sidetrip: Mayon Madness Take 2

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The day was drawing to a close and I was still in pursuit of satisfying my longing to capture a nice photo of the iconic Mayon Volcano. I’ve already spent the day transiting between a few vantage points in Legazpi City, Albay but the elusive Daragang Mayon had covered itself in a veil of clouds, restricting a clear view of its full grandeur. I reserved the sunset hours for my visit to the Cagsawa Church ruins in nearby Daraga town. On my way, I decided to do a quick stop over at the Daraga Church. Many Daraga-bound jeeps can be found plying along the stretch of Rizal Avenue in Legazpi City. I alighted near the municipal hall of Daraga and followed the uphill path to the the church. I was already getting a bit exhausted from the climb but my spirit was instantly invigorated when I caught sight of the church’s beautiful facade and, more so, Daragang Mayon finally clearing up.

Daraga Church (Our Lady of the Gate Parish)

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Embarcadero Lighthouse Viewdeck: Mayon Madness Take 1

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Next destination in Legazpi City, Albay was the Embarcadero de Legazpi, the premiere commercial and recreation center in Bicol Region. Being an enthusiast of urban developments across Philippine towns and cities, I was very excited to visit this grand development, which is HUGE especially by Legazpi’s standard. I was particularly drawn by its towering lighthouse view deck after viewing sweeping panoramas of the Mayon Volcano and Albay Gulf in WOW Legazpi and was hoping to get lucky in taking some decent some myself.

5256935660 83099bbe7d Embarcadero Lighthouse Viewdeck: Mayon Madness Take 1

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Legazpi City Night Travel and First Glimpse of Mayon Volcano

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When I included Legazpi City, Albay in my itinerary, there was only one thing on my mind … to get that awesome photo of the iconic Mayon Volcano. I basically, wrapped my itinerary around getting as many vantage points of Mayon as I can. Mt. Mayon is an active volcano renowned for its perfect cone shape. I’ve always marveled at scenic photos of the bustling City of Legazpi dwarfed by the perfect cone of Mayon. Now it was my time to experience it for myself.

Morning View of Mayon Volano along the Bayside of Legazpi City

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My First PyroMusical Experience; Fireworks Photography Tips

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5529070031 4b14b3d49f My First PyroMusical Experience; Fireworks Photography Tips

It’s always an exciting endeavor for every photo enthusiast to try shooting the perfect fireworks photos. I’ve had my practice runs every Dinagyang Festival back home in Iloilo, where a big nationwide fireworks display competition is held (that aside from fireworks shows on almost every major celebration). Now it’s time for the big leagues, the most celebrated pyrotechnic competition in the Philippines and among the World’s grandest, the Philippine International PyroMusical Competition 2011 staged at the SM Mall of Asia in Metro Manila.

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Getting the Perfect Travel Blogging Workflow

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As a travel blogger, getting a perfect set-up to get things done fast and hassle-free is always something I want to develop for myself. Having a device with online access is the only requirement to have a blog … how I wish it was that simple. As a blog grows, bloggers also feel the pressure to provide more for their readers. In fact, almost all travel bloggers I know (me included) always complain of having backlogs because they have too many write-ups they want to share but limited to make them. To explore ways to develop a better travel blogging workflow, I’ll post a bit of my experience and leanings being involved full-time in travel blogging. I hope this post would be helpful not to those interested to try out the travel blogging but also those with active digital lifestyles :)

Photo by Junelle (from Intiendes.com). Taken at Ford’s Point, Roxas City, Capiz