Hidden in the province of Albay in Bicol Region, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, is a perfect cone-shaped stratovolcano, Mayon. Because of it’s perfect symmetry, Its cone has been recognized as the world’s most perfectly formed volcano. It stands 2,463 meters above sea level and had erupted for over 47 times in the past 500 years.
Being a Bicolana or a person residing in the Bicol Region, it’s a must that I visit and share what my region has to offer and Mayon Volcano is the first thing to remember when talking about our place. Going to Albay Province is a very easy land travel from our hometown, Nabua, Camarines Sur. It’s an hour and a half travel by a private vehicle or you can also take a bus from Nabua to Albay for approximately 2 hours. In our case, I and my family went there by a private car.
The travel was not really stressful for the traffic is just as good as the weather that day. Also, halfway the travel, we got hungry so we bought some snack along the way. “Macapuno Rice Puto” is a famous delicacy of Albay. The word “Puto” means steamed rice muffins, it is filled with the sweet “Macapuno” or coconut sport. This costs 25 Philippine Peso or 0.5 USD per 3 pieces.
A miniature of the ruined belfry and a greeting of “ Welcome to Cagsawa” will be seen upon reaching the place. We paid 20 pesos or 0.4 USD for the environmental fee. Other than that, we didn’t pay for anything else. Also, a Pasalubong Center can be found inside, where you can buy souvenirs and also buy Albay’s famous Sili (Chili) Ice Cream.
Sili (Chili) Ice cream is an authentic Bicolano dessert. It comes in different spice levels, from level 1, being the least spicy, to level 5, the spiciest. It costs 50 Philippine Peso or 1 USD per small tub. We, Bicolanos are known for our spicy dishes, so I bought the fifth level and it tastes really good and unique.
After eating ice cream, we decided to take some photos with the Mayon Volcano up close. The weather was perfect so Mayon can be seen clearly even in pictures. Albayanos believes that you are lucky enough if you witness the beauty of the volcano clearly, because usually, it is covered with clouds or cloud forming a “Salakot”, a broad-brimmed Philippine hat woven from strips of cane or from palm leaves, on the tip of it.
The pictures we took looked great, thanks to the weather.
An ATV ride is also one activity in Cagsawa Ruins. It did not cost us that much to experience this and see Mayon much closer.You can also try this for as low as 250 pesos or 3 USD for half an hour. I would say that it is a very unique experience and worth trying. Famous celebrities have already tried this, Zac Efron is one of them.
Overall, our excursion was really fun and unique. The beauty of Mayon Volcano is really addictive and you just can’t stop staring at it while eating your sili ice cream. People from different far away provinces also come here and stare at her beauty. Also, with just a tight budget you can have a whole lot of new and relaxing travel. I and my family will definitely go and visit this beautiful scenery again.