The Perfect Cone

Geometry: It's more fun in the Philippines :P

I've always wanted to go to Legazpi City to see the famous Mayon Volcano. Last February 24-26, I have finally seen it and it's so lovely :D Even better, I have seen it with almost nothing hiding it... I've read from a lot of blogs that when they go to see Mayon, it's usually covered with clouds --- but lucky for me, I've seen it in all it's glory :)

Here's the lowdown of what I did during the 3 day adventure (warning: photo-heavy post!):

We arrived in Legazpi at around 11:00am. The check-in time of the place we'll be staying at is 1:00pm so we decided to head first to Embarcadero de Legazpi to stroll around and eat lunch. We've read from blogs that Bigg's Diner is a must-eat so we went there.

Bigg's Diner at Embarcadero de Legazpi... our first meal in Legazpi City

Pork cordon bleu... sarap! :)

forgot the name of this cake :P

very retro :D

Embarcadero de Legazpi- seaside mall

E-M-B-A-R-C-A-D-E-R-O

After eating and strolling, we headed to our chosen accommodation, Vista Al Mayon Pensionne. We rested for a while then at 5:00pm, we went to Lignon Hill Nature Park to have some great views of Mayon Volcano....

nice, spacious, and clean rooms :)

Long and winding road to the viewing deck

overlooking Legazpi and part of the airport runway

Embarcadero and Kapuntukan Hill

catching the sunset on the way to the top

Finally! Mayon Volcano and all it's glory :D perfect cone indeed!

got to have a pic with Mayon :)

Lignon Hill Nature Park viewing deck

 After spending our time at Lignon Hill taking pictures and savoring the beauty of Mount Mayon, we headed back to Vista Al Mayon

the pension house's garden

inside the pension house... very old world :)

 On the morning of our second day, we were supposed to go to Cagsawa Ruins but it was raining so we have to come up with a back-up plan. We don't want to venture too far as we don't have our own transportation. We decided to go to Sto. Domingo (30 minutes away from Legazpi) and spend some time at some of the resorts there. Prior to going to Legazpi, we've seen the website of Costa Palmera Resort and it's natural seawater tide pool. So we headed there and see what this pool is all about.

Costa Palmera's natural seawater tide pool

The pool turns out to be a seawater pool and it's depth depends on the tide :) When we got there it was high tide so lucky for us, we can enjoy the pool. After our time at Sto. Domingo, we headed back to Legazpi and went to Small Talk Cafe for a late lunch. We tried their specialties and it was so good! :D Love the interiors too :)

Bicol Express pasta

generous serving of pork spareribs :D

receiving area of the cafe

After a very satisfying lunch, we went straight to Cagsawa Ruins since the weather is already perfect to see Mayon

Cagsawa Ruins with Mayon Volcano partly covered with clouds

Finally, the clouds are gone :) A much better sight of Mayon Volcano

 Once we're done in Cagsawa Ruins, we want to back to the pension house to rest since it was really a long day for us. We just ate our dinner in the pension house's restaurant (which was also good, by the way) and slept early. The following day, it was time to go back to Manila :(

airport runway with a view of Lignon Hill and Mayon Volcano

Overall, it was a great 3-day vacation :D How I wish it was longer so that we can visit other towns and beaches but I guess, we can always come back and see the other places :)


XOXO

The Eye

Sorry for the long absence... it's been a very bbbbuuuussssyyyy week in the office :( Anyway, I'm not a great fan of horror and this post is definitely not about the horror movie. Last Friday, we went to Mall of Asia to attend the Travel Fair. There were so many travel agencies and airline companies on that fair, it's just so confusing to choose :P We didn't end up booking any tours or flights there hehe. Since it's still too early to go home, we tried out the MOA Eye. It's not as grand as the London or Sitngapore Eye but it still has a great view nonetheless. I wish we went there earlier for sunset as I think I would have seen better views. The ride costs P150 for a 10-15 minute ride.... which is for me a bit expensive. I had a great time though :D

Here's the pics I got that day...

DOT booth @ the Travel Fair

along MOA

view from inside the gondola

another view

colorful lights :D

with the MOA Eye at the background

I would have to cut short my post as I'll be busy preparing for my Legazpi trip on Friday. I will no longer have time to prepare on Thursday so it's best not to do a last minute thing :)

Good night!

XOXO

2012 Travel Hopes & Dreams (Updated)

I think I already mentioned this on a previous post that I had booked flights to Legazpi City (February) & Camiguin (June). Although these two destinations are on my list of places to go (since I've never been there before), there are some others that I wanted to visit/revisit too. The only obstacles right now are of course, time & money :P

Anyway, all of these are known for their classic beauty... in terms of places that is. They are full of history and there are a lot of beautiful sights to go to:

I've been to Korea last year but only in Seoul & Busan. What my sisters & I really want to visit in Korea next time is Jeju Island. Known for it's volcanic soil & formations, it's also famous for a lot of Korean Drama locations hahaha... Boys Over Flowers being one of them :P

 I've been to Bohol twice and their beaches are great especially the ones in Panglao Island (picture above). They also have Baclayon Church which I believe is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Of course, Bohol is famous for their Chocolate Hills. What I really want to do there (that I haven't done in my previous visits) is to enjoy Loboc River in a floating restaurant :D I also heard that there are new attractions so I'm curious to find out what they are.

 Batanes - it's one of the last pristine places in the Philippines. It's totally isolated from the rest of the country making it a good place to go for sight seeing and nature tripping. It's a bit expensive to go there though (since there are no seat sales going to Batanes :P) and there are only a few accommodations to choose from.

 I've been to Cebu many times. I was actually born in Talisay, Cebu but when I was 3 years old, we moved to Baguio City (it's a long story why :P). However, my eldest sister (who's now based in Australia) went back to Cebu after graduating college in Baguio to work there. I remember distinctly during my high school years that my other sisters & I go to Cebu during summer breaks to visit her (and we sometimes stay at our aunt in Pardo).

The best part of Cebu, I think, are the beaches. Two of the most memorable places I visited were Bantayan Island & Malapascua Island (shown above). I also remembered the Chinese Temple, Magellan's Cross, TOPS, Shangrila Mactan and Plantation Island (we only went for picture taking to these two hotels since it's too expensive there!) .

The last time I visited Cebu was after my college graduation and I haven't been back again since because my sister immigrated to Australia not long after that. So, I think it's high time for me to visit Cebu again :)

(phew, what a long story hahaha).

 So there it is, my 2012 Travel Hopes & Dreams ... though, I'm really hoping they won't just remain a dream :D

Have a good day!

XOXO

***all photos courtesy of Lakbay Philippines

***UPDATE (January 22): I was successful at booking a P1 fare from Cebu Pacific just a few hours after posting this !!! yahoo :D I  chose Bohol (August) and Cebu (October).... so two places on this list will now be actually a reality :)

Travel 2011: A Retrospective

My friends and I recently booked flights to Legazpi City and Camiguin (of course, we availed of the seat sales tempting us left and right :p). These two are my travel destinations for this year (so far... hahaha). It got me thinking what are the destinations I've been to last year (and the reason I became broke). Some of the destinations I've already posted a blog here but for most, I never got the chance to. So here are places I've been to last year (which I also highly recommend you go to):

1. Coron, Palawan (February) -  one of the best places I've ever been to. Still pristine... so I really hope they'll keep it that way.

view of Kayangan Lake

Malcapuya Island

  2. Hong Kong & Macau (March) - I didn't expect the weather to be cold at that time of the year. We crossed Macau from Hong Kong through a ferry.

completely forgot the name of this place... all I remember is that the buddha is one of the largest in the world

HK Disneyland

Senado Square

Ruins of St. Paul

3. Ilocos Norte & Ilocos Sur (July) - it was really hot when we went there but there was just a lot of scenic places to go to :D

The famous street in Vigan - Calle Crisologo

 

Cape Bojeador in Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Fort Ilocandia in Ilocos Norte

Kapurpurawan Rock Formations

The very scenic Bangui Windmills

Paoay Church

4. Bacolod, Negros Occidental (August) - it was a short stay so we haven't seen much of the place but I certain love their chicken inasal and the The Ruins is really a romantic place to go to.

The Ruins

5.  Laguna, Tagaytay, & Subic (October) - my sister who's based in Australia finally came to visit Philippines again after 4 years. Since we want to cover as many places as we can during her short stay, we decided to go to these 3 destinations (since it's near Manila and they are not that far from each other).

Hidden Valley Springs, Laguna... it's really hidden since we got lost on our way there :D

 

 

Overlooking Taal Lake, Tagaytay

The Lighthouse Hotel, Subic. We actually stayed at the hotel next to The Lighthouse.

6. Seoul & Busan, South Korea (November) - this was the most awaited trip my sisters & I have since we are big fans of Korean dramas & K-pop :D We were hoping to see our favorite singers & actors there but alas, we haven't seen a single one (but they have a lot of billboards there so that's enough for us hahaha). Both of these places are really progressive and they have excellent transportation system, food, and places to go to. We went there during the Autumn season the trees are really a sight to behold :) We really want to go back there!

Gyeongbokgung Palace "Doors" :D

downtown Seoul

Lotte World - largest indoor theme park

View of Busan through the Busan Tower

I hope that all of us will have opportunities to travel. It really is a very good way to forget all the problems you currently have. It also helps us explore other culture :)

This year, I'm hoping for more travels with either friends or family. Maybe I'll see you on my next destination too :D


XOXO