Why You Should Visit My Home: Bicol

If I were to draw a volcano, it’d be shaped like a triangle sloping down on its sides with a puff of smoke coming from its apex and a smattering of clouds in the horizon.  It’d be as blue as the sea, imposing and large over humans, green fields and trees.

It’d be later, much, much later, when I’d realize that not all volcanoes are as symmetrical as Mount Mayon.  It’d take an eruption from Mt. Pinatubo pictured in newspapers, disfigured and ragged, and a trip to Tagaytay, with its diminutive Taal, to widen my concept of volcanoes.  Nevertheless, mention volcano and the first thing that would come to my mind would be Mount Mayon.

When you grow up seeing it everyday, every waking and sleeping moment, you take it for granted.  It’s there when you sleep, silent and dignified, and it’s there when you wake up.  You don’t see what the fuss is all about when acquaintances from other places would be in awe when you mention in passing that when you open your window it is there.  You are at a loss on how to describe it when they press on asking you how it looks.  “Well, it’s a volcano,” you begin to say.  You don’t let it affect you or your life.  Until it erupts.  And you’re forced to flee.

Mount Mayon

Towering at 2,462 meters, it is visible in all cities and towns of Albay. It is by no means the tallest, but it is one of the most active volcanoes, erupting as often and as unpredictable as when a woman blows her top. 

Eruptions can be as devastating as the 1814 eruption, which buried the entire town of Cagsawa, leaving only the church tower visible; or it can be a trickle of lava flowing down from its apex, like a woman weeping steadily.

Culled from the Bicol word, magayon, which means beautiful, Mayon is beautiful when it’s quiet, and it’s beautiful and dangerous when it’s erupting.

(Photo: Paolo Picones © 2006)

I remember an eruption in 1993, it was a school day and we, the students, were going back to our classes after lunch when we heard a loud boom, like a cannonball fired, and a cloud of gray smoke mushroomed in Mayon’s mouth.  Initial reactions ranged from “Wow!” to “Yehey! No classes!”, with students scampering to the top of the buildings to admire the view from a distance, until the eruption became more forthcoming and we began to wonder whether or not we’ll be sent home or cloistered in school flagellating ourselves for sins committed to Nature or if it’ll bury us alive or if it’s the end of the world.  Such wild imaginations.

A few days later, as the eruption simmered down and classes have been cancelled – much to the delight of the students – Mayon continued to cry, weeping lava that glowed like embers in the night.  It’s a beautiful sight to behold from a safe distance when the sky is clear and full of stars and the wind cold and breezy. 

In the mornings, as my cousins and I jog to the nearby sea, we stop for awhile to gaze at the sun rising, crimson and golden, against the backdrop of the misty blue Mayon.  When everything is quiet and serene and the glowing embers of lava faded into the sunlight, you’d think that Mayon has never erupted at all.  It’s the kind of scene, picture-perfect and magnificent, that no writer can ever describe and no painter could ever paint.  It doesn’t take your breath away as much as it leaves you breathless.  It gives you hope that a new day has begun and that it can only get better.

And you would know that beyond Mayon, things would only get better…

Whale Sharks

About an hour’s drive from Albay is the province of Sorsogon, which in the past years has been frequented by tourists, both local and international, for hosting a large concentration of whale sharks or butanding as Bicolanos call them in the town of Donsol.  These whale sharks, which can span 15 meters or more, are extremely gentle and harmless that you can snorkel alongside them, touch them, and perhaps, in some unintelligible way, communicate with them. 

They are mostly present all-year round, but peak months are from November to May, particularly between February to April, when summer is fast approaching and the sun is high and the waters are clear for the butanding to swim close to the surface.  There are BIOs (Butanding Interaction Officers) to guide the tourists on how to approach the whale sharks and interaction with them can last from 1-4 hours, depending on your enthusiasm and the amount of sunscreen you brought.

Camsur Watersports Complex

If something quiet and serene with big fishes swimming you’d rather eat is not your idea of vacation and you want something livelier and riskier, then you can go to the newly-opened Camarines Sur Watersports Complex located in Pili, Camarines Sur, a few kilometers from Naga City. 

This Php50M watersports complex is designed for wakeboarding, wakeskating, and waterskiing.  It has a cable ski system, obstacle courses, and spotlights (at night) to highlight your astonishing exhibitions (or disastrous turns) and impress (or embarrass) your friends and girlfriends.  Of course, there are instructors for beginners to help them become more adept in wakeboarding; and there are shops, restaurants, and spas to rejuvenate and heal whatever bones that may have been broken.

Further adventures

There are several more attractions, both known and obscure, that can be discovered on a trip to the six provinces of Bicol: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, and Masbate.  Even with the recent storms and tragedy that has befallen it, you can appreciate beauty amidst the chaos; resilience amidst the ruins. 

Still in Camarines Sur, just an hour and a half motorboat away from Sabang port, is the Caramoan peninsula, a cluster of powdery white beaches, pristine and untouched, that rivals some of the best beaches in the country, without the noise, the pollution and the crowd (there are no hotels and restaurants.)  It is a perfect place to get away from the rest of the world, its noises and excesses, to take stock and ruminate about your life, and of course to swim and do some kayaking.  Best time to go would be the first half of the year, summer especially, as it is often ravaged by typhoons during the rainy season.  Unless, of course, that is your idea of fun.

In Daraga, Albay, lies the testament of Mayon’s worst eruption – the Cagsawa Ruins – which buried an entire town, with only the church bell towers remaining.  In Bacacay, Albay, past Padang (one of the most affected towns by typhoon, Reming) lie beaches and hot springs of undiscovered beauty and serenity, where one can go for a relaxing swim or island-hopping.  Camalig, Albay is home of the Hoyop-hoyopan cave which holds relics of ancient burial jars and creates a whistling sound when a gust of wind enters its mouth, perfect for a Blair Witch moment.  Further south of Bicol Region is Masbate, with its manta rays. 

And if these are not enough, you can always be adventurous with what you eat.  There are the delicacies made from pili nuts, soaked in sugar or honey, or just good ol’ plain pili, whose shell is hard enough to throw to rude people.  Or the pinangat from Camalig, Albay, made from fish or shrimp wrapped in gabi leaves and cooked in coconut milk.  And then there’s the bicol express, made exclusively with sili and coconut milk, and maybe a few slices of meat to dilute the hot flavor. 

And it’s easy enough to get to from Manila.  Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have daily flights to Albay and Naga.  There are also daily buses, day trips and night trips, to Bicol.  Or boats from Sorsogon to Masbate, or Albay to Catanduanes.  There are many ways to get there, it is just a question of when.  So before you book that international flight for a vacation in Europe or Hawaii, open your eyes and explore the country.  Beyond Manila, there are hidden gems to be discovered.  And Bicol is one of them.

Text and photos: Chris Loza © 2007

Chris is a Bicolano who is always praying for world peace and strives hard to stay awake. He is one of YTRiP's newbie travelers and he has started discovering his own place.