Legazpi City, Albay

Legazpi City is one of the cities I have been that I will surely miss. A place I know I will be returning back for another travel vacation and adventure. It is a quiet city and less populous that Cebu City and a lot cleaner too. One thing unique about this is city is their city ordinance that prohibits the use of plastic bags in all its grocery stores, pharmacies, fast food chains, etc. They use brown paper bags instead.

There are quite a number of nice places to visit in Legazpi, Albay. Here are some places that topped my list and I thought that it's just fair to share to you guys in case you will be visiting Albay soon.

• Cagsawa Ruins  - Of course this is definitely a place to drop by. Ever noticed that very common Mt. Mayon postcard that always shows a ruined church? That church is the Church of Cagsawa that got buried during Mt. Mayon's eruption on 1814, known to be its most violent eruption to date.

Cagsawa ruins and the world's most perfect cone volcano. 

• Lingñon Hill Nature Park - If you are flying bound for Legazpi airport, the very noticeable hill you'll see from the airport is already the Lignon Hill.  It is 156 meter high and a perfect spot for a 360 degrees panoramic view of Legazpi City.

View of Mt. Mayon from Lingnon Hill.

• Daraga Church - the Daraga church is located in the municipality of Daraga. It is an 18th century baroque church poised  on a hill with a commanding view of Mt. Mayon. This church was built after the eruption of Mt. Mayon that ruined the church of Cagsawa.

18th century Daraga Church

• Bicol Adventure ATV- they said you've never been to Mt. Mayon if you have not tried their ATV (All-Terrain-Vehicle). There are lots of ATV sites/services in Albay but I'm recommending the Bicol Adventure ATV. During our visit, we took the 3.5 kilometers Pawa-Mayon Lava wall trail that started from Brgy Pawa up to Mayon's Lava Wall. It was the best!

ATV ride going to Mayon's lava bed. Have to stop for picture taking!

So when is the best time to visit Legazpi City / Albay / Mt. Mayon? I say when the sun is hot, the sky is clear, and the wind is good. Summer that is!

Where to stay in Legazpi, Albay? There are lots of hotels and inns in Legaspi that you can choose from depending on your likes and budget. But you really dont need to spend so much for an accommodation. When I travel I personally choose those that fits my budget at the same time a descent place to have a good rest after a day's journey and a good bath as well. I can definitely recommend Balay de la Rama to you. It's a comfortable and clean place, and surprisingly affordable!

San Juanico Bridge

I wasn't really expecting much about San Juanico Bridge except that it is the longest bridge in the Philippines that spans for 2 kilometers connecting the islands of Leyte and Samar. This $21.9 million bridge have been presented as a Gift and "Testimonial of Love" by the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to the first lady, Imelda, a native of Leyte. Sweet. 

San Juanico Bridge connects the islands of Leyte and Samar. 

But of course I was wrong again! This bridge is really huge and the the view is just wonderful! I have been there last November 17-19, 2012 with my office mates. Tacloban City is just a 30-minute air travel from Cebu so it wasn't really much of a jet lagged. The bridge is just 10 minutes away from the downtown Tacloban City. Vehicles aren't allowed to stop anywhere on the bridge so we set foot right on its Leyte side and stroll up to the deck of the bridge. I felt the bridge danced every time vehicles passed by. It was scary yet fun. If you love mountain views, the bridge is definitely the perfect spot to be at. 


These pictures will surely speak for themselves. Let me know if they dont. :P

Panoramic view at the deck of the bridge.

Panoramic view at the deck of the bridge facing Samar.

When is the perfect time to visit the bridge? The perfect time is early morning to noon when the sun is out and the lighting is perfect for picture taking.  The bridge looks so romantic during sunset too. 

So what do you need to bring when visiting the famous San Juanico Bridge?

• Water. You'll need it for a long gala walk at the bridge. 
• Sunglasses. You'll be walking on the sun unless if it rains. 
• Sun block. You will never like ending up like a fried patty. 
• Camera. You'll need this to get good photos that you can brag to your friends. 

From Samar entering the bridge going to Leyte.

A very romantic view of the bridge facing Leyte.
 This was taken around 5PM when the sun 's about to set.

Where to stay at Tacloban City? I say try Robinson's Go Hotel. Its affordable and clean. They got WiFi. :) The Robinson's Mall is just adjacent to it. 

You can view more pictures of this man made wonder on our Facebook page. Don't forget to LIKE us! Got a question? Comment it below!

The Underground River, Palawan!

Hi! Kamusta? I’ve been to one of the world’s 7 wonders, the Palawan Underground river, last March 25, 2012 on a 3-day vacation in Puerto Princesa. I’ve seen this river so many times on TV and I thought that it's just an ordinary river in a cave overly rated by the media. But I was wrong. The day I got there just changed that thought. It is of course a very peculiar site! It’s overwhelmingly beautiful and totally amazing.

A foggy rice field taken around 7AM on the way to the Sabang Port.

Before you plan your visit in the the Underground river you’ll need to buy/reserve ticket. The ticket will serve as your pass to the river. This attraction hosts more than 500 tourists a day, if you dont reserve/buy a ticket ahead of time (a month maybe) you’ll never get into the river. There are lots of travel agencies in Puerto Princesa that can reserve tickets for you, all you need to do is call them. Some pension houses and hotels also offer ticket reservation. We stayed in Lola Itang’s Pension house and they also do ticket reservation for as long as you make your reservations a month early.

So how did I actually got there? We rented a private van of course that drove us from Puerto Princesa mainland to Sabang Port and back. I think it was a 2 hour trip but the ride was worth it. We didnt worry much of getting there since the driver knows where to take us. He was like a tour guide too with so many things to say about Palawan (history, people, and tourist spots).I would say that getting a package at a travel agency for your underground river tour would be the best choice. Most packages offered includes underground ticket/pass, a tour guide, lunch buffet, and transporation. 

Bankas that will take you from the Sabang Port to the Underground
River entrance.

The Sabang Port can be jokingly named as Sabang International Port because it is packed with lots of people both locals and foreigners everyday. The day I got their, I could tell there were many pretty Brazillians, Americas, Europeans, kinky Japanese, loud Koreans, and some other small Asians like me. lol. The first thing to do when you get to Sabang Port is to register at their port office and show your ticket to get a priority number. The priority number will take you to the next available banka bound to the place where the underground river is. The Underground river is just on the same island but you’ll need to travel by sea to reach there because travelling by foot is a suicide. I heard they have trekking guides going to the river but I didn’t mind to ask – we were just short of time.

We arrived at the Sabang Port at 8AM but we preferred to take the last ride to the Underground  river which was at 3PM or so. We planned it that way so we got the whole morning swimming and enjoying the Sabang Beach just right next to the port. We didnt worry much about the time since we got a private van that can wait for us till the evening. :P

The Sabang Beach has a very fine sand and  picturesque views.

I've never been to Boracay and El Nido so I've never seen first hand their rumored white sand beaches. But the Sabang beach is probably the finest beach I have ever been. Its sand is so fine that I dont even have to wear my slippers. It's water is just so clear. The weather was also a plus, perfect for picture taking! The beach is free to the public.

We set out for the underground river at around 3PM. And that beach below was the beauty that welcomes us to the river. 

A very beautiful shore that welcomes us to the underground river after a 10 minutes banka ride from the
Sabang Port. A very perfect and peaceful place!  

Entrance to the underground River:

Awesome.

Pretty awesome.

So what will you need to bring when visiting the the famous Palawan Underground River in the Philippines? Here's a short list of things that should be in your backpack:

• Water. Buying bottled water on the Sabang shops is expensive. Bottled water on the Puerto Princesa proper is cheaper and practical.
• Sunglasses. You'll need them even when it's not summer. Trust me.
• Sun block. Who goes to the beach/sea without a sun block?
• Extra clothes. You'll surely get wet. 
• Camera. You'll need this to get good photos that you can brag to your friends. 

You can view more pictures of the Palawan Underground River on our Facebook page. Don't forget to LIKE us! Got a question? Comment it below!