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!