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“If Legazpi, Albay is a jar, what would it contain?” is a question I never asked myself the first two times I traveled to that place. It is probably because my Legazpi, Albay trips have never been planned vacations.

On this third trip with Boktor, I ventured on asking myself that question and found that my answer is this:  This jar called Legazpi, Albay contains an Elusive Superstar, a testament to the Filipino’s devotion to God, food trips galore, adventure and lessons in survival.

On the lava trail

This is a picture of Mr. Caloy Chan, the person who brought us to this lava trail.  All around him, the rain is coming down in sheets and steam is rising from the earth.  The jagged black rocks he is stepping on were once hot molten lava. Shrouded in the clouds behind him is the Elusive Superstar, Mt. Mayon.  These were the circumstances we found ourselves in along the lava trail and this is my story.

Although it is not difficult to conceive that people actually hike up to Mt. Mayon, doing it never occured to me.

When Mr. Ketel invited Boktor and me for an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) ride to the lava trail, I thought that we would just be sitting in the ATV the whole time.  So, I was happy to oblige.  It was much later, when the arrangements were already set, that it dawned on me that the ATV would only take us to where the lava trail begins.  From there, we would need to trek on the lava trail to get closer to Mt. Mayon.  I came to this realization at 2:00 a.m.,  or four hours before we planned to leave for the lava trail.  At that time, Boktor and I were still working, it was raining heavily, I was stressed, tired and wondering how I was going to drag myself out of bed at 6:00 a.m. and will myself to trek under the pouring rain.  I voiced out my thoughts to Boktor and he too was worried about how we would survive the activity. (more…)

Central Pilinut Candy

Pili is a soft oily nut that has a mildly woody taste. It has almost the same texture as a pinenut. As Pili is grown in Albay, many pili products like marzipan are sold in the market.

I have tried many pili products but the best are those from the New Albay Central Pilinut Candy (CPC). I first learned about CPC from relatives who returned from Legaspi and brought back for me CPC products such as sugar coated Pili, Mazapan de Pili, Yema de Pili, Pili Butternut and plain Salted Pili.  As I was curious about that store, Boktor and I visited it briefly on our way back to Hotel Venezia. It was then that I discovered the roasted pili coated in butternut and sprinkled with sesame seeds, which is now my CPC favorite.

CPC is located along Rizal Street in the Old Albay District. The store is actually the living room of an old house. As you enter the house, there is a lanai with lounge chairs and a coffee table. Beside the lanai is the living room, the shelves  of which are filed with Pili products. Displayed on the walls are the pictures of the more popular customers of the  store. Of course, Boktor did not recognize Piolo Pascual.  He pointed to Piolo’s picture and asked me who that was. I looked at him strangely and said, “Hello???  That’s Piolo Pascual ‘no.”  Then, with a bewildered tone of voice, Boktor said, “Oh, ya.”  Obviously, Boktor does not know who Piolo is as he is not jologs like me.  (Read this and this to get a sense of  what jologs means.) (more…)

For the second time in a span of less than a month, Boktor and I were sent to Legazpi, Albay.

The sun was up when we left Manila and I expected to see the elusive superstar, Mt. Mayon. I am, however, learning that the weather in Legazpi is erratic. When we got there it was raining and Mt. Mayon was completely shrouded in clouds.

During this trip, we never got to see the elusive superstar in all her naked glory. The most we got was a brief glimpse of her mouth and her foot. In fact, I had the feeling that Mt. Mayon did not want to see us this time around. But, I will leave this story for later.

Boktor and Pandora in Legaspi, Albay again…

The Unexpected Adventures of Boktor and Pandora in Legazpi, Albay Part II coming soon…

Mt. Mayon:  The Elusive Superstar

Legazpi City, Philippines is on a plain.  From almost anywhere in Legazpi, you will see Mt. Mayon on a clear day.  It is a green mass rising from the ground to meet the sky.  Not being part of any chain of mountains, Mt. Mayon is solitary.  Mt. Mayon’s cone shape is almost perfect and it is undoubtably an active volcano.  Smoke plumes are seen coming out of its mouth. (more…)

The Ruins of Cagsawa: A Testament to the Filipinos’ devotion to God

Mr. Ketel took Boktor and me to Cagsawa, Daraga, Albay (a ten minute drive from Legazpi) where the ruins of what was once a huge church is located. According to the memorial plaque, the church was built in 1724 by Fray Francisco Blanco, OFM (Ordo Fraternum Minor, otherwise known as the Franciscans). The church stands at the foot of Mt. Mayon. When Mt. Mayon erupted on 1 February 1814, most of the church was submerged in lava. The only part of the church  that was not buried is the belfrie and the top most portion of the church pillars. According to this article, there were about 1,200 people who sought sanctuary in the church and were buried alive there when Mt. Mayon erupted in 1814.  If you want to read more about Cagsawa, click on this and this.

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The Hotel Venezia

Boktor and I were not expecting to be billeted in a fancy hotel.  Lucky for us, our hotel in Legazpi, the Hotel Venezia, surpassed our expectations.

Hotel Venezia is a three-minute ride away from the airport. Surprisingly, I never saw or heard any planes flying overhead. I was told that this is because the planes fly from the opposite direction of the hotel.  The hotel is located inside a quiet and well secured subdivision away from the busy streets of Legazpi. I was able to walk around the area without fear of being run over by cars or bothered by other pedestrians.

When Boktor and I got to the hotel, we checked-in and went directly to our rooms to unload our things. When I stepped inside my room, I immediately noticed that the room had already been cooled for me. I also saw that it was very clean and the layout was simple and made good use of the space. My room had a king-sized bed with white crisp clean sheet and huge fluffy pillows, an LDC TV, a desk, a coffee table, a comfortable arm chair and a closet. When I opened the closet to put my bag in, I was surprised to note that I was provided with a cotton robe (the one with the small square pattern), room slippers and a laundry bag. I was also pleased when I saw that there was a safe, a well-stocked mini-bar (I just like seeing that there are things to eat in the min-bar but I am not one to binge on mini-bar food) and a bathroom that had complete amenities like cotton buds, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lotion, hair dryer, comb and shower cap.  My room had a veranda, and when I stepped out, I realized that my view was Mt. Mayon. Sadly, it was cloudy so I could only see parts of it. (more…)

Boktor (not his real name) and I went to Legazpi, Albay.

It was Boktor’s first time in Legazpi and he was excited about the trip. It was my second time in Legazpi. I was not excited. We were to stay in Legazpi only over night and I did not expect to see much of the place.

Also, my memories of my first Legazpi trip were not so good.  At that time, I was forced to take a ten-hour land trip from Manila to Legazpi as my flight was canceled due to bad weather. After that long trip, I only stayed in Legazpi for less than an hour.

This time, I was really not exited about the trip.

The flight to Legazpi

On my way to the airport, I got a text message from Boktor telling me that the client representative, Mr. Ketel (not his real name), advised us to bring jackets because it was raining in Legazpi. Oh, no!!! Thoughts like “Will the flight be canceled?” and ” Will I be forced to take a ten-hour land trip again?” immediately came to mind. I was really really not excited about the trip.

When I got to the airport, the ground attendant told me that our flight would not be canceled. Phew.

Meanwhile, I learned that before the plane lands at the Legazpi Airport, it flies along side Mt. Mayon, a perfect cone-shaped active volcano and the main attraction of Albay. I was assigned a window seat on the left-side of the plane and discovered that this is the best place to get a view of the volcano. Unfortunately, clouds shrouded Mt. Mayon and I was only able to see its tip.