Where to stay in Legazpi City: Mayon Backpackers Hostel

Looking for a budget friendly hostel/inn that is located near the Legazpi City airport? You may want to check this budget hostel that will surely be pocket-friendly and worthy enough for your money. It is located at #040 Brgy. 11, Maoyod Subdivision Legazpi City, Albay. 

Bicol Trip 3D/2N: Itinerary and Expenses

Planning to go to Bicol Region? Let me share to you guys our itinerary and expenses for a 3D/2N tour of Albay and Matnog, Sorsogon in the Bicol Region.

Where To Eat In Bicol: Foodtrippings 101

Wondering where to eat in Bicol? What are the foods you want to taste when in Bicol? My personal requests are of course their famous and most raved Bicol Express, Laing and Sili Ice Cream! Bicol is not just famous because of their perfectly cone shape Mt. Mayon volcano but also for their yummy food and delicacies. Well, here's the list of our foodtrips when we were in Bicol. :)

DJC Halo-Halo - Legazpi City, Albay

After eating a hearty meal of pinangat from Camalig, we rode a jeepney going to Gaisano Mall with the fare costing P20. We headed to 1st Colonial Grill to take a taste of it's very popular Sili Ice Cream joined with Tinutong na Bigas flavor. You can read it in my post here. Still craving for more, we searched Google again of Albay's best which then led us to DJC Halo Halo.

Let's Pinangat - Camalig, Albay

Since we left early from our inn so that we can see Mt. Mayon without any clouds covering it, we haven't had a chance to grab breakfast yet. Since we are quite near the town of Camalig, and it's just a short jeepney ride away from Cagsawa Ruins, we decided  to head there as it is the home of one of Bicol's specialty which is pinangat.

Bicol Trip Day 3: Majestic Mayon and Foodtrips

I was so desperate to see the beauty of this majestic Mt. Mayon without the clouds covering it. So even though we went home late on the 2nd day of our beach hopping (whut? lol), I still pushed  through to wake up early the next day to catch the captivating view of Mt. Mayon in Cagsawa Ruins.

Subic Beach & Tikling Island of Matnog, Sorsogon

After enjoying the fishes at the fish sanctuary, it's now time to go beach bumming and the destination for that is Subic Beach and its famous pink sands. Who would have thought that there is hidden gem on the southern most part of Luzon.

Subic Beach is found on Calintaan Island, which is the southern part of the town of Matnog, Sorsogon. There are actually two stretch of Subic Beach, the one you could reach first was called by Manong Eddie as Subic Small beach and the other is Subic Big Beach. From the Juag fish sanctuary, it would take the boat around 20 minutes to reach Subic Small Beach.

Juag Lagoon Marine Sanctuary Matnog, Sorsogon

Matnog Sorsogon is the last town at the far end of Luzon, it is the gateway to Visayas and Mindanao. But what am I doing here? Nah, im not going any more farther, well, I'm going to explore Matnog's hidden gems. One of the highlights well, Juag Lagoon Marine Sanctuary.

Bicol Trip Day 2: Matnog, Sorsogon - The Edge of Luzon

Our 2nd day was mainly beachineering. It was supposed to be Whaleshark watching in Donsol, Sorsogon, but then, there are change of plans that happened the night before and so our group had to be divided. 2 of them went to Caramoan, which was not our plan, so me and my buddy still went to Sorsogon. But because we were just 2, we thought that it was out of our budget to shoulder everything (boat fees and etc for whaleshark watching) with just the 2 of us, concluding that there will be minimal tourists and we are unsure if they are willing to share expenses with us plus the fact that we were not sure if there will be a chance to have a sightings of these butandings(whalesharks). So we have back-up plan though, and it was to just go beachineering at the far end of Luzon which is Matnog, Sorsogon.

Busay Falls of Malilipot, Albay

From the jeepney terminal in Gaisano Mall, we rode a jeepney bound for Tabaco Albay. Our destination is the small town of Malilipot where it houses Busay Falls with it's 7 levels. Jeepney fare is P20 from Gaisano Mall to the jumpoff going to Busay Falls. After around an hour and a half of jeepney ride, you will be reaching the intersection with a sign heading to Busay Falls.

Bicol Foodtrip: First Colonial Grill

Our foodtrip here at 1st colonial grill was on that sunny day when we were desperately looking for foodstores that sells some authentic Bicol Express and Laing leading us to Gaisano Mall but later found out there were no eateries outside offering one and was surprised to know that there was a branch of this 1st Colonial Grill inside Gaisano Mall. 

Daraga Church

Daraga church or the Chruch of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria is a centuries-old church and is one of the must visit architecture if you are in Albay. The church is built on top of a hill above the town of Daraga, which also gives it a very nice view of Mt. Mayon in it's background. It was considered a Cultural Treasure by the Nastional Museum back in 2007 and the church has been undergoing restoration work to restore it's facade that has deteriorated because of it's age. The church was built way back in 1773 and has been standing there since then.

Albay Park and Wildlife

After visiting Lignon Hill, we proceed to our next destination, Albay Park and Wildlife. It was noon time and freakin' hot and we were all hungry. But you know, since we are already here (Lignon Hill's jump-off is just near Albay Park and Wildlife) so we wasted no time and just did a quick tour.

Lignon Hill, Legazpi, Albay

The sign at the entrance gate of Lignon Hill

After checking in at Mayon Backpackers Inn and resting a bit, we started our day tour of Legazpi. We left the inn at around 8:30AM and head to the plaza to catch a jeep that would pass by Lignon Hill. From the Legazpi City hall, the fare up to Lignon Hill was P10. It's not easy to miss as there are  huge signs of Lignon Hill along the road or you can just ask the jeepney driver to drop you off there.

Bicol Trip Day 1: Exploring Bicol's Beauty

What do I have in mind related to Bicol? Well, some are Mt. Mayon, pili nuts, pristine beaches to mention. Bicol has many wonders that is just waiting to be discovered. This is my first local travel this year that is far from Manila. And for the past travel trips I've been to, this is somewhat mixed of planned and unplanned things. Confusing? Let me share to you guys..

The Very Familiar Cagsawa Ruins of Daraga, Albay

You would see it in almost every photo of Mt. Mayon, a ruined church tower with the grand perfect cone of Mt. Mayon standing on the background. But what exactly is that tower and what is the story behind it? I too have always wondered about that but I never thought that reaching that place is very easy.

Where to stay in Bolinao: Bing's Beach Resort

We were actually supposed to stay at one of the cottages in Patar Beach but Patar Road is just so bad, it's not paved, it's dusty, and filled with sharp rocks, that we felt that the vehicle we are using might give up long before we reach Patar Beach. So just as we were about half way to Patar Beach from Bolinao town proper, we saw Bing's Beach Resort which spans on both side of the road where the one facing the beach is the resort and on other side is the hotel.