Magnificent Mayon

Every time I flick the pages of Region 5 contents in our Hekasi books, I always got amazed of its magnificence. Never had I thought that I will be here and see closer the epitome of beauty made by nature. I enjoyed the stay with friends who are too lovers of nature. Common interest brought us to an exciting adventure.

A kick for love and appreciation.

Our flight was last April 19-22, 2013 to Legazpi, Albay. As a backpacker, you get to muster information ahead to plan your trip well so as to have a tight grip of your wallet. I thought that staying in one area for four days would be more boring so I thought of a side trip  We'll go into that later, planning for a Legazpi trip is fun, two days is enough. You just have to book a peso-fare promo in a certain airline company. For people living in Cebu I prepared this preferred itinerary below:

Upon booking, choose the earliest flight 05:00AM on a Saturday to Legazpi and Sunday departure at 03:00PM.

Day 1:

06:00 - Arrival at Legazpi Airport; note that Cebu-Legazpi flight will only take 30-45 minutes.

06:05 - Go out of the airport gate and took a trike going to Cagsawa Ruins

06:30 - Cagsawa Ruins

09:30 - Leave Cagsawa Ruins

10:00 - Look for a Pension House

11:00 - Lunch

01:00 - Ligñon Hill

04:00 - Embarcadero

10:00 - Pension House

Day 2:

If you are a devote Catholic,

10:00 - Check out

10:30 - Leisure trip - Church Hopping 

02:00 - Boarding at the Airport

The earliest flight, the better as you have to run after the clouds of Mt. Mayon in Cagsawa. The best time to visit the area is 05:30AM to 09:00AM. The skies are clear and the triangular-shape of Mayon is apparent to your eyes. You can do exhibition of your poses, do camera tricks or you may hire a local to document your stay in the place. They do not require you to pay for a certain amount because all they need is your donation. we paid P50.00 each so the photographer had P250.00! 

Spicy halo-halo for P40.00 pesos! You gotta taste how it feels like to be a Magayon and Uragon! This is their signature, spicy!

Pili Nuts for sale! P130.00 per kilo!

A clear tableau of Mt. Mayon and the Ruins of Cagsawa Church.

Upon living the place, take a trike and you may just ask the driver for a pension house as they will recommend you some. Worry less of the budget as mostly, accommodation there is very cheap. I advice  that you stay in Daraga because it is very close to the airport.

Once you have rested, take a sumptuous local meal. Try their Laing, Bicol Express, Chicken Tinutungan and Halo-Halo.

Ligñon Hill must be visited after lunch. Entrance fee is P20.00 for locals. We did not opt to take a motorcycle for P50.00 instead, we just took a walk going up. Tiresome but it was for the spirit of adventure. It took us 15 minutes to reach the flat peak.

Breathtaking view of Mayon at Ligñon Hill.

Go down and wipe all your sweats. Time for Embaracadero! Legazpi's mall for sophisticated ones, they said. But not really as you might be thinking of something to wear just to fit the lifestyle of the people there! Honestly, it is just like an arcade you usually see beside the streets of Cebu City.  

This itinerary is good for adventurers who have less time to travel. This cost-friendly itinerary will help you explore the place. I suggest you go with 3 to 5 pax to save your time and money. Aside from the above places, Legazpi is rich in historical and old churches. If you're into pilgrims then visit those. 

For this Legazpi trip, the breakdown of expenses is noted below:

Ligñon Hill: 

P50 trike 

P20 entrance

Accommodation: Rose Inn

P120.00/pax

Cagsawa Ruins:

P20.00 trike going to Cagsawa

P50.00 photographer's donation

P40.00 spicy halo-halo

P15.00 pancit

P42.00 breakfast

P130.00 Pili Nuts/Kilo

P100.00 Pasalubong Tart 

P15.00 trike going to Rose Inn

Airport Fees:

P1,030.00 - peso fare rtt

P200.00 - terminal fee (Cebu)

P20.00 - terminal fee (Legazpi)

Budget: PHP 1,852.00