7TH WONDER OF THE WORLD?
June 12th 2008 06:06
Amateur pic of Mt Mayon in Legazpi, Albay
Well, even paranoid stock market investors drive cars, travel and go on vacations. So, if that travel bug has bitten you and you decided to visit any of the above mentioned places and you don’t know your way around in this country, please allow this “punk” to show you the way get to some of your destinations.
Let’s start off with Mayon Volcano.
Amateur pic. Early morning view from Albay Town Plaza
If you don’t like the 10 hour drive but want to see more of the countryside, a rented car can cut that travel time by about 2 hours. Aside from some repairs that you’ll encounter along the way, the road is generally in good condition.
Amateur pic taken from the side of Camalig, Albay
If you check with the travel agencies, you will note that there are regular flights going to and from Legazpi City.
There are plenty of hotels in the area, but don’t look for the services you are accustomed to, if your usual digs are the likes of Ritz Carlton Hotel or any of those that don’t go lower than $2000 USD/night.
Rates are cheap, though the price, as anywhere else, changes a bit to the upside if you are a foreigner.
People are amiable and courteous and even the volcano itself spared the lives of some foreigners when it erupted sometime in the 90’s. And those guys where right on top of the volcano! We are talking ridge of caldera here or somewhere very close to it.
No exaggeration here. I arrived in that city some 15 hours after it happened and the place was abuzz with that story.
But don’t be so dumb as to climb that fiery mountain while it is erupting. Those guys were just lucky that the volcano spewed its lava on one side while they are on the other side. But yes, you can find guides that can bring you right at the mouth of the volcano when it is not acting crazy.
This one was taken by the US Geological Survey sourced from Wikipedia
If you are not that adventurous and you still want to go really up close, there’s a rest house etched almost halfway up at one side of the mountain where you get a really good view of the surrounding areas. The air is a bit crisp there too, because of elevation.
There used to be a historical site close to the city and I would have loved to point you to it as it could be just minutes away from the hotel that you would be staying. It is called the “Cagsawa Ruins”, it was the last remaining structure of a church that was buried by lava in one of the volcano’s early eruptions. But the place was further ruined by a huge flood that inundated the city just recently.
The place is just no longer there last time I was in the area - like it was erased from the face of the earth (or maybe, I just couldn't figure out the altered terrain too soon after the rains).
The most famous local delicacies in the area include “Laing” which is some kind of viand cooked with coconut milk, and sweetened “Pili nuts” which are available in varying preparations. Pili nuts can be eaten raw and it is said to be tastier than Macadamia nuts. Prepared well, the skin of the Pili nut (excluding the nut shell, of course) that has already turned violet in color (from green) is claimed to make a delicious viand as well.
Oh, and don’t forget the ever spicy “Bicol Express!” I cannot eat the meanest preparation of that one without the members of the entire city fire department standing ready with their fire trucks and hoses at my side.
Of course, I am exaggerating! But eat a lot of that and you might just feel like you (not the volcano) are about ready to spew lava.
Time now for one of those sweetened “Pili” bars.
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Going down!
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Stock Market Punk
700? I better save up for an Eclipse 500 VLJ, instead of one of those cars that drink up whole gas stations. That many number of must see places can dry up an oil rig if I visit them all by car.