Re-visiting Legazpi, Albay and the Solar Halo at Tabaco Port

A hearing at the province of Catanduanes paved way for me to re-visit Albay province and see again the majestic and beautiful Mayon Volcano. Since there were no available direct flights to Virac, Catanduanes the day before my hearing, my client and I took the morning flight to Legazpi, Albay. From Legazpi, we would be travelling by land for almost an hour to Port of Tabaco, then ride a Ro-Ro vessel bound to Port of San Andres in Catanduanes. Adventure, isn’t it?

And so, the only thing that would take off the anxiety for this air/land/sea adventure would be the chance to take a glimpse again of Mayon Volcano.. I could not get over the beauty and the perfect cone of Mayon Volcano ever since hubby and I went to Legazpi (for the first time) last year. In fact, I posted several blog entries about this, which I called the Albay series. 🙂

View of Mayon Volcano from the plane

It was a perfect day to fly, and as soon as we were about to land in Legazpi Airport, the pilot even announced the perfect weather and the clear skies, and for the passengers to get their cameras ready as they could take good shots of the Mayon Volcano–which was not hidden from the clouds that day. And so again, that feeling that just when I was terribly missing and aching to get a glimpse of Mayon Volcano and then this opportunity to re-visit Legazpi came? Priceless!!

My client and I had brunch at one of the restaurants in the airport compound. One of the things that I miss from Albay province is their version of suman, which they call “Binutong”. It’s like the usual suman, with gata (coconut milk). I was pleasantly surprised when I saw near the counter a pile of binutong; my client ordered for the two of us, as I could not contain my glee when the cashier confirmed that it was indeed binutong. And when I took that first bite? Ahh, delicious!! 🙂

Binutong

Inside the airport compound, there were vans for hire towards different parts of Albay province, or even as far as Sorsogon province. We hired a Toyota Innova van, which would take us to Port of Tabaco in Tabaco, Albay.

On the way to Tabaco, I was able to take several pictures of the Mayon Volcano. I felt insatiable as to its beauty. 🙂

The shot below is one of the closest and most unobstructed view that I could take of the Mayon Volcano, according to the van driver. In fact, he even stopped driving so that I could get out and take a picture.

It was almost an hour of travel time to the Port of Tabaco. There were interesting sights along the way, such as the churches and malls in Tabaco, Albay. Tabaco is like Legazpi, as to urbanization and proximity to transportation channels. While Legazpi has the airport, Tabaco Port is the converging point for passage to Catanduanes and other nearby islands.

While my client was buying our tickets for the Ro-Ro vessel, I stayed inside the van since it’s very hot outside. Suddenly, the driver of the van told me to step outside and take a look at the sun. I was surprised when he told me to do that, but I complied since I saw people outside taking pictures of the sun.

And this is what I saw…

Unobstructed view (I took this with sunglasses on)

View under the shade of a tree

The solar halo became part of the news that day, the 22nd day of May 2014. While the solar halo is indeed a phenomenon, many people felt fear when they saw it, as if it is a bad omen. For me though, I felt lucky enough to have witnessed seeing a rainbow around the sun; and it happened when I’m in Bicol region, the only region privileged enough to have seen this phenomenon. Such an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. 🙂

Mayon Volcano view from Port of Tabaco

My next blog entry (or blog series) would be about the captivating province of Catanduanes… Captivating because my heart was really captivated (cheesy isn’t it) with the province’s rustic charm.

 

Biking spots in Legazpi City, Albay

Almost a year has passed since we last visited the beautiful province of Albay and joined the Daragang Magayon festivities. I have posted several blog entries as I felt I could not write, describe, detail enough the beauty of the province, especially the picturesque Mayon Volcano. Since I have been blogging about biking lately, this time I will share about the biking spots in Legazpi City. In our three-day stay in Legazpi, I managed to squeeze in almost an hour of biking at Albay  Park and Wildlife.

Hubby by the entrance to the zoo

You will find the Albay Wildlife and Park near the airport vicinity. Entrance fee is about 10 or 20 pesos (I couldn’t remember exactly). Once inside, you will not only get to enjoy viewing the birds, reptiles, and other caged animals, you can also ride a boat, take a walk at the park, and of course, ride bikes. There is a bicycle rental inside the park, so I chose one that I like and enjoyed biking at this refreshing place.

Refreshing to bike by the pond

It’s kinda therapeutic to go on a bike ride with views like this, not to mention the fresh air from the province. 🙂

Green everywhere.

You would see the famous Lignon Hill from afar. It’s green everywhere you look. 🙂 Plus factor for me is that you get to bike along an enclosed area, there are no moving vehicles.

Another great biking spot in Legazpi City is by the Legazpi Boulevard. During our first day in Legazpi City, we immediately went to Legazpi Boulevard to watch the sunset and view the Mayon Volcano from the bay. My hubby took a picture of the bikers below, who surely got a thrill biking by the boulevard with a great view of the sky, the volcano, and the sea. 🙂

Bikers, the sea, the sky, and Mayon Volcano. 🙂