Life's Journey of Lakwatserang Makikay

I went to Bicol region last December 2010. It was a quick getaway and in a span of two days, me and my officemates were able to visit Naga, Camarines Sur and Legaspi Albay. The quick getaway was due to the fact that during that time, we don't have any vacation leaves since we are all new to our company. We decided to visit and experiment if we can go to Bicol area within the weekend.

Our Itinerary:
Note: Pictures are compilations taken from my officemates cameras and mine :) 
Day 1 - Legaspi, Albay
1. Go to Legaspi via plane by catching the earliest possible flight at 5:15am, Saturday (we slept in the airport)

2. Arrived at Legaspi airport around 6am. We even took our breakfast and started our gala trip by 7am
3. By 8am we arrived at Lignon Hill, considered as one of the tourist attraction in Legaspi and a sight seeing place for Mayon Volcano

Overlooking Mayon Volcano

Overlooking the airport below

 Additional things to see in Lignon Hill:
Enter the Japanese tunnel found near the entrance of the park. A guide will provide information on the history that Lignon Hill used to be a Japanese hideout during the World War 2.

Inside the cave

Going out

Flag used by the Kamikaze pilots during WW2

Going inside the cave

4. By 11am we went to Embarcadero de Legaspi, one of the newest hangout near the Legaspi port. Outlet stores and restaurants line up the place. There is also a ziplining activity and sightseeing at the lighthouse.













5. At around 2pm we went to Cagsawa ruins. Famous scenic spot usually found in Philippines post cards. It was really nice seeing the actual ruins and history behind the ruins. Here you can also see the beautiful Mayon volcano







6. At around 3pm, we started on traveling to Naga, so that we can spend the night at our officemate's house in Naga for free accommodation.We tried riding the coaster bus from Legaspi to Naga. The fare is around P250.00 pesos. Legaspi to Naga trip would be 2-3 hours depending on the speed and traffic along the road. This is where we catch our sleep since we are too tired from the day's tour.

Day 2: Naga, Camarines Sur
1. Visit the Camsur Watersports Complex - famous venue for wakeboarding activity
2. Took a lunch at CWC and tried their Laing pizza


3. Since CWC is closed for wakeboarding competition, we tried the Lago del Rey water park. Entrance here is around 200 which is good for 4 hours










4. Extra time left is used for our quick stroll around Naga City
5. After our dinner at our officemate's house, we went to the bus terminal to catch our reserved slot at Isarog bus. This bus is different from the usual buses plying to Naga and Legaspi because it has bunk beds and I highly recommend to try this while traveling at night. It has seat belts and quite comfortable to sleep compared to the usual ordinary and air conditioned buses. 

Additional tips:

• Try to get best deals on airline tickets. We took Cebu Pacific and it was on sale when we purchase the one-way ticket. I recommend to take a plane for quick / faster travel time
• For the sleeper buses, make sure to reserve a slot in the buses since it tends to fill up fast due to high demand. Each bus contains at least 40 bunk beds. Make sure to bring a blanket or jacket since it can be too cold.
• We haven't tried on checking into a hotel since we have an officemate who lives in Naga and humbly provided her house to us. This helped us save money on hotel and let us splurge on food and pasalubongs

Next time if I will be back in Bicol region, I want to try visiting these places:

• Caramoan
• Hot springs near Mt. Isarog in Camsur (wasn't able to do this since we are into time-constraint)
• ATV in Mayon Volcano (kinda expensive for us that time)
• Misibis Bay in Albay (this is a first class resort, and I need to come up with funds to visit this)
• Donsol, Sorsogon - sight seeing whale sharks
• Lake Buhi in Sorsogon

I would have to admit that I am quite a loser in visiting the Boracay Island. Most people I know visited this place plenty of times and last year was my first opportunity to visit the island and see for myself what is the hype of going to Boracay. I admit that I am not that quite interested on going to frequently visited and crowded scenic spots. I am the type of traveler who likes to explore the "roads less traveled". The opportunity came up when my friend told us if we are interested to join her in Boracay after her college friend's wedding. Since this is the first time that my friends from the academe reunite, we were excited on this trip. I went to Boracay last May 2011.

This is what I can say about Boracay:
Good:

• Lots of foreigner frequents this place because compared to other neighboring countries, the beach is really beautiful
• The water is really refreshing especially on hot summer nights
• Best to visit this during summer
• Accessible to different restaurants and hotels/accommodations
• Different types of activities for friends, families and significant others
• Many night outs you can choose from

Bad:

• Overcrowded
• Some activities are quite expensive
• Some male foreigners tend to be rude. Some of them think Pinays are cheap and easy to get (We experienced this last summer)
• Overrated prices and location (this is just my observation, according to some people we talked on Boracay, the island is more beautiful when it was not yet fully developed). For someone who wants to spend less, I think you need to carefully research on places you need to stay to maximize your stay.

Here are some of the images we captured last summer 2011:

At the Kalibo Airport

At the Jetty Port in Caticlan

Our room in Taj Guesthouse - very affordable and the room is clean

My kikay swimsuits for the pictorial! hahaha!

Fire dance entertainment - very many in Boracay

The beach at morning

I am sooo envious!

Sunset

Our traveler's foot - guess where my foot is...

D Mall at Boracay

The Ferris wheel

The Hobbits House

Our favorite parfait dessert :)

Overall Consideration:
Boracay is considered as one of the top tourist destination in the Philippines. For so many years now, it became a "place" to go for some of famous celebrities and artist. Most Pinoys always list it down as a destination to visit. Foreigners flock to the island all year round. Sabi nga nila when you're in Boracay, you're like so sosyal! Hahaha, kidding aside di naman ako sumosyal going back to Manila. I think compared to my other trips in the past, I still go for places na less crowded but the place or the beach rocks. Boracay became commercialized over the past few years. Some products and restaurants found on the island is also seen in Manila. Bars are everywhere so for those who are into night life, this is for you.