The Quick Bicol Getaway

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