Albay is one province with so
many hidden and known beauties. Like the
people in the said area, it bears beauty that is pure, basic and grand. Albay has a certain charm that will sweep you
off your feet and bring you the time that was or give you majesty that is
simply indescribable. With 15
municipalities and 3 cities, Albay bears so many things to see and experience.
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| Gov. Al Francis Bichara |
Governor Al Francis Bichara was
such a gracious host as he welcomed us to his place and this was reflected by
the people of the various local government units (Dept of Tourism and Dept of
Agriculture) and that of Human Explore Travel and Tours. The tour given to us was both informative and
time worthy. Tiring it may be BUT truly
worth every moment. Thank you to Ms.
Dorothy Colle and her people from the Department of Tourism Provincial Division
Region V – Albay, Ms. Che of the Provincial Agriculture Department, management and staffs of Human Explore Travel and Tours and Ms.
Farah Sobremisana – owner partner of Pepperland Hotel. They truly made our visit such a wonder thru
their efforts and time generosity.
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| Legazpi Marker - Boardwalk - Embarcadero Area |
The whole of Albay is filled with
old churches, old craft making, worthy place to go to, old houses, natural
beauties and beautiful festivities. With
15 municipalities around the majestic Mayon Volcano, if you do a whole 360 tour
like ours, you get to see this natural wonder in all its beauty. Try to learn also the story behind this
volcano and the insider tease of its behavior.
From the ruins of Cagsawa (with a
average guest of 150pax per day) to the churches in Camalig, Ligao, Sto.
Domingo and Daraga, to the calm Sumlang Lake and the historic Japanese caves in
Quituinan Hills, to the traditional way of metal smiting in Tabaco, farms and
various beautiful parks and landmarks all over Albay, you will never have a
dull moment when you decide to do a full exploration of the province. It is also filled of noteworthy food places
that you could and should try out (story and review in another write-up). Albay also has spring resorts with water
source coming from near the volcano or underneath the ground making it cool or
even cold depending on the time of the year – such resort is D’ Hacienda Spring and Nature Resort in
Guinobatan, Albay.
For active people, I would highly
recommend for you to try out the Japanese tunnels/caves in Quituinan
Hills. The trek is not that stressful
but the crawling (should you be adventurous enough) is like having an archeological
dig. For historical buffs, try seeing
the various churches of the different municipalities and compare notes in terms
of its style and story behind it. Should
you wish to see various craftsmanship of the place, go to Sumlang Lake to see
the woven beauties of Albay, the metal smiting of Tabaco, pottery shops in Tiwi
and pili delicacy making in Legazpi.
Don’t forget to visit the various farms in the province that show the
resiliency of the people as reflected in their farms – some of them are IG
worthy too.
Since they have 15 municipalities
around majestic Mayon, you get to see this natural beauty in all its
grandeur. With clouds or without, Mayon
will surely captivate you may it be morning, noon, mid afternoon or sunset. With its romantic yet tragic story behind
this beauty, you will definitely want to be welcomed by it every time you are
in the said province.
Albay is truly beautiful! The
people reflect their place and the place live through its people.
Photos used were personally taken by the writer during the tour given by the DOT and Human Expore Travel and Tours.
Here are some of the pictures during our Albay 360 Tour
Lignon Hills
Quituinan Hills/Japanese Tunnels
Planetarium and Skyline
Pandayan sa Tabaco, Albay
Sumlang Lake
Parochial Church of Sto. Domingo, Albay
St. John The Baptist Church in Camalig, Albay
Cagsawa Ruins
Cagraray Eco Park
d' Hacienda Spring Resort
