Where Is The Beautiful Lady And The Snakes In The Philippines? Mayon Volcano and Cagsawa Ruins

    Mayon Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. Recently, Mayon Volcano was observed for signs of an imminent eruption. Local residents within the 6-km radius were evacuated to safety. Government and private agencies worked round-the-clock to monitor and provide relief to affected Bicolanos in the area. Mayon Volcano has since quietened down and residents sent back to their homes. When not in its active state, a view of Mount Mayon is a delight to tourists. Aside from the view of the volcano, visitors enjoy taking ‘selfies’ and ‘groufies’ near Cagsawa Ruins, shopping, food tripping and riding the All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV).

Mt. Mayon, Legaspi, Albay, Philippines.

     Legend.  Mayon comes from the local term, ‘magayon’ meaning beautiful from a legend pertaining to an ancient princess, thus, the endearment, ‘beautiful lady’. This beautiful princess met a tragic end when his lover tried to rescue her from an atrocious suitor. From the princess’ grave grew a mound, Mount Mayon, rising to its present height of 2462 meters (picture below). Mount Mayon,  known for its perfect cone, has erupted 50 times. Thus, its perfect cone is not that perfect anymore.

     Wherever you go in Bicol, you will see the many faces of Mt. Mayon. This is because Mt. Mayon is geographically shared by eight cities and municipalities of Legazpi, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao, Tabaco, Malilipot and Santo Domingo, which divide the cone like slices of a pie when viewed from above. I took the pictures of Mt. Mayon (below) at different times and different places in Bicol.

Mayon Volcano is seen in many towns in Bicol.

     Cagsawa Ruins. One of the best views of Mayon Volcano is in Cagsawa Church Ruins. This baroque church built in 1724 by Franciscan friars suffered from Mayon’s most tragic eruption in 1814. It claimed almost 12,000 lives some were buried inside the church. Today, only the belfry remains standing after the onslaught of various earthquakes and tremors. The name Cagsawa came from 'kag' meaning “owner” and 'sawa' which pertains to a “phyton”, a type of snake. Legend has it that the church once kept snakes before it was destroyed by volcanic eruptions. (http://www.filipiknow.net/mayon-volcano-shocking-facts/). My daughter, Trina (left) and I (right) are shown below on our trip to Cagsawa Ruins. Unfortunately, Mt. Mayon did not show her splendor, as its almost perfect cone was covered with clouds. 

Cagsawa Ruins, Albay.

     Souvenir Shops. Near Cagsawa Ruins are souvenir shops with native handicrafts that Bicol is world famous for. On the way to visit me in Donsol, Sorsogon, in 2013, my friends posted this on face book.

Shopping for native handicrafts at the Cagsawa Ruins.

     Food Kiosks. Also, becoming popular and found near the ruins are food kiosks that offer new twists to old favorites like the ‘sili’ (chili) shake below. This refreshingly cold and ‘hot’ shake is made up of crushed ice, milk, sugar, mixed with ‘siling labuyo’, the smallest but the hottest pepper in the country. On the picture below is my nephew, Jolo, about to try this local dessert.

Chili shake to cool a hot day. 

     ATV Ride. An adventure worth trying on your visit to Mt. Mayon is the all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) ride. Local and international tourists have been trying this sport of driving the ATV from Cagsawa ruins. Other take-off points are Ligñon Hill and Barangay Pawa. From Cagsawa ruins, options are whether to take the short trail, the green lava or the black lava trails. The following are the rates offered by an ATV tour operator (known to us, his friends, as Boraw):

Trail	Engine cc	No. of persons	Rate (pesos)
-Short trail – 45 minutes -Black lava – 3 hours -Green lava- 3 hours	150 150 350 500 Rancher-type ATV 150 350 500	1 adult 1 adult 2 adults 2 adults, 1 kid 4 adults 1 adult 2 adults 2 adults, 1 kid	699 1850 3500 4000 4500 1500 3000 3500

     Tour operators are proud of the visit of Hollywood celebrity, Zac Efron, to Mt. Mayon. Shown here (below) is his ATV adventure. Photo courtesy http://www.mayonatvtour.com/.

Zac Efron tries out the ATV ride.

In some of our trips going to Bicol, we ride the airconditioned buses from Cubao terminal. Our usual schedule is 6-7pm leaving Cubao and arriving at around 6-7am the following day in Legazpi City, Albay. The buses are comfortable with designated stops for meals and comfort room breaks. We usually sleep on the way, making sure we bring our jackets and head covers because the ‘aircon’ could become uncomfortably cold.

Riding a bus to go to Bicol Region.

Don’t miss the ‘beautiful lady’, Mayon Volcano, and the ‘snakes’, Cagsawa ruins, on your visit to Bicol. Be enthralled by the splendor of this active volcano that may be seen from eight Bicol cities and towns. Enjoy the adventures in-and-around the place to satisfy the travel species in you.

 

How to go to Mt. Mayon:

-        By plane: Flights from Manila to Legazpi are available everyday. From Legazpi Airport, you can ride a taxi to Mt. Mayon in Daraga, Albay. Or you can ride a tricycle going to the city proper and ride a jeep going to Camalig.

-        By land: Buses plying the Manila-Legazpi route may be found in Cubao or Pasay terminal. You may go down at the entry way going to the Cagsawa ruins in Daraga. If you are coming from the town of Daraga, Albay, take a jeep (from Albay Cathedral) going to Camalig town.

              

-     Get off at the entry way to the Cagsawa ruins. Ride a tricycle all the way to the ruins, which takes about 5 to 7 minutes. On the way back from Cagsawa, walk the 500m to the National Highway. Catch a jeep going to Daraga town. Entrance fee to the park is P10 each.