Couchsurfing Friend: Julie

JULIE

Julie and Al during our meet up at her place in Rosewood Pointe, Acacia Estates, Taguig City. Al happened to be in Manila for a job interview while I was with my folks on vacation.

This book was given to me by Julie. :)

She's a great person and a generous host. :)independent, fun to be with and spirited. I love her frankness that's why we clicked together as soul sistahs. She has plenty of joie de vivre. 

Let's continue living life to the fullest,Juls and cheers to the women like us! :)

I am definitely wishing for your safe trip in Davao. Hoping I gain all the courage like yours to backpack solo and step back from the known to the unknown.

Couchsurfing Friend: Al

Al Francis graciously hosted Abs and I in his place in Polangui, Albay during our trip to Bicol.

Our 36-hour odyssey in Bicol with my travel buddy Abs wouldn’t be memorable if not for Al. He hosted us for 3 days and in that short period of time; we instantly clicked as friends. He never ran out of funny things to say, inspired me with his stories and learned a lot even from his weirdest and craziest thoughts, that’s why I enjoyed every minute of our tête-à-tête.  He has a gift of making people happy and his positive vibrations seem to be endless. He made me do things I’ve never done for so long, and I swear I’ve enjoyed every bit of it just like the first time. He has a huge appetite and an excellent cook - any person will salivate when served with his pasta dishes. He’s spontaneous, straightforward, determined, bold and adventurous. I envy his sense of humor. I definitely love his sarcasm. Believe me, there’s no dull moment when you’re with him.  He’s not just an ordinary guy – he’s special. And if I were to describe him in one word, he’d definitely be “COOL”.  Our journey may have ended in Bicol but I know in my heart that this is just a beginning of a genuine friendship built to last a lifetime. Let’s continue fulfilling our never-ending bucket list.

 Cheers, Al Francis! J

Jet-speed ride with Renee - his Mom's car

Al's Tribu sandals  which I borrowed during our trek to Mt. Masaraga

Bree and Troy - his precious dogs

Lolo Carling

Al's residence in Polangui, Albay

Beyond Summits - Conquering Mt. Masaraga

 Day Two of our Bicol Adventure
 (May 23, 2012)

Abs and I woke up at around 5:00 in the morning because of the sounds of the fighting cocks at a nearby house - just across our room. We prepared breakfast for Lolo Carling. Al asked us last night if we're interested to scale heights and ascend a mountain and we never hesitated. (though we don't have proper trekking attire). He was able to contact Chestopher - the guide, and then plans have been made. Wooohoooo, Off tto the beaten path.. Al drove us to the jump off point in Brgy. Amtic, Sitio Sabloyon in Ligao City about 11 km. from Polangui, Albay and listened to John Mayer's songs along the way. (Al didn't join us for he just climbed the mountain 4 days ago with two of his CS friends from Canada. He still has lots of bruises in his arms.)

On our way to Sitio Sabloyon - requested a local to take a photo of us with Mt. Masaraga as the backdrop.  Kinda blurry but I liked it as it is. hehe No choice. hehe 

After Al and his friends' climb four days ago, we're next. - Logging in at Brgy. Amtic.
Entrance fee is at Php10, Guide fee is Php500 

This magical view greeted us on our way to the jump-off point to Mt. Masaraga. Excited muchooo ;)

A view of the stunning Mayon Volcano as we nearly approach the base camp of Mt. Masaraga

View from the top

Abs and Cris at the Summit. 

A-OK! Finally at the last summit. 

"Raise the Roof!"  We need some clearance,please...

FACTS ABOUT MT. MASARAGA

Mount Masaraga is an extinct stratovolcano, located in Oas and Ligao City in the province of Albay, in the Bicol region, on Luzon Island, in the Philippines, at latitude 13.32°N (13°20'N), longitude 123.60°E (123°35'E). Mount Masaraga is a forested, sharp-topped, mountain with an elevation of 1328 metres (4,357 feet) above sea level. It is adjacent and the closest to the perfect cone of Mayon Volcano. -Wikipedia

According to Cris, our guide, he and his brother maintains the clearing of the trails in the mountain since they are true blue residents and serving as guides to tourists is their way of living. He even bragged about guiding Sir Gideon of Pinoy Mountaineer during his climb sometime in April last year. And if in case you might want to read articles about Mt. Masaraga: here's the link from Pinoy Mountaineer to give you a better understanding about Bicol's little-known spot.

http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2011/06/mt-masaraga-1328-in-ligao-city-albay.html

http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2011/04/hiking-matters-162-hiking-up-summit-of.html

Finally reached the First Summit. The final summit is yet to come. 

Pitcher plant grows abundantly in the area. So lucky to have clicked my shutter on this one.

Wild orchids in bloom. 

From afar, a mountain is just a landscape but beyond that, it offers a lot of learning experience and sense of 

fulfillment to those individuals who are genuinely captured by its hypnotic tenderness and pristine beauty.

No amount of stories and literature can surmount the joy of experiencing the hardship of climbing a mountain.

. 

It's different up there, walking on the sea of clouds, communing with nature and connecting with the 

Creator. tsktsk (Piso lang ang pamasahe nasa langit ka na.) 

Haisst.. there are certain feelings that are just too deep for words. Epic climb ito. =)

And as what most mountaineers believed:

Take nothing but pictures. 

Leave nothing but footprints. 

Kill nothing but time.

Thank you, Lord for all the great wonders of nature that you have bestowed upon us. Thank you, Cris for being our guide and for keeping us safe all throughout the climb, Thank you, Al Francis Razon for pushing the button. Yeah, let's keep the fire burning and cheers to eternal friendship.. Thank you, Abs for riding with me, for pushing through the limits and for sharing lots of great memories here in our Epic climb. For my family and friends who has always been my inspiration. And to those who have inspired me to do things beyond the usual. This is it. For the love of the great outdoors - ris

‎"Challenges in life come in three broad categories--easy, difficult and impossible. Those who take only the easy have a safe and boring life, Those who take the difficult are tough and have a sense of fulfillment, but those who take the impossible inspire others that it can be done."

Backpacking Bicolandia

Two months ago, my best buddy Abs booked a ticket for me which brought me to surprise. The initial plan is to join a major badminton tournament in Manila. At first, it didn't matter. It had never occurred to me that we'll be spending 10 days away from our comfort zones and there was no planned itinerary of where to go after the tournament. Think. Think. Think. Bicol just popped in my head and hey, I want to travel here, go to Camsur, visit Mayon, etc. Excited with the thoughts of backpacking Bicol, I told Abs about my plans and told me, "you do all the planning, bessy" Hmmm.. I did some researching and voila.. we're off to Bicolandia.

The start of our 36-hour Odyssey in Bicol (Heading off to DBLB Pasay Bus Terminal)

We left the Pasay Terminal at around 9Pm, Sunday, 22nd of May and head off to Naga City. We're supposed to stay there for a night but plans changed. Actually, we're planning to go to Caramoan Peninsula but Zandra, my CS contact from Naga told me that it would be hard for us to catch a jeep going to a certain barangay - a jump off to Caramoan, plus, two islands were closed because of Survivor America, so we decided not to do it. We strolled around the streets of Naga and ate a hearty breakfast at the bus terminal. We took a bus again from the Naga City Terminal and head off to Pili, Camarines Sur about 14 km. to take a glimpse of the famous Camsur Water Sports Complex (CWC). Honestly, the view was not that spectacular but I am impressed with Gov. L-Ray's idea of designing such unique watersports park that brought prestige to his beloved Camsur. And since I am not  into wakeboarding, wakeskating or wakeskiing and so with Abs, we decided to just roam around, take pictures and watch tourists eating breakfast at the table. We were not entertained by the CWC Staff since we were dressed up like nomads that haven't taken a bath for centuries. I was even a bit disappointed to a lady staff who passed through me at the lounge, threw me a blank stare and didn't even bother to ask if we're going to check in, order food or ask for assistance to try wakeboarding or something. tsktsktsk. Maybe, she's not that friendly. And since we were already there, we took shots from all angles and decided to head off to Legaspi City.

At the Camsur Watersports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur

I thought it was Zanju Marudo na pagala-gala lang only to find out, si Abs lang pala. haha

Abs kidding around with the tricycle drivers in Iriga City.

From Pili, Camarines Sur, we hailed a bus going to Legaspi City and paid P220 each. We were seated comfortably and enjoyed the scenery along the way. My CS contact Al from Polangui happens to be in Legaspi that day so we decided for a meet up later. We had a stop over at Iriga City Terminal to pick up passengers going to Legaspi so we were given the chance to empty our bladders and chat with the locals - from where we're standing, we had a nice view of Mt. Isarog in Naga and this scene made me more excited to see the famous Mt. Mayon.


Upon reaching Polangui, we transferred from bus to jeep and had a real butt-aching ride trip to Legaspi City. We arrived in Legaspi around 12 noon, hungry, perspiring and exhausted. We're about to check in at Dreams Inn Cafe just across the Pacific Mall but Al arrived and so, plans changed again. I just loved the element of surprise and the spontaneity of things. Al, Abs and I decided to eat our lunch at First Colonial Grill and Restaurant since we're all starving and ordered Bicol express, grilled liempo, binagoongan rice and halaan soup. I had the best lunch ever. haha Al implied not to leave the restaurant without ordering sili icecream and it was indeed great.

The Famous Sili Ice Cream, Malunggay Ice Cream and Tinutungan Ice cream at First Colonial Grill Restaurant in Legaspi City

Al graciously offered his place to us in Polangui so before we head home, we bought some groceries, had jet-speed ride with Renee (his mom's car) and toured us around Albay:

That's Al and his mom's car, Renee

First Stop:
CAGSAWA RUINS in Daraga, Albay


Cagsawa Ruins is a symbol of Bicolanos rich history. A reminder of Mt. Mayon's fury where the church belfry was left upon its eruption. The whole church was covered with lava and the only thing left was its belfry. I can't imagine how tragic it was for the townspeople during its worst eruption and I felt sad for those who did not survived. Cagsawa Ruins is the most visited place here in Bicol. From here, you can take a glimpse of the majestic Mt. Mayon Volcano known for its almost perfect cone. Too bad, we didn't had a clear view of Mt. Mayon because it was all covered with clouds.

At Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay

Mt. Mayon in a blanket of clouds.

Second Stop:
LIGNON HILL AND NATURE PARK  in Daraga, Albay
(Pronounced as Li-nyon)

From Cagsawa, Al took us to Lignon Hill and told us that it's best to go here early in the morning or late afternoon for the sunset and have a great 360 degrees view of Mt. Mayon's pristine beauty and bright lights of Daraga and Legaspi. Lignon Hill has a lot to offer especially to those who are adventure-seekers for they offer a wide variety of outdoor activity such as rapelling, zipline and trekking. For us who happens to be chasing time, we only settled taking pictures and be mesmerized by its majestic sight - a beauty to behold.

At Lignon View point overlooking the airport and a 360 degrees view of Daraga and Legaspi. ISPEKTAKYULAR!

Al and Abs - you think they're brothers,huh?

Al and I with the brightest smiles ;)

Third Stop:
LETTY'S PASALUBONG CENTER in Camalig, Albay 


Before heading off to Mayon Resthouse and Planetarium, we had a quick stop at Letty's to buy its famous crispy Pili Nut Candy and Pinangat. It's really a must so don't go home without bringing those candy jars with you.

The famous "Pinangat" in Bicol (Kung iya katon sa Aklan hay "Linapay" medyo mabahoe eang anda idto) :)

Fourth Stop:
MAYON RESTHOUSE in Tabaco City, Albay


There is no public transport that will take you here so Abs and I were so lucky to have met Al through the CS community. Because of him and Renee(his mom's car), we were able to reach the top and dance beyond the sea of clouds. The journey to the top is scenic. I thought I was going through Baguio City which reminded me of my trip to Sagada. The weather is so cold here. Just across the park's hall lies the Mayon Planetarium and Science Park where you can see photo exhibits and documentaries. Entrance Fee is at Php10.

The Majestic Mt. Mayon Volcano - So beautiful yet so dangerous.

Al and Abs interacting with the local who makes pots for his Bonsai Plants

Test shot without a tripod. How is it possible? hmmmmm.. I really like this photo! ;)

After our roadtripping and conversation in between, we head home to Al's place in Polangui and met his Lolo Carling, Mich and Pau - their househelpers. He prepared a sumptous Tuna Casserole for us and had the best dinner ever at the lawn. (I will talk about them in the next episode) ;) haha 

For now, I'll leave you guys with a thought that it's always fun to try new things and be surprised with what's gonna happen. This whole thing just happened for a day and who knows what might happen the next day. Don't kill the element of surprise. Sail with spontaneity. Live as if it's your last.