Blogs from Albay, Philippines, Asia - page 4

Happy Independence Day! The Philippines still got a long long way to go to know the real meaning of nationalism. Don’t worry, I won’t be writing anything about my frustrations and all that, I just wanted to say that I’m proud to be a Filipino anyway … always will be. And besides, the public holiday gave us this long weekend which we intend to spend away from the chaotic city living & the H1N1 scare! We boarded the Legaspi bound plane at 6:00 in the Morning; Ger, Ren, Mark and I will be the first ones to arrive in Legaspi and four more people will be on their way later on. It was starting to rain in Manila when we left but it was bright and sunny when we arrived in Legaspi (surprisingly on time after ... read more

Leisure in Camarines Sur Asia » Philippines » Albay By GyrApril 29th 2007Glennynarei The visit to Bicol was very exciting, first and foremost because it was with free accommodation sponsored by our best friend. We had fun and experienced the beauty of nature within our touch. Going to Bicol is about 14 hours ending at the foot of Mt. Mayon. We left Manila 7pm Friday (April 27, 2007) and arrived in Tobacco, Albay at around 9am Saturday (April 28, 2007) then leave for Manila May 1, 2007. We have seen the ruins of typhoon Reming devastating the entire region and killed thousands. Several barangays were covered by lahar sands and huge stones from Mt. Mayon. It was in the news!!! ... read more

after the satisfying trip to donsol, sorsogon and having encountered with the gentle giant, we proceeded to daraga, albay. our first stop... OUR LADY OF THE GATE CHURCH. as we entered the old church, i felt a little bit nostalgic. seeing the old church and its antiquity, i remember our church in barcelona, sorsogon, which is similar to that church as to its antiquity. inside the old chuch u will see the different "santos" in the altar. i silently prayed inside and thanks the Lord for all the wonderful things that are happening during our trip and for keeping us safe in our travel. based on my research, the our lady of the gate church was built in 1773 on top of a hill by Franciscan Missionaries. the church is a priceless relic for art ... read more

The writer is really proud to be a bicolana. "One's visit to the Bicol province is not complete without catching a captivating view of the Mayon Volcano, the world's most perfect cone and Bicol's fiery maiden. Her name was derived from the Bikol word "Magayon" which means "beautiful". The peak, likened to the legendary beauty Daragang Magayon, is often concealed by clouds urging first time visitors to stay longer to admire her charm. Despite her enigma which has left a trail of death and destruction brought about by her 15 eruptions, her tantrums have become spectacular fireworks displays to behold." Cagsawa Ruins Park in Daraga, Albay is one of the most visited places in the province. It affords tourists an unhampered vista of Mayon Volcano. In 1814, Mayon Volcano erupted and sent lava flows cascading down ... read more

Alimsog is one of those experiences that will be hard to describe with words. I can attempt but I am not sure I will do it justice. We arrived at this village a little less than 2 weeks ago to help fix the roofs on their school, help them rebuild their fishing boats and help with any other tasks at the school. I volunteered to go with the first round of volunteers even though I was a little hesitant to go. Alimsog is a village of about a 1,000 people and the only way in and out of the town is by boat or a very steep path over 3 huge hills. We took a Jeepney 30 miles to Buhatan and then traveled by boat the rest of the way. The first day was really physically ... read more