DJC Halo Halo is so good!

I know it’s kind of weird to fangirl like this about dessert but DJC halo halo (shaved ice with evaporated milk, fruits, custard and cheese) is just amazing. I’ve heard so much about this from my friends from college, so I was excited when--after the frustratingly horrid halo halo we had at Gerry’s Grill--my sister took us to DJC Halo Halo & Snack Inn, located in front of Gaisano mall.

Its reputation as the best halo halo in Bicol is certainly earned. I’ve never tasted halo halo this good anywhere, actually. The shaved ice was so soft, the combination of the milk, sugar, various fruits and grated cheese was just unreal. You should definitely try it. It’s great that they are opening a branch in Naga City soon so I can easily have one again when I go home for the holidays. Yum!

Fun Times @ Embarcadero de Legazpi

                                 

Embarcadero de Legazpi is a waterfront shopping center located at the Legazpi City harbor. We always spend time here whenever we are in town. My nieces and nephews just love trying out the carousel, Segway PT and other fun rides available at Embarcadero. There is also a 350-meter zipline, Go Kart and other activities like parasailing and jet skiing, so it's never boring here.

nice view of Mayon in the background

The view of Mayon Volcano from the harbor is fantastic and you can also take a small boat from the Embarcadero dock going to Misibis Bay. This visit, we just did some shopping for souvenir shirts for our friends.  

shirts galore

rocky ice, anyone?

As usual, we dined at our favorite restaurant Gerry’s Grill and everything was excellent except for their halo halo which tasted great but the ice was hard as a rock, ugh! It didn't matter if you were dining at their SM Naga branch or in Legazpi, their halo halo is just not good, so beware.                                                                                                                                         

Cagsawa Ruins Park @ Daraga, Albay

remnant of a horrible past...

Cagsawa Ruins Park in barangay Busay, Daraga town is the first place to visit if you’re driving down from CamSur. This is where you will find the belfry of the Cagsawa Church that was submerged by mudslides in the 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano. There were shops for tourists around here now, so you can buy souvenirs too.

Mayon's 'perfect cone' in clouds

 This trip to Albay was totally spur-of-the-moment. My cousin’s kids--newlyweds Jim and Pau--showed up at my sister’s house where I was spending my long holiday weekend, and “dragged” me with them. They know I went to college in Legazpi a decade ago, so they thought I could be their tourist guide.

beauty and madness...

 Ha! I didn’t have the heart to tell them I barely remember the place now, a lot of things have changed in the city since I graduated, and combined with my hopelessly pathetic sense of direction, well it wouldn’t be pretty if they ask me to show them where to go now. Good thing they showed up in a car with a driver who knew the place, so off we went. I regaled them with what I recalled from my four years of school in Albay. I got a kick out of their excitement at seeing Mount Mayon for the first time.

with excited first-timers

 Having spent years going back and forth from my Albay school to my home in CamSur, I have to admit I have taken for granted Mayon’s awesome perfection. I mean, it’s beautiful sure, but it’s just there. It was just part of the landscape, no big deal. So it was fun to rediscover this place and see it with new eyes, with people who are appreciating it for the first time.

trick shot taken by a kid photographer there

can't you tell we loved it?

I feel really blessed to have been born in Bicol, amidst so much natural wonders and beauty. I have lived in Manila since med school, and have traveled to different places this year here and abroad, but I chose to post about “home” first. I’m just so darned proud of my province Camarines Sur, Albay and the Bicol region as a whole… I hope you can visit, you won’t regret it.

Mayon Volcano @ Ligñon Hill Nature Park, Legazpi

Mayon view from the deck... 

Ligñon Hill (pronounced “Lin-yon”) is the best place to view the majestic Mayon Volcano in Legazpi City. It’s walking distance from the airport, so if you’re not dragging around heavy luggage, you can just walk from there. The local city government is currently leasing the operation of the hill to a private company, so we saw marked improvements from our last visit.

nice view of Albay Gulf and Legazpi City

the observatory where PHIVOCS camps out

A year ago, there wasn’t an entrance fee collected from visitors but the ₱20/person you’ll pay to walk or drive up the hill is a small price indeed for the better management of this place. I must say it looks a lot nicer now, and the bathrooms are clean too. So far, so good.

the family posing at the newly-landscaped entrance

with our game face on

I like that there are a lot of fun stuff you can do now at Ligñon. You can choose to drive up Mayon in an ATV to look closely at the lava front and volcanic rocks, go rappelling, wall climbing or ride the 320-meter zipline run by Globe Quest Adventures.

I love ziplines, but none of my sisters wanted to try it with me this time, so I dragged my nervous cousin Manay Malyn along. It was great and pretty cheap too; for just ₱250 they will also take a picture of you with Mayon Volcano in the background.

uncle & sis posing with Mayon hidden by thick clouds...

and showing us her charms before we left

One important reminder though, it is better to come  here in the morning, so you can have a higher chance at viewing the volcano without the clouds that obstruct it when it is later in the day. Fortunately, the near perfectly-coned beautiful lady (daragang magayon aka Mayon) showed us her face before we left, or else Manay Malyn, the first-timer in our group would have been crushed.