3D2N in Legazpi Albay

If you know us (me and sweets) so well, you will know that every May of each year we always celebrate our wedding anniversary out of town .. it may be as near as Mall of Asia or as far as Thailand. This is a special day for both of us so we make it a point to set aside certain days or two to celebrate this special occasion.

This year, we opted to do a loong drive to Legazpi.

We (well only sweets) drove from Taguig to Legazpi for close to 12 hours and our only help was both Waze and Google Map. I do not know how to drive so it was only sweets who did all the driving and it was I who did all the talking, singing and eating.


Our first and only stop was in Gumaca, Quezon - yes that was after 6 hours of driving .. Instead of taking Maharlika Highway straight, we took the exit in Lipa and bypassed several towns in Quezon, namely Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya. After the bypass road  we went straight to Lucena.

We had our dinner at Chowking.

After eating and bio break for about 30 minutes, we went straight ahead to our destination. 

It took us another six hours to reach our final destination.

Tip: If you are determined to drive this destination, the best bet is to do it overnight. It is very draining during the day plus you will have to go through a lot of traffic along the way.  Anyways, if you will drive at night you can either have your stop over via an Inn in Gumaca or Lucena. After you passed Gumaca, I did not see any anymore Inns (maybe in Naga) . Or you may opt to follow what we did in just having a quick stop over in Gumaca and bio break for dinner and go back to driving. By the way, instead of passing through Naga, we went into another route (as indicated in the map above) .

Sweets was so determined to finish this loong drive in one go and I am very happy that he did it successfully.  According to the receptionist, we arrived at exactly 3:37am (Saturday, May 21, 2016).

It was 4am when we were able to sleep - then we woke up at 7am to prepare for the day.


I want to show you our home for 2 nights. 


Neuhouse Inne, it was very near Legazpi Airport and we had our own garage.
The good thing about this place is that it doesn't operate like a hotel that the check in time is strictly at 2pm and the check out is strictly at 11am. 


Their Check-Ins and Outs is per 24 hour basis, so when you check in at 3:37am, your check out is also at 3:37am the following day.  For additional hours, you can pay Php150 per hour.

Our first stop was ofcourse to energize our day! Buffet breakfast at the Airport Hotel of Legazpi. Our Inn was just 5 minutes away from the Airport Hotel and it was so convenient for us.

The buffet meal was Php199 / person.
From the amount, the food and ambiance was worth it.

After the buffet, we went straight ahead to our first destination.
At Lignon Hill. For everyone's knowledge, this was our Mayon on Day 1.
We were advised that the best time to see Mayon not being shy at 6am.

Aside from the beautiful view of Mayon, in another area of ​​Lignon Hill, you can see the entire Legazpi which was also a nice view.

We also bought a lot of souvenirs while in Lignon Hill and then we did some roaming around to see what else we can enjoy the place and it was so nice because it was windy.

After our stint in Lignon Hill, we went to Embarcadero.


Embarcadero is just a few kilometers away from Lignon Hill and that is where we had our lunch.




This is Mayon's view at Embarcadero ... clouds are still covering her but her perfect shape was already very visible.

I believe Embarcadero  was built in 2012 but I was not that happy with what I saw.  We were not able to roam around the mall because I saw that not so many shops were open at that time. The rides were closed but the train was running.   In any case, it was still a pleasant experience by the port because of the beautiful view of Mayon and the wind. The port does not smell bad either.

This chapel of Padre Pio by the bay has a nice feel and solemn ambiance because of Mayon's view while you are praying and meditating.

Before completely heading home, we went back to Lignon Hill.
Tip: The ticket (Php20 / person) can be utilized within the day.


Remember, we already went there in the morning, we returned in the afternoon.  With the hopes that Mayon will show herself, but we still failed.

The following day is our Island Hopping day and our call time was at 7:30 am and Bacacay Port. Since we were informed that the best time to have a great view of Mayon is at 6am, we have decided to go first to Legazpi Boulevard at 5:14 am.




Good enough! Rumors were true - there was Mayon and she is magnificent!
Jaw dropping as it is because of it's great perfect shape!

The word "Legazpi" from the boulevard was an addition to the beauty.

Here is a quick preview of our Island Hopping c / o Love Boat Tours.
I will do a separate blog post on this one!

As mentioned earlier, our meeting place was and Bacacay Port, even if we were travelling to Bacacay Port, Mayon was still very visible.  You can clearly see the smoke coming from her mouth.

Bacacay Port was a 40 minute travel time from Neuhouse.
From the Bacacay port, Mayon was still beautifully visible and it's view is always breathtaking.


We were managed by Love Boat Tours c/o Ms Ana Banadero (0916 293 8743).  Before we depart, we hade a pre-departure orientation.  Where we will go and what we need to do to take care of the islands that we will be going.  We took the package with meals (am/pm snack and lunch).

This is the famous Vanishing Island . From the name itself, this island is at the middle of the sea, a sandbar, when it is low tide, the island appears, then high tide, the island vanishes. If you look closely at my back - there Mayon is being covered by a lot of clouds.


Trivia: This was used to be calle Wara-Wara Beach but it didn't have much kick or recall especially with foreign nationals and thus Ms Ana called it "Vanishing Island" -- it was then became very appealing to tourists.

You will see a number of starfish and the Vanishing Island and you can take photo opps with them (for few seconds). Just make sure that you bring them back to the water immediately as they easily gets stressed.

There is an option to swim in Vanishing Island, the water was so clear and it was so refreshing.

Our next destination was at Cabungahan Island!

This is where we had our lunch.

This was and Guinanayan Island!

Our last stop as at Cagraray Island .

This is where you can locate the famous Amphitheatre.

The following day, our only destination was at Cagsawa Ruins.

Overall -- we had a great 3 days 2 nights stay in Legazpi.

Another post shall be completed for the expenses that we had and the foodies we enjoyed!

Xoxo

Patience is a Virtue: Especially with Mayon

Many people have been to Legazpi to see the  beauty of the famous Mayon Volcano.  It was my first time there (thank you to Sweets for allowing this to happen) and I am happy we went ahead on this trip.

While we were telling our stories and showing our pictures with Mayon, many have told me that we were lucky because we were able to see Mayon up to her tip.  They mentioned that Mayon rarely shows herself -- she was always surrounded by clouds.

Let me tell you that we were not lucky -- we were patient!
From our first day to our last day in Legazpi, this is what Mayon looked like -- she was covered with clouds and the clouds were so thick and it almost covered the entirety of Mayon (see picture below).

I was frustrated because it was our last day there and this is what was given to us.  I almost wanted to cry because I wanted to see this beauty but tried to calm myself because we knew that it rained so hard the previous night and thus these thick clouds.


Just by looking at it I felt hopeless.

This was as early as 5:30 in the morning and according to the person there -- he is not sure whether the clouds will go away because it rained so hard the previous night. 

We still waited there, I told Sweets that we will not leave until Mayon shows herself.  Instead of lingering on the feeling of sadness, I took some pictures of Mayon, the bell tower and the plants (yes the plants!).

A few more minutes and I know the clouds will go away!
This was at around 7am.

                                                                                                                                        
There was one moment where I sat at the rocks there just looking at Mayon and trying to blow the clouds away as if blowing a candle.  I never thought about the minutes that passed because I am so excited to see her.

After almost two hours of waiting, we were able to witness the beauty!

Most of the time being patient gives a lot of benefit -- waiting is a waste of time but if you are waiting for a beautiful moment that can become a great memory then it will all be worth it!

Xoxo

Trick or Treat: CF CMT Style (Halloween 2015)

It's better late than never -- okie this is super super late as in half a year late but this is still worth recognizing.


Okie -- our team (CF CMT) has always been situated in Gateway but last June of 2015 we moved here CG2 to be situated in the "Workplace of the Future".  With this transfer, we were able to participate in the yearly "Trick or Treat".


We were not that prepared actually..

I thank the team c/o Tine, Jo, Odette, Rox for decorating our work area.
Our theme was "Candy Land".


Then for the entire team in contributing for the candies.

The winner of them all was when Ace dressed up as a super cute monkey mascot.  This is Ace, he was still wearing his badge :) super compliant -- he does not want to tailgate.

This year -- I know it will be a blast!

I swear we will super prepare! haha!
This event was after our Team Halloween Event.

Xoxo

CF and Consulting HR & CMT Summer FUN

Yup! That was the theme of our recently concluded summer event.  It was never too late for a summer getaway and thus even with our very busy schedules we had the opportunity to unwind, relax, recognize and recharge! 


This is our DIY banner and it was made out of felt paper, crepe paper, some yarn, tape and a lot of Love for the banner :)


The theme for our summer getaway was Hawaiian -- of course very much related to summer.  We didn't have the chance to go to the beach and thus we dressed Hawaiian -- We wore colorful clothing, flowery, some leis and grass skirts.  I thank everyone for dressing up!  You all look gorgeous and summery!

Of course our team will not let this day pass without dressing up!
I am happy that my ladies granted my request to dress up!

Thank you Karen for being heavily involved in choosing this place.
Initially, we planned to have it in Laguna but when we were planning, we wanted that everyone can attend the event, including Odette who is pregnant.  Thus we chose this one in Novaliches, QC.


Sadly, Odette wasn't able to attend still -- she is on complete bed rest.


We also prepared a simple program for the team.  This is to also appreciate a job well done for the team members and also inject some fun awards to have a good laugh!  These were the prizes.

A bit of design to honor the pineapple :)

We also had a Hawaiian inspired cupcake tower!

Aside from the pool, there were other things to do except to eat.
Sorry I was not able to take a shot of the foodies -- there were a lot! As in a lot!
Akala nga naming kulang eh -- pero ang daming take home :)


First off - there was videoke.
This is the second time that we had videoke activity and I must say that we are all on the same page when it comes to singing.


I said "Singing" okie not "Singing in tune" -- because for I am personally and proudly out of tone :)

Then we also had billiards for those who are shy to sing!

Overall -- it was a fun 5 hours activity for all of us.
I don't know about the others but I had a lot of fun.


It is always good to have these events outside of work so that we will be reminded that there is indeed LIFE outside the office premises.
The best part of it -- we know we have friends and we know how to have fun.


Xoxo

Who wll it be???

Three days to go and we are all about to give our country the leader that we all deserve. I urge everyone to make their voices count by casting your votes -- this is not a simple matter because we are about to entrust the lives of 102million Filipinos to our new leader.


I am not a political analyst, I am not active on social media when it comes to politics and I am not publicly declaring who I will vote for. I am just a simple person with a simple dream of a peaceful election and understanding supporters.


Many have decided and already knows who they will vote for but there are the ones who are still undecided (around 10-15% of the total voters population).


For those who are still undecided, i hope that you will consider the following:


1. In the career track of our presidentiables (or anyone running for public service), have we felt progress?


-- I am not referring progress as "wala ng taong mahirap" but have we seen economic growth both in rural and urban areas. Have we seen jobs being secured or un-employment rates raising their numbers?


2. Are they sincere with the programs that they want to implement? Are they committed in implementing these programs? You can connect this with their track records.


-- do you think that their programs make sense? How are they able to prioritize which programs the Filipino people needed the most? Have we seen programs for education, environment, agriculture and economics?


3. Are you sharing the same morals and values? Would you support everything that your leader will implement?


4. When asked by others, can you provide at least three reasons why you are gunning for your candidate?


If you can answer the questions above and you can attach a candidate to it then you have made your choice. If not, you need to do more readings.


Electing our public leaders is not simply choosing a movie to watch. They will be our leaders for the next 6 years serving 102M Filipinos both here and abroad. 


Our president is the face of the country, our representative to the United Nations and is the head of state. He/She should be someone that we can all be proud of and not someone who will use his power for his own will and benefit.


If you are not decided yet, do your research now and make yourself proud!


Xoxo