Before Busay Falls, It was Oraz Falls

 I had so much fun in college. I had the pleasure of joining clubs that introduced me to first aid, survival, and mountaineering. I was able to go to destinations that no one ever in my age had. The best thing about it is I was able to use it to introduce other people to these places. It seemed that I loved exploring attractions not only in Albay but others as well. One of these Albay attractions that is now better known as Busay Falls is the Oraz Falls, which is believed to have 7 stages. I only had the luck to venture to the nearest the town of Malinao, Oraz Falls.  

The first time we ventured to Oraz Falls, it was on my 18th birthday. My friends and I were so excited, but expected a long walk that turned out to be just less than a kilometer from the drop off point. It was really not far and at the time, I was thinking of how lucky the people of Malinao, Albay are for having such a wonderful water wonder so near them.

Still, on our way to Oraz Falls, there was a river to cross which luckily has a coconut tree placed over it so people can cross conveniently. That is by far the only thing that separates the falls from the barangay proper. Today, you will wonder how you can reach Oraz Falls aka Busay Falls without crossing a river. Above is the picture of that river and the make-shift bridge.

 At the time, we only had to ask permission from the Barangay Captain and we trekked further to where the falls is and enjoy to our hearts' content. Since we had food brought with us, as well as drinks, we didn't need to spend anything more. Those were the days when every Albay Natural attractions were for free.

That Refreshing Falls in Malinao We Used to Call Palale

Back in the day, when mountaineering was all about passion and environmentalism, we frequent different places to plant trees and pick up garbage. One of the destinations I had the privilege to visit was Palale Falls. It is the second most frequented camping sites in the area of Malinao and in Albay province as a whole, the first being Vera Falls. It was a falls that require moderate trekking and hiking skills because of the long terrain walk, which is half walking and half climbing actually. I can still remember a couple of times we had to cross rivers, which now I believe is one and the same river but we cut through it twice during our trek.  

I can still remember how cautious our leader was in mountaineering. He would always lead us to the barangay captain to ask for permission and have our roster delivered to them to ensure that we can be traced in case of any mishap. Then, he would again lead us to the parish church or chapel to meet the priest on duty to give us his blessing. On the picture above, the man sitting at the far left in moss green stripes is the priest who blessed us before our ascent to Palale Falls.

Our trek to Palale Falls usually takes an hour or two, depending on the size of the group and the members' ability. I can say that is an exhausting adventure because of the slopes and the river crosses but once we are on the camping site, which is just right beside the bed of water where the falls drop, everything feels alright already. Here is a picture of the camping site and how close it is to the water bed, which is very cold so we use it to cool our fruits and drinks.

I apologize for the blurry photos and that there is no single photo I took with the falls itself. I was in for the moments and not the landscape in those days so there is really not much to show how beautiful the small falls was. I also hadn't ventured far so I wasn't able to see if there were bigger falls at the back of the small one that flows on the bed. I remember my friends saying there was a cave like a place underground that they dived into and the other end was that on the water bed we use as a swimming area.

This is by far the only photo I have that shows the small falls of the destination and the bed of water right below.

Our club was composed of Bicol Universitarians(BU or Bicol University), Aquinians (Aquinas University), and Divinians (Divine Word College).  

A Ride Around Albay's Finest, Misibis

One of the best accommodations in the province of Albay is Misibis Hotel, but a lot of tourists may not be able to afford its high price. The good news is that there is definitely a way to enjoy the surrounding without actually arranging an expensive stay with the private resort or a day of tour. Many hotels in the city offers a tour to a nearby eco park, the Misibis Eco Park which is a few meters away from the resort as well as a little port where you can hire a guided island hopping adventure for a meager price. And so, that is what we did.

 

This is taken at the viewing deck on the way to Misibis Eco Park

 This is the entrance to the eco park, and below is the road down the port.

 There is the port if you will continue towards the pavement and not go right to the main entrance of the park.

If you do go right, this is the entrance to the eco park.

This is the famous amphitheater of the park 

 This is the way up to the chapel

 Some snapshots I took while looking around

 Nice of the government to think green with this solar street and park lights

 This is the way up the chapel and some other structures in the park like the hanging bridge and cabins

Scenic View of Mayon and the City at the Oriental Hotel

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 Today's best hotel, not only in Legazpi City but Albay, Oriental Hotel has the best view of the Mayon, the city, old Albay, and Daraga, as well as the gulf of Albay.

Stay in the hotel comes with buffet breakfast and access to a number of amenities like the infinity pool.

The hotel also offers city tours and other attraction tours in and around Albay as well as nearby provinces like Donsol for Butanding watching in Sorsogon and Bacacay for a day of adventure in Misibis.

Mount Mayon, Alert 2

Mount Mayon today

Authorities have already raised alert level of Mayon Volcano to #2. To those who are going to travel and picked the volcano as an attraction, be guided accordingly. 

Mayon Volcano: What It's Like to Live Near the Famous Perfect Coned Mountain

The Tourism Office of Region V says that a noticeably huge increase in tourist traffic in the province. It seems that everyone is eager to see the Mount Mayon up close and personal. But how does one live with this beauty, as well as the danger it poses when it erupts? Well, I should know because I live kilometers away from the danger zone. I tell you, it’s not that fun. People losing their belongings and worst lives, students making up for disrupted school schedules, failing economy as agricultural lands are washed out—I’ve seen them all and fortunately, or rather unfortunately, I’ve captured some of the dramas that simultaneously occur with every eruption of the picturesque Mount Mayon.   

The picture above is probably one of my very first captured photos during my teens. The others have been damaged by other storms that hit our historic town, Daraga. Though locals usually think of the danger when they see these photos, tourists spend on them as souvenir. They do come by too just to witness the raging lava spill out of the volcano’s crater. I must admit though that watching this occurrence is really spectacular, especially at night when one could see the fiery liquid rolling down the mountain.  

To adventurous travelers then, stay safe if you choose to travel, visit, shoot, or tour around the province. Make sure to check with the authorities on the status of the destinations here ie Mayon Volcano before going on a trek or climbing activities. J

Why I Juander

As a kid, I have always wonder how it feels to be in someone else’s shoe—being in another place with a different culture, belief, life. Eventually, I realized that it’s an impossible dream. I can never teleport or live a double life, but I sure can go and wander around any place I want given time and resources. And so, I started planning for simple travels like around the city or next town or even the neighborhood. There might be something new or interesting I could find just around the bend, you know. God might have heard my quest to go places that He let me be with the right crowd and school and became one of those that travel to compete for just about anything the school wants to compete on. Modesty aside, I might be one of the very few lucky students of my age who have roamed around the region at that time—at the expense of my school and teachers. If there’s one thing I spend money on, its camera. My very first camera was a KB 10 by Kodak. This camera lasted my 4 years in high school and then 5 years in college. I still even had it when I started working.

Traveling and photography are my only passions in life. Even after school, I choose to pursue a career that involves traveling and of course, photography. From a lomo, point and shoot camera, I switched to a smallish digital camera. It’s one of the very first from Sony, the DSC Cybershot. This one lasted my exploring hands and eyes for about 8 years before I made up my mind that a more professional and creative tool to document my memories would be a wise investment. So I went for a digital single mirror lens reflex camera. Among many brands, I chose Nikon. My first DSLR was a D3100, an entry level of the brand to enthusiast photographers. Fortunately, I chose a very well rounded camera but taking it to the beach and low temperature areas proved to be a bad idea when its steel parts started to buildup rust. Also, I’m not the most careful photographer. I dropped it along with some rocks I took as souvenir from the famous Misibis Island in Albay. That incident rendered my camera useless but armed with the warranty, the service center was forced to restore it without cashing in a single penny from me.

My travels and passion to capture every single memory of my wandering around required a better camera and lens over time. I felt it was time to move on so I sold the camera and bought another one, the Nikon D3200. It has almost the same features as my old cam but higher pixel counts allowed it to capture more alluring images. Today, I have already and finally bought a better lens. I am also making little money out of my passion, both traveling and photography. So if you have the same passion as I have, just go ahead and live your dreams. There’s nothing sweeter than earning even how little from doing what you love doing the most. J