Date of Travel: May 19-23, 2024
Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Booking Date: April 4, 2024
Amount: Php 2,784.20 (seat sale)
Arrival Location: Legazpi (Daraga) – Bicol International Airport
One of the most memorable trips since this is my first time traveling alone. My departure time was around 5:25 AM on May 19, so I had to be at the airport at least 2 hours before the flight.
I am from Indang, Cavite, so to avoid any hassle along the way, I left around midnight, passing through CAVITEX to Manila. I was quite nervous since I wasn’t familiar with driving around the airport. I booked a parking space at Park ‘N Fly days before my flight. Their online booking is convenient. See link below for online booking:
https://onlinebooking.parknfly.com.ph
(You must fill in the details of your expected arrival and return dates for their estimated parking fee. 50% of the amount is required to be paid online for the reservation, and the rest upon return. They have a minimum rate of Php 424.107 (plus VAT) for the first 24 hours, and then a rate of Php 17.671 (plus VAT) for each hour after that. For the purpose of rate calculations, a fraction of an hour is considered to be a full hour. In my case, the number of days was 4, and the estimated amount was Php 1,900.00, so I paid Php 950.00 online. Their service includes airport transfers from their office)
I arrived around 1:30 AM at Park ‘N Fly. They asked for my car key so they could check the car and transfer it to the parking area. After talking to the staff for a few minutes regarding some details, their van service accommodated me to the airport Terminal 3. I waited for about 3 hours at the airport before the location of the waiting gate was finally posted. It felt so long since I was alone and my phone battery was draining.
The travel time took less than an hour.
Upon arrival, the beauty of Mt. Mayon welcomes my presence at Albay. I am so lucky to see it in full without the thick clouds hiding it. I immediately took a video while walking out of the plane. The sun’s brightness already telling me that it is already a good morning.
I booked my accommodation at Sampaguita Tourist Inn (new building) at Washington. It is a budget friendly hotel amounting Php 800.00 per night. No breakfast included but there is an available canteen.
Outside the airport, there are so many vehicles you can choose from. There are tricycles, taxi, and van waiting outside for passengers. I tried to haggle in one of the drivers of van. He said Php 500.00 since I am alone. I immediately react and say no, but he insisted on how much I can pay, I say Php 200.00. He just smiled and grab my luggage while saying “Let’s go ma’am”. While on the way to the hotel, I checked my phone and maps if we are going on the right way for safety purposes since I am alone. The driver is talking to me, on the way regarding basic information’s: where I am from, how many days will I stay, the famous attractions I must see in the area, etc. The driver is kind and offer me a city tour if I do not have one. Actually, I do not avail any tour package, I just listed the famous attractions I must go since this is a DIY travel, I like to explore on my own.
Upon arriving at the hotel, I settled my payment of Php 3,200.00 for my 4-night stay with the receptionist. After that, I asked them where I could visit first since check-in wasn’t allowed until 2 pm. They were approachable and seemed quite young, probably recent graduates. Actually, I already had a list of places I wanted to visit, but I hadn’t decided on the order yet. They recommended Sumlang Lake. They told me to take a tricycle to the town area, near McDonald’s, and then take a jeepney with a signboard for Sumlang, as that’s the name of the barangay.
There was a canteen downstairs, so I ate there since I hadn’t had breakfast yet. They had silog meals available for around Php 120.00 per meal. I ordered Spamsilog.
After eating, I left my things at the hotel and headed to Sumlang Lake. The tricycle fare was Php 15.00, but there were already passengers inside when I got on. The hotel staff had told me it usually costs Php 50.00. When I reached the McDonald’s area, I flagged down a jeepney to Sumlang, and the fare was Php 20.00. However, when I got there, I realized that the main attraction was still a bit farther in, so I took another tricycle for Php 30.00. You could walk there in about 20-30 minutes depending on your pace, but I was too lazy to walk and the sun was already scorching, so I opted to ride.
When I arrived, I wasn’t too impressed. It wasn’t what I had expected, though it was still beautiful. There was a wide lake where you could ride a raft or kayak, depending on your preference, and the background of the picture was Mt. Mayon. It was a bit cloudy at that time, so the entire Mt. Mayon wasn’t visible. I chose the raft, which cost Php 160.00 for 15 minutes, but I didn’t finish the entire 15 minutes because it got too hot. The heat in Albay is different; it’s harsh on the skin, so you really need sunblock. Despite that, I enjoyed the raft ride. There was a staff member paddling for me.
After my raft ride, I wandered around. There were souvenir shops, weaving stalls, and even a restaurant. While hanging out, I struck up a conversation with a driver. He told me about other places I could visit and offered to give me a tour since I didn’t have any plans. He explained that the places I wanted to visit were far apart and not easily accessible by public transportation, so I would need a private vehicle.
I thought about it since the van from the airport had quoted me Php 5,000.00 for a city tour because I was alone. This driver at Sumlang, however, only charged Php 1,500.00 for a tricycle. Since it was still early, I asked what places I could visit and showed him my list. He said we could visit them, but it was too hot at the moment, which was true as I could feel the intense heat. He recommended that we start early the next day to visit all the places on my list. He particularly recommended the ATV ride. I mentioned I had already booked a Php 500.00 ATV ride on Klook. He laughed, saying I wouldn’t enjoy it because it was just grassland without any thrill. He recommended the Green Lava ATV ride, which cost Php 2,050.00, and said the Black Lava ride was more expensive but mainly on highways. Since I was already there, I decided to go for the Green Lava ATV ride and let go of the Php 500.00 booking on Klook. So, I made an arrangement with Kuya Joseph, the tricycle driver, to hire him for a tour the next day for only Php 1,500.00.
I had lunch around 1pm at Socorro’s Lakeside Restaurant and Grill. I was quite hungry, so I ordered a lot: a meal of adobo flakes and tinapa roll appetizer, all for Php 390.00. The food was delicious, and the ambiance was great. After eating, I rested for a while before heading back to the hotel. I rode a motorcycle out of Sumlang for Php 20.00, took a jeepney to Legazpi for Php 20.00, and then a tricycle to the hotel for Php 50.00 since I was the only passenger. Once back in my room, I rested and organized my things. I also planned my itinerary for the next day.
