Bulkang Mayon, shaped by the hands of the gods

Last week, I was in Legazpi for work (more ASEAN stuff, sigh). It’s my first time in Albay, and – more importantly – my first time to see one of the Philippines’ God-given wonders: Mayon Volcano.

It’s the height of the typhoon season. We’ve had nothing but rain, rain, and more rain for the past few weeks. Our hosts in Legazpi were doubtful that we’d get to see Mayon, since the volcano is usually hidden or partially hidden by cloud cover during typhoon season. Still, I hoped.

My hope was rewarded! When we touched down in Legazpi Airport that Sunday afternoon, the sun came out and shone down on the beauty of Mayon Volcano’s perfect cone. My phone had died, so I thought I’d have to make do with photos from my coworkers’ phones. In any case, I was more than happy to just keep staring at Mayon, drinking in my fill of her beauty.

Photo from my coworker’s phone, edited by me! Hahaha.

I got even luckier. When we got to the hotel, it turned out we had a few hours of free time to kill before we had our last coordination meeting for the week-long event that would start the following Monday. My friend Gladys and I decided to work off our stress at the hotel pool (which is an infinity pool to boot!) and – wonder of wonders – we discovered it had a view of the volcano!

It’s an honor to meet you, Daragang Magayon!

Me and Gladys – thanks to the Austrian tourist who took this photo for us lol

The morning after, as I had breakfast on the terrace, again I saw Mayon in all her beauty. That perfect volcano and a cup of really excellent coffee was a great way to start my day.

Please excuse the guy in the foreground – I guess he wanted a good shot of Mayon too

We didn’t get to explore much of Albay, considering my week was jam-packed. My only recreation time was Thursday night, when me and some coworkers went out for drinks (and got drunk, and couldn’t find our way back to our hotel, so the bar’s owners gave us a ride back in his pickup truck); and Friday morning, just before our flight back to Manila. Still, being able to see Mayon Volcano – something I’d only ever seen in postcards and photographs – was nothing short of surreal. It’s amazing how nature blesses us with so much beauty, isn’t it?

Thanks for the view, Legazpi!