Sharing snaps from our visit at The Pili Haven in Irosin, Sorsogon!
It was one of our stops in Irosin, before heading to Juban and Bulusan.
Bulusan is one of the municipalities we visited in Sorsogon. It is known for being the home of Mt. Bulusan, Sorsogon's highest peak, and Bulusan Lake, a scenic crater lake surrounded by lush greeneries.
The word "Bulusan" actually means "where the water flows". True to its name, this coastal municipality has a lot of freshwater springs and waterfalls.
Here are our three stops when we were in Bulusan on our fifth day in Bicol:
Have you ever been to a pink beach?
Experience level-up fish-feeding at the Juag Lagoon Marine Sanctuary in Matnog, Sorsogon.
The last time I went to Sorsogon was for a school field trip during the early 2000s. It was part of our high school elective to travel around the Philippines. We went to the beaches, and used film cameras and our journal to document our trip. Aside from that, I haven't been to Bicol since, making this region a part of my Philippine Bucket List for the longest time.
Over the years of exploring my country, the Philippines, island hopping is most probably the top one activity I will recommend to foreign guests. We really have to show-off and be proud of our pristine beaches: with its sparkling blue waters, beautiful sunsets, and awesome marine life. Plus, our almost eternal summer season provides warmth needed for a day under the sun.
One of my favorite chill stops during travels is going to a museum. Aside from resting from the hustle and bustle of touring, and avoiding the intense heat that is almost a year-round thing in the Philippines, I also get snippets of the history and culture of the place I am visiting. It gives my trip a bit of depth.
On our last day in Bicol's Sorsogon City, our group was able to visit the Museo Sorsogon. A cool fact about this fairly new history, culture, and heritage hub is that once upon a time it was Sorsogon's century-old provincial jail and courthouse---a symbol of the province's justice system.
After our adventurous morning with the Whale Sharks of Donsol, we had a chill afternoon just cruising Sorsogon's Buhatan River. Finally, time to relaaax!
Traveling opened up new things I wouldn't know if I had just stayed at home.
One of these is how tourism can push locals to go extreme to drive more visitors to their place. Concepts like riding elephants or taking photos with wild tigers might come with backhand stories that we wouldn't even know such as abuses, over-feeding, etc. In this age of social media and people speaking up, I am glad I'm becoming more and more aware that these things exist.
A long-time issue with swimming with whale sharks is the use of food baits to lure these gentle giants and show up to their guests. Good for tourism economy, but actually disturbs the natural habitat and behaviour of animals.
When we were invited to Donsol Whale Shark Interaction Center, the host immediately told us that we will do it the ethical and natural way, so whale shark spotting is not guaranteed. So even with the 50/50 chances, I am actually glad that my first whale shark encounter is with a responsible and sustainable group.
What a fitting finale for this trip! On our last day in Bicol, few hours before boarding our chartered bus to Manila, our group visited the beautiful Mayon one last time.
During day 1 of our trip, the group still a bit quiet getting to know each other, our first stop from the airport was the Sumlang Lake to enjoy the Mayon Volcano's view on a bamboo raft. It was the more chill version of viewing the Mayon, where we quietly paddled around the lake and took turns taking each other's photos and introducing ourselves to the pack.
Six days and many adventures later, we were ready for the thrill version of seeing the Mount Mayon--via an extreme ATV ride!
On our first day in Bicol, Mayon showed her beauty right away.
