Sorsogon: Bulusan Lake & Volcano, Barcelona Church & heritage houses in Juban

If you're looking for something else to do in Sorsogon after whale watching in Donsol, drive down south! The province has a few interesting sites south of Donsol, particularly in the towns of Barcelona, Bulusan, Juban and Matnog.

The capital of the province is also named Sorsogon. Sorsogon City is actually two towns that were merged when the city was created: Sorsogon and Bacon. Drop by the Sorsogon Provincial Capitol which has a really elegant park with centuries-old trees still standing. Taste seems to be a missing element among many local governments. But Sorsogon proves that it still exists.

A few kilometers from Sorsogon City is the town of Barcelona. The Barcelona Church is the best preserved Spanish colonial church in the province. But the altar has been altered. In front of the church are ruins of the Old Barcelona Presidencia. We noticed construction going on beside the ruins of large letters which spell "Barcelona, Sorsogon." By now, it should be finished and I'm sure this will be a popular photo spot for visitors.

Further down is the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park where Lake Bulusan is located. The lake, on the southern slope of Bulusan Volcano, is quite small at 28 hectares. There are facilities for rowing and kayaking. You can also walk around the shore which is a little over two kilometers, or hike up to Bulusan Volcano.

The town of Bulusan used to have a fortress church. The church is no longer there. But the walls and belfry, which must have doubled as a watchtower against Moro pirates, are still standing.

Bulusan Volcano towers over the towns in the southern end of Sorsogon. We got a really nice view of the volcano from Irosin Church.

On the way back to Sorsogon City, we passed by Juban which has five elegant heritage houses namely Alindogan, Alindogan-Gorospe, Grajo, Lasala, and Olondriz.

Anyway, you can visit all of these sites in a day. At the southern end of Sorosogon is Matnog, the jump-off point for Samar. The town has the best beaches in the province, particularly Subic Beach on Calintaan Island. That's my next target.

Here's something for you. Saw this quite a lot around Sorsogon. How many people are in this tricycle?

Albay: Pinangat in Camalig and pinangat pizza & pasta in Legazpi

I had a pinangat overload in Albay last week! Who doesn't love pinangat or laing? Pinangat is a Bicolano dish made from taro (gabi) leaves, chili (siling labuyo), meat or dried fish and coconut milk. Camalig is very popular for pinangat especially since there are so many stores along the National Highway selling freshly-cooked or frozen pinangat to take home.

We stopped by Dad's Pinangat where a serving costs Php40 each. There are two types, one with chili and one without. I tried the freshly-cooked pinangat which was really good. I noticed though when I tried the frozen one at home that it wasn't as flavorful. This pinangat version has dried fish, maybe daing.

While in Camalig, make sure to visit the centuries-old Camalig Church.

Back in Legazpi, I made sure to visit Small Talk Cafe to try out their laing pizza. Order the Bicolana, which is pizza topped with pinangat, pineapple chunks, mushrooms and mozarella. The crust was thin and crunchy, and the combination worked well. The flavor of the laing was quite subtle. At Php225, it's a steal!

They also have Pasta Mayon (pinangat ravioli in red tuna sauce), Pasta Pinangat (pinangat and coconut milk in white sauce with pasta), and Bicol Express Pasta (alamang, sili and gata sautéed in garlic and pasta) which I all got to try since the prices were quite affordable (Php105 to Php110 per serving). They also have Pili Basil Pasta (Php120).

I had written something on the Mayon Volcano, Cagsawa Ruins and Daraga Church previously. My favorite views of the Mayon Volcano are from Lignon Hill, Cagsawa Ruins (which is the iconic view of the volcano) and Daraga Church (especially if you take a photo of the church with the volcano behind it). But waking up to a beautiful morning with a clear view of Mayon Volcano was another great experience. The photo at the top was taken from my room balcony at the Oriental Hotel Legazpi.

India: Lake Ashtamudi lunch cruise & Kollam Beach in Kerala

Great explorers such as Marco Polo and Ibn Batuta set foot in Kollam, the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala, India. It was a major port of the international spice trade. And it's a major destination in Kerala for those who want to immerse even deeper in the backwaters.

From Varkala, we proceeded to Lake Ashtamudi for a lunch cruise around the lake and more views of the famous backwaters of Kerala. We saw some traditional fishing villages along the way.

Our lunch cruise was hosted by WelcomHotel Raviz Kollam, a fantastic resort by the shores of the lake. We were welcomed upon our arrival by drums, Kathakali performers and an elephant! Our boat was a larger version of the kettuvallam boat with an air-conditioned function room plus an upper deck for beautiful views of Lake Ashtamudi and the local color and culture.

Waiting for us on the upper deck was a sumptuous spread of local dishes which they served with Indian beers and wines. Yes, India has its own red and white wine.

The backwaters are a cultural landscape filled with coconut trees. Every now and then, colorful fishing boats jump out of the continuous fabric of trees, sky and water.

As our boat moved around the lake, we were also introduced to cheena vala or Chinese fishing nets brought in by Chinese merchants. They were all over the place and are a common sight in Kerala.

Different species of birds are also seen around the lake.

We made our way back at the resort to catch a Vallam Kali, a traditional Kerala boat race that was happening right in front of the hotel.

From the lake, we proceeded to Kollam Beach. We spent the night at the Quilon Beach Hotel. The next morning, I was too tired to get up to take photos of the fishermen pulling their nets. But I got a great view from my room anyway.

WelcomHotel Raviz Resort and Ayurveda Spa Kollam
Thevally, Mathilil P.O., Kollam
Kerala, India 691601
Telephone No.: +91 (474) 2751111
Fax No.: +91 (474) 2741111
E-mail: WelcomHotelRavizKollam@itchotels.in

The Quilon Beach Hotel and Convention Centre
Beach, Kollam
Kerala, India 691006
Telephone No.: +91 (474) 2769999
Fax No.: +91 (474) 2749009
Reservations: +91 (944) 6004251 or 6004252
E-mail: crs@qresorts.in or info@qresorts.in

India: Varkala Beach in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Varkala Beach in Kerala, India is not just paradise for those who love beaches. It is also called Papanasam Beach, a popular pilgrimage beach. Papanasam literally means wash away sins. And many Hindus come here for purification.

The best views of the beach are from the top of red laterite cliffs that tower over the golden sand and blue waters of the Arabian Sea. Unfortunately, we did not have time to walk down and enjoy the water.

We had high tea at The Gateway Hotel, a Taj resort in Varkala, quite close to the beach. I would have wanted to stay overnight, but we were off to Kollam for the afternoon. Varkala Beach is 45 kilometers away, about two hours from Trivandrum. It's quite close if you plan to land in Trivandrum and are looking for a really nice beach nearby.

The Gateway Hotel Janardhanapuram Varkala 
Near Government Guest House
Varkala - 695 141, Kerala, India
Telephone No.: 91 470 6673300
Fax No.: 91 470 6673333
E-mail: gateway.varkala@tajhotels.com

Ivan About Town turns nine!

Nine years ago, I was at the lobby of Trekkers Lodge in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Spur of the moment, I decided to start a blog and rented their computer to write my very first entry. Aren't we all surprised how time flies? I usually forget to celebrate the blog's anniversary. But since we're almost a decade old, we're definitely nearing another milestone!

My very first blog entry was written on April 19, 2005. It was during a solo trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and Brunei. I had just purchased my first digital camera the year before. And all I had was a 28MB memory stick! Here's the story of the blog.

Thanks to my parents, I was introduced to travel quite young. In fact, I wrote my first travel journal when I was just six! Here are some highlights from that journal. And I've previously compiled photos from my early years of traveling, including my first road trip at one month old, my first plane ride when I was five on a Philippine Airlines BAC One Eleven Series 500, our first international trip in 1985, and my first long-haul flight in 1993.

I'll reserve the long post for next year! In the meantime, here are photos of the places I visited in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. I wonder what's next?! But today, all I can say is thank you for nine wonderful years! Thank you for joining me as I continue to explore!