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| Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 2 |
Day 2: July 18, 2021
Cagraray Trip
Good morning from Casa Nicerio in Camalig, Albay. It's officially our first full day here in the province. Although it has been drizzling earlier today, we did not let that hinder us from our road trip plans today. For our itinerary today, we plan to drive on a 2-car convoy to the municipality of Cagraray also in Albay. Our objective for this road trip is to visit the Cagraray Eco-Energy Park.
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| Casa Nicerio - Day 2 |
From Casa Nicerio, it took us 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Cagraray Eco-Energy Park. I was surprised to see that the road to Cagraray was better than some of the major roads in Manila.
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| Off to Cagraray |
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| Following my dad's car (Can you see him?) |
During our drive, we had a stopover at Sula Bridge to take some family photos and also admire the view from the bridge. Quick trivia: Sula Bridge connects Cagraray Island to the mainland. Apparently, this bridge is also a frequent stopover destination for bikers so there are times that the bridge becomes crowded and only one lane is usable to motorists.
About halfway along our drive in Cagraray Island, we made a wrong turn that brought us to a secluded area with semi-paved roads that are almost taken over by shrubs which in a way reminded me of the slasher film Wrong Turn.
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| Can you spot the carabaos? |
Although it was scary at first, we got to appreciate the beauty of the island the further we went. We even had another stopover near a stream but this time to empty our bladders. Because of this unplanned stop, we were left by my dad who drove the lead vehicle so fast. Regardless, we reached Cagraray Eco-Energy Park safe but 15 minutes behind my parents' pickup truck. We later found out that this was formerly one of the roads that leads to the eco-energy park.
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| Cagraray Amphitheater |
From the partially cold and rainy weather when we left Casa Nicerio it was already sunny and humid when we reached our destination, so after registering and paying the entrance fees, we decided to rest a bit wishing it to at least be cloudy before exploring the place.
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| Going up the hill following the Stations of the Cross |
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| Batan Island and Albay Gulf as seen from the hilltop |
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| My sister Aya, loving the view |
Our adventurous feet didn't want to wait though, so my siblings, daughter, and I went ahead and followed the man-made steps up the hill behind the registration area. This led us to the picturesque Stela Maris Chapel on top of the hill. Aside from the chapel, this area also offers a stunning view of the island of Batan and Albay Gulf.
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| My dad and mom didn't out the chance to have their picture taken |
I hurriedly went down to the registration area to fetch my parents and my wife so that we can all chill and enjoy the scenery and atmosphere on top of the hill. We all excitedly drove our vehicles up the hill (yup there is a road that leads up to the top) and met up with my siblings and my daughter.
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| Team Nicerio visits Stela Maris Chapel |
We shared the hilltop with dozens of bikers during our visit. We made sure to practice social distancing as we were still in a pandemic. Of course, we didn't miss the opportunity to take photos with Stela Maris Chapel as our backdrop.
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| Epic jump shot for Team Nicerio |
After about an hour, we headed back down and parked near the registration area so that we could have our family photo taken at the impressive and Instagram-worthy Cagraray Amphitheater. We had to wait for quite some time as the bikers who were at the hilltop also went down to visit the amphitheater.
We didn't stay long though, after having our family photos taken at Cagraray Amphitheater, we hit the road once again, this time towards Tabaco City, Albay.
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| Cagraray View Deck |
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| The view from Cagraray View Deck |
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| Off to our next destination! |
My dad, as usual, drove so fast that they missed another scenic stopover which is just along Misibis Road. We just chanced upon Cagraray View Deck because of its eye-catching blue and pink color. It also offers an amazing view of Batan Island. After taking some photos of the view, we continued on our trip trying to catch up with my dad who by now is probably several miles away already.
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| BBQ King - Tabaco City, Albay |
We managed to catch up to them or let's say they waited for us, in the town of Santo Domingo, Albay. From there, we proceeded to Ishiaya's Garden Bistro on the outskirts of Tabaco City. Sadly they don't accept children in their establishment due to the COVID 19 protocols that they follow so we had no choice but to drive back to Tabaco City town proper and find BBQ King which allows kids in their establishment as long as they wear face shields and facemasks.
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| Ready for lunch! Waiting for our order. |
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| Thank God they have board games. |
You guessed it right! We ordered pork barbecue for lunch with some chose to add another flavor to our meal. After eating, my brother and I accompanied our dad to the Tabaco City Public Market and its extension to buy some locally made tabak or bolo which is one of the main products of the city.
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| Tabaco City Public Market Extension - Tabaco City, Albay |
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| Time to shop for some tabak |
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| Tabaco City is known for its tabak |
From Tabaco City, we drove back home to Casa Nicerio. We got there at around 5:50PM. Since we were all tired from today's adventure, we decided to order Chickenjoy from Jollibee and also reheat our food yesterday and call it a day.
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| Dinner time @ Casa Nicerio |
Well, that wraps up Day 2 of our Bicol Road Trip 2021. See you on our 3rd day!
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I enjoyed your Bicol Road Trip series. Thank you for sharing your adventure!
ReplyDeleteSalamat po! Sana nainspire kayo na magtravel sa Bicol.
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