The Backpack Adventures

Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 7 & 8 Day 7: July 23, 2021 Palengke Trip It's another rainy morning here in Casa Nicerio in Camalig, Albay. Thankfully the rain weakened into a drizzle by 7AM. Since my online work commitments are still scheduled at around 10AM, I decided to accompany my dad on his trip to the market. Camalig Public Market We drove to Camalig Public Market at around 7:30AM to buy fish, meat, and some veggies for the week. We didn't stay long enough though as I need to prepare for my seminars and meetings.  My dad bought some " kakanin " Some kakanin that you should try in Albay Going inside Camalig Public Market checking out what to buy next Camalig Public Market - Meat section When I got home, I rested a bit and joined the meetings. There were no power outages today so things went out well. My wife and mom cooked a sumptuous meal so lunch was something I looked forward to while working.  After lunch, my work took up my whole afternoon. That night,

Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 5 & 6 Day 5: July 21, 2021 Aya goes back home Good morning guys!  My long summer vacation is officially over. Today marks the first day of my work from home Advisers' Training Program. It's a full-day program so I was not able to go out and visit any new destinations today.  Just to share, I experienced short power outages thrice today. This of course had me worried for my 2nd day of orientation.  Time to work! Day 1: PAREF Southridge Advisers' Training Program Here's the agenda for today Sadly, today is also my sister's flight back home. Since I'm loaded with school "work" and meetings, it was my parents who brought her to the airport.  It rained the whole afternoon so we decided to just stay at home instead.  Overall, aside from the full-day orientation and power outages, today was quite uneventful. Because of that, I'll make sure to do something worthwhile tomorrow so that I could share something exciting with you g

Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 4 Day 4: July 20, 202 1 Bye Patrick; Hello Legazpi City!  It's drizzling, it's cold, it's gloomy... not a perfect time to go out on an adventure. If you'd ask me, I'd rather spend my time sleeping or drinking hot cocoa. However, today marks the last day of my brother Patrick here in Albay as he needs to go back home to Cavite for his work tomorrow. A view of Mayon Volcano as seen from Camalig Diversion Road A beautiful view of Mayon Volcano His flight is sometime around 10AM. Hence, we didn't miss out on the chance to have breakfast before packing up his stuff in my pickup truck. Just as luck would have it, the drizzle stopped just as we were leaving Casa Nicerio . In another twist of faith, for the first time since we got here, Mayon Volcano showed herself to us.  Patrick enjoyed the little side trip before going to the Legazpi Airport. Because of that, my brother and I took a bit of a side trip to get a better view of Mayon Volcano. T

Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 3 Day 3: July 19,2021  Jovellar Underground River & Solong Eco-Park Gloomy morning everyone! Fresh off our Cagraray Trip yesterday, we didn't waste the opportunity to explore another destination even if it looks like it was going to rain hard the whole day. Breakfast before we go Do you want to come with us today? For today's road trip, our two-vehicle convoy headed southwest of Casa Nicerio in Camalig, Albay going to the town of Jovellar which is also in the same province.  Welcome to Jovellar Welcome to Jovellar This would be the first time for us to visit Jovellar despite our numerous family road trips in Albay. From our place, the road going to Jovellar was a mix of two-lane, one-lane, paved, and unpaved provincial roads. My driving skills were truly tested during this road trip.  Arcangel Park in Quitinday, Jovellar From Casa Nicerio , it took us 30 minutes to navigate and reach our destination. The municipality of Jovellar is famous for it