One of my greatest joys has been the opportunity daily to view Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano, also known as Mount Mayon, is an active volcano in the province of Albay, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Renowned as the "perfect cone" because of its almost symmetric conical shape, Mayon forms the northern boundary of Legazpi City, the largest city in terms of population in the Bicol Region. The mountain is a national park and a protected landscape in the country proclaimed as Mayon Volcano Natural Park in the year 2000.

Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines having erupted over 48 times in the past 400 years. Its 48th eruption was a quiet effusion of lava on July 14, 2006. The small summit explosion which occurred on August 10, 2008 is considered as part of the ongoing activity since 2006. Starting in January 2011, the volcano is weakly erupting and may be building up to a larger hazardous eruption. It is one of the most beautiful volcanic cones anywhere in the world and is visible for miles around in the otherwise flat landscape of the region.

The name Mayon is derived from the Bicolano word Magayon, which means ‘beautiful”

And beautiful she is… (and the pictures hardly do it justice)
I will miss her.

Vacation surviving…

So I start my little vacation in the Philippines with my adventure setting off from Naga (which is actually about 2 + hours from my site). So Sunday I am up early to get a van to Sabang Pier –a good 2 hour van ride. I arrive and wait at what is apparently the ‘terminal’ for a commercial boat (Bangka) bound to Guijalo Port. I catch the last boat of the day at 11 am.

Most interesting though as I am waiting at the ‘pier’ I am looking out a the boat about 100 or more feet off shore thinking ok how are we getting from point A. on shore to point B on the boat? – with small waves and surf between us and the boat and no pier or bulkhead or anything resembling anything we have in the states that gets us on boats. I’m thinking ok if I don’t want to do this I don’t have to –I can just get back on a van and head back to Naga. I am a bit scared to say the least, thinking here goes my laptop, my clothes and me into the water. The whole scene is kind of rickety and precarious and as I have learned over the past 5 + months in the Philippines there are few regulations, no safety standards, or anything resembling anyone monitoring the safety of anything – you are on your own here. (I guess they have not figured out the whole suing people thing yet) Anyway soon enough the answer to the dilemma is presented - low and behold a floating dock - of course. When it is time we all line up on the beach and are escorted in batches onto this floating thing and a bunch of guys pull it out into the water across the waves up to the side of the boat and no kidding – we get escorted up a kind of gang plank as the boat bobs in the water. They then drag the dock back and get the next batch of folks. Who says fear isn’t exhilarating. This is another 2 + hours coasting along the shoreline. A little choppy water but it’s a beautiful ride. I am on my way to Caramoan – as described in the guide books:

“Caramoan, a peninsular town, is a group of islands and islets scattered in the Pacific Ocean, endowed with nature’s beauty and preserved by its seclusion. Made famous by the hit global reality show franchise”, “Survivor” the group of islands is blessed with numerous islands with fine white sand, lagoons, caves, limestone cliffs and rocks, and rich marine life that give new definition to an island experience”

So not only is it the site of survivor USA - apparently the show’s French edition was the first to film on location in 2008. Israel, Bulgaria and Serbia followed in 2009. Sweden came next the following year, with Israel and Serbia returning to shoot again. Just last year, the islands played host to Denmark, Norway, Belgium and India.

So I am now smack in the middle of a lot of surviving… good thing no shows are being taped right now – so hopefully I can just get to enjoy a little of the natural beauty