Last November 2012, my family and I went on a weekend road trip to Bicol.
It was the weekend of late grandfather's birthday so we decided to drive to his hometown, Nabua, Camarines Sur and visit our relatives there. I was still a toddler when I first went on a road trip to Bicol, so I don't remember about the place (all I can remember is being served withInihaw na Tilapia for lunch). All I know about Nabua are the stories my Papa would tell me and stories of my grandparents' childhood. I wanted to know more about their hometown so I made sure that I will be part of the trip.
We left on a Friday morning and after 8-10 hours on the road we reached our first destination, Mt. Mayon. Mt. Mayon offered a lot of activities for us. We rode ATVs to go to foot to the lava wall where you can climb up and take pictures of the volcano at the helipad. And instead of going down to all the huge rocks (which was really hard to climb up to), you can just take the zipline, which was super fun for me, considering it was my first time.
After our exciting day at Mt. Mayon, we finally drove to Nabua, to visit our relatives. We were able to meet our cousin who is the parish priest, Fr. Larry. Fr. Larry celebrated the Sunday mass for my grandfather which was very meaningful for him because it was my Lolo who supported his education when he was still a seminarian.
It was during this time where I saw more of the people and where it all started. This was my Lolo's home, while my relatives would tell stories of their time with him, I would imagine the stories coming to life -- the streets during the 40's and the 50's and how life would be back then. How I wish I could have been there with Lolo and tell the stories himself. We miss him that's why it was very meaningful for our family to take that trip.
One more thing that I loved during this trip is the food! Of course one's trip to Bicol will not be complete without eating any Bicol express! Ohhh those lovely coconut based dishes, like Laing and Pinangat just really spiced up our trip. Fresh Sinarapan fish from Lake Buhi. And having a meal with your family really makes everything more lovely.
This trip of ours is truly one memorable trip. Seeing the people, the sights and of course, the FOOD, would definitely make go back there.