2013 Jan: Philippines: Albay: Faces of Mayon

Use to be part of the lessons in grade school days, seeing this in reality checks one entry in my unwritten bucket list.

Famous for its perfect cone, Mayon Volcano is also known to be shy among the locals.  It is a normal scene that you will see it covered with clouds.  Since Legazpi or Bicol is located close to Pacific Ocean, weather is totally unpredictable in the area (In the morning it is sunny, then it will suddenly rain, then back to sunny weather, v.v.)

We are lucky to see it clearly upon our arrival.  We never thought that it would be the last time during our three-day stay in Albay.  

From Airport: 

2013 Jan: Philippines: Albay: Catholic Churches

Too early for the Visita Iglesia - our Albay trip is one of our travels where we visited a number of churches.  

Albay Cathedral

Address: Albay District 4500 Legazpi City, Philippines

English Mass: 11am on Sundays

Just in heart of the town proper is the Albay Cathedral.  The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great, also called the Albay Cathedral, is the Episcopal Seat of the Diocese of Legazpi. The cathedral started as a wooden chapel built by early Spanish missionaries who moved into the town in the 1580s. It was damaged by American bombers and reconstruction went beyond 1951. The church was elevated to become a cathedral when the Episcopal See of the Diocese of Legaspi was established. [Reference]