Albay Wildlife Park

Hello everyone!

Last month, we went to Legazpi City because I had to attend the 18th birthday party of my good friend’s daughter while Mama Pat had to attend a deceased relative’s wake in Malilipot, Albay. And so, the day after the party and the wake, we were able to have a little detour to Albay Wildlife Park and later in Cagsawa Ruins before going home to Naga City.

Albay Wildlife Park has been there since I was in college (which was some years ago, I’m telling you). Despite that, I can only count with the fingers of my one hand how many times I’ve been there.  For those who haven’t been to the park, do yourselves a favor and go in the morning as the weather is SCORCHING HOT in the afternoon. Despite that, I bet the kids will surely enjoy.

They have this man-made lake where you can rent a boat.

smart

smart

They also have a playground for the kids.

smart

smart

smart

After Julienne explored the playground, we went to see the aviary. They have beautiful birds on display.

smart

smart

smart

smart

smart

smart

smart

smart

smart

The thing about this aviary is that you kinda feel sorry for the birds in captivity. They have no room to “spread their wings and fly.” That is expected of course since they are not in their natural habitat. A lot of them were really lacking energy too.

We also went to see the reptiles. The cages of the lizards and the snakes were not very clean. They also have no drinking water when we saw them. I had a feeling like they were being kept there and nobody cares if they died. It was just a feeling I got when I saw their living condition. I could be wrong but it was feeling I had as a visitor of the park. So, shout out to the local government of Albay, please see to it that the animals are well taken cared of.

We also saw the lion and the tiger, which was the highlight of the trip. The lion was walking around inside his cage whereas the tiger was hiding so no pictures.

Another highlight was the encounter with the funny monkey duo.

Over-all, I think it is a nice place to take your children and tourists. Although you’d probably see more animals in Manila Zoo but this is a good place to walk around, hang out and spend time with your family.

F2M Tower (Legazpi City, Albay)

Hello there! I’m glad to be back after almost three months of no activity here in my blog. It made me a bit sad and guilty at the same time that I have neglected my blog for that long but I’ve been busy and had some things that required my attention. One thing is for sure, I have made it a point to visit other people’s blogs and read a bit before I go to bed every night so that I still feel in the loop although my own blog has been a bit forlorn lately due to my lack of post haha.

Anyway, I just would like to share with you guys that we have taken yet another trip to Albay and Sorsogon City last week, which happened to be a holiday here in the PH (Holy Week). We’ve been doing this since I’ve moved to Naga City about five years ago to see my parents in Sorsogon. I wish we had a car so we could have taken a lot of detour and see places off the beaten path. That would have made a lot of stories for some worthwhile blog posts. But since we had to take a commuter van (UV Express), we couldn’t do this.  What I can do however, is to share with you our hotel experience during our stay at F2M Tower in Legazpi, Albay.

When we arrived at Legazpi City Terminal, we just walked for a few minutes and after asking around where F2M Tower was, we finally found it beside Pacific Mall (Gaisano). Check in was a breeze since their staff knew right away who we were and did not even ask for a copy of the confirmation booking. I like it when hotels are efficient and their staff are polite and competent.

When we opened the door to our room, the air felt so fresh and it smelled really nice, like you know right away the room is clean. Yoy and Julienne liked it a lot.  F2M has only 6 rooms that they rent out and I was told by Jho (the staff who checked us in) that their concept is that of a condotel. So there are no staff to cater to your needs after their office closes, but it doesn’t matter when it is located in the heart of Legazpi. Whatever you need, you can just buy from the mall that is just a few steps away.

The bed was really nice and white. The sheets smelled and felt fresh (Ok, I’ve been saying that a lot lol). 

The faces she makes these days!

Now, let’s  check out the bathroom. It’s real clean too (almost immaculate in my opinion). It was a pleasant surprise how everything was thought of and furnished. There were towels available, hot/cold shower worked, there was a soap dispenser and a hair dryer. 

There was also a water heater, utensils and a mini refrigerator inside the room.

I liked the mirror of the closet’s sliding door so I took a selfie (Gaaaaahh!). Not posting this on Facebook, just here.

In the evening, Yoy and I had one  bottle of beer each over a plate of sisig that we bought near 101 Mall while the little girl enjoyed her Vitamilk (don’t worry she’s not drunk in this picture, just tired lol)

Over all, I liked it. It was the cleanest budget hotel we’ve stayed in in Legazpi City. And to better get your money’s worth, try online booking for promos and to get discounts.

Summer is here and a lot of people are going on out of town trips. I hope you will find this post useful! =)

 

 

Magayon Art Gallery (Albay Provincial Capitol)

When in Albay, make sure to visit the Magayon Art Gallery, located at the lobby of Albay Provincial Capitol Building, which serves as the avenue for local artists to show off their visual creations. It is especially fun to go there during Magayon Festival because of the many activities like the parade of huge folklore characters made of paper mache, parade featuring the different  festivals of the different towns, pageants, trade fairs and beer plaza. However, since the festival was just held last month (May 2017), I think it will be something to look forward to next year.

The Capitol Grounds

Magayon Art GAllery

 

 So, I was being dorky and found some ways to make this painting more interesting I think using just the format tools (effects) of MS PowerPoint:

Glow Edges

Plastic Wrap

Cut Out

I have been to the GSIS Museo ng Sining in Pasay City and have seen paintings of Fernando Amorsolo and Juan Luna’s “Parisian Life” up close, but I found myself just as impressed by the works of our local artists in Bicol. So, if ever you’re in the area, I recommend you give the Magayon Art Gallery a visit. Thanks for stopping by!