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Down South Part 2: Mayon Volcano
The next day, my group and I woke up early to go on a three-hour drive to Donsol, the whale shark capital of the world. Luckily, you get a great view of the Mayon Volcano on the way. What better place to view it from then the historical Cagsaua church?
The Mayon Volcano stands out not just as the most active volcano in the country, but also because of its almost-perfect cone. The beauty of the volcano conceals a fierce temper, one that is capable of sinking the entire country. On February 1, 1814, it buried the entire village of Cagsaua in 9 meters of lava and eradicating more than 2,000 people in the process. The only thing that survived was the church’s bell tower where we stopped for a quick look-see.
The place is essentially an ancient burial ground, but the quiet sanctity was diminished by the touristmongers of the area. As soon as we parked, young boys were foisting their postcards and memorabilia on us. The place, ashen but beautiful, was filled with volcanic rocks that contrasted with friendly flowering plants. It just begged for a certain solemnity. All I wanted to do was take in the breathtaking view of the Mayon and absorb the beautiful sadness of the place. But no, not with the amateur photographers tailing my every move and begging to take “trick” pics of me. (You'll find out when you get there)
The upside of it being a tourist trap is that we didn’t leave with just an experience, we left with bags of goodies. We were able to bring home banig mats, woven bags, and mazapan de pili bars which are dessert delights made from roasted pili and sugar.