I used to think that the four-hour bumpy travel from Davao City to Mangagoy (my hometown) is the longest and the most tiring of all trips.  But my monthly trips to Albay...specifically Pio Duran...is my worst.  It's actually a nightmare for some.  Di nga nakatulog boss ko nung pumunta dun.  Hehehe.

We usually leave Manila at around 10PM so we can be in Albay 9AM the next day.  So, you are expected to sleep the whole trip and work the next day.  And to top it all, I'm doing that once-a-month.  It's not that I'm complaining or what...it's just that even the most fit and the most enduring would say "Teka-teka" with that loooong trip.

But, the usual "silent" complaints running through my head ceases when, at 7:00AM, the tip of the majestic conical volcano looms in the horizon of Albay...beautiful...just beatiful...

It's like this experience: Once, gusto ko nang mag-CR kasi lalabas na! But nasa FX pa ako at ma-traffic...tapos, ung driver nagmumura kasi bigla siyang ki-nut (tagalog conjugation of cut)...tapos, nainis ako kasi katabi ko siya't ung laway's showering on my face...tapos, pinagpapawisan na ako at gusto na talagang lumabas...and finally, nasa babaan na...I ran as fast as I could towards that cramped room of heavenly bliss...and as I discharged it all out, I felt that beatific feeling of ecstatic bliss...just like watching that majestic Mayon...

Anyway, here's a pic I got of Mayon from a plane en route to Manila from Legaspi...I know, bawal magbukas ng cellphone sa plane...but, sayang ang moment eh. hehehe.

There's just something with that mountain which brings awe and wonder to those who see it.  Makes you realize that you're just a tiny speck compared to its majesty.