Lingñon Hills

Lingñon Hill is a hill (more like a small mountain) beside Mayon Volcano mainly ...Considering we didn't know that cars weren't allowed to go up the hill . They said that Lingñon hills are the sibling of mayon..

Lingnon Hills (properly pronounced as li-nyon) has a nice view of the entire Legazpi City.

Lingñon Hills Nature Park

Great place to hangout with friends

Also best spot to oversee the entire Legazpi City, not only Mt. Mayon

The Mayon Skyline (formerly known as Mayon Resthouse) is located on the eastern slope of Mayon Volcano. This is the nearest you could be with Mayon. It is said to be an excellent summer resort because of its cool temperature. One attraction of the Mayon Skyline is its very own planetarium. Inside, is an on-going exhibit and film showing about volcano eruption to better understand the volcanoes.

Mayon Planetarium

Starship Cafe

Mayon Planetarium and Science Park Fee: 
Parking Fee – Php 10
Planetarium Fee – Php 10
Toilet Fee – Php 6

Wall Climbing – Php 50/hour
Zip Slide – Php 100

Inside Mayon Planetarium

Geothermal in Tiwi, Albay

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant actually consists of three separate plants. What you can see in the satellite image thumbnail is Plant A, while Plant B is located roughly a kilometer to the east-southeast, and Plant C about a kilometer to the southwest. These three plants have a combined 275 megawatts of generating capacity.

These three plants harness geothermal energy in the area known as the Tiwi Geothermal Field. This is part of the 17,661-hectare geothermal area in Albay that was reserved by Pres. Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 739 in 1970 following the passage of Republic Act No. 5092 or the Geothermal Law in 1967. The harnessing of geothermal energy was quite timely since it helped saved the Philippines millions of dollars during the 1970s oil crisis.

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant complex is located in Tiwi, Albay province. It consists of three generating units, namely, Plant A with two 60-MW units, Plant B with two 55-MW units, and Plant C with two 57-MW units. Plant B's Unit 4 was retired or decommissioned in 2003. The complex was first commissioned in 1979. The Power Sector Assets & Liabilities Management Corporation will auction off the complex in June 4, 2008

Embarcadero

It’s the second time we’ve been here in Legazpi City, Albay and a lot of changes have happened already and one of these is Embarcadero de Legazpi. The first time we’ve been here was back in 2008 and the only place that tourists would like to visit is theCagsawa Ruins to get a nice view of Mayon Volcano.

Embarcadero de Legazpi is the latest and only mall (just opened last year) that caters not only to visitors but also to locals alike. It’s a mid to high-end mall with restos, bars, boutiques and loads of activities for the family. There’s still plenty of vacant spaces as of today but expect it to be fully occupied by the end of the year.

Getting there

Most of the jeeps plying Rizal St. can pass by Embarcadero de Legazpi. For us, we took  Embarcadero’s e-Jeep which is a clean electronically powered coaster/golf cart. We stayed at Hotel St. Ellis and the e-Jeep can be requested from the hotel concierge. It’s also available to the public for free with different drop-off points within the city so if you can chance upon one, do take it.

Not your typical mall

I would compare Embarcadero to Eastwood Mall in Manila or Ayala Mall in Cebu with walkways on the outside while checking out the shops, but here you can enjoy the breeze from the Albay Gulf.

There are also restaurants outside the mall area where they are serving fresh catches of the day. Like the “dampa” seafood restos by the bay of SM Mall of Asia complete with the breeze and the live band.

The only thing the mall is really missing is a movie theater but they do have the nicest and newest bowling alley in Albay.

Now if you think it’s just your ordinary classy mall, think again because the whole family can do a lot of fun stuff here. We tried the different activities Embarcadero has to offer.

Segway

First time we tried the Segway and it was really easy to get the hang of. Just relax and riding the Segway would feel natural. It’s pretty safe but the excitement will dip if there are lots of people around.

  

I wish they would have expanded the area more where you can use the Segway. You can only bring it outside around the mall by the pier and inside. There are only 2 Segways available and the operator will be chasing after you in case you run into a problem. Hehehe.

Price: Php75 per 5 minutes

Zipline by Amazing Zip

Now you don’t have to go to Lignon Hill to zipline. There’s one in the city itself and it’s in Embarcadero. Climb the lighthouse and ride a zipline down to the other end at the breakwater.

  

It’s only 350-meter long but you would be traversing above water and get a breathtaking view of Mayon Volcano as well. If you can have someone stand by the go-kart area, they can take a photo of you with Mayon as your backdrop. It’s pretty safe for kids as well since it’s not a fast zip.

Price: Php150

Go-Kart

I think I’m addicted to karting after trying the one in Park Square, Makati so I was excited that Embarcadero also offers it.Their track is not as long as I wanted it to be but the go-karts are new, fast and responsive not unlike the recent kart we tried in Enchanted Kingdom.

  

They also dress you up with protective paddings for the arms and shins and also gloves for your hand instead of only the typical helmet.

Price (promo):

• Php70 – 2 laps
• Php160 – 5 laps
• Php300 – 10 laps
• Php450 – 15 laps
• Php550 – 20 laps
• Php35 – per extension lap

We were able to chat with Ms. Abe Cabria, Head of Marketing of Embarcadero, and she told me they have more plans for the place. They are currently cleaning up the waterfront so water activities like banana boats, paddle boats and the like could be introduced within the year. Street luge down Sleeping Lion mountain, jetski and wakeboarding activities in the other side of Embarcadero are also part of future plans. An IT park nearby is also in the works.

So if you’re ever going to spend a day or two in Legazpi City, be sure to check out Embarcadero de Legazpi. It’s a very nice addition to this progressing and developing city.

Mayon Rest House

How would you like to be among the clouds? This Park is located at the Mayon Rest House. The rest house is located at half way to the tip of Mayon Volcano, which is 8500 feet above sea level. The rest house was built beside the Seismological instrument initially built by the Americans, and now used by the Philippines Astronomical, Geological and Seismological Agency. This is also the starting point for mountaineers who climbed the peak of the volcano. Based on studies from hundreds of years, this side of the volcano has not been hit by lava flow from the many eruptions of Mayon. A good enough reason why the instruments were installed to monitor it's volcanic activity and be able to predict its forthcoming eruptions. There are many rare orchids found around the area. Some are yet to be discovered. Because of its almost perfect cone shape, many believe that it has the same cosmic energy also derived from the Pyramids of Egypt. That healing power coming from the force and energy of the universe. Only that Mayon is a hundred times more powerful. This Park has been part of many a memorable days in everyone's life in Bicol as youngsters. The temperature low is 50 and high 70 F. Air is always fresh like the dawn of days.