Mayon

I was ecstatic at the thought of seeing Mayon volcano in Legaspi City. I only see it on postcards - that now ubiquitous Cagsawa bell tower which I thought was a lighthouse. Unbeknownst to me, hidden beneath was a church buried by molten lava when the volcano erupted in 1814. Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years. From the rice plains of Legazpi, it rises 2462m (8,077 ft) up in the sky. Like a sentinel, it lord’s over the landscape. I never imagined the town could be so close to it – it lies at the volcano’s foot! As you drive along or stand in the middle of the road, you will not see it all in. Looking at it is like watching a movie on a theater floor at the bottom edge of the movie screen. You need to move your head to see the whole image. If Mayon volcano erupts as in 1814, the people below will be instantly overrun and wiped out by the flowing lava. Armageddon will have come swift and unmerciful. At night, you look up and see a strange orange glow in the sky. It’s Mayon’s glowing peak, beautiful, enchanting, foreboding.

As we were driving towards Legaspi City, we could only see the volcano’s huge bluish base, the upper half being hidden behind the clouds. But as we neared the city center, wind blew and the clouds shifted like a gigantic curtain suddenly opening up. Shafts of sunlight danced to show Mayon’s volcanic peak until the whole perfect cone emerged from the haze. My mouth dropped. For a moment I stood in awe at this unexpected display of nature’s grandeur. Then the volcano disappeared again claimed by the shifting clouds. The show has ended as quickly as it had begun.