We had some business matters to attend to. My Dad was born and raised in the province and then went to Ateneo de Manila for college and law school.
We had our picture taken under the street sign: F. Imperial.
My grandfather used to be the Mayor of Legazpi City. He died when my Dad was still in his teens and I was just 8 when my own father passed on. We rarely visited his hometown. We have a few relatives but I do not even know some of my first cousins.
We checked in at Hotel St. Ellis. It is very near the city center.
Also, walking distance to the newly opened Ayala Mall.
Our first meal was at 1st Colonial at the mall.
Bahay Kubo Salad has all the ingredients from the song... Bahay Kubo!
Pinagat na Laing which I prefer rather than just plain laing. I find the latter too slimy.
Liempo with Tinapa Fried Rice
Sili Ice Cream Degree of Spiciness #2.
Way back in the days when they did not have Jollibee yet, the popular fast food chain was Graceland.
The have more or less identical menu:
Spaghetti
Cheeseburger
Palabok.
Since the Manila giant fast food outlets have sprung up in the province, Graceland upgraded their looks, more of like a cafe rather than a fast food ambiance.
Dinner was at Choobi-Choobi, Ayala Mall. It is a franchise from Cebu.
Bulalo Soup
BBQ
Shrimp in a bag.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel at 7:30 p.m.!!!!
Ngek! We were in bed by 8:30! I felt as though it was almost midnight already!!!
I set the alarm the next day for 7:30 a.m. but I woke up before it rang!!!! JET LAG! Hahahahahaha
Breakfast "buffet" was a simple affair. I have a very bad rep with the Ka Escapades group, my travel buddies, for giving waiters and room attendants a hard time.
Well.... if I have what I need in front of me then I do not need to ask, right? I do not do it intentionally. Yaya Hermie would provide me with everything I need before I even ask.
Waiter! May I have fork and spoon, please?
Waiter! May I have a knife, please?
Waiter! May I have iced water please?
Waiter? No ice?
Waiter! May I have ketchup please? I can't eat my omelette without ketchup.
Waiter? Where is the ketchup?
Ma'am, they are getting it.
Hmmmmm... probably buying at the nearby store?
When it was delivered to my table, I think it was UFC Banana ketchup. I only eat Jufran, Mafran or Papa Banana ketchup. I felt so guilty for just getting a pea-sized dollop of ketchup but it was not my brand.
Waiter? Do you have tomato ketchup? (None)
My Ate:
Waiter? May I have juice, please?
Waiter? Can you brew me a fresh cup of coffee please?
Waiter? Can you give me creamer, please?
That was just in the coffee shop. The night before, I called the operator and said:
Hello? May I have a pitcher of water with ice? (No ice)
Hello? May I borrow a pair of scissors, please?
Later in the evening, Hello? May I have a flat sheet, please?
I do not like to use the comforter because it is very heavy and smells of fabric conditioner which I am allergic to.
What can I do if what I need, I cannot get on my own?
And I always request politely. I never get angry even if the ketchup took 10 minutes to arrive and my omelette was cold already.
Ate and I did our business in the city hall. And then we were free to do what we wanted!
A visit to the Albay Cathedral.
Pasalubong buying at Albay Pili Nut Factory.
We rode the jeep around the city and had lunch at Waway's.
I really love their Bicol Express!
Look! No sauce! Just oil and the coconut cream is still whitish! Whenever I cook Bicol express, the cream turns a little bit beige.
Pinangat na laing.
It was a buffet style of eating at Waway's. I got a little Kare-kare and ginataang pusit.
Notice that my food are not touching each other.
I loved the broth of the Tahong soup.
We went back for second serving of Inihaw na liempo.
Next destination was Pacific mall. We checked out their grocery. We love going to supermarkets. Ate said we should have brought our DTI id! Hahahahaha .
Back at the hotel to rest.
We did not want to go far for dinner. Some of the known restaurants were not nearby so we went to Ayala Mall again. We checked out all the dining options. We do not want to eat in restaurants that we have in Manila.
But......
We saw a Lotsa Pizza Kiosk!
It is my most favorite pizza brand! Kuya even loves it ever since he had a taste in Baguio. It is hard to find a branch near our house.
Double Whammy!
Dessert at 1st Colonial.
Pepino, Melon and Kalamansi ice cream for me. Loved the Pepino flavor.
Pili, Sili and Coffee ice cream for Ate.
Maybe next time, the good combination would be Sili and Pepino flavor! Hot then cold.
WAHHHHH!!! 8:30 and we were in bed already! Again!
Sometimes, when I get bored I do crazy things.
I was wearing my Uniqlo t-shirt on our first day, then it felt as though it was choking me. I went to the stationary section of the department store to buy scissors but the sales lady kindly lent me her pair of scissors and off I went to the fitting room to cut the sleeves of my shirt. (My shorts had drawstings, Ok? Hahahaha My zipper was not unzipped. FYI)
Ahhhh.... now it feels so much better!
It is a cropped top and felt so light and loose... so light and loose that when we were crossing the street it almost flew towards Mayon Volcano because the wind was so strong!!!!
Another crazy, boring moment, I pushed the bed near the air con so the vent would directly hit me. Of course, the room was a mess already because, LIA WAS HERE!
But then it felt so chilly that I slept with my shawl wrapped around my head and the flannel blanket I brought with me was wrapped around my neck.
Crazy moments but I do not let "bad weather" affect me.
"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." (Got this from FB.)
And then on the 3rd day.... it was time to go home to Manila!
Lisa said to get rid of the hat.
I said, No way! I love it! I bought the hat with the matching bag in Jatujak.
I enjoyed my time with my Ate. She is so funny!
The sun felt really hot on the second day. It felt as though a laser beam was hitting my back. When we got home, Ate said she looked like "color laing" and I was "color pinangat"!
Ate said, she would join me again on my next business trip to Legazpi City, the home town and birthplace of my Dad.
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