Hitting the ground running within moments of our arrival at Bicol International Airport, we headed to the picturesque Sumlang Lake where a filling grub was made more memorable by the beautiful backdrop of Mayon Volcano. A demonstration of preparing the native cuisine Pinangat and the process of stripping and weaving abaca, followed by a scenic bamboo raft ride rounded off our stay before departing for the town of Bacacay shortly before sunset.

They say Mayon Volcano only appears in its full glory when it likes you. I guess, during my first and second visits here, the mountain wasn’t fond of me. On this trip though, she clearly showed her approval as she appeared naked all throughout. With patches of thick clouds quickly passing the tip of her perfect cone-shaped peak, Mayon blessed us with her presence as we romped over the lava-hardened soil beneath her. Aboard ATV vehicles, we crossed streams of water and careened up and down muddy trails to the echoes of jubilant screams of "Yahoo!"

In Norse Mythology, there is a God named Heimdall, who sits at the edge of heaven and guards Asgard, which was among the "Nine Worlds" in Norse cosmology. The Cagsawa Ruins, with its bell tower sticking out from the ground where it once mightily stood—unbreakable, strong, and invisible—is at the edge of an invisible boundary of a world inhabited by the majestic Mayon Volcano.

A somber atmosphere reigned over the town of Daraga when we went to visit the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria. Like a set of eyes returning from a funeral, the skies hovering above were subdued, haunting, and sad. The jabbing wind blowing against my face reminded me of the aftermath of Typhoon Mina, which battered the province a few days before we arrived. Some of the dark clouds Mina brought remained and, like a jealous lover, cast a shadow over the landscape of Mayon Volcano, completely sheltering it from our sight.