View of Mayon Volcano from Ligñon Hill

Ask any Filipino student about any mountain or volcano and they will most probably say Mayon Volcano. The volcano is probably the country’s most well known mountain or volcano. It is billed at the volcano with the most perfect cone and that claim is not without merit. Its perfection is due to the fact that it has the same shape whichever side you are looking from. This has probably something to do with the type of volcano it is. Eruptions tend to be milder and not very explosive that it blows away its stop. The molten material would flow down its slopes and eventually solidify. This helps maintain the perfect cone. There are naturally imperfections in this cone but in general it really is quite perfect all the way to the tip of the volcano.

I guess it is quite overwhelming to see the beautiful volcano in all its glory. To me this was a model of all volcanoes and anything less is considered “ugly” for me since it is not perfect. The view isn’t extremely clear, there are clouds around the mountain but the volcano can still be seen in its entirety. You may think that it is so far away but the temper of the volcano is quite unpredictable it is better to be at a safe distance. I have heard of excursions which bring visitors very close to the volcano. Unfortunately, there won’t be time for that. I will have to be content to admire it from afar. At the foot of the volcano are rice fields which because of the slope of the volcano have to be constructed as terraces. This place seems to have everything.

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