After Gumaca, next were the towns of Lopez and Calauag. This is a very long drive - nothing much to see along the road except the countryside and occasional eateries. The sun is way up, and the heat is starting to scorch everything along the way.
This is the time to crack jokes with everyone in the car - and time to catch up on what's new with everyone else, and reminisce the old times.
Then suddenly right at our face - this welcome arch that says : CAMARINES NORTE - WELCOME TO BICOLANDIA .
Finally - after almost 5 hrs of driving - we were already in Region V : Bicol Region.
From here, odometer reading is at 9952km.
The first town of Camarines Norte is Santa Elena - but before we got to appreciate what it is to see here, we reach the junction that forks into two : going straight heads for Daet, Camarines Norte while taking the right side leads to Andaya Highway (formerly Quirino Highway).
Andaya Highway bypasses Camarines Norte to get to Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon. Years back, this highway was in very bad condition - most vehicles avoid it like the plague. They claim that after passing through it would add 5 years to your car's age.
Luckily, it has been rehabilitated for the most part of it.
Andaya Highway turns again to Quezon Province, passing through Tagkawayan.
This part has well cemented roads - very much complementing the nice scenery.
Then, again, right at our face, we got to see the WELCOME ARCH OF CAMARINES SUR. We were all excited as we are now somehow getting near our destination.
The stretch of Andaya Highway that encompasses the first two towns of CamSur (Del Gallego and Ragay) are not in good condition. Interspersed between well paved roads are bumpy rough ones - its advisable that driving with care is practiced here.
We got to see a Shell Gas Station in Ragay, just beside the Andaya Park. This was the first gas station we saw for several kilometers, so it would be wise to have enough fuel before entering Andaya Highway.
After Ragay is the town of Lupi. From hereon, the bumpy roads become well paved asphalted roads - and its like driving non-stop in a straight direction with hardly any turns. And this portion is like driving up and down on crests and troughs of a wave. Very nice drive.
Next is Sipocot. This is the end of Andaya Highway - total length is roughly 100km long. It took me about an hour and a half traversing this diversion. We then turned right towards Naga. Upon reaching Sipocot, there are gas stations left and right.
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