FOR A LOT of people, Bicol is equal to super spicy food. However, this isn?t the only thing that makes this region such a hot place to visit. From other sumptuous eats to picturesque destinations, Bicol is teeming with a lot of attractions that you certainly must experience next time you?re there.

CamSur Watersports Complex

Also known as CWC, this man-made attraction is the brainchild of Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte. It is the first ever world-class watersports complex in the country and in Asia with its six-point cable ski system, impressive facilities, relaxing environment and great weather conditions. Apart from wakeboarding, kneeboarding, water-skiing and wakeskating, you can also play volleyball, take a dip in the swimming pool, enjoy billiards, darts and foosball at the clubhouse, or go online at the 6-ha complex. Watersports enthusiasts all over the globe troop to CWC because it is what they call the best cable park in the world. In fact, they stay for a minimum of one month and go to the nearby The Mansion Suites and Villa del Rey Villas, Cabanas and Trailer Homes for accommodation.

Good Food

Bicol is famous for its spicy food so expect a lot of hot and spicy dishes everywhere. There are various versions of laing and Bicol express, and you can even find these two specialties incorporated into other food. CWC, for example, has Bicol-style pizza, which has laing and Bicol express as toppings, and eggs Benedict with laing sandwiched between runny eggs and tasty bacon strips.

Pili, a Bicol specialty, is sold everywhere and is available in all sorts of variations, from tarts to mini-cupcakes, from pastillas to the caramelized kind.

Other palate-pleasers include fresh fruit shakes, all sorts of dishes with coconut milk, and the very special turon with ice cream of Gota restaurant in Caramoan. It?s thinner than usual but it has langka slices and is covered with a lot of brown sugar, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. It may not sound extraordinary but after one bite, you?ll crave for it the next few days.

Deer Farm

Deer in the Philippines? Absolutely! Adore Bambi and Rudolph?s friends up close at the deer breeding farm in Sta. Cruz, Ocampo and even get the chance to feed the really friendly ones, especially the crowd favorite named Botchokoy. It?s not everyday you see deer in the country but it certainly is possible in Bicol.

Caramoan

Tagged as the next Boracay, but minus the blaring music, parties and the whole of Metro Manila, Caramoan boasts of a bunch of awesome islands with fine white sand and water in all shades of blue. This place is so scenic that the French ?Survivor? was shot here, and a couple of other international shows are also already planning to use the place as location for their programs. In Caramoan, you can stay at the rustic Gota Village Resort where you can camp inside small wooden houses complete with aircon, hot shower and cable TV. Caramoan too has an impressive dose of nature and you can have the best dinner (consisting of spicy seafood, Bicol express and turon with ice cream, of course) by the shore complete with a full moon, torches and fireflies.

E-mail the author at ninomarksablan@yahoo.com.