LOOK: Mayon Volcano up close, from the air

Whenever I fly, I always prefer the aisle seat. Easier to go to the bathroom or get anything from my bag in the overhead compartment.

But I do make a few exceptions: flights to and from Legazpi.

While the beauty of Mayon is unmatched when seen from the ground, I imagine an aerial perspective could offer a unique and altogether new view. However, in all my years of flying into and out of Legazpi, I hadn't had the luck of seeing Mayon clearly from the air.

But that was about to change.

Fingers crossed, I took my window seat. But as usual, Mayon was all covered in clouds. So much for my aerial view.


And then we took off. Slowly Mayon revealed itself. I thought I already got the shot I had always wanted. A wide aerial view of the most majestic volcano in the world.  


But then the plane veered left. For a moment I lost sight of my target as the plane headed almost straight toward it.

As the plane leveled, I saw it again, this time in all its glory. Huge, imposing, even more majestic.


As the plane climbed higher, we got closer and closer to the volcano's peak. It was as if I could almost reach for it. Other passengers reacted excitedly: "Look, Mayon is so close!"


Not wanting to miss the moment, I snapped away blindly while staring at Mayon with my very own eyes.


This might come across as melodramatic, but for a nature lover and a shutterbug like me, moments like this are truly special.


I later asked the pilot if that was the usual route. Not really, he explained. He merely wanted a faster way to Manila.

That explains why we were 25 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival at NAIA. Now that's what I call a good flight. — BM, GMA News