Irosin, Sorsogon | Too Pretty Just to be Seen-Zoned

Two things to remember when traveling around Irosin in Sorsogon: natural springs & pili nuts. Save for some pretty roadside sights like emerald ricefields & silhouetted mountainscape, this town is otherwise quiet.

Irosin is at the heart of Sorsogon landlocked by the towns of Bulan, Bulusan, Juban, Santa Magdalena & partly by Matnog. More often than not, it’s an oh-by-the-way town despite being an important commuter link along the pan-Philippine highway.

Irosin: Why Seen-Zoned?

Although I lived in Bicol for quite sometime in the past, I never really had the chance to visit Irosin. And by visit I mean exploring & not just scraping the town. I had passed by it sometime in the early 2000s when I made an overland trip from Manila to Surigao on the iconic Philtranco Bus Line.

It has a lot of spring resorts, eco-sites & panoramic views yet tourists hardly go. This eclectic mishmash actually makes this a town that rewards vacationers especially those wanting quiet escapes.

I almost had it seen-zoned again when I did a long road trip from Ilocos to Mindanao. My original route was to drive along the eastern coast of Sorsogon snaking through southern Bulusan down to Santa Magdalena. But at the junction, I decided to detour & finally give this place a real chance to be ticked off from my list.

With it being just as a side trip in mind, I did a quick sweep of the town while munching on crunchy pili. True enough, you’ll go nuts over Irosin’s pili nuts! Vicky’s at the public market is the go-to place for everything pili. From salted to sweetened & pies to tarts, this homegrown name has it all.

The town is small & quaint. There are a few ancestral homes & interesting old-school cafes. I did stop by one & asked for the traditional corn coffee. They were surprised to find a city slicker looking for something that even locals don’t even drink anymore. Well, it wasn’t in their menu but they were too gracious to run to the market & got me one. How cool is that?

If there is one thing that Irosin is proud of, that would be their natural springs. There’s Mateo, Mapaso, Nature’s & many other small ones. The town crouches Mt. Bulusan, an active volcano that stands imposing all over central Sorsogon. With this come a lot of resorts sprouting here & there.

Irosin is barely touched & barely seen. It’s someplace great for trailblazing rural adventures because I’m sure there are more to this town than springs & nuts.

I’ve heard of a heritage church perched on a hilltop, some waterfalls & rivers. There are exciting trekking trails too. But I’ll reserve those explorations in the future when I visit Irosin again.

-oOo-

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