The
priests of the Vicariate of Palo decided that for the next outing we will be
touring the Bicol region. We set aside four days for this semi-annual break.
Being the local traveler, I was tasked to make the itinerary that would
maximize our time and go to as many places as possible. Of course, I saw to it that the trip will include a
visit to some beaches in the region. From the travel blogs that I read, aside
from the natural wonders found in Bicol of which Mayon volcano and the now
famous Caramoan islands stand out, old churches also abound in almost every
town in the region. Hence this trip would combine nature and religious sites
visits in three Bicol region provinces:
Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur.
To
maximize our travel time, we left Palo, Leyte at past ten on a Sunday evening just after we
finished our masses for the day so that we will be able to take the early
morning ferry trip from Allen, N. Samar
to Matnog, Sorsogon. There were
14 of us priests in four cars. By five o’clock in the morning the following day
we already arrived at the port in Matnog, Sorsogon. Sorsogon, however, would be visited on our way back, hence we
drove straight away to the province of Albay where our first stop was for
breakfast in the town of Camalig. In Bicol a very popular dish which every traveler should not miss is the
pinangat and the Bicol express. Pinangat is made up of gabi leaves with
daing (dried fish) and green sili (chilli peppers) inside, slowly cooked with
lots of coconut milk. Bicol express, on
the other hand is sautéed pork meat cooked also with coconut milk and plenty of
chillis. Having a prominent sign, we found
ourselves taking breakfast at the Let’s Pinangat restaurant in Camalig.
After
having our fill, we had our first church stop at the town of Guinobatan. This
was followed by other church visits in Ligao City, Oas and Polangui in
Albay. Then we entered the province of
Camarines Sur and made a visit to the churches of Bato and the brick church of Nabua. From Nabua we proceeded to Pili where we took
our lunch at the CWC (Camsur Watersports Complex), found at the Provincial
Capitol Complex. No one dared to ride on the wakeboard so we just contented
ourselves watching the many who keep on
flopping on the water unable to keep
afloat.
Since
it was just the week right after the
fiesta of Our Lady of Penafrancia wherein they celebrated 300 years of devotion
to Ina as they lovingly call Our Blessed Lady, all the hotels were still fully
booked. Luckily, I found a retreat house
which could accommodate us for an overnight stay: the Caritas Christi Prayer
and Renewal Center run by the Daughters
of Charity at Conception Pequeña, Naga City. Upon learning that we were priests, the
Sister in-charge asked only for donation for our overnight stay which included
breakfast. So from CWC we went to the
retreat house for a much needed rest as the whole night was spent on travel. In
the evening we had an invitation for dinner at the Basilica of Peñafrancia as
the Rector, a colleague of mine at the CLSP (Canon Society of the Philippines) Msgr. Muloy Vergara was celebrating his
birthday. This was preceded by a quick
visit to the Cathedral and the Peñafrancia Shrine.
The ferry which brought us from Allen, N. Samar to Matnog, Sorsogon arriving at 5 am.
The famous pinangat of Bicol
Bicol Express.
The Let's Pinangat restaurant in Camalig, Albay.
Church of Guinobatan
The belfry of Guinobatan
Altar of the Church of Guinobatan
The Station of the Cross
Church of Ligao
Inside the church of Ligao
The Adoration chapel of Ligao
Church of Oas
The altar of Oas church
Side altar of Oas
The other side altar of Oas dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel
The Baptistry of Oas
Old arches still can be found at the side of the church of Oas
Stations of the cross made of wood.
Belfry of Oas
The Adoration Chapel of Oas
Oas Church
Church of Polangui
Inside the church of Polangui
The church plaza of Polangui
The church of Bato
Inside the church of Bato
The altar of Bato Church
The church Rectory of Bato
Church plaza of Bato
Church of Nabua
Church altar of Nabua
A replica of the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia
Stations of the cross surround the church plaza of Nabua
The wakeboarding area of CWC
Vegetable salad at the CWC restaurant
The pizza pie
Wakeboarding at the CWC
We contented ourselves with just watching the many who keep on falling from their wakeboards.
The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Naga City
St. John the Evangelist Parish
Metropolitan Cathedral, Naga City
The Cathedral Convento
The Porta Mariae built in 2010 in commemoration of the 300th year of their devotion to
Our Lady of Penafrancia, fondly called Ina.
3 comments:
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LOLz.what a comment dude!
haha what a comment...peace! Nice blog, bless you!
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