What makes this trip special is that I have NEVER been anywhere near Bicol. Lucena City is the farthest I ever got down south of Luzon. And so I have to chronicle this trip or A will strangle me to death. It’s the least I can do since he did all the driving…all 1,300 something kilometers of that unforgettable trip. I’m just glad that he’s got a very dependable car that did not give us any problem. On that note, A, please say that you kept your promise to bring Mitzi to the spa.
And here’s how that journey went…
A came to pick me up at the apartment at 5am…and we started our very first road-trip together. There was no itinerary that we’d strictly follow but I did research on the famous tourist spots that we can see in the region. I had 4 maps of the 4 provinces so that we’d know what towns to pass through to get to another. That was all we had…oh and a lot of guts and an ice chest filled with drinks and snacks.
Our official first stop was in Candelaria, Quezon. We did not expect to stop in a busy street but this structure had to be photographed. This mansion appears to be well-kept despite its age and it’s just unfortunate that we had no way of knowing who owns it or what year it was built.
And so we traversed the long and winding roads of Quezon…stopping only when we need to fuel up and when A needed to do a little stretching.
We had breakfast in Chowking-Gumaca because it was the first fastfood restaurant that we saw in town…and we were definitely not eating in Jollibee…that we agreed on. Little did we know that the Chowking breakfast will lead us to this church…
And we continued to drive on…
And almost breezed through this arc…
We were officially welcomed in Bicol!!!
Several kilometers after this arc, we reached a fork. Question: Do we go straight to Daet, Camarines Norte…or do we take the Quirino Highway in Tagkawayan, Quezon to reach Naga, Camarines Sur before dusk? We agreed to go to Naga. Along the way, we passed by a pink air-conditioned bus parked on the wrong side of the street and only upon seeing the shattered windshield and passengers scattered on the highway did we realize that it figured in an accident. We hope that nobody got seriously hurt there.
Reached Naga at 4pm and immediately looked for the Basilica, the Church of Our Lady of Penafrancia. It was easy locating the church as the people in town were very helpful in giving directions. Honestly, I was expecting a more striking structure because it is the Church of the Penafrancia after all but A is outraged upon seeing… the paint job. He said that he cannot understand why churches would be colored like...cake. Oh well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and cream, green and blue must be the priest and contractors’ favorite colors. But it’s worth mentioning that the church had stunning stained-glass windows that pacified A a few minutes later. Apparently, this church that we saw is the new one and that there's an old Penafrancia church...that must be the one that A visited a few years ago.
Left the Basilica after taking some shots to reach Legazpi City, Albay in time for dinner. It was a challenging drive for A because of the tricycles, motorcycles and road cyclists that roamed the highway. It’s a good thing that we did not pass through the CamSur highway on Sunday morning as portion of it was closed to give way to Iron Man.
We got stuck in traffic in Bula and we were shocked to see what caused it. There was a car, which I initially thought of as a Toyota Vios, totaled. It was apparent that it hit an old bus head on. Such a horrible, horrible sight! It was like a crane was used to rip it open. We knew that the passengers had no chance of surviving a crash like that. I just told A to be more careful when overtaking other vehicles and I wouldn’t mind if he drives at 40 kph as long as we’re safe.
Along the way we passed by this nice chapel which name I failed to get. A was able to call home and told his family that we’re safe and were still on the road. This was also where his mom told him about the accident that we saw in Bula. She said that 3 died in that crash and one of them was Bb. Pilipinas-International Melody Gersbach. And the vehicle was an Innova, not a Vios, as I initially thought. Terrible news!
We stopped at another church along the way…and we joked that this trip was beginning to look like a Visita Iglesia.
We also passed by a lot of railroad crossings. And as A slowed down as we approach one of the many…this appeared right before our very eyes…
It appeared to be smaller than the other mountains but it was as majestic as I imagined it to be. We were screaming like kids as we pulled over to take some shots. A said that I was lucky because Mt. Mayon is always covered with clouds especially during that time of the year. But she was there…like she’s enjoying being admired by a first-timer. It was almost nightfall but we got really clear shots. I was happy. And, yes, Mayon is undoubtedly a lady.
It was tricky getting to Legazpi City because it was already dark but thanks to the nice people who gave directions, we were able to find our way. First order of business in Legazpi was dinner in Biggs, a local diner. This was where it started to get confusing…when we asked where Biggs was, the local said that it’s in Albay. What??? Isn’t Legazpi in Albay??? Turned out that there’s an old business district which is Albay and a new one which is Legazpi. So there. A just drove on until we found Jollibee (where we’re NOT eating) and Biggs!
As we’re near famished when we got there, this was what we had for dinner…crab and corn soup, beef salpicao, bistek tagalog, pinangat and chocolate cake.
Pinangat, we learned, is crab meat or shrimps mixed with coconut and then wrapped in gabi (taro) leaves.
After dinner, we went on to search for a hotel to spend the night and settled on Hotel Casablanca. I thought of staying at the posh St. Ellis but I didn’t think that it’d be worth it since we’re leaving early the next morning for Sorsogon.
After checking in the hotel, we decided to go to a spa and get a massage to soothe our aching muscles. Big mistake! I got the worst therapist in the world. Instead of getting relaxed, I got so stressed. Her nails kept on scratching my back and she did not bother reducing the pressure no matter how many times I asked her to. A said that we should have switched therapist. I felt even more tired afterwards so I did not tip her.
And because we were tired from the long drive from Manila and me from the massage…we overslept. I had no idea that I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep. I panicked when I realized that it was already 6:30am…so, at lightning speed, we got ready to leave and were at the café for breakfast at 7am. I liked the simple but filling breakfast that the hotel offered.
We left the hotel immediately after breakfast and drove around the city. A was somewhat frustrated because we have not photographed any single monument. Imagine our delight when we saw this…
I envy this town for having such beautiful backdrop…which I’m sure they don’t give much importance anymore because it has always been there.
Walked around town and saw the Cathedral of St. Gregory.
While taking shots at St. Gregory, I remembered a picture from a broadsheet just days before last Christmas…it was a shot of simbang-gabi, a church with Christmas lights, people hearing mass and at the background, Mt. Mayon with the tip glowing red because of lava flowing from the crater. It was a magnificent shot. And I wondered if it was photoshopped…then while driving around, we saw a church on a hill. Lo and behold…
To say that it’s beautiful is an understatement. This church can rival that of Paoay in Ilocos. A was just upset of the church’s interior…the flooring was tiled…and the tiles used were bathroom tiles. What a waste! We just enjoyed the church’s façade for several minutes and marveled at the volcano just beside it. Can you see the steam coming from the crater? I can’t explain the thrill of looking at an active volcano. You have to see it to appreciate it…if the pictures aren’t convincing enough.
After taking tons of pictures in the church of Daraga…we proceeded to Sorsogon. It was another long drive but truly enjoyable because of very good roads and the beautiful countryside. How can you be stressed when all you can see is green all around?
Don’t ask me but A said that the school must have a truly enjoyable Phys. Ed. LOL!
And just like that, we were in Sorsogon City…
We were supposed to see the City Museum but it was closed so we just asked the guard for directions to the town of Barcelona…this is what we went there to see…
Upon A’s suggestion, we then proceeded to Bulusan. And what major, major mistake we did…we failed to gas up in Bulusan town…not knowing that the next gas station will be in Irosin which is hours away.
A drove on…turning off the aircon once in a while to conserve precious gasoline. Road condition got worse as we get near Bulusan Park…
Despite being nervous about our gas supply, we reached our destination.
For an entrance fee of 10pesos per adult, this is what’s in store for you at the park…
It’s a pretty long drive and I can imagine how hard it is to maintain this park. We just pray that Bulusan does not go active.
It was a wise decision to ask the locals if we could just go back to Daraga via Irosin…and we were told that it’s a REALLY long drive. And knowing that in the province, “You’re almost there.” means that “You’re still a long way to your destination.”, we decided to go back via Bulusan.
And this is how far we got in Bicol...
I am never going to complain about finding it hard to flag a cab.
Imagine if this is Pasig River…wishful thinking, I know.
The long drive back to Manila via Daet, Camarines Norte began but we needed sustenance, so we stopped at Graceland in Sorsogon City for lunch.
And what’s a Bicol trip without dropping by the Cagsawa ruins? Here, we met a boy who knew how to do lots of trick shots using A’s camera…for a fee, of course. He had some bits of information about the big volcano eruption that submerged Cagsawa. A gave him a big tip followed by a reminder to study well.
The drive to Daet was probably the longest, most dangerous and scariest thing we ever did. The truck that we followed from Naga City to Sipocot was heaven sent because at least we had a guide along that extremely long and dark highway...and the heavy rains didn't help either.
It's also worth mentioning how important it is to have very good road signs. That it's not a good idea to put neon-colored letters on neon-colored background. That a straight arrow does not help when you reach a fork. And the worst is that signage covered by the baranggay basketball league banner. Que horror! Motorist nightmare talaga!
I will not write about Daet because I don't have anything interesting to write about. We arrived at around 8:45pm so we didn't have the time to roam around town. A and I were just glad to leave for Manila at 5:30am.
The ride through the rest of Camarines Norte, Quezon and Laguna was a breeze and just as scenic as I remembered passing by the first time.
I just have to write about this...I hope that the management of Villa Escudero would re-think of the day-tour rates that they currently have. A and I would like to check out the church and the museum inside for a few minutes but 705pesos each seems to be too much. So we passed on the opportunity...I'm sure it still looks the way it did 9 years ago so i didn't really mind but I would have wanted A to see it as we share this fondness for museums and churches.
We were welcomed by heavy rains in SLEX but we reached the apartment safely. A had to stay on because he's under number coding. We agreed to spend time at the spa...for a body scrub and massage. It was so good, actually, miles better than what I had in Legazpi so I was looking forward to a pretty good sleep.
Dropped by Shakey's for dinner before we proceeded to the apartment...I was in a hurry to check the local news because of an on-going hostage drama. We tuned in the live newsfeed for a couple of hours and I was so depressed. And I'm not going to write about that because this is, after all, the wonderful Bicol trip with my best friend...my evil twin.
Thanks A, looking forward to the next trip. Cheers!
