A Few Shots Outside Albay Cathedral

Since my work is the major obstacle to pleasure, I had no choice but to finish the job assigned to me during my stay in Legazpi City. I toiled under the sun as quick as I could so I will get a free day to visit the ruins Cagsawa.

Woe to me! I am in the Queen City of Bicolandia but I didn't got the opportunity to visit its many tourist spots. Even Mayon Volcano hid behind the clouds most the time. I almost accepted the notion that I will never see the volcano's perfect cone. I was fortunate, however, because the beautiful Mayon Volcano showed herself one morning. I will talk about this wondrous event later.

Despite me being busy, I still managed to visit one place in Legazpi City. This city has many tourist spots like the tunnel used by the Japanese soldiers during World War 2, Ligñon Hill for those who love hiking and rapelling, and an eco-park. I never went to any of these places. The place that I visited is the heart of Legazpi City. The heart of Legazpi City is the Albay Cathedral.

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I consider Albay Cathedral as the heart of Legazpi City because it is this church that started it all. It represents the fact that Legazpi City exists due to the toils of Spanish Catholic missionaries, who went to Albay to bring the Good News to the natives.

Albay Cathedral strated as a wooden chapel in the 1580s when missionaries came with the Spanish conquistadores. The early Christian communitiy in Legazpi was under the care of Franciscan friars and also fall under the jurisdiction of Doctrina of Cagsawa. Albay Cathedral is currently the seat of bishop of Legazpi.

It was cloudy, with a chance of rainshower, when I visited Albay Cathedral. The first thing that I noticed is the arch at the front of the cathedral.

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The photo is not good. Electric wires spoiled the view. It is the same complaint that I have with Santa Cruz Church in Manila. Spaghetti electric wires are unsightly. It would be good if these wires were placed underground just like in Makati Central Business District.

The arch displays the name of San Gregorio Magno or Saint Gregory the Great, who is the pope 6th Century pope and Doctor of the Church. The saint is secondary patron of Albay Cathedral. The primary or titular patron of this cathedral is much greater and she goes by the title Our Lady Mother of Salvation.

Also displayed on the arch are the coat of arms of bishops who served the Diocese of Legazpi. One these is the coat of arms of Bishop Concordio Sarte.

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The bishop served the diocese from 1980 to 1991.

The cathedral is closed during my visit. I had no choice but to take photos out side of the church.

I noticed something peculiar in the structure of Albay Cathedral.

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The front of the cathedral has a finish of smooth cement. The side walls of Albay is still made of stone blocks.

My favorite photo that I took during my visit to Albay Cathedral is this:

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The welcoming gesture of this image of our Lord reminded of this passage in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (11:28):

“Come to me, all you who labor and are brdened, and I will give you rest.”

I didn't linger long at Albay Cathedral. I took some photos and went back to work. I wish that I can enter Albay Cathedral during my next visit Legazpi City.

A Quick Peek at Tabaco Church

The grey Catholic church is the first landmark that I saw when our bus entered the poblacion of Tabaco City. Its massive structure is impressive and I vowed to visit this church. I was surprised when my companion asked me this question: “do you want to visit that church now?” It seems like he knows that visiting churches is part of my itinerary.

I answered “no” to his question. We came to Tabaco City to work and I placed work over my unofficial “sightseeing”. My time to visit this church will come so there is no rush to visit this church.

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That time came in the afternoon of our first day in Tabaco City. I left our cheap hotel and proceeded directly to Tabaco Church. The Holy Mass is currently underway so the church is crowded.

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I failed to take photos of the interior of Tabaco Church because of the crowd. I just contented myself with taking photos outside of the church. The bell tower caught the attention of my camera.

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The bell tower is old and grey like the church beside it. I noticed that the gate blocking the stairs leading to the top of the bell tower is ajar. I decided to climb without any permission.

The interior of Tabaco Church bell tower is dark and damp. Rubbles are everywhere and it seems like the place is in dire need of cleaning. Still, the place is the good place to take photos of Tabaco City. I took a good shot of the park in front of Tabaco Church.

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The monument of “Christ the King” is located at the center of the park. Do you notice the angels surrounding Jesus Christ?

I also took this shot:

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I am about to take another photo when an old man suddenly appeared inside the bell tower. I thought that he will scold me and throw me out of the bell tower. He didn't.

The old man told me that the kampanero (ringer of the bell) is dead that's why no one cleans the bell tower. He is at the bell tower to fix the wirings in preparation for Semana Santa (Holy Week). I am grateful that he allowed me to continue taking photos.

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Bell of Tabaco Church

The old man told me that the Tabaco Church was built through the donations of the parishioners. He told me that his grandmother and other Tabaqueños donated blocks that were used to build the church. The original structure of Tabaco Church was established in 1616 but it was destroyed by the 1814 Mayon Volcano eruption. The current structure was built between 1864 to 1879.

I didn't linger long in Tabaco Church. I left after I made a mini-tour of the bell tower. I hope to see the interior of this church in the future.

Affordable Beach Resort at Bulan

One of the things that I like in Bulan is the Sabang Park and Beach Resort. I like it because it is very affordable. I only paid 5 pesos to enter this beach resort. This is the reason why the park and beach resort is packed with people. Anyone can bring their own family without paying so much just for a dip in the sea.
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Too bad that I reached Sabang Beach while I was walking around Bulan. I had no beach wear nor extra clothes so I didn't dare to dip in the sea. I didn't even had a companion that will guard my precious camera. I have no choice but to walk around the resort and take photos.

Sabang Beach is located at a place where the sea meets the river. The visitors of the beach resort can either swim on salt water or fresh water.
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The river beside Sabang and the place where it meets the sea.

The place boasts of a beach with fine sands. There are cottages that can be rented by families who are picnicking.
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The sea is quite fine. People can dip in its waters during calm weather.
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Sabang is both a beach resort and a park. Park amenities is just few meters away from the beach. I saw that Sabang Park and Beach Resort has a conference hall, which was being used by the members of Couples for Christ (CFC) during my visit. It is also a mini-zoo of sorts because there is a cage that holds some birds. There is a playground for the kids and some benches where couples “smoochie smoochie” without care.
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What interested me is an old monument that honors those who fought the Japanese during the Second World War.
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I think that no one is honoring the Second World War heroes now based on the condition of the monument. No one, not even the resort management, cared to clean the monument.

The people of Bulan is blessed to have a beach resort that is so affordable and accessible. How I wish that we have this kind of beach resort in Manila. When will Metro Manilans enjoy a dip in a crystal clear water at place where Pasig River meets the Manila Bay? That is a dream that the people of Bulan enjoys now.

At Bulan the Second Time Around

The Sorsogon town of Bulan is the first place in Bicolandia that I ever set my feet on. A big ship brought me to this town in my first visit. For my second visit, a passenger boat brought me from Masbate City to Bulan.

It is evening when we reached Bulan after the long and noisy travel aboard Kulafu. I am glad to stand on solid ground again. It is good that our guide in Bulan bid us to stay in his house. At least we are spared from looking for a hotel after the exhausting sea voyage.

Nothing changed much in Bulan since my last visit. Jollibee is still the only fast food restaurant in the town. The noisy market is still there. The only change that is noticeable is the pier of Bulan. The old pier was demolished and was replaced by a new one.
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The improved pier of Bulan, Sorsogon.

The sea was calm during my stay in Bulan. The wind was still but the days were hot. It is still a perfect day to do my work. I prefer the sun than the rain when I am outside of the office.
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Calm sea and sky of Bulan.

Bulan is strategically located near the tip Bicolandia peninsula. The town is an important port for vessels going to Masbate and Ticao Islands. The poblacion of Bulan is small because the whole town is still dominated by trees and farms. This means that the air in Bulan is still not that polluted.
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The small poblacion of Bulan.

I only visited two places in Bulan. One is the Sabang Park and Beach Resort, which I will talk about later. The other is the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church or more popularly known as the Bulan Church. According to Dennis Lizano of Historical Bulan blog, Bulan Church is the biggest parochial church in the whole Bicolandia.
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Most notable landmark of Bulan Church is the reproduction of the Pieta.
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Bulan Church is truly big. It even has an altar on the side for masses for small group of people. I think that this church is old but I can't find a plaque or monument saying its date of establishment. Its belfry is fairly new because it was erected in May 2000.
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I attended the Holy Mass in the early evening. It all went well because I memorized the flow of the Holy Mass so I could still get the gist of it even if the priest was speaking in Bicolano. The only parts that I didn't understand are the readings and the homily.

Bulan Church is plain since it lacks the complicated designs that can be found in other Catholic churches. But, it doesn't mean that Bulan Church is not beautiful. This photo from Flickr shows a good shot of Bulan Church. What disappoints me is that the church is dusty. The image of Mama Mary and other saints are covered in dust. I hope that the parishioners of Bulan Church become more active in cleaning their church.

Noisy Boat Travel to Bicolandia Mainland

I only stayed in Masbate City for three days to finish the work assigned to me. I had no choice but to pack my bags and begin another journey to other parts of Bicolandia. My office ordered me to go to the Sorsogon town of Bulan.

The fastest way to reach Bulan is to ride a passenger boat at Masbate City port. The boat is scheduled to leave Masbate City at 2 PM every day. Our guide took us to the port after we finished our lunch. The Masbate City port is managed by Philippine Ports Authority, which is a government-owned corporation.
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We found the Bulan-bound boat berthed at the wharf. The boat's name is Kulafu 5.
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I saw porters load sacks of rice and other cargoes to the open space at the front of Kulafu. This boat is not for people who want an easy travel. Its seats are just monobloc chairs. The open window is this Kulafu's aircon that also bring in saltwater when the sea is rough. The worst part is that the engine of the boat is too noisy. You can hear the “brrrrrrrrr” of Kulafu's engine a mile away.
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One last look at Masbate Port.

Kulafu's engine started at around two o'clock. We moved away from Masbate in no time.
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View of Masbate City from the sea. The Masbate Cathedral is at the center of the photo.

Masbate City may already be urbanized but other areas of Masbate Island still have the rural ambiance. The province still boasts of large tracts of greens, which I saw after a few nautical miles.
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Mountains ans greens of Masbate Island.

Kulafu moved southeastwards aiming for the south end of Ticao Island.
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The red line shows our route from Masbate City to Bulan.

Travel on open sea is boring. There were no dolphins swimming beside our boat. I even waited for a kraken to eat Kulafu but to no avail. I only got excited when we saw land. We finally reached the south end of Ticao Island!
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I got excited when I saw land just after two hours on open sea. I now understand why sailors of old are so mad to see land. Being at the sea for a long time makes one miss dry land so much.

The sea got rough suddenly the moment we passed Ticao Island. We are back to the open sea but the boredom is gone. The winds are strong and waves came crashing at Kulafu. The sprays forced us to close the windows. Everything is doing fine until a woman became sea sick. Other passengers stood up to help her. We tended the sea sick woman until we reached Bulan.

It was dark when reached Bulan. We traveled for four hours. Our journey would have been much longer because the boat's captain wanted to save fuel and made Kulafu travel very slowly. The boat traveled faster when the woman got sick. What happened to the woman was bad but it had a good effect, somehow.

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