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.