It is almost midnight and in just few ticks of a clock, it will be my birthday. Sleep is a stranger and it is when the surrounding universe is dead that thoughts come alive. Another year older. What have changed? Definitely a lot. This is probably the first time that I will celebrate my birthday away from home. I don’t even know if celebrate is a proper word because I will spend this birthday alone.
They say the best things in life are free. So, when Ferdz invited me and a couple of travel buddies for an overnight free accommodation at one of Tagaytay's top hotels, who could say no. I have always associated Tagaytay with cool breeze and delectable food so this road trip is a welcome respite to the razzle-dazzle hassles of the metro.
Mention Bicol Food and one will definitely come-up with "spicy". And why not? Its most popular draw, the Bicol Express is just too hot to handle with chopped siling labuyo as its main spice. But hey, like what the Bicolanos say, you have never been to Bicol unless you have tasted Bicol Express.
Bicol has some of the most fascinating churches in the Philippines and I was so lucky to experience and see some of then during this Albay - Camarines Sur - Camarines Norte road trip. Some of them have the best facade but plain interiors while some have simple facade but amazing interiors. But the Holy Cross Church of Nabua has both, from the amazing red-bricked exterior to its wooden and polished exteriors, a perfect church to cap-off this tour.
As the day near its end, and after spending some time at CWC, we decided to pay visit to Pili Church which is just a few minutes drive away from CWC. Officially called the Church of the Parish of St. Raphael the Archangel, this Church looks so beautiful in a dusky setting.
For those moviebuffs, Iriga City is associated with Philippine Cinema's Superstar Nora Aunor who was born and raised there. And if you happen to chat with Irigañon's, they could very well say that the diminutive superstar was their claim to fame.
In a quiet little town of Baao in Camarines Sur lies a quaint little church that serves as the historical and cultural icon of the town. Further, the monument of the first Filipino Bishop, Jorge Barlin, stood in front of the church as a tribute to this young priest who was well-respected by his parishioners and Baao political leaders of his time.
