Easter week is one of the busiest travel weeks in the Philippines. People flock out of Manila and return to their
“provinces” to observe the holy week with their families. If planning in advance isn’t your forte, it is most likely you’d be left behind in Manila or you’d have to venture
the provincial highways.
The last minute nature of Lucy’s trip and our desire to see
the whale sharks in Donsol left us only with the driving option. Iris and I briefly researched our destinations,
tapped into our local travel connections, booked a few hotels, and we were set for the trip. Against the advice
of our Filipino colleagues of hiring a driver, we got a hold of a GPS and left
for our destination. The road trip rules
were simple: 1) we will not stop in Quezon Province and 2) we will not drive
after nightfall.
We left Iris’ at 6:40am.
Not counting the time that we got lost in Manila (yes, with a GPS) and
stopping in Jolibee (Philippines' national fast food chain) it took us about
9 hours to arrive in Naga City. Even
though google map suggested that the trip to our final destination was 6 hours,
checking with our local friends with ‘provincial’ knowledge paid off. We were
still about 4 hours away from Donsol after arriving Naga.
Naga Cathedral in the dusk was strangely beautiful. The facade of the building was old, historical, detailed, as if it has stood in Naga City for centuries. Yet, on top of the Cathedral, there was a
cheap-looking electric cross beaming blue neon light into the night sky. That
evening, because of Easter, a mass was in session and the church was filled
with followers. The peaceful ceremony was a stark contrast to the buzzing Naga City traffic surrounding the
Cathedral’s courtyard.
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