Recollection On A Quick Tour of Bicol
Posted on Thursday, 14 August 2014
Recollection
On A Quick Tour of Bicol
By Apolinario Villalobos
During the ‘80s, when the peso was not yet
more than twenty to a dollar, going around the country was kind of affordable.
That was the “golden era” of tourism during which Filipinos were encouraged to
visit the countryside. I had this opportunity when I tried “exploring” Bicol,
at least the mainland areas, that did not include the island of Catanduanes.
I started my jaunt from Naga to which I
took a jetprop flight from Manila. After having my fill of the city and the
countryside that included a visit to the Libmanan Cave, all squeezed in two
days, I took a bus early at dawn of the third day, for Iriga. As the sun was
about to rise, we reached Baao which prides in its centuries old church. Our bus
finally reached Naga after about twenty minutes more of smooth travel over
paved highway.
Aside from Nora Aunor, the “girl with the
golden voice”, Iriga is also famous for its grotto with its x-shaped staircase,
and Mt. Isarog which is among the favorite of trekkers who go for an easy
climb. I got off the aforementioned
religious landmark and patiently made my way to the grotto from the veranda of
which the whole city of Iriga can be viewed.
That morning, I took a trip to Buhi, home
to “sinarapan”, reputedly the smallest fish in the world, and thrive in the
tranquil Lake Buhi. Along the way, the almost perfect cone of Mayon
occasionally peeped from behind clouds as if hurrying me up to proceed to
Legaspi. After a fifteen- minute trip,
we reached Buhi where I was met by itinerant vendors selling “tabios” at one
peso per measure of a chupa, which was a little bigger than a coffee mug.
As there was not much to see in Buhi, I
went back to Iriga to pick up my things for my trip to Legaspi. I was just on time
to catch a passing bus on its way to the city which we reached in almost an
hour. What I saw along the way, confirmed what I have read from books regarding
the extent of Christianization of the region during the Spanish regime.
Practically, all towns have their own centuries- old church which became the
focal point of the people’s lives. The old structures dominate the landscape of
every town that we passed.
As we were nearing Legaspi City, the
vegetation on the gentle slopes of the active volcano became more discernible.
The sight almost stole my attention from the citrus orchards of Camalig which
during the time, every tree was heavily laden with ripening fruits. Camalig,
until today, is touted as the source of the best pili sweets and the hot “pinangat
na gabi”, yam leaves cooked in coconut milk made hot by a generous sprinkling
of native chili.
Several minutes later, we reached Daraga,
site of the Cagsawa ruins. Only the belfry of the church was what remained when
the town was buried by the lava spewed by Mayon during its most violent
eruption.
Our bus arrived in Legaspi at a little past
noon. I immediately deposited my things in a hotel and hurriedly looked for a
motorcycle that could be hired for Tiwi with its Hot Springs National Park and
Geothermal Saltmaking Plant of the Commission on Volcanology. I was advised
that the motorcycle was the best mode for better mobility around the city and
the countryside.
At Tiwi, I went first to a privately-owned
thermal bath resort to try its hot and cold swimming pools for an entrance fee
of one peso. As soon as I was inside the resort, I was free to use all
facilities that included a sauna bath, aside from the two pools. The sauna bath
was actually a “hut” with bamboo benches where I sat to be steamed by the
vapors coming from the vents.
From the private thermal resort, I went to
the Hot Springs National Park where I saw holes with literally boiling water.
The holes were fenced for the safety of the visitors. The area was enveloped by
vapors from the holes and vents.
My next stop was the saltmaking plant under
the administration of the Commission on Volcanology. Interestingly, the source
of the sea water was several kilometers from the plant site, transported to the
latter through a pipe. The end product was a very white salt finer than white
sugar.
Late lunch was taken at Tabaco, a
progressive town of the province. From there we proceeded to Daraga with its
beautiful church built on top of a hill overlooking the ruins of Cagsawa. We
went down to Cagsawa for a closer look at the devastation that the buried town
suffered from the rains of molten rocks and fiery lava. I imagined how the
Cagsawanons scurried in all directions in their futile effort to escape from
the spewed wrath of the volcano.
From Cagsawa ruins, we went to Camalig to
see how the famed pili sweets were made, and also to have a taste of the
authentic “pinangat”. I found out that
there was a “regular” pinangat which was not laced with the hot chili. I was
shown how to distinguish the hot from the regular veggie delicacy by checking
how the strip of coconut leaf that bound the bundled leaves was done.
On our way back to the city of Legaspi, we
dropped by the homes of abaca weavers. The women of the families were involved
in the cottage industry that produced beautifully designed table runners,
placemats, handkerchiefs and carpets. Their products were often pre-ordered for
export, but some find their way in shopping centers of Manila, especially,
those that cater to tourists. Abaca has always been one of the main
agricultural produce of Bicol, with the most famous early exports, being the
manila hemp and manila rope.
When I took the flight back to Manila from
Legaspi, I was resolved to be back for a more exhaustive exploration of the
Bicolandia and might coincide my return with their festivals, Peῆafrancia
of Naga held during Septembaer and Ibalong of Legaspi held during August.
Discussion