A Pilgrimage and A Beach Holiday
Posted on May 16, 2007
Filed Under Celebration, Faith and Spirituality, Fun, Parenting and Family, Travel | Viewed 1641 times
What to do if you want to go on a trip, with so short notice, and you wanted to bring as much members of the family as possible? That was my dilemma a few days ago, the mother hen that I am. There was no choice, but to compromise. Nowdays, compromise has become a byword—parents cannot and should not impose, so much different from my youth many years ago, when I could only follow the dictates of my parents. But come to think of it, during those days, it must have been easy, with no decisions to make, decisions were already made for me. At that time until I was about 14 years old, family would spend 2 weeks in Baguio City.
The eldest, J Angelo could not join, which was fine by me, as he already has his own family. Monica was to have her internship as part of a legal team during the elections, Vince had his ACET/UPCAT review classes, powerdance workshops and a debut to attend on Friday, the day of our departure, while Angela had her theater workshop and BA his summer class in the morning. Pauline wanted to go to the Ateneo gym for her jog. In the past, when I was still working full time, it was I who could not join the family from time to time.
Compromise. We were to leave at 2 pm, Friday, with 4 of the kids, while Vince would take the bus next day. It was the first time for Monica and Vince to stay at home without adult company, except for the household helper.
It was a long, leisurely trip, 4 hours to Lucena City where we spent the night, and another 5 hours to Daet, Camarines Norte, my husband’s hometown. My mother and her sister joined us—they wanted to join the pilgrimage. We checked in the Dolor’s Hotel in Daet, then brought the kids to my brother-in-law’s house to join their cousins, while we, the elder ones (8 of us) headed for the pilgrimage to Capalonga, about 2-1/2 hours away, through rough roads and mountainouse terrain.
The Pilgrimage. It was the first time for me to attend the Capalonga Festival, an annual celebration held every May 11-12 honoring the feast day of the Black Nazarene, which draws people of Chinese descent to this small town to seek favors for an auspicious business climate. A series of masses were held in the main church and what they called the “Chinese Chapel” and processions were held around the main streets of the town during the festivals. We heard Mass at 5 pm, joined the procession at 7 pm, and headed for Daet by 8:30 pm.
It was for me, a thanksgiving of sorts, for all the blessings bestowed upon me and my family. It was also an opportunity for me to seek favors, blessings, and intercessios, on behalf of family, friends, and blog readers and friends. My husband vouches that the Black Nazarene has granted him all of the favors he has asked during his pilgrimage throughout the years.
Trivia: I heard that every year, during the festival, a large number of buses would park in Lawton, to ferry pilgrims, for free to Capalonga and back to Manila, courtesy of the rich Chinese and Taiwanese (both from the mainland and those from the country) who have earned graces through the intercession of the Black Nazarene. True enough, I saw a lot of Chinese and Taiwanese devotees, and people from all walks of life in this small sleepy town. And yes, the airconditioned buses were there, waiting for the people who would like to go back to Manila.
Another Trivia. Capalonga was such a remote town that getting signals for Smart and Globe was difficult.
A Beach Holiday. The most popular beach resort in Daet is in Bagasbas, a 5-minute ride from the town. The beach has a long and wide expanse of fine gray sand. During clear but windy days, the big waves that roll in from the Pacific Ocean make it a paradise for surfing beginners and afficionados. Though not developed, it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Personally, I am glad it is not developed, otherwise, count a few years, and its natural beauty would be destroyed.
My kids, their cousins and I had a 2-day fun, frolicking in the clear warm water, riding through waves after waves, and in between watching the surfers glide on the waves.
We returned to Manila on Monday afternoon, another long trip, tired but happy. Am sharing some pictures with you.
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29 Responses to “A Pilgrimage and A Beach Holiday”
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About Me
Dine Racoma is Sexy Mom, a Filipina doing what she likes best—writing, her passion. She writes freelance, does research, advises on new media, and manages a virtual assistance office for home-based jobs. A mother of 7 (what joy!) foremost, a wife, MIL, grandma to 2 pretty girls and an angel in heaven, sister, daughter, friend. Was in the corporate world for 27 years, the first 5 as Executive Secretary to an affiliate of the country’s biggest drug chain, and the last 22 as an international civil servant in an international development bank with HQ in Manila. Traveled extensively to many countries bringing about rich experiences and lessons learned to share with dear Readers. All these—in The D Spot
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hello Sexy Mom! so, the pilgrimage and the short vacation to the beach kept you occupied for days. i missed your regular posts though. glad to know you and your family enjoyed even at short notice. you know, sometimes the unplanned getaways are the most memorable ones.
agree with you, compromise is the key. having young adults already, it’ll be more proper to convince them, not to force them.
sexy mom: it was so many things, dear, for one i have been grappling with Sexy Mac—shifting from PC to MacBook is not really easy, what I have learned with the PC, including shortcuts, for 10 years or so, I have to throw away and learn new ones.
yes, unplanned holidays are sometimes easier to execute than planned ones. and this time, it was shooting 2 birds with the same stone—religious-cum-pleasure.
the beach reminds me of Catanduanes, laid back but beautiful, my kind of beach. looks like you all had a good time. was that BA doing the handstand? wow! pretty athletic!
i see the bunso rinsing himself by the puso.
sexy mom: i remember your catanduanes pictures. isn’t bicol near catnduanes? see how unspoilt the bagasbas beach is?
yes, bunso by the poso—it was an experience for him. doing the handstands were vince (17 yo) and BA (19 yo). BA though is conscious of his weight—see the bulging tummy? (LOL)
While reading your post, it made me realize that I miss my family and our family get together. Wish I can can home anytime I want. BUt that sounds impossible… soon, I can..
thanks for dropping by my page 
God bless 
sexy mom: hi, Jireh, don’t worry…it will come. i read how you miss, esp your mom, i am sure she appreciated that chocolate cake you sent on her birthday. God bless you, too.
btw ms. dine, can we exchange links?
sexy mom: sure, dear.
that explains for this blog’s momentary silence then. nice sceneries, as well as photos. those beaches are nostalgic of the coastal towns of zambales and all the fond memories therewith related. did you make it on time to exercise your right of suffrage that day you returned?
sexy mom: yes, including grappling with Sexy Mac (look at response to Feng’s comment).
i have also heard that zambales beaches are also very beautiful. as to my right of suffrage, well…next question, please.
you tried surfing? hehe.
may bus na free? wow naman! matry nga yan next year
sexy mom: there were surfers and skim boarders. how i wished i knew how to do it, but i am not really a “water sports” person.
and yes, I saw more than 10 tourist buses in this tiny town. i heard that the chinese and taiwanese really spend on this every year.
Nice family pics Dine!Seems everyone had fun. Good for you and the compromise thing. Summer is about to end and we haven’t had a family time out yet.
sexy mom: oh yes, summer is almost over, now you remind me about the hundred and one things to do before school opening.
Awesome pictures… having a gorgeous time, huh
the beach looks so inviting
sexy mom: yes, the beach really looks so inviting. i was just afraid of a real sunburn!
i miss the beach
sexy mom: especially this kind of beach, fine sands, clear waters, waves, waves and waves!
I can’t do a cartwheel!
“The Queer Chef pimped me here”
=)
sexy mom: BA can do the cartwheel, even with his heavy bulges. he had a lot fun—in fact, he is sun burnt!
ah, Charles, the Queer Chef”...
nice beach! kaso lang anglayo. sana mapuntahan din namin someday.
sexy mom: 8 hours, dear, yes—it is a “must see” place. i have to write more about it, i guess, including accommodations, etc.
Wow, gandang-ganda ako sa first picture. Pang-magazine!
It looked like you had a nice time with the family. I hope that all your prayer petitions will be blessed..
sexy mom: as you can see, mine was more of a thanksgiving. prayer petition as i mentioned was for my family, friends, blogfriends included. my husband vouches that almost all his prayer petitions have been granted!
yes, i, too like the first picture, that is why i posted it there.
Hi Dine. Glad you had a nice vacation with the kids. I love how the kids had a great time. Frolicking under the sun, cartwheeling and lots of photo opportunities. Now that’s fun! It’s also good that you were able to spend time in prayer and reflection during the pilgrimage.
sexy mom: yes, Rach, it was a great holiday, though short. i spent all of the first day going to capalonga—rough roads, mountainous terrain, but it was all worth it.
Hello Sexy Mom! Looking at the pictures and reading the post reminds me of something when I was still in the Phils. Beautiful photos and it makes me miss the beach as well.
sexy mom: oh, i wonder what it is you miss, i am reminded of a picture by the beach you posted once, but then was gone after a day, hmmm.
Awesome photos! I need a holiday too, now!
[:
sexy mom: though not as good as your photos, dear Kyels. everyone needs a holiday.
Gosh, that looks like a lot of fun. I love the beach! We’re about 8 hours away from the closest one though.
sexy mom: it also took us more than 8 hours to reach the place. though there are many other beaches around, 3-4 hours away: in batangas, subic, zambales, pangasinan…
Hallo! I am amazed where do you find all that time and energy to write and share…wonderful hobby this blogging. I thought this is Sexy Mom…a joke when I clicked and saw the holy pic..But I read something from Dan Brown about a statue in Rome…more on that later. Keep well.
sexy mom: hi, Bituing Marikit. no, it is not a joke—sexy mom is so many things, not all fun. sexy mom has a lot of faith—goes to church, too.
hi there.
i wish i was at a beach right now.
lucky you.
sexy mom ka na nga, may beach ka pa.
sexy mom: by your name, the beach (or is it the ocean) is 2nd nature to you. thanks, chesca!
Wow! You all had fun on the sand; and under the sun…doing hand stand. I like that picture of the kid in the yard with the “poso.”
Thanks for sharing.
sexy mom: yes we had fun. BA and Vince were doing the handstand, while my youngest son is the boy by the “poso”. it was an experience for him.
masaya magbakasyon, lalo na sama family and friends. Saya saya. HOPEFULLY makauwi kami this year, apat na kami to go home(aray! sakit sa bulsa ang plane ticket!huhu)
if. If may kuarta and may day off si Lola francesca.
Ganda ng photos ng camera mo, keep it coming!
sexy mom: a vacation here would be great for the 4 of you! but Amy, choose the right month. summer nowadays can be so so HOT and humid, unlike what you have there in france. para comfortable si hubby.
i love the first picture, ang galing ng timing ng pagkakuha. ansarap sa mata.
daet is just 2 hours away from my hometown in quezon but i haven’t been to this beach, maybe we could try it next summer.
sexy mom: i thought the first picture was kinda dark. oh, if daet is only 2 hours away, you should go. the beach is very different from what i saw in quezon when we were travelling,
Wow! What a weekend adventure for the entire family; great photos, too!
It would be interesting to know more about the miraculous blessings of the Nazareno to so many people, including the Chinese business owners. It could be turned into a book.
sexy mom: ola senor, nice words from a respected photoblogger as you are, make me happy.
i would have loved to write about these chinese and taiwanese businessmen, but they seem to be kinda low profile and shy. though i saw them everywhere (in fact this tiny church has a chinese chapel at the back). a book would be nice, with your photos, of course. and the other thing is that the feast of the Nazareno is not held simultaneously as our Nazareno in quiapo.
When I saw the first photo, I thought you were in my home province Zambales, hehehe.
Nice way to spend the weekend.
sexy mom: zambales would have been fun, too, besides, it is nearer.
Hahaha! Fun pictures! One of the last times my family was (almost) complete) was also in Daet during my parents’ anniversary. The beach was amazing and we rented a house right in front of the beach. We all went surfing and had so much fun. As your family grows larger, it’s really more difficult to get everyone together.
hi sexy mom… My Firefox’s acting up, I keep losing my comments.
So the sexy family has gone on an official break. It really looks fun frolicking in the beach, I like the handstands!
Funny pictures of the kids ! Wow na miss ko po yan poso na may puno ng saging! It’s always fun to spend holiday on the beach lalo na pag kumpleto !
looks like you had a great time with the kids. i wanna go to the beach too!
[...] moment I saw this flower when we had that beach holiday in Bicol a few weeks ago, I just fell in love with it. We were then on our way back to Manila, and dropped [...]
[...] is the altar in the Chinese Chapel in Capalonga, Camarines Norte. The Capalonga Festival, an annual celebration is held every May 11-12 honoring the feast day of the Black Nazarene. It [...]