BICOL EXPRESS

Bicol region was my long time wish list in my travelogue. Unfortunately it was not realize until the 3^rd of May. My buddy invited me to explore his hometown in Nabua, Camarines Sur. I never had a second thought. The following day I packed my backpack and leave the hot temperature of metro for a while.

palay rice field

My first stop – Nabua - a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the census, it has a population of 75,422 people in 12,724 households.

Nabua is the mother town of Iriga City, Buhi, Bato, Balatan, Bula and Baao in Camarines Sur. Nabua has five districts: Antacudos, Binoyoan, Caobnan, Lupa and Sabang.

The plain hectare of land is covered mostly of “palay” one of the major source of income of the people.

However, the main problem of the farmers is the habitual typhoon leaving the agricultural land nothing but flood of water.

My second stop - City of Iriga - a 4th class city in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. It is located about 400 kilometers south of Manila, 37 kilometers south of Naga, and about 61 kilometers north of Legazpi City. It is bounded by the town of Buhi in the east, by the municipalities of Baao, Nabua and Bato in the west, by the province of Albay in the south, and by the municipalities of Ocampo and Sangay in the north.

in front of plaza

One of the tourist attractions here in Iriga is Lourdes Grotto. Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary invoked by Roman Catholics in honor of the Marian apparitions which are said to have taken place before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France.

stairs going to grotto

My third stop - City of Naga - a highly urbanized city in the Philippines. Naga is 377 kilometres south-east of Manila, the nation's capital. Naga City is the second largest city in the Bicol Region when it comes to population but not in land area.

Naga is the "Heart of Bicol" being the religious, cultural, educational, financial, administrative and commercial center of the Bicol region. Residents of the City are called Nagueños.

Naga City is at the core of Metro Naga, an official designation given the City and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council. MNDC covers the entire 2nd district of the province of Camarines Sur, and part of its 1st, 3rd and 4th districts.

Camsur Watersports Complex or Camarines Sur Watersports Complex is a water sports park designed for wakeboarding, wake skating and waterskiing. It is located within the Provincial Capitol Complex, Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur. The province of Camarines Sur, situated in southeastern part of Luzon is found in the Philippines, Southeast Asia.

great ride

         Just shortly when we arrived, rain pours. We decided to have our lunch before exploring the whole complex.

The Naga Metropolitan Cathedral is located at Elias Angeles Street, Naga City Camarines Sur.
Constructed in 1816 to 1831, the Cathedral was for many years the seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres which encompassed the six Bicol provinces. It is the biggest church in Bicol.

outside view

          The old stone church, magnificent in its striking baroque style of architecture, has two large belfries attached to its sides.

The ceilings are said to be painted using the art technique called Trompe-l’œil which makes it look like a three-dimensional piece of art.

inside the church

The pavilion on the Naga Cathedral grounds, other than being a good place to have a wedding portrait taken, serves as a shelter for the image of the Lady after the major processions – the Traslacion (First Friday of September from Basilica to Naga Cathedral along the streets of Naga City) and the Fluvial procession (8th day of the devotion, from Naga Cathedral to Basilica along the Bicol River).

The Basilica Minore is located at Balatas Road, Naga City, Camarines Sur.
Home to the miraculous image of the Patroness of Bicolandia, Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia. Thousands of pilgrims flock to this site during the September celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta just to visit and venerate the virgin.

The image of Virgin Mary is housed at Basilica Minore, a palatial structure replicating the Gothic architecture.

nuns are having night prayer during my visit

Nabua Church - the existence of Nabua as a municipality dates back to as early as 1571 when Fray Alonzo Jimenez, an Augustinian missionary, started his first Church mission in the settlement known before as Lupa. The historical marker found in the Church of Nabua indicates, however, that the town was founded seven years later from the date it was founded by Fr. Jimenez, which means that it was founded also in the year 1578.

My fourth stop – Pasacao - is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. Pasacao has beautiful attractive beaches particularly located in Barangay Balogo and Caranan which are frequently visited by tourists and excursionists during summer season.

black sand in a pristine clear water

What to Eat

Bicol fare is characterized by a heavy use of coconut cream and a copious amount of chilies – a culinary tradition that sets the region apart from the rest of the country but has a strangely similar affinity with the Malay culinary traditions. Try Langkang Palusag which is made of langka (breadfruit), bangut, garlic and onions in coconut milk, boiled, and simmered. Or the ever popular, Bicol Express named after the Philippine National Railway that goes through the Bicol heartland. Bicol Express is made of balaw (small shrimps) with a bit of ground pork and the notoriously spicy – siling labuyo- probably the spiciest chillies in the world. Diced lobster meat mixed with young coconut meat, taro leaves, lemongrass, ground garlic and diced onions in coconut milk makes the dish called Pinangat. Ginuygoy, meanwhile, is made of taro leaves, flavored with dinaelan and seasoned with lemon juice. If you are in the area, also try Inon-on – saltwater fish cooked in vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, onions and oil; Ginaring – roast skewered fish called talusog; and of course Gulay na Natong or commonly called Laing- taro leaves with chillies, and sometimes ground pork.

laing, bicol express with rice

Should we forget Pili Nuts? Nope! It is a sacrilege to skip out these deliciously addicting nuts that Camarines Sur is known for.

nuts in a plastic ready for pasalubong

Son plus de plaisir dans les Philippines en raison de Nabua, Iriga, Pasacao camarines Sur !

Way Points:

By Land

Naga City in Camarines Sur is accessible from Manila via the scenic Pan-Philippine Highway. Air-conditioned coaches plying the Manila to Naga route leave the Araneta Center at 30 minutes intervals starting at about 4 p.m. thru 9:30 p.m. daily.

By Air

If you are not coming with a tour group, Camarines Sur (through the Naga Airport in Pili) can be accessed via plane (45 minutes ride). Zest Air, Philippine Airlnes and Cebu Pacific from Manila and vice-versa.