Your Majesty In Albay (Part 2)

We headed next to the Baroque styled church of Our Lady of the Gate Parish in Daraga, located in the highest point of the town. This location saved the church from the destruction of the furious volcano. To give you an idea of its elevation I counted the steps as we climbed up the churchyard, and it’s 83 steps uphill!

Founded in 1773, the church’s architecture was evidently influenced with old Baroque style, thus giving it the wealth of symbolism. The first details that struck me are the four round medallions in the middle of the columns with the images of the four evangelists, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Another remarkable symbols are the three theological virtues on the top of the arch of the main door ---a lady with an anchor for hope, a blindfolded lady for faith, and a mother with several children for charity. What fascinated me most is the fact that all the symbols are carved out of volcanic stones!

There are other churches that we opted to visit that night, the Cathedral of San Gregorio Magno in Legaspi City, which boasts of its old brick-walls, and the Sto Domingo Church at the rather far-off town of Sto. Domingo, but time did not permit us to.

The Best Meal

Thinking of the best dinner while we were on our way back to the inn, we craved for Albay’s specialty pinangat, a spicy taro leaves cooked in coconut oil. Pinangat was not easy to find, though. Forget about first-class restaurants, go down the market place and check the many eateries and dish stalls in the sidewalk. There you can find the best tasting pinangat, which are either placed on a water bucket or a huge pot (you’ll notice that it is the only dish placed in such big containers, due to popular demand most probably).

Eating in the market seemed very inviting especially that everyone looked satisfied with the food. But we decided to have the pinangat for take out, together with two cups of newly cooked rice, so we could eat without using spoon and fork in our own room. For us Filipinos eating with bare hands signifies a big appetite caused by the mouthwatering meal! Needless to say, that’s the most satisfying meal I had in Bicol.

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