The last time I recall that I did a real Visita Iglesia was years and years ago with my family. We weren’t able to complete the traditional fourteen churches to be visited then and were only able to go to less than half that number since we were constricted in the areas of Malabon.

After our near-fatal incident less than a month ago at El Nido’s Calitang Beach, my brother suggested to revive this Christian tradition in our family, partly as a way of giving thanks for the second chance we got during that mishap. This time, we decided to complete the fourteen churches and include the Stations of the Cross from each one.

While Cebu City's Sinulog and Kalibo’s Ati-Atihan Festivals were raging through the first month of 2013, a lesser known festival on a not so known part of Luzon was also making its own thunderous waves across the streets of Bulacan. Named after the town’s biscuit-like delicacy, Bustos’ Minasa Festival made its presence felt to the throngs of crowd who witnessed the intense acts these newcomers wholeheartedly delivered. Give this festival a few more years and I can definitely see it competing with the biggest fiestas the Philippines.

Water splashed on both sides of our jeepney as it crashed through the water-logged streets of Obando. The day was overcast but it wasn’t raining. The streets we passed are permanently below water due to its proximity to the flooded plains near Manila Bay. The passengers off to visit the annual Obando Fertility Festival were undaunted by the water however as our jeep continued its slow pilgrimage to Obando’s San Pacual de Baylon Church.
A mass was being celebrated as I entered the crowded front court of the church. The mood was festive and the plaza was loaded with people readying for the festival’s second day. A traditional band was waiting in line with ladies dressed in traditional colorful Filipiniana garbs.

It was with great trepidation as I stepped inside the cool chamber of Pinagrealan Cave. It was the first destination for Lakbay Norte’s eight-day jaunt through the northern parts of Luzon and the only preparation I did for this caving activity was to bring a flashlight.

The Pinagrealan Cave is a kilometer long cavern in Bulacan used by Filipino Revolutionaries during the Spanish and American uprising in the country. According to the books, even the great Emilio Aguinaldo hanged out at this cave.

The morning was just waking when we stepped off our Lakbay Norte bus. Golden rays were blooming up through the far horizon and the air was still crisp from the previous night. Still hazy from our short bus nap, we meandered groggily through the dirt path towards the Pinagrealan Cave.

I’ve never been as excited in attending a church wedding as I did last January when I was invited to join L’s cousin’s wedding somewhere in Bulacan.

An hour of scenic view across NLEX and some minutes of dodging traffic among the local karatig jeepney’s (a smaller version of the usual jeeps) plying the streets of Malolos, and the historic Barasoain Church finally filled our windshield. Yes, the wedding’s gonna be held at the same place where the first Filipino Republic under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was founded on. Pardon my being a history geek, but I really love these kinds of stuff.
Barasoain Church, formally known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, was built in 1630 by Augustinian Missionaries. It has been called the Cradle of Democracy in the East due to the historical events that transpired within its walls during the Spanish Regime in the country.

I’d have to say that the church looked smaller in reality than what my mind’s eye painted it, but it doesn’t mean it is less impressive. Designed in the Neo Classical tradition, its most prominent features are its huge rose window and its rounded outlines which contrast heavily with its pointed medieval belfry. All of this however, is only a reconstruction of the original which burned down in 1884 during the revolution. 1884 is still eons ago, so as far as antiquities goes, this church’s still pretty much an antique.

The Lakbay Norte bus was waiting at the Victory Liner Kamias as I boarded down from a 30-minute cab ride from home. It was three in the morning and with still no sleep, I lugged my bags aboard and met the crew. I chitchatted with the Lakbay Norte guys  a bit and then had a cup of hot taho where I met Mang Poka, a washer at the station for 12 years. We rolled half an hour later, here we go North Luzon!

Norzagaray was two hours away and everyone had their much needed shuteye. It was much too soon when I felt our bus bumping away uphill towards our first stop, the Pinagrealan cave.

I actually dreaded this stop since it was gonna be my first time to do real spelunking. Not that I’m afraid of getting bumped up but really because I cramp easily and I don’t want to ruin the trip by being hosted back out of the cave on a stretcher haha. After a feast on local sweets and some words from the Mayor, we were off to the dark depths of Pinagrealan cave.

The floor was wet and expectedly uneven. With flashlights, which not everyone has, we managed to slowly move towards the bowels of the cave. A third of the way and we were already wading in cold waist-deep water, there really was no other way to move forward but to cross these murky obstacles. Twice, we’ve had to squeeze through tight crevices, with cameras held tightly for the bottom was also filled with water.

I don’t have an idea how long it took us to reach the end of the tunnel, I was only glad I was able to reach it with no problem (other than dropping my flashlight twice into the water.) Only thing was we have to do it all over again to go back where we came from.

One interesting spot we passed at Barangay Maasim in San Rafael was a mini-dam built in the middle of the river that runs beside the road.

According to its marker, it was built in 2002 through the aid of Rotary International. It’s a simple enough structure, basically a concrete rampart that traverses the stream’s width. The purpose of the dam entirely escapes me. I guess it might be used to control the river’s flow and the high water utilized as irrigation for the nearby fields, but I’m just speculating here.

We got invited a couple of months ago to a friend’s place in San Rafael, Bulacan. Not really known as a tourist locale, we basically went there just to hang out.

Besides the fact that I pass the town of San Rafael whenever I go to my hometown at Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija, I know zero about it. So I consulted Wikipedia. It reported that San Rafael is a first class municipality in Bulacan with agriculture as its main livelihood.

It’s about an hour and a half by bus from Manila and we arrived there late in the afternoon. After a quick snack, we immediately set up the table under mango trees for an impromptu bonding drinking session. But before things got out of hand, we first watched the sun burn the sky to orange at the back lot of our friend’s house which opens to a sprawling newly harvested rice field. It was a quick, but nevertheless, fiery sunset.