Pampanga: Guagua & Bacolor

So despite all my apprehensions and the stress from last minute bookings, we shoved off at 4:40 AM early Monday morning, May 21, 2018.

Mindanao Ave - entry of NLEX - 45 pesos toll fee

Pampanga holds a special place in our hearts as my mother and D's father hail from this province albeit from different towns. I believe we still have relatives there but haven't kept in touch as it has been decades since we all got together.

I know there are many beautiful churches in Pampanga but foremost on my list and made part of our itinerary were the Betis Church and the one in Bacolor which is my mother's hometown.

NLEX (San Fernando Exit) - 124 pesos toll fee

Just a few minutes before 6 A.M, we reached the St. James the Apostle Parish Church aka the Betis Church in Guagua. Just in time for the 6 o'clock morning mass and it turns out it was in the Kapampangan dialect. I don't speak nor understand a single word of this dialect but the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is universal and I know it was a good sign, we started our long road trip by hearing mass.

About 8 minutes drive from Guagua, we reached Bacolor which is my mother's hometown. This town along with several towns in Pampanga was devastated from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. Its main church, the San Guillermo Parish still stands erect albeit it is half buried in lahar. Only the top most portion of the Baroque style edifice and its belfry is visible now.

Nowadays, they use the upper portion of the parish and it has been converted into a full blown church. My mom's father tomb was located behind the church but the entire cemetery was also buried under the ash and lava flow from the mighty volcanic wrath of Mount Pinatubo. So I think they merely light candles in remembrance of those buried in that cemetery.

Unfortunately, the church along with the nearby archives and museum was closed when we got there. Several years ago, my parents, sister and I were able to visit its interiors and I remember it still retained its colonial grandeur.

Planning a road trip

Once 2018 rolled in, I was already scouting for places to visit for our tenth wedding anniversary. I had several local destinations in mind. Some accessible by land and others via airplane. I kept browsing and researching online for hotel rates, airfares and attractions to visit. Months passed and I still didn't have any clue nor idea where we would go.  Our anniversary month of May rolls in and I was keen on going to Bataan and already mapped out places to see and compared hotel prices in that region. 

Until one day, D says Pagudpud would be a great place to visit. I was shocked for several reasons: (1) I thought he was just kidding (2) It is very far, by land it would take almost 8 - 10 hours of driving. (3) Our car is over 20 years old! (4) I won't have enough time to book everything.

Well D was really serious and assured me he was in good form to do all that driving but told me we only had 4 days (Monday - Thursday) to make it happen. Fridays, we are coding + he works on weekends. We also needed to rest overnight in some towns along the way. You see the thing with D (which constantly vexes me!) is he takes everything lightly. 

This leaves me to plan EVERYTHING because I am not a haphazard type of person. I researched, compared prices, read all sorts of reviews, made local distance phone calls, googled, listed down attractions and came up with an itinerary for a 4D3N road trip. 

Then I booked all the accommodations within 10 stressed filled days before our road trip. This kept me up for nights as I was overthinking every single detail. From the good & bad reviews of the accommodations, to places where we could have our meals en route or in the place itself, the stopovers, the places where we would spend the night, the distance in kilometers between the towns, the hours spent driving to these destinations, where we could buy pasalubongs their prices and how many we needed to buy. 

During the early stages of planning this trip, I would consult D about certain decisions we needed to make and his standard answer would always be 'bahala ka na'! Gosh, you would think he could offer some suggestions or anything relevant but nah he either can't be bothered or was too tired from work. 

So yes I am saying it right here in my blog, with pride, mind you. This trip was entirely dependent on my ability to plan, decide quickly, and map out a concrete itinerary without going broke and without going bonkers because I only had TEN days to make everything happen or go bust. 

For the most part, I'd say about 90% of the entire road trip/adventure was successful. I would also to add that if it wasn't for his stamina and endurance to drive all those distances, this road trip would not have taken place, period.

So I reckon we are both on the same page, equally and mutually responsible for the fun, sun filled adventure we experienced. Just like our decade long marriage, there were upheavals and struggles but together with all our flaws and imperfections, we continue (with the guidance of the Almighty) to strive to make it as fun, funny and tolerable as we both possibly can.   

AMEN!