Hola, Sorsogon!

I'm Spicy Rabasera representing Barcelona, 

Spa ...Sorsogon!

This pageant introduction line will never be delivered. I am no beauty queen material, and I'm not a Sorsoganon. Yet, I would love to be adopted by one of the provinces in Bicol. 

Reaching Sorsogon City on May 5, 2024 was an excursion which I'm willing to redo. Thanks to my gracious high school good friends and two kumares, this post-BUHS Grand Alumni Homecoming bonding was immediately concocted when they learned that I was willing to forgo my original sked that Sunday. I was certain it would take me to another level of happiness after our May 4 alma mater's event. 

I was ecstatic upon knowing that finally I'd be able to travel through Sorsogon City. Dear readers, I'm a full-blooded Bicolana, but I haven't been to all the six provinces in Bicolandia. In fact if you'd ask me about Sorsogon I could only give you very limited replies: "It's the bailiwick of the current Philippine Senate President (passed by his sprawling residence there)," "You'll experience butanding (whale shark) interaction," "Seafoods abound here," and "It's where the delicious conserva 

and mazapan pili are made." 

Truth be told, I'm no history geek. Thus, I would send S.O.S. to Google in providing a comprehensive info about a certain province. Well, the focus of this article is to give you a quick tour of the places which I visited in Sorsogon City and to let you have a glimpse of friendships that span decades. 

Quick! Come along with me. 

Five twenty-five in the morning of May 5, Mading Elvie picked me up from the hotel. Her early arrival gave us time to buy some fruits before joining the Parlade family in their car. We were magic 10 (eight from BUHS '86 + my super active goddaughter + a kumare's husband). Three vehicles were in a convoy. 

My poor recall of the route we passed by made me revel in the journey since practically everything seemed new to me. Sayang! Part of our road trip could have been video recorded to show that it was also a little stress/annoyance-inducing due to a kamote rider. *laughs* 

Anyway, we safely arrived in Barcelona, one of the towns in Sorsogon, after almost two hours. Photo-ops immediately ensued at the marquee and Barcelona Ruins Park despite feeling the temperature rise. 

Reading the text on the marker plate sign which we used as our backdrop for our "friendship bond" pictorial, I learned that Barcelona Ruins is what remains of the old Presidencia Building. Built in 1874, this was used as the seat of the municipal government and a fortress against Moro pirate attack; however, wars and typhoons tore it down. 

Across the Barcelona Ruins Park is St. Joseph Church. Also constructed in 1874 by a Spanish friar from the Franciscan order, this church looked well-preserved and maintained. I entered and offered a prayer of thanks for the unending cornucopia of blessings.

This stopover was a prelude to our destination where we would swim and eat our lunch. Just knowing what menu awaited us had me wishing that our travel to Balay Buhay Sa Uma Bee Farm would end at the snap of a finger! Patience, patience. Hahaha. 

Now, at my friends' desire to grant my wish to swim again in a beach, we checked Peninsula Dangcalan, a resort a long our way only to be a little disappointed since it's not yet well-developed. Inspecting the beach, we saw that it had signs of unclean and unsafe spot for swimming. 

We returned on the road until we entered a paved path that led to Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm in Bulusan, Sorsogon. Lots of green and lovely colorful flowers welcomed our group! My senses were instantly refreshed by the visually charming landscape. 

I didn't ask if I was the lone first-timer in that place, but I could see that all my companions were as delighted as I was especially when we transferred from the main dining hall to the cottage in Batis Sa Uma. 

Without touching the water, I knew that it was freezingly cold! Waaaaahahahaha! I began conditioning myself while Mai, my goddaughter, began her prodding. I gave in. I'm not a KJ or a party-pooper. Hahaha!

So the cold water swimming challenge with Mai commenced. Frankly, if the water were not chlorine-free and naturally flowing from Bulusan Lake, I wouldn't accept the dare. I really have a high cold intolerance. Mustering all my physical courage, I had my first feel of the water. I'm telling you, I could have an outburst of profanities if there were no other guests present.  

It took awhile before I partly adapted to the temperature. Ergo, I became comfortable indulging in this rare moment of pleasure and relaxation with these treasured people. Inspecting my arms, I noticed that the goosebumps on my skin had not disappeared. I was still shivering, but FIGHTING! 

We spent almost an hour swimming, photographing, video shooting, roleplaying, joking, and laughing to our heart's content. When we left the springcold Batis, I congratulated myself for surviving the first round of the challenge. Now, it's time for my most awaited episode! *gasps* 

Our menu was decided on after Mading Malu consulted us since she was the one who booked for this visit. A known jetsetter of our batch, she had chosen our venue well. 

Drumroll please...!

Ladies and gentlemen, we take pride in our local dishes! 

Adobadong Suso

Pork Belly 

Ensalada Na Pipino

Deep Fried Tilapia, raised in Balay Sa Uma

Tinutungan na Manok

Oh! I forgot to take a photo of the aba soup which was included in Package 2. Well, if consuming two bowls wasn't convincing enough how delicious it was, I don't know what is! Tee-hee! 

I looooooooooved everything in our meal especially the adobadong suso and tinutungang manok. It's been ages when I enjoyed these Bicol delicacies. And the fresh buko juice? Wow, oh, W-O-W! I ate kamayan style to savor the food more. It was a great farm to table dining experience for me!

After resting for a few minutes, we returned to Batis. 

I braced myself for the resumption of our "contest." This time, it lasted for 1.5 hours! Indisputably one emerged as the champion - Marie Bernarde! *slowly claps* 

At around 2:00 pm, we prepared to leave Balay sa Uma since we still had trip breaks until we'd reach a popular tourist spot in Albay. Closing our stay there with a fun photo session, we all appeared convincingly overjoyed and reinvigorated. 

On our way back, we dropped by a church  in Casiguran, Sorsogon. This is the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish. It's another instant to commune with the Lord. 

From the church we drove for a few meters going to Plaza Escudero. This is where I realized how progressive Sorsogon City is with all these structures. In this open area are the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine, Casiguran Settlement and the thousands of artificial roses. I learned that these blossoms turn blue at nighttime which beautifully illuminate the plaza. 

Next quick stop was Sorsogon Sports Coliseum. This was Sorsogon City's impressive achievement especially when this became the 2023 Palarong Pambansa venue. I couldn't just admire it at a distance. I had to be on it despite the heat of the sun at 3:15 pm. *puffs* Great decision since Mai perfectly captured my jump shot. Yay! 

Leaving the Coliseum, we headed to where the Sorsogon Provincial Capitol is. We stayed at the park in front of it momentarily to wait for our three companions, who lagged behind. I saw a chance for another jump shot, but this time Elvie joined me. 

And before exiting Sorsogon City, Malu let me taste the most delicious puto lanson (steamed rice cake)! Elvie, Mai and I accompanied her to this maker inside the wet market where Malu has been a suki. From one piece, I almost consumed half of the bilao! *reddens* Unluckily, I couldn't bring home this native delicacy since I'd return to Manila the next day. 

This splendidly punctuated my exploration of Sorsogon City. 

Feeling like an alien in my hometown since I didn't have the luxury of touring our province when I was still Bicol-based 38 years ago, I eagerly looked forward to the culmination of our day out in Albay - my birthplace. 

fin