MARINDUQUE: Day 1

I may not be born there but I'm a certified Marinduqueña! simply because both of my parents were born and lived almost half of their lives there. According to my not so trusted memory I've been there twice; first when my grandmother was the "hermana" and second when I was in second year high school so after twelve years, my feet finally landed again to our hometown.

Geographically, Marinduque is the center of the Philippines also known for being the its "heart" because the province is heart-shaped. The province is divided into 6 municipalities having Boac as its capital.

 (Heart of the Pearl of the Orient)

One of the perks of working as an ESL Instructor for Koreans is having long holidays and this year 2015 as early as February we were blessed to have three days (Wednesday-Friday) plus weekends with a total of five lakwatsa day for me! With too much excitement, my father and I traveled after my working hour.

We arrived at JAC Liner Cubao at 1:30 am and started traveling to Lucena Port by 2:00 am. I enjoyed the ride though my father was a bit pissed because the bus picked up passengers all the way so instead of boarding on time we missed the 4:00 am trip and waited for the next trip at 10:00 am. (Patience is a virtue was truly applied)

Touched down Balanacan Port at 12:30, more than two hours travel time but it wasn't scary as I imagined because of the calm sea. I got mesmerized by the clear water and nice view. To complete the more than 6 hours travel time we directly rode a jeep going to Libtangin and a tricycle ride to Purok 6, Tapuyan Gasan Marinduque where my uncle's family resides. 

After few hours of resting we went to Gasan Church to hear the mass because its Ash Wednesday, the first day of lenten season where ashes are ceremonially placed on Christians' head. Unfortunately the place was quiet and there was no sign that mass will be held. I took advantage of the situation by entering the church and got stuck on how it was artistically created. 

Sunset at Gasan View Park was totally amazing! Got moved as the dark clouds conquer the white ones, the color faded little by little as innocent kids played non-stop. A good scene to call it a day!

~thetskie here~