2025 Camino de Peñafrancia (Day 2)
Divine Mercy Monastery of Carmelite Nuns of Holy Trinity to
St. Peter & Paul Parish Church
Distance: 14 kilometers
I regret to announce that I am abandoning my Camino de Peñafránia 2025 journey. Last night, I woke up with severe swelling and excruciating pain in my right toe. This is the first time in my life that I have had to give up on something. I attempted to walk last night, but the more I tried, the more the pain intensified. At this moment, my toe is still very swollen.
It brings back bad memories from last year. The situation was almost the same, except my ankle was swollen then. Despite that, I managed to walk through several stages. I wonder what it was about the dish I ate in this area. Could it have contained MSG? It seems my uric acid levels are high.
It’s interesting how people tend to become a bit lazy when they know they only have a short distance to walk. The pilgrims began their journey at 6:30 AM, and by 7:30 AM, everyone was ready for breakfast at McDonald’s. After half an hour, they started walking to the next parish church in Ligao City, which was just a short 1-kilometer distance away. By this time, the sky was clear, with no clouds and not a drop of rain in sight; it was a beautiful, sunny day.
By 9:00 AM, we made our way to the next town, Oas, Albay, where the St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church is located. The heat gradually intensified, and by the time we reached Polangui, it felt like it could burn my skin in just three minutes. One by one, we arrived at the St. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Polangui, Albay. I could see the faces of the thirteen pilgrims; there were no smiles, just signs of thirst and tiredness, yet also a sense of accomplishment.
In preparation for their arrival at the parish, I bought two cases of water bottles (48 in total). All the bottles were chugged within one hour.
Tomorrow, they will face their hardest climb yet. For the first time, they will cross the province of Camarines Sur while leaving the province of Albay.
BUEN CAMINO!
VIVA LA VIRGEN!
VIVA DIVINO ROSTRO!
About the Author
DENNIS T. MARPURI graduated from Ateneo de Naga High School. He was an independent IT consultant in the US and worked in nine different states doing contracts primarily with Federal government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. He also became a professional photographer covering NCAA college sports. Now retired, he and his wife love to travel to Europe. They divide their time between Northern California with their immediate family and Ocampo, Camarines Sur, his hometown, where he promotes mountain biking for the local youth. He is the founder and principal advocate of Camino de Penafrancia.
