2025 Camino de Peñafrancia (Day 1)
Daraga Church to Divine Mercy Monastery of Carmelite Nuns
Daraga, Albay to Kawa-kawa Hills, Ligao City, Albay
Distance: 28 km
After our dinner last night, the pilgrims had an orientation about what to expect on our first day of walking along the rough highways of Albay. Lights out was at 10:00 PM, and the wake-up time was set for 4:00 AM. As with every Camino, we were sleeping in close quarters with people of different ages, so the sound of snoring was reminiscent of an orchestra concert.
Instead of waking up at 4:00 am, almost everyone was already awake by 2:30 am. The only thing I am proud of regarding this group of pilgrims is their punctuality. I think they drank too much coffee the night before. At 4:45 am, our breakfast was served, which included pancit bato and a large pandesal, courtesy of Father Tony Sial. After breakfast, we said our prayers and asked for a safe Camino. Exactly at 5:00 am, we began our descent from the beautiful hill of Daraga Church.
We established two alternate routes for the Camino Darage. One route includes visits to the Cagsawa Ruins and Sumlang Lake, both of which are worth exploring. The Sumlang route serves as a shortcut from the Camalig highway to the town center, allowing us to bypass the crowded highway and experience less vehicle traffic. However, we found that these alternate routes increase the distance by 4 kilometers.
The first church we visited was St. John the Baptist Parish, located in Camalig, Albay. It is situated along the main highway. On our way to Camalig, we encountered rain twice, so we decided to use our umbrellas and continue walking. We arrived around 9:30 a.m., but unfortunately, the church was closed, limiting our visit to a brief stop. Since they did not provide a wet stamp, we had no way to officially document our visit to this church, except for a few pictures.
The second church was located in Guinobatan, Albay, and is believed to have been built in the 1670s. The distance from Camalig, Albay, is 10 kilometers.
It was very quiet in the monastery. Our living quarters for the night were just like an albergue in Spain. The heat is starting to become a problem for us. I, for one, am so exhausted; my ankle suddenly started hurting, and I could hardly walk. We had our lunch at Kawa-kawa Hills around 2:30 PM, and then we proceeded to the Divine Mercy Monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Trinity.
The monastery was very quiet. Our living quarters for the night were just like an albergue in Spain.
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.
