THE HOUSE OF GOD: ST. JOSEPH SPOUSE OF MARY

You know you are a tourist when one of the tourist spots that you would likely visit are the locals churches. May it be a chapel, cathedral, basilica and etc. one will surely have a spot on their itinerary.

Marinduque just like any province in the Philippines boasts many beautiful churches. One of them is the Parish of St. Joseph Spouse of Mary found in Gasan, Marinduque. It is situated on top of a hill so going there might be a little tricky but the view is amazing because it overlooks the barangay and the sea.

 

St. Joseph Spouse of Mary at Gasan, Marinduque

The parish has undergone a couple of relocations and renovations. As of the time, we visited the place there was still some construction going on outside the church probably they were doing some landscaping. The church’s architecture is really beautiful and the inside is also amazing.

 

Built in 1609

The first things that will perfectly catch your eye are the giant wooden doors. It has intricate carvings of St. Joseph, Mother Mary and the child Jesus. Once inside your eyes will wander up the ceiling which will ultimately remind you of a golden fan but if you scrutinize more it has the likeness of our national leaf and that is anahaw. They are spread across the ceiling just above the rows of pew. (Note: A pew are those long wooden bench where people sits in the Church). In addition there are also colorful stained glass window depicting scenes from the Bible.

Unique doors!!!!

Those fan like designs on the ceiling reminds you of an anahaw leaf.

One of the many stained glass windows

If you look beyond the altar you can see the Statue of Christ on the Cross and beside him are numerous saints situated on shelves with lace like carvings. The ceiling above the altar has beautiful paintings of St. Joseph and on how he is helping people.

 

A few inches from the altar is Jesus and the Saints

I see Art on the Ceilings!!!

So if you have time to visit Gasan Marinduque make sure to stop by this Parish and take picture of its wonderful architecture but the most important of all be sure to pray to God and thank Him for the blessings He bestowed upon you.

 

Happy Traveling!!!!

My Marinduque Adventure Part 1: Traveling There

Marinduque is famous for its Moriones Festival which is held during the Holy Week but you see this wonderful island has more to offer. It is after all the heart of the Philippines literally!!! On this blog I will share my experience on that beautiful island.

How did we end up in Marinduque is simple!  We were invited by the wife of my uncle! That is her home province  so the accommodation is totally free!

Anyway, travelling to Marinduque can be done by air, land and sea. Unfortunately though the airport in Marinduque seems to be under rehabilitation (See news here: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2171394692648  ) but if it weren’t the case you can travel to Marinduque in 30 minutes according to the locals. Zest Air is the airline to go if ever you want to fly to that island.

Now if you are a bit queasy riding in a plane just travel by land and sea. All you have to do is find your local bus terminal that offers trips to Lucena. The bus will take you to Grand Lucena Terminal then get a jeep to transport you to Dalahican Port where the RORO is waiting.

View from the 2nd floor of the Dalahican Terminal

Fortunately for us we have our own transportation. From Alabang to Lucena the travel time was 4-5 hours because we left at about 6:30 – 7:00 a.m weekday!!! So there was a lot of traffic in SLEX. Plus the trucks and buses occupied the highway. In my experience though, if you depart early from Alabang say 4:00 in the morning you will get to Lucena in about 2 hours only. In short, it is better to travel during the wee hours of the morning to avoid hassle.

Once you get to Dalahican Port Lucena you definitely have to pay the terminal fee:

1. Adult (Regular) – P30.00

2. Senior (With I.D) – P24.00

3. Children (With school I.D.) P24.00

(Note: My kids are toddlers no school I.D. à FREEEEEE!!!!! Yey!)

2 Shipping Lines are available and they are Starhorse and Montenegro Lines

We were supposed to board the 10:30 a.m. RORO but we were late due to traffic therefore we waited 4 hours for the next trip which was at 2:30 p.m. (Waiting time for the next RORO is usually 3 – 4 hours) So what we did is to go up the 2^nd floor of the terminal and paid P25.00 for a blue mattress and lie down/sleep to kill time. By the way there is FREE WI-FI in the 2^nd floor of the terminal!!! It has a good signal too! (Facebook mode!)

The only available shipping lines that day were Starhorse Shipping Lines and Montenegro. We rode at the former.

The passenger fee for the Starhorse Shipping Lines is as follows:

1. Senior Citizen (Present your I.D) – P208.00

2. Adults (Regular) – P260.00

3. My toddler kids – FREE!! (ho ho ho!)

 

Of course since we have our vehicle with us we paid for it also. The cost is P2,300. The driver of our van and 1 companion (that makes 2) are free from the Terminal Fee. In the website “Biyahe ni Drew” they recommended to have your own vehicle as renting transportation (jeeps/vans) are expensive.

Almost at Marinduque…these gorgeous little islands awaits you!

 

Green Islands!!!

After 3 hours of travelling by sea we arrived at Balanacan Port (This according to a couple of site is the common entry point in Marinduque, the other one is Cawit Port) in which a giant statue of Mother Mary a.k.a. Our Lady of Good Voyage awaits you. Take a picture now!!!

The Giant Statue of Mama Mary (Our Lady of Good Voyage) greets you at the port!

A more close up look of the Our Lady of Good Voyage giant statue.

Once inside the port there are jeepneys that will take you to where you want to stay. Unfortunately though I cannot write anything about the places where you can settle because we did not need one as we stayed in our auntie’s ancestral house but I can share to you the website of some hotels (cheap and affordable) that are in Marinduque.

1. http://www.tahanansaisok.com/guestroom-rates.html

2. Blue Sea Resort – Brgy. Amoingon Tel no. (042) – 332-13-34

3. Katala Beach Resort – http://katala.beach.resort.tripod.com/

4. Lucky 7 Pension House – Brgy. Mercado, Boac, Marinduque, Marinduque(042) 332-2227

5. The Boac Hotel Review – http://www.wowmarinduque.com/destinations/hotels-and-resorts/the-boac-hotel-relaxing-comfort-like-home/

For More info about hotels and accommodations in Marinduque, please click on the following website:

1.  http://www.visitmarinduque.com/category/accomodation

Anyway, stay tuned for the 2^nd part of my Marinduque Adventure!!!!

Keep Smiling! 😀

My Happy Feet!!! Till the next Marinduque Adventure Blog!!!