They say that you will know the kind of people living in a town or city through its churches. On how the church looks and how the people there when to see it. And when I visited Bolinao, Pangasinan, it was their church - the St. James Parish Church - was the one who greeted us and gave us an idea on what to expect from this simple yet lovely town.
There was once an article I read about this church and its town. It was said on that article that the town of Bolinao and its church, St. James Parish Church is claiming that the Catholicism in the country started here in this very peaceful town. And it was here where the first Catholic mass was held. Though, there was no accounts to prove the claim, and despite of it being NOT the Queen City, I personally think, that without the title, Bolinao is one lovable town that can make your stay memorable and worthwhile.
I'm just not sure why there are "banderitas" when we got there, but the facade looks very interesting and inviting at the same time. Luckily, since it was still too early, we got to see the church empty, giving us that simplistic look that summarizes the beauty of this whole town.
At the entrance of the church, these vendors will greet you, offering you one of the town's local delicacies - Binungey.
Each Binungey or Bamboo Cake will cost you Php20.00. Binungey is a sticky rice, mixed with coconut milk and then steamed inside the bamboo stalk. I'm not biggie when it comes to these kind of delicacies, but when I tried it, I'd say that for a price of Php20.00, it wasn't that bad!
The interior of the church wasn't as grand as any other churches in the country. And even comparing it to its neighboring town's church, which is the St. Joseph Cathedral Parish of Alaminos, St. James Parish is waaaaaaay too simple. But despite of that, it is still a pleasure to see it. I guess, the church is going or will be going through some renovation or preservation process, so I guess, for the future visitors of this town, you are about to witness more beauty of Bolinao, Pangasinan!
Lastly, located too at the grounds of St. James Parish is a small area for "pasalubong", so if you need something like souvenir for your friends and love ones, on the left side of the church was a small store that offers "pasalubongs" items at a very friendly price. I was able to buy a ref magnet for Php35.00. :-)
Thank you so much, Bolinao, Pangasina for this wonderful opportunity of sharing your simple beauty that is so remarkable and truly memorable! I hope to visit you again, and hopefully, I'll be with my love ones then!
Happy rammmpa, everyone!
0 comments:
Post a Comment