However, today was different. I was already watching different shows since yesterday (Maundy Thursday) so watching even more shows today was just too much. And I found watching re-runs, for the past 30 plus years of my life, getting old, in the real sense of the word. I did something really different; something I have never done before. I gave the word Pilgrimage a whole new light; walked to different churches as my stamina and time permits.First stop was Sta. Cruz Parish at Sta. Cruz, Manila. I didn't walk to get there. Walking to my first destination was not part of the plan. Besides, I wasn't really planning on going to Sta. Cruz Parish in the first place. It so happened that it was the first church that I saw.
After Sta. Cruz, I walked around thinking of which church to go to next. I was at walking around aimlessly for at least 30 minutes until I realized that the closest church is Quiapo Church. That took me a while. So I walked back to Avenida and decided to take a shortcut. I wasn't familiar with the area but I took a seemingly logical shortcut to Quiapo. Turns out, the end of the street was indeed Quiapo Church. Second stop, Quiapo Church.There were a lot of people at Quiapo Church. Only when I was heading back home did I realize that Friday is usually the day when devotees visit Quiapo Church. Hence Friday being called Quiapo Day. (And Wednesday being called Baclaran Day but, I didn't have the strength left in me to walk to Baclaran after my last stop.)
After Quiapo, I walked to Recto via Quezon Avenue and continued on until I reached UST (University of Sto. Tomas). I was pretty much walking aimlessly again and I was probably walking for a couple of hours by then. I took a left at Lacson Avenue (at least I think It was called Lacson Ave.) and walked straight until I reached a junction. I decided not to take either the left (to Cubao) or right (to Malacanang). I continued straight to Mabini Bridge (formerly Nagtahan Bridge). At the end of the bridge was another junction. Again I decided to go straight to Quirino Ave. But when I took a look around, I saw a cross from a distance. A church. So I decided to go to that church. I turned left. Third stop, St. Joseph Parish, Pandacan, Manila.After Pandacan, I walked back to the junction and walked on to my original plan, straight to Quirino Ave. I never realized how long Quirino Avenue was. I walked on and on until I actually reached Makati. By then I was already getting tired. My legs were sore. My feet were killing me. I already lost count on how many bottles of water I drank (500 ml each). I decided to at least get to one more church before I call it a day. A friend told me that there is one at Greenbelt. So off to Greenbelt.
From Cash & Carry (another junction), I turned left and walked to Ayala, towards Greenbelt. I noticed that Makati seems so deserted on a Good Friday. It is completely the opposite on ordinary days. The place felt like one gigantic ghost town with high rise buildings. Kindda like a plague fell upon it and everyone left. Looking for that church was like finding a needle in a haystack and you don't know what a needle looks like. By the time I found the place, it wasn't a really a church with a big giant archway and a cross sticking out of its bell tower. It was a small chapel. I was looking for a small chapel smack dab in the middle of high rise buildings. You can just imagine how relieved I was when I finally found it. My last stop for the day, Greenbelt Chapel.I took the bus back home. I wasn't about to walk back home because it was already pretty late. I walked for six and a half hours to four different churches. And I probably consumed at least three litters of water. Like I said, a new light on the word Pilgrimage.
Will I do it again next year? Probably. If I do, I'll do so in a different area.
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