One of the Roman soldiers

Sharing coconut and a smile

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MARINDUQUE ISLAND      I wandered off to the Moriones Holy Week Festival on the island of Marinduque.  I really wanted to see a Philippine cultural event.  The ferry ride from Lucena was two hours.  I arrived safely on Marinduque Island only knowing I wanted to go to Boac. And, to my delight, I immediately saw the Moriones, Roman soldiers, outside my hotel window.

Boac celebrated Holy Week in a big way. There was a candle procession through the town.  Amidst everything were statues of saints pulled on floats, Jesus with a cross, hundreds of saintly little ladies, and thousands of believers with candles.  But Boac was really known for the evening plays which began with creation and went on through the Old Testament and on to the life of Christ.

I took a motorcycle / tricycle tour with a driver, William to see the hot springs and where the wooden Roman masks were hand-carved.   The hot springs were not worth the effort, and it took a while to find the masks.   Then, when I suggested food, William asked if I'd like to go home with him.  He lived outside of town in a small cement block home surrounded by family.  A banana leaf was placed across the table.  I thought it was a lovely table cloth.  Silly me!  It was the place setting.  Rice, clams, snails, and something like chestnuts were served on the leaf.   It saved on dishes and the chestnuts were great.