A House Now Gone

Thatched roofed houses in Centro II, Sanchez Mira

In my first ever post on Sanchez Mira, I posted this photo to show what some houses in Sanchez Mira look like.

If I had taken this photo earlier (by just a few months) from the very same spot where I took it, it would’ve shown an entirely different image.

Notice the vacant lot on the foreground of the photo…

On that lot once stood a thatch-roofed wooden house which was so simple, so modest… so unpretentious. And it was beautiful for being so.

I was saddened to see the house already gone when we went there for the Christmas/New Year vacation last year and I regretted so much that I wasn’t able to take any pictures of it.

I thought that I will never see the house again.

But, I was wrong. And I can’t be any happier in being so.

Rodney, my wife’s cousin, sent me a photo of the house after he found out that I was blogging about his home town, Sanchez Mira.

The house... now gone.

To Rodney, sorry it took me so long to post this, I’ve been up to my neck with a lot of things lately. Nevertheless, I thank you endlessly for sending me this photo. I appreciate it a great lot!

The Windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte

Last December, my family and my in-laws went on a two-day tour of Ilocos Norte, visiting places like Paoay, Currimao, and Batac, among many others. Neither did I think nor imagine, at any time prior to that trip, that I would see what I would later consider to be among the most beautiful man-made mechanical structures I’ll ever see with my own eyes.

I’m referring to the windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

One of the windmills of Bangui

According to a news article I’ve read online (dated October 13, 2005), the windmills stand 23 stories tall (I’m supposing this is for the tower only) and the blades have a diameter “wider that the wingspan of an airbus” (which, understandably, was in reference to an airbus aircraft, but which aircraft it is, I don’t know).

Warning – Mathematical content follows:

23 stories high… that translates to more or less 69 meters. Considering the blades’ length is about half the tower’s height… that makes the blades 34.5 meters long (each). Now, to get the diameter… multiply 34.5 meters by two and we get 69 meters. Ok… now I’m going in circles. Anyway, that makes the windmills’ blades’ diameter wider than the wingspans of all Airbus aircrafts EXCEPT the A380 which has a wingspan of 79.80 meters.

According to the article:

“Standing in an arc in wind-lashed scrubland, the windmills, which started supplying electricity to 40 percent of Ilocos Norte in May, are the first source of clean energy introduced in the Philippines, a nation with 84 million people reliant on oil and gas.

“Costing more than $48 million, the windmills, built by a private company with interest-free loans from the Danish government, can harness winds the strength of Hurricane “Katrina” which devastated the US Gulf Coast last month.”

Windmills Along the Shore

The windmills may be a marvelous sight to see from afar but seeing them up-close is an entirely different story.

Standing directly underneath one, seeing and hearing the blades slicing through the air above head makes for a truly exhilarating experience! I’m actually quite surprised to find out that the tips of the blades were so much high up because when I was standing beside one, it felt like the blades were just a few feet above my head.

I can’t help but imagine how wonderful the view is at the top of these things… if only I was able to climb up in one of them. I almost did, actually.

While we were having our lunch in a nearby cafe (Kangkang Windmill Cafe), we were told by one of the cafe’s staff that people are allowed to climb up the windmills whenever they’re being repaired… all we have to do is ask permission (from the people working on the windmill). There was one being repaired at the time… but, to my dismay, the crew told us that they couldn’t allow us up because the electrical wirings were exposed…

The huge generator of one of the windmills

The top cover of one of the windmills

The ladder inside the windmill

Maybe next time…

Baguio City

Panorama shot of Baguio City

Baguio City will be celebrating its Centennial this coming September 1st (2009). It was on that day a hundred years ago when Baguio was declared a chartered city.

Famous for its strawberries, fresh flowers, vegetables, pine trees, and cool climate, Baguio’s been one of the Philippines’ must-go-to vacation spots (I’m very much tempted to add “for as long as I can remember” here, but then it’s been that long before I was born).

I can still remember when I was still in grade school, hearing my classmates tell about the numerous summer vacations they had spent in Baguio which often involved horseback riding in Wright Park, eating fresh strawberries, going to the Mines View Park, and a whole lot of other things. It all sounded so wonderful!

At the time, however, there was one thing the grown-ups (i.e., parents) kept fussing about each time Baguio is mentioned… potable water which, according to them, was quite hard to come by.

Many years would pass before I would get the chance to see the place with my own eyes… I was already in college then.

I remember being on the bus, excitedly waiting for it to come to a stop as it approached the terminal.

Maybe there was something wrong with the bus’s air-conditioning system, but I remember feeling relatively warm inside the bus that I was thinking to myself “I thought they said it was really cold here.” However, as soon as I stepped outside, I literally froze and started to shiver. I’ve never felt that cold all my life and I loved it! It was already dark that time, by the way, and it was drizzling.

Note: Daytime in Baguio is not as cold, but still a notch colder than the coldest temperatures we get here in Manila.

I have already lost count of how many times I’ve gone back there in the nine years that have passed since that “first” trip (though, I’m certain I’ve been there more than five times)… but still, I very much want to go back.

Below are some photos I took when we last went to Baguio (about a month ago)… If you haven’t gone there yet, believe me, Baguio City is quite an experience.

But before we proceed to the pictures, here’s a bit of trivia for you… After ascending Kennon Road and arriving in Baguio on a horse, then Governor-General William Howard Taft sent a lengthy telegram to then United States Secretary of War Elihu Root on his ride. Reminded of Taft’s hefty built, Root sent a terse reply: “How’s horse?”

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral

Cafe by the Ruins

The Good Shepherd Convent (where you can buy all sorts of food stuff)

A jeepney parked outside Maines View Park

A trip to Mines View Park won't be complete without this picture

Panorama shot of the view at Mines View Park

The Victory Liner Terminal