Back in 2004, my family and I went to Albay to see the beautiful perfect cone of Mayon Volcano. I remember we arrived - after 14 hours on the road - late in the evening and so did not get a chance to see it that night.
The next morning though, we were greeted by the majestic and marvelous Mayon Volcano - a sight of breathtaking beauty. It was surreal. Here's my sister checking the view from the hotel window...
Fast forward to 2009 - the photos of Mayon Volcano are those with ash and lava flowing out of its crater, accompanied by news of a bigger impending eruption, displacing thousands of residents - merely months after the devastation of typhoons in other parts of the Philippines.
2009 Year of Disasters and Tragedies
Year 2009 has become a landmark year for natural disasters and tragedies in the Philippines - include here the Economic crisis, triple typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi, the mass killing in Maguindanao, the death of the Philippines' icon of Democracy, and now the eruption of the Mayon Volcano.
But the Filipinos are resilient people - a national trait that has had much practice in the past year. Like the people of Legazpi City, a city much battered by the volcano, that rise up literally from ashes after every tragedy and rebuild their lives.
A Playground on Mayon Volcano
I remember when we were in Albay, we went up to a park up on Mayon Volcano - there was a playground, a church, vendors and we even flew a kite. That park I doubt if it is still there now, but I am sure another one has already been built. ;)
My Christmas wish is for all of us to help each other rebuild and recover, and to look forward to a more prosperous 2010.
Merry Christmas!
God Bless everyone!
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Merry Christmas Jena, and to your family as well. :D God Bless!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely sentiment, ReyJr! Beautiful post. Love the shots of the volcano and of you and your sister. What a warm smile you have!
ReplyDeleteNaragsak nga Paskua! ^^
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas! it's been ages since I visited Legazpi City and yes Mayon volcano is an awesome beauty but yet really deadly. I guess Mayon and the people living around it have learned to co-exist, I also hope that they can rebuild soon, siyempre bayanihan ang magpapabilis ng prosesong ito. have a blessed New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteYou've been to a lot of places. Do you have a travel blog? would you mind sharing it to us?
ReplyDeleteI don't speak Bicolano wah! :p Happy New Year buddy. ;)
ReplyDeletehappy new year!
ReplyDeleteWow. This seems like a very interesting place to visit.
ReplyDeleteBy the way. Happy New Year, and have you ever been to Norway?
You should go back, the cable cars are awesome :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I would wait until summer though, because now it's way too cold here...
Hehe. People where I come from tend to take the cold for granted. It's typical to hear people here wishing for snow. Geez. Reality check folks, if it snowed in the Philippines, thousands of people would die from the cold. :p (What a morbid thought!)
ReplyDeleteBut I would love to go and visit Norway again. :) Ah Europe!
Hey, I love the personal story you wove into this post. You're the most well-traveled blogger I know, Rey. Have you been to the Amazon rain forest, Rey? I won't be surprised if you have. :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Rey! I hope all in the path of Mayon's fury are well sheltered and looked after this Christmas. What a way to spend it. But think - isn't that just the sort of thing that was going on, on the first Christmas? Everyone uprooted from their homes, looking for shelter, commanded by the government as it counted heads? Here's to peace and resilience, more of the former and less need of the latter, in 2010.
ReplyDeleteMeri Krismas too Rey, to you and your family. We will survive , sabi nga sa kanta!
ReplyDeletea stirring post reyjr...i hope you have a merry christmas as well...and that people will join together to overcome...
ReplyDelete