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| Me taking a feel of the sturdy split walls of the tower |
One of the many places I am proud of in my province is Luna, La Union. Its pebbled beaches and historical landmarks amaze me. The Luna Watchtower ruins, locally referred to as "Baluarte," has stood the test of time, majestically enduring erosion since the reign of Spaniards in the country. Used to safeguard the people in the community against intruders it still stands along the coastal area, a reminder of the past and a bridge to the future.
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| the Luna watchtower split in half and supported on one side by planks.... |
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| A tree has managed to thrive inside the ruins and gives the place a touch of hope with its green leaves...eventually though, its roots and branches might cause the edifice to completely shutter with strong winds and waves.... |
When I visited sometime in May two years ago, several kids were playing on the brick walls. They would joyfully climb the holes on the tower and then jump on the sand. Their giggles made me think deeply about the past, the present and the future- How we should always learn the lessons taught by the past, apply them in the present and use them to make life better in the future.
...and yes, their smiles inspired me to FACE MY FEARS and KEEP BELIEVING IN
THE POWER OF PRAYER....
Luna Watchtower Ruins (Baluarte)
is located at Baranggay Victoria, Luna,
La Union, Philippines
wow, that is one cool place I love it.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! Ganda naman dyan. I had been to Vigan pa lang. I would love to explore other places in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur someday.
ReplyDeleteLovely pics :-)
ReplyDeletelove that first photo of you, very artistic, and love that watchtower, ahhh, brings back the old times, and love all the pictures in here.
ReplyDeleteThis is unlike anything that I have watched till now! Cannot beleive that it is a lighthouse! It looks so ancient, you have captured it beautifully. And I love the way you describe the tree and the kids, almost in a poetic sense! Have a lovely day Zen :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, Kulasa! Beautiful photos! It's amazing to me the way this cracked vertically first, instead of horizontally crumbling along the lines of the mortar holding the bricks and coral together. You're right about that tree possibly making the whole structure shutter. Sadly, the remaining structure almost surely won't weather too many more years of typhoons or waves.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the small rectangular holes on top, above the windows, would have held wooden beams to support a wooden roof (which the sentries would have stood on to watch the ocean). I wonder what they kept inside the tower - would be a good place to look with a metal detector maybe. How tall do you think the tower is?
Old buildings like this are fasinating, It's really interesting to learn the history, and to marvel how they have managed to stay around so long.
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