Photo by: Mark Albert Alejo Cruz

Do you remember the 1991 Pinatubo eruption? Have you ever been to the crater where it all started? The Pinatubo eruption destroyed several towns and provinces around its region, I can still remember that day when ashes came falling down from the sky when I was young, I was playing with friends and was fascinated by the ashes falling down slowly into the pavement where we where playing and to think that my location back then was in Laguna, only realize the destruction it made in it’s neighboring provinces when I saw it in the news, my fascination turned into curiosity and sadness seeing people loosing their homes, farmlands and even love ones. It was truly a tragic event.

Now it’s one of the best tourist attraction in the area, giving jobs to the locals and creating revenue to the local government, my first visit was about ten years ago where the only man made structure was a wooden platform that served as a view deck for tourist and would have to walk 8-12 hours to get to the crater, but I believe 4×4 was already used to cut off the trek time to get to the crater at the time, we just did not have the money I guess. If you visit it now, it’s like visiting a park where you’d see waiting sheds and bench for tourist’s to rest on, comfort rooms for needed circumstances, and they even offer boat rides to see the other side of the crater.

Funny how my fascination to the ashes falling to the pavement of the streets in front of our house in Laguna when I was young turned into sadness when I have learned what it is about in the news and how people loose their hopes and lives, and now it never fails to fascinate me again every time I go back to the crater where it all started. Well, God and nature has it’s way of reminding us how good things can start from bad things.

Written by Ven Baclig of Travel Ventours