February 1, 2009

On this first day of March, Mar posted yet another set of Mt. PInatubo pics entitled "the march home" as the set shows our descent and our stop over at the site of the Bataan Death March.

Pics and words courtesy of Mar:

"started the long trail back at about 130 pm. but before really heading back, we gave mt. pinatubo the last look, as we gave ourselves the last set of photoops in that magnificent crater "

"the trek home was swifter (and i must say, easier?) since trail was now familiar (thanks to our cognitive mapping processes)... "

That is me with the crimson cap in the background yet marching ahead.

"travel factor handed us our little merienda - mamon and C2, which we enjoyed while at the ride back to the jumpoff point. that 4x4 ride was more ashy, than it was during the morning. after an almost two hour ride, all of us were like aged people becuase of our ash-covered hair"

"the whole travel factor team had a sidetrip in capas shrine (which we all anticipated to be a grand church). to our suprise, capas shrine was a memorial for all those who died during that infamous death march during world war II. an edifice (which we descibed as "the eiffel tower of capas") and a circular wall - where the names of the victims of the march were engraved, were built to commemorate the bravery of the filipino-american soldiers who fell at the hands of the japanese during the war"

I am particularly grateful for this pic as I have no more battery during this final phase of this lovely trip