Mayon is a paradox. Tourists flock while residents escape danger; lava destroys but fertilizes the field, so with volcanic ash; it is self-destruct and self-healing. People curse, people revere.
Dr Abe V Rotor
This is how close I got over the crater of Mayon Volcano on Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Iloilo in 2012. It was a bright morning with a dash of rainbow dramatically unveiling the majestic cone.
Old photos (August 14, 1928) showing the ruins of the church and belfry of Cagsawa after the 1814 eruption. (Acknowledgement: Internet)
Mayon is a paradox. Tourists flock while residents escape danger; lava destroys but fertilizes the field, so with volcanic ash; it is self-destruct and self-healing. People curse, people revere. Beauty begets beauty only after an episode of disaster. Science versus superstition; technology versus unpredictability; impermanence versus balance. Enigma is the word. (Acknowledgement: Internet, Wikipedia, National Geographic)
And what is peace and harmony? Perfection and symmetry? Gentleness and majesty? Ask the artist, the native of the place, the tourist, a survivor of eruptions, big and small. Ask a child, a balikbayan. (Acknowledgement: Internet, Wikipedia)
Left: This is how fire and water meet on the slope, cascading through gullies and solidifying in the process to become part of the volcano's perfect cone. Left: Before the catastrophic episode, the volcano groans as magma in its vowels expands and rises until the volcano can no longer contain the tremendous pressure. Result: eruption, a cyclic phenomenon that draws awe and fear, mystery and respect to this beautiful, enigmatic creation. (Paintings in acrylic by the author)
No comments:
Post a Comment