The Travel Bug: Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA)

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San Narciso, Zambales
Central Luzon
21 February 2012
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A day before, I received a text from my brother, asking if he could borrow the camera. He said he was going to PMMA the following day. I was suddenly very awake despite having just revived myself from a near coma-like state, induced by two 16-hours shift. Anyway, I replied and told him that Feb 21 was a rest day for me. He told me then that it'd be better if I slept in their house because we were leaving early; and, so I did.

We left the house at around 5:30am and passed by The Fort. Took pictures while waiting and experimented on the camera's shutter speed.

Parked

slight car jerk hence, the wiggly trail of light

Photo Art: Motion, Speed

Then after, we continued on our way. We stopped over at NLEX Shell Oasis for gas refill and bladder break. While looking around for a photo subject, I turned my attention at the rear end of the car and saw the sun rising.

somehow, I'm proud of this particular shot. XD

while waiting.

Thirty minutes or so later, we were already cruising through SCTEX. I liked how smooth the roads are without the hassles of traffic and all that, but what I do hate about it is we get stopped by toll fees every 20 minutes or so; and, mind you, fees ain't cheap especially if you have to pay three times on different exit points. My brother only shrugged and said that we paid for time; he didn't actually say it was okay with him but I supposed, he just got used to it.

Somewhere in Pampanga

Somewhere in Pampanga. Again.

The Not-Mt. Pinatubo
according to my brother.

Lahar. Poor picture quality. Forgot to adjust shutter speed and ISO.

Four hours of driving later, we finally reached PMMA. Sun's already burning with all its might as we walked across the parking lot to the covered bleachers. Naturally, while waiting for the troops to form and cadets to fill-in the bleachers, I took the opportunity to snipe at targets.

PMMAyer

Cadettes: The Proud and the Few

Prof: What's your height?
Cadette: 5'1" and 1/4, sir.
Prof: You really have to put in that 1/4, huh?

And then, the Annual Tactical Inspection Program begins...

The Presentation of Colours

After the parade and all that shiz, troops in camouflage hustle in formation yet again but they aren't part of the program. I think these guys are the ones who will perform for next year's Annual Tactical Inspection.

Troops in line, listening to their senior midshipman's instructions

Spartans! O_o

Two First Class cadets (4th year college) observing the troops.

I got bored after a while, so my brother's wife and I decided to join my brother somewhere else. He was in the Admin building at that time, talking with someone, so we decided to sit it out in the in-campus hotel. Yes, they have a hotel there for special guests. Didn't get to see the rooms, but I heard it was modest. Cold too, so it was a welcome and refreshing break from the heat outside.

While on our way, we merely happen to pass by these people:

Obviously not the parade people, but probably they're the other (luckier) half.

And then I saw him again. First encounter was when PMMA was still located at Fort Bonifacio, Makati (now The Fort, or Global City, Taguig) back in the days when my brother was still a thin-as-stick 4th Class Midshipman (1st year college).

The PMMAyer Statue

A breath of cold fresh air conditioning when we entered the hotel/souvenir shop...

On an errand for the Commandant

Then, lunch time. Now, because of the heat, we decided to just stay there and eat somewhere near.

Afterwards, I asked my brother a question that has been on my mind for quite some time but never got around to asking it because I often forget. It has been nearly 12 years since I last seen the place after all, and I was only 13 or 14 years old back then to even wonder about stuff like it. Anyway, the million-dollar question was, if the Academy has its own bay or docking station where they train the cadets for ship handling. He seemed amused by the fact and realization that I haven't really toured the expanse of the Academy, so he led me around and even dared me to drive the car-- which staggered, by the way, because I got used to driving automatic gears, rather than manual.

On the way to the mini-dock, he shared an urban legend. Rumour has it that underneath all that lahar dust and soil was a top secret American Naval Base that housed submarines. Now, even though he insisted that it was only rumor, there had been instances that could make you wonder if it really did exist. For instance, back in the day when lots of buildings were still under construction (my brother's batch-- batch 2000-- was second to graduate after PMMA transferred to Zambales), he said that whenever big trucks pass by, you would really feel the ground shake; as if standing on a bridge, or standing on top of something hollow. Then also, they found a break in the soil wherein you throw something solid, like a stone in it and you'll hear it drop on water. I asked him, why haven't they dug it up then? He answered, whatever for? Rumor also states that when the Americans abandoned the base, they flooded the area with water; and besides, it was dangerous to do so. The risk of hitting something that might explode was not far fetch after all.

Point taken. Also, it wasn't cost-efficient to dig a place up just for curiosity's sake.

We reached the dock and it wasn't exactly what I had imagined it to be. I thought it would be beach-side, but it turned out to be a large waterway that led towards the bay and then out to the sea.

RPLS Juan Luna
RPLS stands for Republic of the Philippines Laboratory Ship, so says my brother.

DYK: Juan Luna, the famous painter of "Spoliarium", was also a buccaneer back in his time.
He graduated as a sailor in Escuela Nautica de Manila which would, eventually, be renamed as PMMA.

"Sungkit"
Took this one from behind the car's tinted window

We went back to Admin Building and after having settled whatever business that my brother has in there, it was time for us to head home. Took some more pictures on the way, and during one of our side trips we found this.

Hidden Temple. Cool. Curiosity got the best of us, so my brother followed the arrow. When we reached a barren... wasteland... I hopped out of the car and took pictures, all the while, keeping an eye for the Temple...

I went down and this is what we found...

I turned to the right...

to the left...

and up, but oddly, no sign of a temple ever emerged...

"HIDDEN Temple nga!"
--Le Trolling Brother

Okay, point taken. -_- But I found myself laughing afterwards. :))

That was the end of our trip to San Narciso in Zambales. It was time to hit the road again and return to the big city.

Meanwhile...