Chapter 2

 Angkan Krakataw

http://www.zcgvaz.com/i/AK.htm

Started 15 July 2008

Last Updated 20 September 2008 p

Volcanoisland.jpg

October 2003

“Something’s wrong.”  Lynn thought.  &here was the usual barrage of gunfire from inside the HPN compound.  It started around 4:00 a.m. as it did the previous day.  There was some kind of rhythm to the first round.  Then similar rythms sounding at tandem or simultaneously were discernible as more individuals started target shooting in the underground range.  She started her prayers and was shifting to the rosary when there was a change.  The dogs in the neighborhood started barking more continuously and somewhat viciously.  They also started to run back and forth repeatedly instead of just a few times each.  One of their dogs was running the entire length of their yard barking under her window each time.  There was no siren from inside the camp.  She rolled off her bed and crawled to the right edge of the window to see what was going on outside without being visible to anyone who may be looking into the house. The neighbors’ inside lights were off.  The outside ones were on.  This was the same thing they did in camp when someone escaped from the stockade.  At that time, they had a clear view of the area through the empty yard between the enclosure and their quarters.  The outside lights and vehicles lights were usually turned on.  This time there was a fence separating their street from the back of the camp.  There was no flurry of vehicles inside.  There were no vehicles at all outside.  There should be occasional public transportation jeepneys by this time.  The traffic must have been blocked.  Yes, there was some kind of unusual emergency inside.  She crawled to the opposite edge of the window to look at the neighbors homes behind their street.  There was nothing going on except for the telltale no inside lights and all outside lights response learned through years of residence in a military area.

     It took a while for the dogs to quiet down an someone in the house started to move in the kitchen. Lynn ventured to get out of the room.  The maid was getting breakfast ready.  Her youngest brother’s stepson walked into the side door.  He managed to get ‘pandesal’ breakfast rolls and very much awaited news from others.

     Buyungan Bungkak, a member of the notorious Muslim Abu Sayaf group being kept in the CIDG of the National Police stockade took a hostage while exercising outside.  He holed up in the bathroom.  The SWAT members broke into the door.  The first soldier was shot by the insurgent.  So was the hostage and another soldier.  All three died.  Bungkak was shot fatally.  Others were wounded.  It was all over before some people woke up.  Street traffic was blocked around the camp for several hours afterwards.  When Lynn’s father retired from the then Philippine Constabulary on 9 January 1964, they simply jumped over the back fence.  An officer followed suit.  Another followed later to join them on ‘the camp extension’.  Lynn’s uncle used to own the twin houses at the corner.  They completed the balance of their growing up process semi-retired from ‘inner camp life.  Later, the family members left behind found themselves at a prime observation point during the People Power Revolution and subsequent commotions.  Revelie at the old PMA grounds were less distressful.  It also started later and meant food time.  Of course the associated message was to hurry up dressing or they would miss the school bus.  That was not so dreadful and was a welcome thought during bad weather.

     She looked at the mirror and made a face literally.  She tried to hide dark shadows under her eyes.  The eyeliner refused to go where it should.  The lipstick hit its target better.  She painted a cheerful raspberry colored smile.  The poor lighting and the angle of the sun shining through the window and reflected by the glass surface did not help her ego.  Of course her nerves were so shattered by this time and did not improve matters.  She should be accustomed to some excitement once in a while.  That was true years ago.  She has been gone most of her adult life.  Though she did not panic this morning, her appearance revealed the concealed truth.  Her hair was standing up in the wrong places and her hair brush did not do the usual magic.

     “Are you ready?”  The maid asked later.  “They are waiting for you.”

     “No!  I have to stick my horns in.  Are you sure we’ll be allowed to drive through to the highway?”  Lynn asked.  No one worried about what else may be in store for them.  It was like old times. 

     “What took you so long?”  The youngest brother asked.

     She told him.

     “Shall we ask more Abu Sayaf men to take them off?”

     “No!  They’ll chop my entire head off.”

     “How about locating Saddam Hussein’s missing WMD’s and testing them?”

     “I bet the politicians would like to have samples.”

     They drove to the middle brother’s home where a tree was planted in their mother’s memory.  The site selected was at the edge of the yard close to a park so the tree will blend with others already there.  They stopped for picture taking and then proceeded  towards the metro shopping area.

     “I like the idea of planting a memorial tree.”  Lynn said.  “It would help the global climate if that is done for each departed soul.  Each one leaves a mechanism to save others.  Considering how long each tree would survive and remove Carbon dioxide a nd provide necessary oxygen, the gift of life far outweighs the loss.”

     “ … physically, of course.”  Her brother added.

     “ … practically also.”

     “Go plant a forest then.”  He joked.

     “Someone has to do it for me.  I have such a black thumb.  I lost two out of the five in my yard.”

     “You mean someone has to take care of them for you as well.”

     The shops were much larger than Lynn recalled seeing on her last visit.  It seemed so incongruous to find state of the art megamalls and have names and cultures belonging to ancient times.  The same old insurgency, hostage, religious differences, language differences and customs persist.  The country may appear quite modernized but it still belongs to the pre 750,000 year cultures they supposedly started with.  Yes, the Philippines existed well before Magellan and MacArthur.  Forget artifacts.  Look at the people in the provinces.  Listen to the news.  Only the politics and methods of corruption have changed.  Over population and pollution have increased enormously.  These may be the danger signals of an impending calamity.  Economy is already a top issue.  That is usually the critical cue.  When the level of tolerance by the people gets exceeded, that would be the day when the pot boils over and the super hot contents spill all around.

     Lynn needed a small camera that she could actually see an image through.  Her old digital camera has a viewscreen which is useful indoors but becomes useless outdoors.  For some reason, the LCD mechanisn erases the picture under sunlight.  It has to be an experience unique to those with the same eye problem she has.  Everyone else do well with it.  Her sister-in-law helped her look for one.  They actually found one with a peep window that works for her and with a slightly larger than usual LCD screen she can use when taking pictures indoors.  Photography was a habit she picked up during her Medical School days.  She started with a completely manual camera with the split image focusing mechanism.  SLR never worked for her.  She managed to guess the appropriate shutterspeed and opening most of the time.  It was fun and challenging till her eyesight got too bad to see the subject.  She had to stop her hobby until the instamatics were invented.  Then, she had trouble looking through their viewfinders too.  That was when the older daughter discovered the first digital model that was available.  She still depended on that indoors.  Learning to use her new camera was not easy.  The instructions were in fine print.  The eldest of the brothers read them and taught her how to set the controls by memorizing the position of markers and aligning buttons or levers to correct markers.  It worked!  She also had to use her left instead of the right eye to catch the subject.  By the time relatives and friends arrived that evening for the novena prayers, she was ready for practice. 

     “See!  I got all four subjects in the picture.”

     The following day was supposed to be the final novena night according to the schedule their relatives in the province followed.  She and her brothers started a day late and were not going to be done till the following night.  The original plan was to celebrate the youngest brother’s birthday and end of the novena.  That was a non no according to the elders.  The younger generation once more showed the general trend to forgoet and be less inclined to adhere to old traditions.  If a mistake were made by starting late, they cannot make another one by ending early for convenience.  At least they remembered to to do it thanks to the good neighbor who watched them as his own children since the old days in camp.  He gathered his own prayer group, helped schedule the nine day seies of rosary prayers for the departed soul and led the prayers himself.  There was also a series of invitations to relatives homes.  They had to do some creative juggling of the schedule.  The birthday was postponed and the joint final rosary session was held at the later date.  It rained.  The relatives from the province had a car problem and did not arrive till much later during the rosary.  They waited outside in the front porch so as not to disturb the prayers.  A visit to their cousin was postponed for the following Monday but a sister-in-law was heading back to the US by then and her husband, the middle brother had to be absent because he was taking her to the airport.  In the meantime, more requests for changes in schedule of visits were made because he or she or someone could not make it.  Not everyone was happy.  At least each one understood and accepted the fact that it is not possible to have a perfect arrangement each time.  Reason thrives in the clan.  The history of the Philippines is full of multiethnic and political upheaval.  In this family, it was not unusual for some members to belong to different racial origin, political affiliation and opposing sides of conflict.  No one has killed a relative or held a permanent grudge against another.  Charity begins at home.  So does PEACE.  That was the most important lesson handed down through the centuries and practiced through the current members’ lifetime.  Peace does not happen spontaneously.  It requires the recognition of its importance and universal effort to attain and maintain.  Ordinary people of different origins, temperaments, opinions, education, walks of life and affiliations can resolve to keep it if desired and kept as a priority.

      By Friday, that week, Lynn and her brothers and some members of their families left for much needed R&R.  They were happy!

      It was a long ride through parts of the country some of them have never seen.  Lynn and the youngest brother tried unsuccessfully to tour this particular area.  It was too foggy and they were not close enough nor allowed to enter important places.  The middle brother has been there several times.  The oldest of the brothers has not. So, finally they are going on a marathon survey of the route Taal Lake and vicinity.

     Batangas has been traditionally known for ‘brave Batangenas’.  NPA’s may also still be here.  Cavite boasts of daring ‘Chabacanos’.  Expert  folding ‘balisong’ knife wielders come from both.  They did not get off their vehicles to find out.  They simply enjoyed the green slightly hilly woodland.  Cavite also has an important naval facility but they were more interested in civilian places to see.  For Lynn, it was an endeavor to at least once see more of the country she grew up in but had limited knowledge of.  The roads started to be more curvaceous as they went through Sta. Rosa.  There were more roadside delicacy stores to browse in and sample old fashioned treats not common in the cities.  Fruits differed as well. 

     “Would you like the recipe?”  The younger sister-in-law asked.

     “Yes.”  Lynn replied eagerly.

     Everything was a little of this and a lot of that impossible to find ingredient usually steamed or boiled in cookware made of bamboo or other local material.  They decided to taste what they could and move on.  Lynn tried to imagine what substitutes can be used in the US.  It may be easier to visit again.

     The family stopped at a roadside fruit stand to buy fresh pineapples and then a local eatery to get ‘bulalo’, ‘Tilapia’, ‘buko’ pie, ‘cassava’ pie and a few other dishes.  With a promise to return another day to hire a boat and boatperson from them, we carried off the ox  (legs, knees and ankles) bone soup in a huge metal ‘caserola’.  Lynn was surprised to see coconut trees among the pine trees scattered all over the mountains.  She did not hear the sound of waves so presumed that the ocean was far away.

      Tagaytay Highlands was like a displaced Alpine village nestled among evergreen trees atop verdant mountains with a sweeping view of Taal Lake through huge picture windows of their ‘cottage’. 

     “If the guards did not speak Tagalog, I would have been very confused.”  Lynn remarked as they ascended the steps leading to the front porch of their ‘log cabin’.  She spun around as she heard the ‘beep … beep ..beep … beep of the alarm system being disabled by one of them.  “Is this a huge ‘cabin?  cottage?   mansion?  Or what?”

     She was expecting a bamboo hut with a ‘Nipa pawid roof and walls like the ones they slept in on an excursion to La Union Beach years ago when they joined the cadets on ‘maneuvers’ one summer back in the 50’s.  Those were one room units with the usual bamboo walls and leaf roofs.  The floors was also bamboo but unlike the bamboo floors in their home province, the bamboos were not split.  Whole cylindrical shafts were nailed side by side on transverse wood supports.  Walking on that floor was tricky enough.  Sleeping on it was a state of the mind.  Lynn had already planned to roll out her entire wardrobe on the floor to sleep on.  It was a relief not to have to do so.  This was apparently a luxury vacation home made to look like a large log cabin from the outside.  More ‘logs’ were used for trim around windows, the fireplace, the loft as well as stair steps and handrails.  Furnishings, kitchen cabinets and appliances and bathroom fixtures were state of the art.   Yes, there was hot and cold running water. There was a huge TV!!!

      It felt as cool as Baguio City and was also slightly covered with fog making it difficult to spot the fabulous Taal Volcano in the middle of the lake.  We cooked rice while waiting for the rest of the crew who stopped at a different store and arrived with more fruits, ‘buko’ and ‘cassava’ pies.

     The middle brother planned the room assignments and arranged the signing privileges at the resort.  After their ‘typical meal’, they discussed the details of the next two days' schedule.  I had San Miguel ‘cerbeza’ which is the Philippines’ pale pilsen beer and prize product for the first time in years.

     After relaxing and unwinding, they explored the area.  There was a choice of eating places, gardens, equestrian trail, animal park and a rolling golf courses.  You can guess where the older two went.  The rest toured on foot, shuttle, cable car and funicular.

     They tried all the different means of transportation to see as much as possible during a short period of time and of course, the thrill of the experience.  The funicular is basically a cable car or a tram or a train combination going to unimaginable depths at equally unimaginable speed.  Lynn did not really know what she was looking at most of the time except when something like railroad tracks appear in front of the car and they went ‘zoomimg’ up or down on it to go somewhere she did not really plan to know about either.  It was fun.  Shades of Disneyland?  Better!

     They walked through the animal park and had glimpses of the golf greens at the same time. 

     “Who retrieves the balls from the bottom of the hill?”  Her niece asked.

     “ … The striped caddy!!!”  Lynn replied pointing to the tiger in the large cage.

     It was then that the older sister-in-law mentioned the incident where Roy, Siegefried’s partner, was supposedly mauled by one of their own tigers during a show.  He was seriously injured and lost the ability to speak.  Their Las Vegas Circus Act was ended.  He apparently requested that the cat not be put to death.  Much later, he explained that he felt dizzy and started to fall and the faithful pet and co-performer grabbed him as it would have done to its young to prevent him from falling.  It grabbed him the only way it knew and effectively thus saving his life.  Unfortunately, the action involved getting hold of Roy’s neck not with paws but with teeth.  Roy’s vocal cords were damaged in the rescue effort.  Beast can be better friends than some men in today’s world.

     Armed with the empty metal casserole, they showed up at the roadside eatery early the following morning to start their volcano land adventure.  The only way to get there was by boat or a helicopter jump which was not ever tried by anyone.  Even just a helicopter ride without disembarking would have been wonderful but was not available.  She actually asked for such a privilege.  She of course would not have wanted to skip the scenic boat ride either.  The tour manager assigned them to a single, extra wide and long boat shaped like a regular dug out canoe but was made of more than one piece of wood.  There were Viking style decorative posts at the ends.  Lynn soon found out what they were for.  The boat was swaying and bobbing up and down.  She had to hang on to a post for dear life while her brothers and the boatman coached her up the side of the boat.  Then they took turns positioning her hands and feet where needed to gradually get in and down to the floor inside.  She had forgotten how to embark and disembark.  Of course, her experience was limited to boarding much smaller vessels.  There were bamboo floaters on the side of the boat.  She thougt maybe, she can manage to grab the one close to her in the event that she slipped and started to fall into the water.

     “Are you sure this is leak proof?”  She asked. 

     The others laughed at what they thought was a joke.

     There was a roof and a pair of extra wide bamboo stabilizers as well as a powerful outboard motor.  Each of them wore a life vest.  None of them have been to the volcano before.  Lynn and the youngest brother once tried to imagine it through a fog cover.  She thought she may have seen it from a small plane on a vacation trip to Cebu but could not be certain.  The middle brother saw the islands in the lake from a distance but never this close and never set his foot on Taal Volcano.

     Taal is the smallest active volcano in the world.  However, it was a prehistoric18,000 foot monster before it collapsed on itself after a massive explosion in 1572 forming a 30 km. (18 mi.) diameter caldera.  Taal Lake which almost fills up the caldera had a communication with Balayan Bay.  A big eruption in 1754 that lasted close to six months may have closed the channel.  There were sharks and sea snakes in the lake before 1930.  Tawilis and maliputo which lived in the lake were thought to be of marine ancestry.  They may be extinct by now or close to it.  Thirty three eruptions have been included in history records.  1977 was the latest but the last damaging one was in 1965 causing 200 deaths and formation of an explosion crater.  The 23 sq. km. ( 38.18 sq mi.) Volcano Island contains 35 cones and 47 craters including a 1.9 km. (1.1 mi.) main crater with a lake in the crater.

LakeInVolcano.jpg

From this view point, it is possible to see the inner surface of the upper tip of the crater and note water marks.  Visitors walk down a path INSIDE the crater to get to the lake at the bottom of the cavity.  A helicopter or a balloon would help to see the entire lake!!!

     From the air, a sharpshooter can do target practice.  The first recorded scuba diving expedition in 1986 revealed a cone at 60 ft. depth. It is possible to swim in the lake but not for long.  The water is diluted sulfuric acid plus magnesium, aluminum and sodium salts.  The pH is 2.3 to 2.5.  That is close to the acidity of gastric digestive fluid. 

     “Are you serious about losing weight?”  The youngest brother kidded his daughter.  Her Pediatrician said she was over the ideal limit.  “We’ll weigh you before and after you swim.  We’ll make a commercial ad with this camcorder.  That should earn us your scholarship money.”

     The girl held on to Lynn al through the ride.  They did not have to worry about her being too adventurous while on the boat.  Actually, she did not have to worry about the water in  the large Taal Lake.  It was the innermost lake in the volcano’s active crater in the lake that was rich in chemicals and definitely acidic.  Someone actually had a picture taken while swimming across the tiny inner lake.  It was part of a travel tour advertisement.

     “The fish manage to survive in the water.  It cannot be that bad.”

     “They have scales and slime.”

     “Good point!  Maybe we can chip in to come up with your tuition if you take care of your brain.”

     “What brain?” Her brother teased.

     The girl reached as far as she could to hit him while still clinging to Lynn.

     “No!  No!”

      They saw a circle of islands in the middle of the lake.  In Lynn’s logical fantasy, it could have been remnants of the original crater rim.  One island at 2 o'clock position had a more conical shape than the rest and a scooped out portion at one side of its top.  In her mind, if this were not the main active crater it probably was one of them or will be so later on.  The boat soon entered the circle or thr inner lake. It headed along a curve along the side the islands on the left.  They gradually headed closer to the farther edge.  For a while, Lynn thought they were aiming for what she believed was the new crater.  Then the boat moved closer to the islands on the left.  She knew it was too soon to do so if she were right about their destination.  They then went on a more direct course to the farthest island in the group.  Lynn squinted to see if it had a connection to the one with a possible crater.  No!.  No one mentioned inter-island swimming earlier.  They better not have to do something like that.

     They landed on the far side of the Volcano Island where they can proceed to the crater viewing spot.  There were stands for tour companies and guides.  There were hats and other souvenirs for sale.  They decided not to buy anything till after the tour lest they simply want to donate them to the spirit of the volcano..  There were small houses farther away.  None were allowed in the area.  Business was more important than safety.  Here, they haggled for prices for horse rental and payment for guides.  No one dared release a hand or two to snap a picture while on horseback.  Lynn did not bring her new camera.  She was afraid she may accidentally drop it around or in the volcano.  The pictures may be of unidentified subjects anyhow.  At least, focus would be correct.  It was windy.  It was a good thing that she found boot length shoestrings to tie the hat she borrowed from her youngest brother around her head and under her chin.  The supposedly well trodden path other sightseers were walking on would not be suitable for her to even ride on.  The dirt was loose and so were the gravel and numerous rocks of different sizes.  They were supposed to climb all the way to the top of the island to look INTO the crater and down at the innermost lake or the ‘Crater Lake’.  The path was not straight either.  Mother Nature must have scored her ‘bull’s eye’ from above.

     “I am your guide.”

     Lynn looked at the woman who just jumped behind her sitting on the same horse.

     “What!?”

     “ … Part time job.”  Dala explained.  Lynn groaned.

     “The horses know te path quite well.”  Dala continued.  “Tita!  Prove it.”

     A pre-teen girl riding the horse in front of them jumped off.  The horse went on unperturbed and without guidance around a curve missing protruding rocks along the way.  Then she jumped back on without using stirrups and without losing the flip flops dangling from her feet.  She had a short whip in her hand but pretty much just tickled the horse with it to show appreciation for a job well done.

     “That’s child labor!”  Lynn protested.  ”That’s not allowed.”

     “Who are you to prevent her from being with her pet?”  Dala retorted.  “This is their playground.  It is their ‘Paradise’.”

     “ … not another one.”

     “ … in the beginning, there was one land mass.  All of it was Paradise.  Then it broke into different pieces and a piece  floated away with a lot of the fragments.  Yes, there is a lot of ‘Paraisos’.  Thid is theirs.  They grew up thinking so.  Would you be so cruel to disillusion them?”

     Lynn sighed.

     “Alright …”  Dala continued.  People here are poor and everyone has to do their share to keep the family alive.  It is a necessity to work.  Besides, everyone needs exercise and fun.”

     “Oh yeah!  Start watching the other tourists’ faces next time you get very close to a cliff.  The kids get a kick and a good day’s laugh watching them.  They also realize that they have an edge over others.  They negotiate all the obstacles like no others can.”

     “How many tourists rolled off Paradise with or without experiencing a heart attack?”

     “ … none!” 

     “Good!”

     “This country is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.”  Dala continued her lecture.  “The Mega Volcanoes have one foot or another stepping on this circle.  Some of them are known to be monsters.  Some like Mount Pinatubo just recently revealed their existence.  Some have done their damage in ancienttimes and are now quiet and even hidden underwater or smoking parks with hot springs and geysers or completely covered by earth that would someday open up to announce terrible secrets.  Taal Volcano has similarities with Krakatao.  They most likely ate in the same family … beautiful, mighty and active.  Both gave birth to new volcanoes within the lake that occupied the caldeyra that they collapsed into.  There is a volcano under a lake in Borneo which blew ashes all the way to 15,000 miles away from the Arctic about 7,500 years ago or more.  We have lakes in different parts of the world including this country which could have been volcanic n origin.  Yes, Mother Earth has an explosive way of restructuring the landscape.  She gets bored quite frequently and reshapes the topography of the planet.  Geologists have just started finding that out.  Environmentalists are still fighting about that so called ‘fantasy’.  It is real, folks.  We may be witnesses to the next remapping of our not so permanent landmarks.  Along with these changes, climate and fauna also change.  There used to be sharks and sea snakes as well as saltwater fish in these waters.  … Ready for a swim?”

     “No!”  Lynn’s niece shouted. 

     After a slow but steep climb to a view point area, the group gladly dismounted and tried to straighten their legs. Somehow, the feeling of straddling a horse became embedded in their memory banks.

     There was a rest stop with fresh young coconuts for sale.  The attendant chopped off the top of each one revealing just a little piece of the white, thin, very tender meat through which he stuck a plastic straw.  The juice was heavenly.  It was neither too sweet nor too salty.  It was just refreshing and soothing to the stomach.  It did not cause a disagreeable stomach reaction as most fresh fruits would.  There was no need for a drinking well in places like this.  Some of them also used the juice for washing their hands.

     According to the eldest of Lynn’s brothers’ directional analysis, they were standing in front of the crater opening.  Her back was facing towards the crater.   A small and shallow portion of the inner surface of the far rim of the crater was visible behind her.

     Her brothers and the older sister-in-lay plus the youngest brother’s stepson walked down into the crater.  The water inside the crater was hot but not hot enough to burn them.  They were careful not to accidentally touch any steam bursting out of the earth.  The odor of rotten eggs was stronger down there.  Lynn, the younger sister-in-law and the little girl stayed in the shade where the snacks were.  Most of the tourists were speaking in Japanese and clicking their cameras just as rapidly.  Considering that some of them walked up to the crater view point, down into the Crater Lake rim and up to the rest area, Lynn appreciated their wonderful aerobic state.  The Sulphur dioxide gas did not bother them either.

     “When I return, I shall view the crater's lake from a helicopter or a balloon and photograph it with a binocam.  However, I need to get my eyes fixed first and get a ride next.  It has to be on a very clear and sunny day.” She declared. “ … might as well.” She added. “Not only do we belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire… we also border the Eastern side of the Earth’s  Triangle System.  Maybe when Diyos was preparing the dough for this planet, He kneaded a couple or more countries together and rolled  them side by side forming a tunnels through the earth.  The ancient spirits had no problem finding their way.  We are just a shave off from the Dragon’s Triangle.  The South West border runs from Guam and Yap Island just SE of us to Taiwan just NW of us before getting to Tokyo and then out into the Pacific Ocean.  On the other side of the world, people with similarities to us exist.  One jump East  and we’re there!  If we go to Tokyo, we run trough the heart of the triangle.  During ancient times, the Dragon Lady in light, smooth clothes aboard a sausage shapes craft made visits recorded as far back as 2000 BC in Japan.  As late as 2005, a  PAL pilot reported a vehicle tracking his plane.  Various crafts have been seen at the sea bottom.  Unidentified Sea Objects were reported to have ‘jumped’ out of the sea ocean.  Some Filipinos believe Mananaggals still fly in Aklan province.  There were no horror stories attributed to them.  There were no borders in ancient times.  They maybe not mindful of new maps either.”

     They went down to the shore the same way.  They met more tourists walking or riding on horses.  The sun was brighter and it was warmer.  Lynn was tempted to remove her outer shirt but did not risk falling of her horse if she took even just one hand off the handle on the saddle.  The tourists on foot were sweating but they kept going.

     Dala started talking about other triangles.  Lynn gave her a confused look.

      “Where did you get that multiple triangle story?”  She asked when they stopped for a quick lunch break at the beach.  “I only know of two … the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil’s Triangle or Sea.  Now most people think they all refer to the Bermuda Triangle.  I have to correct a previous work because of the confusion.  What was Devil’s Triangle or Sea is now the Dragon’s Triangle and with definite borders.  The old articles I read said both Japanese and Filipino fishermen were aware of the Pacific one but I never heard of it from local folk.”

     “You lived inland.  The fishermen you knew all thought Dagat was the ocean.  It is a large inland lake, the largest not only in the country but also all of South East Asia.  The Spanish called it a ‘bai‘ because they thought of it as the lake of Kaharian Bay which is where Anak River flowed into or allowed backward flow from during dry months.

     “My folks do not believe in Mananaggal either.

     “Your folks are too far north.  The Mananggals are in Palawan and Aklan and nearby islands.”

     “Do they still exist?”

     “Ask the people down there. They’ll swear with or without a bible … most often, without!”

     “So, where are the other triangles?”  Lynn inquired.

     “You drew them.  Now you ask me?”

     “What?  When?”

     “Look!  This came from your website.  I printed it thinking that I may need an illustration for the others … not you!”

     She produced a folded piece of paper from her pocket.  It was the ‘Sign in the Sky.jpg.’ in one of the pages of her site.

     “Yeah! I did that but I was referring to the conjunction of Venus and the moon which happened in July 1999.  I used the diagram known as the ‘Star of David’.  I did not invent that star and the triangles forming it or resulting from the overlapping of the original ones.”

     “Anyhow, your orientation is wrong.  Rotate it 15 deg counterclockwise.  Now this corresponds better to the actual map.”

     “The lady at the Astronomy Lab sent me 3 printouts to show computerized diagrams of the star and crescent’s locations on 3 successive days.  I chose the one that looked closest to what the Islamic symbol is.”

     “OK.”  Dala shrugged her shoulders.  “What about the triangles?  What do they represent?”

     “I really did not expect them to correspond to any particular location on earth.  I was just making a composite symbol representing different religious groups and countries involved in the current 27 year conflict.   The ‘Star of David’ represented Israel.  The purple color filling the spaces stood for Palestine.  The ‘Crescent and the Star’ stood for Islam as the rays did for the four directions in the world.  They formed a cross and doubled as a symbol for Christians.”

     “You obviously did not realize what your subconscious mind prompted you to create.”  Dala explained.  “Each space is a country.”

     “ … So, now what?”

     “Where is the gold?”

     “I beg your pardon …”

     ‘Somewhere on your website you mentioned that the great Euphrates will dry up and reveal a mountain of gold.  99% of those who fight for it will die.”

     “ … yet people will fight anyhow thinking they would be among the 1% who will live.”  Lynn finished the quote.  “Is that all you are after?” 

     “No.  I want to make sure that you realize what you have here and correct mistakes if any.  This involves the prophecies about Dajjal, Imam Mahdi, WWIII and end of the world.”

     “Proceed with the test.”

     “OK.  Where did Islam start?”

      “Here.”  Lynn pointed at the bottom triangle.

     “Where is Dajjal going to be?”

     “He will try to get here but will be prevented from doing so.  He ends up in here where the people will be his first followers.”  There was no triangle under her finger.

     “Where is Ihmam Mahdi going to camp? “

      “Here.”  She pointed at the South triangle..

     “Where is Issa going to descend?

     “Here.”  She pointed to the North West triangle. “Then He catches up with Ihmam Mahdi or vice versa and will defer leading the Morning Prayer to Ihmam Mahdi who is the leader of that group in that area.  Then they will go to here where Dajjal lays eyes on Issa and melts as salt in water.  Supposedly, that is where the airport is in Israel.  There are variations in articles about the subject.  We probably will be surprised by how upside down it gets on the actual day.”

     “Where is the gold?”

     “ … your turn.”  Lynn said.  “You started the game.”

     “ … where the fighting persists in spite of mitigation by the world.”  Dala said smiling wryly. “

      “Where is that?”

     “Here but the gold is not the gold we know.”

     “ … time to go.”  Lynn’s middle brother announced.

     Dala returned the shoe string that held Lynn’s borrowed hat in place.  Lynn did not know that it was missing till then.  The family reembarked and headed for town.  They took more pictures before pushing off to the next destination.

The group went to the San Jose Church in Las Pinas to see the ONLY BAMBOO ORGAN IN THE WORLD. They entered the ‘convento’ on the right side of the church.  Immediately evident were the old sliding wood and ‘capiz’ shell windows.  The walls of the church were made of volcanic material ‘adobe’.  Inside, they went up the choir loft.  The older sister-in-law noticed the window depicting St. Joseph.  They wondered what the colored pieces of the windows were made of.  The could tell from the familiar styles that the chandeliers were made of ‘capiz’ shells.  They have seen similar ones elsewhere.  The little girl pointed to the split bamboo ceiling.  The main left rising from the church's main floor with the visible pipes reaching the upper wall almost to the ceiling.  These were just the ‘display, pipes.  There were 1031 pipes altogether.  902 of them were made of bamboo and the rest were metal covered with bamboo.  They were  strategically dispersed on the wall, all around, above and across the main organ body and mostly hidden from the public's eyes.  The keyboard was dwarfed by the web of pipes and wires suspending them in different directions.  The older sister-in-law counted twelve pedals.  Two electric powered bellows were in the choir loft area.  Prior to 1932, two teams of three men each used to pump the bellows manually taking turns while the organ was in use.   It took Fray Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen eight years (1763 - 1830) to complete this musical Obra Maestra.  The oldest and youngest of the brothers sat at the bench for a while.  It was the older sister-in-law who had the courage to actually play two pieces from the music book.  They then went to the gift shop.

     “May I help you?” 

     Lynn stared at the attendant.

     “What do we have to do to shake you off?”  Lynn asked.

     “When is the ordination?”  Dala replied with her own question.

     “I thought you knew about it.”

     “ … mine!”

     “You get baptized first.”

     “Here is a souvenir bottle of Holy Water and a pair of local wood rosaries for the witnesses.”

     “I hope you do not plan to have it performed right here.”

     “You forgot something in the choir loft.  We have to look for it.”

     “How did you know?”

     “Your youngest brother and his wife noticed that you were not wearing his hat when you got off the stairs.  They are already on their way up.  We have to join them because they did not notice more missing items.”

     “What?”

     “Go up and see.”

     The narrow spiral stairs to the loft was not as easy to climb the second time Lynn did.  She was fuelled by anticipation during the first attempt.  She was a little worried about Dala’s possible trick when they get there again.

     “I’m ready when you are.”  Dala said cheerfully pointing to the impromptu alter formed by St. Joseph’s multi paneled image and the deep window sill.  The multicolored light shone on three objects on the flat surface.  Lynn looked closely.  There was a new version of the Tagalog missal and a companion prayer book for the entire year’s liturgical schedule of services.  Someone started playing the organ downstairs.

     The ceremony took just a few minutes.  Dala was baptized.  Lynn’s youngest brother and his wife witnessed the event.

     “Here is a rosary for you and one for you.”  Dala said to her ‘Ninong’ and ‘Ninang sa Binyag’.  “put this in your pocket before it gets lost too.”  She told Lynn.

     Lynn recognized the folded  piece of paper.  It was the copy of ‘the Sign’  they used earlier.  There was something on the back page.  Two triangles superimposd on each other with the apices pointing to opposite directions on the vertical axis …  both overlying the earth.  The triangles were not isosceles nor of the same shape and dimensions.  The words ‘Hilaga’, ‘Timog’, ‘Silangan’, and ‘Kanluran’ were scribbled in the corresponding compass directions.  The ‘one landmass’ outline stretched across the page with the silhouette of the Philippines drawn just West of the triangles.  A symbol possibly of a ‘Nova’ was at the center of the triangles.

All Rights Reserved MMVIII

Magdalena D. Guerrero, M.D., FACOG/GP, (dr G)