I have always found lighthouses romantic, loving the whole idea surrounding lighthouses and what they represent. A beacon of light shining in the darkness, guiding mariners as they navigate the harsh waters, an enduring symbol of the safe comfort of home and a quiet shining light, like the stars in the inky blackness of space. Lighthouses hark back to a time long past, belonging to our seafaring ancestors, before modern navigational equipment took their place and ceasing their reason for existence. Lighthouses always touch a nostalgic chord and for me, they are also symbols of people and places that remain steadfast and strong in our lives. So in the equally romantic arena of travel, a chance to visit a lighthouse is always a welcome addition to any itinerary for nostalgia and inspiration.
After seeing the Patapat Viaduct, my girlfriends and I went to the town of Burgos, Ilocos Norte to see the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse (also popularly known as the Burgos Lighthouse). Burgos is about a 30-45 minute drive from the northern edge of Pagudpud. And while I’ve seen lighthouses situated near the water before, the Burgos Lighthouse is surprisingly situated on top of a hill overlooking the South China Sea.
It is the highest elevated lighthouse in the Philippines at 160 meters above sea level and the lighthouse situated at the northernmost point in the country. Built way back in 1892, it has been declared as a National Historical Landmark and a National Cultural Treasure. But surprisingly, for its age, it’s still being used today. For more information on the lighthouse, this post from the Heritage Conservation Society is very interesting and informative.
Reaching the top, right before reaching the cupola of the lighthouse itself, there’s a museum which was closed. And I can’t help noticing that the structure was really old (wasn’t surprising at all for something built a century ago).
Too bad, but what could we do? Short of picking the lock and storming through the door, we couldn’t do anything except to comply. And just enjoy what we can of the sights. And the sights, and the details, were still breathtaking.
And since we didn’t spend time at the cupola and at the museum, we had more than enough time to indulge ourselves in taking pictures.
And thanks to B. for these lovely film grain photos of me 🙂
Wishing all of us more travels, and the steady, sure assurance that no matter what happens, we will never lose our way because of the presence of the lighthouses in our lives. Cheers 🙂
{For Sunset Goddess Manila’s TRAVEL GUIDE TO ILOCOS, click here}
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uy may fan! 🙂 sgm, how do you post photos in extra large size without going over the side bar? btw, i’m loving your posts recently! ako yata yung fan mo. hehe. love, B
haha, baka hater si Belltel! haha. Thanks B 🙂 I did some tweaking with the widths/html code of the template 🙂