It's not a tourist destination but Sta. Ana wharf brings back childhood memories for me. In those days when boat travel was the cheapest way to travel in the archipelago, this was where our journeys to the Visayas began. Just being here, getting a sniff of that saline air, seeing passengers struggling with
"maletas" and best of all, eyeing that massive hull of the ship signified only one thing in my young mind - we are traveling again! Being in the high seas (for 2-3 days) was already adventure for me back then.
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| Unloading |
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| Arriving islanders and the odd foreigners |
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| Sulpicio Lines ferry boats used to dock here |
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| A banca docked at the wharf becomes a diving platform for kids |
Now things have changed. People fly more often (read: can afford). The big ferry boats don't dock at Sta. Ana wharf any longer. Instead, there are big bancas bound for the nearby islands and the odd cargo ships unloading cement. It's a hot day out here in the wharf but the constant stream of people, mostly islanders - buying goods & supplies, bringing their sick to hospitals, or selling livestock to the markets - remind me that Sta. Ana wharf, now almost a skeleton of her old self, is still where many journeys begin and end.
ngayon lang muli ako napadpad dito...at namangha na namna ako sa mga kuha mo...summer na talaga ang sarap magtampisaw!
ReplyDeletei like the second photo.
ReplyDeletenice shot, as always!
happy belated easter, dennis!
I liked how you captured the actions, especially in the last photo. How I wish my elders allowed me to swim in a nearby river (without going nude, anyway) when I was a kid. I can imagine the screaming-giggling of those kids.
ReplyDeleteako din dream mgkaroon ng bahay malapit sa dagat/ilog so my child can experience those things, pero sana nk-damit! hahaha! :)
ReplyDeleteThrough the years, Sta. Ana Wharf's importance declined. However, the local government has plans to revive it to its former glory. Let's just wait and see :) great captures!
ReplyDeleteLove the second photo as well! I wonder how old is that hook...
ReplyDeletewho says one cannot go "home" again. this vacations it seems you were doing just that. good for you :)
ReplyDeleteParang ito yata yung jump-off point namin dati nung nag-intro diving kami malapit sa Coral Garden.
ReplyDeletereally now?? sta.ana wharf used to dock big boats coming from luzon or visayas? i didn't know that. always thought sasa wharf was the original wharf and sta.ana was for people going to and coming from samal island..coz i remembered back in 1990 my dad went to manila aboard mv zamboanga and we went to sasa wharf..hehe
ReplyDeleteanyway, i think ur next post will be about samal!! cant wait to read it :P
sarap balikan ang pinaggalingan at mag reminisce ng mga childhood memories. :) i like this entry much.
ReplyDeletedavaoena,
ReplyDeletesta. ana wharf was used by sulpicio lines & william lines in the 80's. as a child, i remember boarding m/v dona ana (sulpicio lines) on our way to cebu.