Subic Bay in the Philippines used to host the biggest U.S. military facility outside the continental United States. The base, as it was commonly called, gave relief to economic suffering within its vicinity. Visiting GIs with greenback to spare were the lifeblood of the burgeoning flesh trade.
To many Filipinos however the base was the banner of American imperialist control. The very presence of the base signified loss of sovereignty. Despite the lure of the greenback the people petitioned for its removal. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo gave the base a carpet of gray ashes and a graceful exit.
Among the residents of the base are innumerable fruit bats that overhang hundreds of trees. The sight of these bats coming home at dawn is something to remember.
Taken in the early morning with a Pentax 28-200 zoom. A Cokin graduated blue filter prevented the sky from washing out.
Same scene but with a Cokin sunset filter.
I couldn't go around the tree so I had to shoot into the sun.
You are myth visitor.
©1998 PhSantiago