The gigantic rock was a grand welcome for us—showing a symbolic projection that the town would remain strong amidst both the natural and man-made threats that may come.
• As we looked down below the bridge, we saw some individuals fishing; and I couldn't decipher where these people came from. Looking around, there were no houses.
• At times, the construction of development projects may destroy and alter the natural beauty of a place; but in Suyo, I thought that the scenery was enhanced!
🇵🇭 SUYO, ILOCOS SUR
In a mountain town where scarcity of human population is evident, there hides an abundance of surprises. Because of relative remoteness, there were things hidden behind the mysteries and stories of the residents. However, residents of towns like this may still need to go beyond the usual and casual way of life in the mountains with several little clusters of communities. I landed in the town of Suyo; and gladly, I was thrilled to see (in 2010) that this mountain town seemed to gain more connections to the more commercially-developed towns.
► Suyo Infra Talks: Bridges and Roads
Unexpectedly, I thought that this place would be very challenging for us to explore because it is located in the highlands of Ilocos Sur. As someone living in Vigan, our disconnected life here seemed like we follow an isolationist civilization that we don't even have an idea of what's happening beyond the city borders—although people beyond our borders come to Vigan for various reasons. This stereotype may have been one of the reasons why I had this perception that there were no good road networks or infrastructure in this part of our province.
Surprisingly, I came to know that I underestimated the town; and to personally encounter the good road at that time felt unbelievable. The road appeared better compared to the lowlands. The only challenge here is the consistency of maintaining the road quality in a harsh environment (landslide, steep mountain slope).
I also encountered a lot of bridges along the way—spanning several river segments that physically separated the town from the other more commercially-developed towns. Through these pieces of infrastructure, the gap between development and underdevelopment has since bridged.
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THIS IS CAYAPA BRIDGE, ONE OF THE BRIDGES BUILT ALONG THE SUYO-CERVANTES ROAD. |
An instant feeling of solitude (although I was with my brother) dove to the depths of my soul as I captured that moment to grasp the very fresh and chilly air that's absent in my city.
At times, the construction of development projects may destroy and alter the natural beauty of a place; but in Suyo, I thought that the scenery was enhanced! Well, that's just me. Thanks to the roads and the bridges that helped bring in people to enjoy the charm of Suyo town.
The well-paved mountain roads curved and carved on the slopes of the mountains gave me unique experiences. Without it, I may have not reached Suyo with ease. In the past years, it's safe to say that the town was sleepy; and no one would dare go there for leisure purposes. Travel hindrances back then include the lack of bridges and good roads to cross the wild rivers and rapids.
Now, the story is different. Leisure traveling became more inviting because bridges were built to close the gap between doubt and trust. We can now trust the bridges and roads as means to mobilize us safely in the town.
► From River Stones to Gigantic Mountain Rocks
From afar, the stones in the river may look so small; but on a nearer scale, some stones are as large as a bus!
Those huge rocks in the river seemed to cause partial obstruction of the river flow. Speaking of rocks, these river rocks have their queen. As we reached another bridge called the Urzadan bridge, I got mixed emotions to see a huge mountain rock that looked intimidating for a first-time encounter. The gigantic rock faced us straightly as we crossed the curved part of the road!
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🇵🇭 SUYO • URZADAN BRIDGE, ONE OF THE BRIDGES ALONG THE SUYO-CERVANTES ROAD. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • URZADAN BRIDGE AND THE MONOLITH AT THE BACKGROUND |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THE RIVER ROCKS ARE HUGE! CAN YOU SPOT THE RIVER FISHERMAN? |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THIS IS THE RIVER THAT FLOWS BELOW THE URZADAN BRIDGE. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THIS RIVER, AS SEEN IN URZADAN, MEETS THE CHICO RIVER IN BRGY KIMPUSA. |
We paused our journey with my brother for a while to enjoy the view! The Urzadan bridge met the huge mountain rock in the end.
As our scooter got closer to that gigantic rock, the majesty and grandeur of the rock projected an authority that it's the queen of all the rocks below—bowing down to her royalty.
The gigantic rock was a grand welcome for us—showing a symbolic projection that the town would remain strong amidst both the natural and man-made threats that may come.
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE WE SAW WITHIN THE COURSE OF OUR STOP ON THE URZADAN BRIDGE. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • PHOTOGRAPHING THE EDGE OF THE HUGE MOUNTAIN ROCK. |
As we looked down below the bridge, we saw some individuals fishing; and I couldn't decipher where these people came from. Looking around, there were no houses (note: as of 2024, there are already tourist resorts nearby, and a store was built at the end of the bridge). •
• LATEST STORIES COVERING 'SUYO' •
SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW
▼ ILOCOS SUR
▼ BRIDGES
▼ INFRASTRUCTURE
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UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
• 2024-April-15: This post was rewritten. Lay-out version 2023.12 applied. Photo lay-out version 2024.1 applied.
• 2011-September-22: Original version of this post published.
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