Text and Photos by Prime Sarmiento

How can something which is primarily used to generate electricity entice travelers that they will go out of their way just to see it?

Or to be more specific: who would have thought that the windmills of Ilocos Norte, which now supplies 40 percent of the electricity needs of this northern Philippine province, will become a major must-see site?

The coastal town of Bangui is not that accessible, you need to have your own vehicle to go there. And yet, hundreds of tourists have come and gone, not just for some beach bumming, but also to take photos of uhmm…. a windmill?

I was thinking about those windmills while seating in a bus, traveling with several photoholics. Our itinerary includes the usual sights that abound most travel photo albums: the beautiful churches of Ilocos Norte, and the heritage houses of Ilocos Sur. Both these churches and houses are valued not just for their architecture, but also for their history.

What I find odd is a visit to the wind farm of Bangui. Of course, as an eco-conscious consumer and journalist to appreciate "green power" – a buzzword in the era of Al Gore and global warming. The time where coal plants are shunned (they increase green house gas emission! They pollute the environment! They're UGLY!), while wind farms and solar panels are considered "in" and "cool".

But…..do we really need to take photos of wind mills?

I changed my mind when I finally saw the windmills myself and was just awed by those white and tall (about 70 meters above ground) windmills. There's 15 of them, standing in the sandy beach, with the green mountainside serving back drop. we went there around 5 pm – sunset is the best time to take those pics.

My pictures, which you can find all over this blog post, don't do justice to these beautiful "structures" (for lack of a better term). But I tried my best, using with my five year old point and shoot digital camera (time to buy a new gadget, I guess!).

And as we celebrate Earth Day today, I hope that the Bangui windmills will remind us that "green" is indeed beautiful!