Last November, when Mom and Dad traveled to the capital city from the farm, their purpose was not only to buy bamboo seedlings but to fetch the finished statue of the Good Shepherd as well.
This endeavor requires that they have to take the van so they can bring the huge and heavy statue back to the farm. The journey takes more than 300 kilometers each way and because father was not in a good physical condition to drive the van we had to hire a driver. This is still way cheaper than having the statue delivered to the farm. Our concern was this van is very old and it might not take the weight of the load. Well, it did.
A truck delivers the Good Shepherd to our house in the suburb of Metro Manila.
After an overnight journey the statue arrived and unloaded at the farm.
Because of the unrelenting rain that poured down in our area last November and December, they could not install the statue at its designated place. Thus it remained in the front porch while they waited for at least a couple of days of no rain before its foundation could be constructed.
Waiting in the front porch while the foundation is being constructed.
Eventually mother nature quieted the skies and let the sun shine for a couple of days, more than enough to clear the site and construct the concrete base where the statue will stand. After the concrete base hardened it is time to move the statue but the sky wailed again for several days. Taking advantage of one day without rain, even though the sun hid behind thick and ominous clouds, father gathered up nine men from the neighborhood to carry the heavy statue from the house to the installation site.
Some adjustments were made to carry the load safely.
Slowly navigating the sloped road down to the pond area.
A short rest after crossing the pond bridge and before the start of the uphill climb.
Another short rest.
And the march continues...
...and continues... almost halfway there ...
... until they reached the site.
The journey from the house to the site was not easy. I was told the statue weighs around one metric tonne (~1,000 kilogram). Every several meters the men had to stop and take a breather. The constant rain from the previous days made the dirt road very soft, muddy and slippery.
Finally the Good Shepherd arrived at his intended location, the slope of the highest part of the farm. Thanks to the will and determination of the men who carried the heavy statue to the place where it will command a view of the rest of the farm and garden.
to be continued... (click here for the conclusion)
2 comments:
That is a very difficult task, i pity those men, they should be given a huge bonus! It could have been easier if the sculptor made the statue in the place. You are a bit short of just like a king in the kingdom of old like building the Bayon in Siem Reap, etc, etc! Have you been to the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine in Lumban (or maybe Lucban, Quezon)? You should see it, i've been there once but i didn't climb the top because i had cough that time!
[If I am as financially capable like you, our area in Batangas is also a very lovely tourist spot, overlooking the bay to the east and easy to reach Mt Gulugod Baboy to the west. Mother inherited a property literally at the foot of the mountain, far from our house but very nice to develop and cater the hikers and campers, even just selling buko juice and halo-halo or Bed and Breakfast. Haaaay, sana i got a high paying job like you early on.]
Thanks Andrea. It was a 'heavy burden to carry' indeed. I assure you they were compensated for their valiant effort. They were also served free lunch :)
The sculptor work on this piece in his studio in UST during their semestral break. I've never been to the Kamay ni Jesus shrine. I may have seen pictures in the web. Maybe I can visit that (and Siem Reap...hopefully) place someday too.
With regards to the second part of your comment I think it's better to answer that in an email :)
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