We had an off-campus workshop last week in Baras, Rizal, and it was a welcome change in environment and pace. The venue also afforded a view of the provinces of Rizal, Laguna and even Quezon.

We had a nice view of Laguna de Bai. At the center of the photo is the town proper of Tanay, which has an old church at the center and along the old national road. In the background are mountains, volcanoes actually, including on the left Mt. Banahaw in Quezon Province. Mt. Makiling in Laguna is also in the horizon on the right.

If you notice the power lines in the photo, these connect to the two power plants in the area – the Malaya Thermal Plant and the Pililla Wind Farm both in Pililla, Rizal. 

Tanay has a small port and a lighthouse. There are many fish pens in the area so most boats using the port are probably fishing boats. There was a proposal many years ago for extending the ferry service along the Pasig River to towns along the lake. This required clearing the lake of many fish pens to make it navigable. I hear the plans are being revived but I think its a wait and see in as far as these projects are concerned.

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