Remembering Alamo (San Antonio, Texas, USA)

August 7, 2008 - It was a sunny Thursday morning when I started to look for the Alamo. I was alone because the rest of my family had different meetings to attend to and they've been there for the nth time. It was my first trip though and I was excited to explore the city by myself.

Passing by the Riverwalk from the Grand Hyatt hotel where we stayed, I crossed Crockett street in front of a Catholic church, I turned left and walked towards Alamo Plaza. But before turning right, I noticed a tall red-abstract-looking-steel piece of art built upright. I later on found out that it was the Alamo friendship tower,

As I walked further down, I noticed throngs of people taking photos in every corner of an old building and what seems to be a barrack. And when I looked closer, there it was the famous church of Alamo, standing humongous in the background and the long barrack sprawling on its right foreground corner.

“Kamusta?” a Filipino greeted me with a smile.

I gave him a surprised look as I replied “Mabuti po”, and immediately, I changed my glance towards the shrine.

“Gusto mong kunan kita ng picture mo sa camera mo?” the gentle-mannered man asked me again. How did he know that I was thinking about it? Did my face show it? But I never asked him why. Instead, I said “Sige po!”, as I handed him my camera and before he changes his mind.

“O ayan. Ok.” he said as I tried my best to show-off a big smile while wishing deep inside that the shot would turn-out good.

After the quick shot, I said, “Salamat po.”. We had a short chat before we went off our separate ways. And so that was how I got the only photo of me at Alamo. No, it's not the one posted online!

The rest of my day at Alamo was guided by an audio tour which I rented for a few dollars. It was a good option rather than having none at all because I had enough time to capture the scenery while learning about what transpired on that fateful 13 days.

Although I'm not fond of war weapons, I still cringe whenever I see guns, canons, bows and arrows even though it's only for display, what was enriching of the audio-handset-guided tour was the history behind it. I couldn't help but admire the tenacity and courage of the men who fought and sacrificed their lives for freedom.

As modern times came into the scene, I learned that there were also women (or was it just a woman?) who took action to rebuild the Alamo compound before it could be considered a thing of the past. I also had a chance to check out one of the rooms in the Alamo Shrine where the women and children were spared from the canons. It was a moving scene for me. How they survived without a roof at that time to protect them from the blast was indeed a miracle.

Aside from the renovated shrine, outstretched barracks, display of weapons, and scenic gardens, I came across a library where researchers are spending their time to work on the historic Alamo. As my tour almost came to its end, I sat in one of the shaded benches along the garden walk. I replayed some of the areas I missed in the audio tour as I also glanced at the tourists visiting the place. Looking at them, I guess they were also having a great time learning about history while taking pictures. As I continued to rest, I scanned my digital camera to review on the different historical spots I captured. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the shrine and museum thus the photos were all taken outside the compound.

My one-hour tour around the compound ended at the souvenir shop. No, I wasn't able to buy anything but I went home more knowledgeable of the American history with my photos to remember Alamo.

What about the audio handset? It was returned just before I left for lunch with my family who were already waiting for me at the Riverwalk Center.