The Home of Mely

Abra - Homes, originally uploaded by jsigharas.

Mely has done a beautiful job with her home by using local bamboo and other indigenous made products to give it that ethnic Filipino feel and identity. One of the highlights of her home is the open-air living room which allows the wind to breeze through, to keep the home cool, and the sun to light its interior, to reduce the amount of electricity used.

The Home Of Mely

Abra - Homes, originally uploaded by jsigharas.

So after much anticipation, we finally make it to Abra, which is about 5 hours north of Baguio, to visit our friend and bamboo trip coordinator, Mely Berselona. Mely's home has been on the list of things to see on our trip as much of it is composed out of bamboo. Bamboo floors, ceilings, rails, windows, furniture, doors, and decor. When we arrived in Bangued, the main town in Abra, it seemed like everybody has either heard of, or has seen it as it sticks out like a soar thumb amongst its neighboring homes which are all constructed out of the typical building material: concrete and steel.