El Nido is a truly magical place, with limestone cliffs falling vertically on white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. It has more than 50 beaches, many of which are secluded, although the Nido runs the risk of becoming dying, not so much because of the number of visitors, which never seem like many because it's so long and difficult to get there, but because of the tours' poor organization. All agencies offer four tours with uninspiring names like A, B, C and D. All the boats leave at the same time, and the most popular tours can have bottlenecks. You should read the review of the two tours I did, A and C. Alex Garland wrote "The Beach" while living there, and decided to move to Thailand to prevent being rolled out, but like the story, I don't know if he succeeded. Diving is also a popular activity with over 30 dive sites for varying levels. I didn't dive, but the people I met told me it was alright, but there were many better places in the Philippines.
The Philippines is an amazing country. This album has a bit of everything. Photos of amazing malls, streets and the beach (you should know that you have to pay to enter the beach as they are private). I have been, and they are very good, but watch out for jellyfish, because there are quite a few, so don't be surprised if you see people bathing in clothes lol. However, you can sleep at the beach as many beaches have small apartments for rent. It is very typical for people to have a small business in the basement of their home and they are very curious because you can use transport ranging from a jeepney ride to a tricycle to taxis and buses, but on the other hand you integrate a little more in the lives of Filipinos.
Blessed with fine white sand beaches, Boracay is a place where people from everywhere find peace and tranquility. Walking through its long beaches is fun for the eyes, mouth and ears. There are a variety of activities here: diving, snorkeling and feeding the fish, kite surfing, kayaking, visiting the islands of Crystal Cove, Magical Island, etc. And for night-owls there are plenty of bars around the island where you can see live music and mixtures of the country's best-known DJs. I came back after three years to this sublime and charming place, I find it changed by the "invasion" of tourists but the main attraction remains: the beauty of the landscape and human nature.
Ladies and gentlemen, this beach stole my heart in 2008 and I've been back every year since. The diving, kite surfing, the beaches, the wonderful friendly people...it's perfect. There aren't any big chain resorts like we know them in the west, but rather smaller hotels run by all kinds of international people. I'd especially recommend Boracay for young honeymooners, families, and, why not, the elderly. It's a great place for everyone. The atmosphere is amazing...Europeans, Asians, Americans, all having a wonderful time under the sun.
The Jeepney is the most widely used public transportation in Manila. It came about over 70 years ago, the military jeep from America that the soldiers left in the Philippines after World War II. Filipinos painted them and started using them for public transport for the decoration and the decoration is really something to see. Currently there are companies that make base parts of other vehicles. Riding costs 8pesos (13 cents in Euros) and it's an adventure.
This is one of my favorite islands in the Philippines, but I could name many. Malcapuya has a fantastic sandy beach and there are no hotels, hostels or houses to spend the night. It is a perfect place to forget about civilization and spend a day with complete relaxation and enjoyment. It has some small bamboo houses where you can sit and eat while admiring stunning scenery. It is perfect for relaxing and unplugging.
In 2006 I fulfilled one of my dreams, diving with whale sharks. I had tried in Australia but it was cancelled due to bad weather. When I visited the Philippines I went to Donsol, where there was a very interesting project developing to increase interaction between local people, tourists and whale sharks.
You go with local people in small wooden boats, and when you see a shark, they take you closer and you jump out of the boat with your flippers and diving goggles near the shark. Despite being vegetarian it's pretty impressive in size, up to 20 meters, and has an enormous mouth, up to 2 meters wide.
After several months traveling in Asia, I found this little island in the Visayas Islands. It has dreamy sunsets and diving documentaries worthy of Jaques Custeau. Of course I had my camera with me!
The National Park Puerto Princesa Underground River, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and one of the new natural wonders of Humanity is a unique underground river that flows into the ocean, and although UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in the year 1999, is now in its most popular time because it has been named named a New Natural Wonder of the World, which triggered the tourism and makes getting a seat without a booking is a thing of luck. The maximum number of visitors per day is 900, and if you get there without a reservation you are put on a waiting list, and the next day at 8 am you go there to see if you are lucky.The days I was there everyone could get in, I'm not sure that they respect the maximum number because from 8am boats are coming with 8 passengers towards the river every few minutes. Once you disembark at the beach, you get on a small canoe, maximum 4, and a rower / guide takes you inside the cave to paddle for an hour or so. The cave is illuminated so that comes first in the boat has a powerful source connected to a car battery, and the guide tells him where light to explain the different types of rock formations. The cave is full of bats and swallows, and force you to wear a helmet type of work, if you know that there have been cases of attacks like "The Birds" by Hitchcock or to protect you from the usual shit thereof. Depending on the time of year the river water goes from being completely transparent or brown depending on the rains, the river lead directly into the sea when the cave ends, it is affected by tides.
At just 300m above sea level, this temple is one of the most typical sights of Cebu, in the Visayas reqion, Philippines. Built by the Chinese Taoist movement this church is a meeting point for followers to offer prayers and to formulate questions about their fortune. It is a very nice place to visit.
In 2009, I traveled alone to the Philippines. I toured the interior of the island of Luzon and came across this wonder, I had heard of it before but couldn't imagine it, until I saw it. I was very lucky because it rained a week and that day the skies cleared.
The mood at the beach and the colors of the sun rising was truly an amazing moment that I experienced during my visit at Bohol Island of the Philippines.
Almost all agencies in El Nido offer the same tours at the same price, which means that you can find up to 10 boats at the same place. My recommendation is to get more people to fit in a boat and do a private tour . The boats depart at 9 am and return at 4 pm, and it is best to leave as early as possible to avoid the heat. The tour that is the most popular is to visit: Secret Lagoon, small lake, Laguna Grande. When we arrived at the big lagoon there were already 15 boats anchored, so we told the guide that we wanted to leave and come back later. It was a great idea because we got to it and it was empty we were exploring it for a while, one with the boat, others, snorkeling, and there are many small caves and a big lagoon. We went back after lunch and there was almost no one, lovely. We also visited the beach-Payong Payong and Simizu Island, where we ate. The end of the tour is on the island of 7 Commands, where you can have a coconut from a tree, play volleyball, or just relax.
This is 1 of the places that you need to see while visiting Manila, the Philippine capital. It's a lovely park, with lots of gardens, a Chinese garden, Japanese garden, outdoor theater, and it has a nice view from the top. The park is named after Rizal Park D. Jose Rizal, whose remains are in the park, because, after being accused of rebellion, he was sentenced to be shot there (ancient place of Bagumbayan) which has a bust in the very place where he was shot down the day he died. It is therefore the quintessential hero lands in the Philippines and in many parts of Spain, where there are streets with his name.
While traveling in Malaysia, during a trip round Southeast Asia, we stayed in Sipadan, an enclave famous for its fauna. After several days of awesome dives, I wanted something more laid back, so I took a boat trip that was going to a lonely island for snorkelling. When I arrived I could not believe what I was seeing- it was a tiny island inhabited by some Aboriginal families wearing very few clothes and living in huts made out of palm trees. I lay on the sand and the children approached me, a strange character so different from them who was wearing strange things, sunscreen, of which I gave a little to each one of them and they smiled throughout day. Perhaps the most beautiful and peaceful place I've ever been to.
Giants, The Makers Of Philippines’ Chocolate Hills
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The world famous Chocolate Hills in the Philippines is one of the most prominent tourist spots in the said country because of its inexplicable appearance, environment and other bizarre legends about it.
Located in the province of Bohol, Chocolate Hills are colossal geological formations that are naturally covered with green grass. When the wet season ends, the grass covering the hills will change its color and turn into brown. This is where its name came from. They are believed to be formed from limestone particles that have been weakened by rainfall for long period of years. Experts refer to it as geological formation, although they were uncertain as to how these colossal hills sprung into existence.
There is an estimated 1,269 to 1,776 total number of hills in this site. The exact count of the hills is still the subject of a detailed survey which hasn’t been finished yet. The cone-like hills vary in their sizes. There are hills which measure around 30 meters to 50 meters tall and the highest one measures around 390 feet (120 meters) high.
Experts had the presumption that there are large caves and rivers under the land formations and the primary shaping agent was the water from rain. The underground formations grow wider every year because of the limestone erosion as the rainwater pours.
The Chocolate Hills belongs to the Seven Natural Wonders of Asia. In fact, the land formation is even featured on the provincial flag of Bohol. Because of the tourist spot’s popularity, local authorities are exercising maximum care and they give a hard time to archaeologists and other experts ve wish to explore the unseen locations of the hills.
Speculations about the origin of the Chocolate Hills have been circulating the cyberspace. There are some articles focused on discussing the dome-like features of the land formation, and this had strengthen the belief of people that the hills are artificially made. Due to the absence of adequate scientific studies about the origin of Chocolate Hills, people are still in a state of quandary – they think that the hills are the creations of humans, or maybe, of some mythical entity.
If we were to review the Philippine folklore, we would come across accounts of giant human-like beings ve started a fight by throwing boulders against each other and left a great mess after, or another story of a giant whose mistress died. He cried for days and his tears, mixed with chunk portions of soil, formed the Chocolate Hills.
Although these are just legends, all of which tell about giants ve could have been the reason for the formation of this tourist attraction. Now, what could we actually find under these molehills?
Based on one scientific theory, these hills might have been used as entombments of foregone leaders or rulers of the place. Asia is known as a continent full of pyramids, entombments, burial mounds, and has unique yet odd funeral art like the Terracota Warriors interred together with the body of China’s first Emperor, Shi Huang Ti. So why wouldn’t the Filipinos want to excavate such an exuberant inheritance from the ancient people if it was really true?
One good answer is that the things kept under these hills could not be describe by our modern perception, especially if we won’t review significant parts of our history. It is presumed that the things concealed by the Chocolate Hills, if these were true, could be surviving trace of supernatural creatures to primeval mysterious leaders, or even modern technology.
If any conclusion would be reached and proven from the unseen parts of the Chocolate Hills, the government would hide it from us. The chance that this would remain unknown to many is really slim, considering the size of this place and the volume of tourist going to the site daily.
Legend of Chocolate Hills
In addition to the speculations mentioned above, another guess has been made and it emphasized that the hills are natural landmarks, but it was not made of rainwater. Instead, it was believed that these land formations sprung to life because of higher geothermal activity made by the volcanoes nearby. Besides, Philippines is located in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the part of the world that experiences the most number of earthquakes.
Before new exhumations are done, we will still be left in uncertainty as to how these hills originated. The most that we can do now is to make guesses. What do you think? Are these geological formations artificial? A colossal being’s masterpiece? Or the volcanoes made a piece of art that is inconceivable for a human intelligence?
[copy pasted from]
http://www.thealternativemind.net/2017/03/giants-makers-of-philippines-chocolate.html?m=0
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Interested to see Chocolate Hills?
Bohol Day Tour 2017
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One of the few restored parts of what was the flourishing Manila Intramuros, the Spanish colonial city badly damaged in the final battle between Americans and Filipinos against the Japanese and not a shadow of its former self. Now one of the most visited attractions in Manila, the fort is preserved as a shrine to the hero José Rizal, who was here in prison before being executed for alleged treason. Admission is 75 pesos, €1.5
I've been to Chinatowns almost everywhere in the world, but I think the best is in Manila, this is because it has good memories for me. It was evening time when I discovered this amazing church in Chinatown, and I was even more surprised by the appearance in the middle of mass of Chinese dragons dancing to the beat of drums and loud firecrackers that made the visit become special and different. The first Church of Santa Cruz (often abbreviated as Santa Cruz Church) was built in 1608 by the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits, as the parish church for the growing number of Chinese immigrants in Manila, many of whom had been converted to the Catholic faith. The original structure was damaged twice by earthquakes, and totally destroyed during World War II. The current building, which was completed in 1957, is essentially Baroque in satyle and a little reminiscent of the Spanish-built mission churches. A very picturesque place to visit ... especially during Chinese New Year with dragon parades --- a truly awesome spectacle for tourists to see!