Bantayan

Homemade docu in Malapascua

San Joaquin church, Philippine (Unseen Asia: 25 of Asia's most overlooked destinations by CNN)

In a province crammed with Spanish colonial monuments, you'd hardly think that a little church tucked away in a sleepy town would cause a stir. 


Wrong. The little-known San Joaquin Church in the Filipino province of Iloilo is a shocker. Instead of limestone bricks and Virgin Marys, its bass relief disquietingly depicts a bloody battle scene, complete with rifle action and men jostled off horses.

The only church in the Philippines with a “military theme,” the San Joaquin Church was erected in 1869 to commemorate how the Spanish thrashed the Moors in the Battle of Tetuan.

The church stands in the seaside town of Iloilo, which has one of the most gorgeous sea coasts in the Visayas. A flight from Manila to Iloilo takes an hour and most of the city’s destinations are accessible with a Jeepney.

Read more: CNNgo.com 

Tarsier: The Littlest Alien || Trailer

A cuddly-looking creature with soft, grayish-fur; about 100 millimeters in height; with rat-like tail which is longer than the body and bat-like ears, the Tarsier (Locally called the maomag). It thrives mostly in secondary dense forests with a diet of crickets, beetles, termites and other insects as well as small animals like lizards, frogs, and even small birds but has almost no natural enemies in the wild. Furthermore, this nocturnal creature has the unique ability of being able to turn its head 180 degrees as well as to jump backward with precision. Yet ironically, is listed as one of the country’s threatened species.

Interesting to note: 

They commit suicide during captivity due to trauma from touching and loud noise.

Source: Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc.

Tagbilaran City, Bohol (Holy Tricycles)

After watching the report of Marc Logan in TV Patrol about the tricycles in Tagbilaran City being posted with verses and sayings about religion, this makes me think if this will be followed by the different local government in the Philippines, there might be less road accidents. They said that this is one of the requirements for the city government to issue license for them to drive around the city.


Tagbilaran City is the gateway to Bohol, where you can find Chocolate Hills that is composed of hundreds of small mountain and their main tourist attraction. It can be reached though ship, fast craft and airplane. Many foreigners and local tourists visit this place annually making it as one of the most competitive cities in the Philippines. 


In the report, Marc Logan asked the tricycle drivers if they can understand what the verses all about, some answered correctly and some failed. Although not all really understand why they are required to post such verses in the tricycles, some of them understand. This means that with the risks surrounding one when travelling, one can expect at least the driver is always guided by the Lord therefore less chance that mishaps might happen while on the road.

Bais City (Negros Oriental)

Do you want to see dolphin up close?

Bais City is the place, located at the northern part of Negros Oriental, Philippines.

Here, their main tourist attraction is dolphin watching. Dolphin is an aquatic mammal that is considered the fast-swimming mammal.

With just 3500-4000 Philippine pesos you can rent a small boat or banca to take you to the recent sightings of the pod of dolphins. A boat can accommodate 15-20 passengers for six hours of dolphin watching with of course the tourist guide, the captain of the boat and his crew.

They say in Bais City you are sure to see dolphins while you’re on the boat, unlike in other place where they advertise dolphin watching but you can hardly see any dolphin. You get your money’s worth.

Sinulog

Do you want to hear people shouting "pit señor"?

Try to visit Cebu City, located at the center of the Visayan peninsula. It highlights the festivity of Sinulog or Graceful dance in English. It commemorates the taking of the natives of Christianity.

Originally, on April 7, 1951 Magellan - the Portuguese Explorer came to the Philippines and gave a wooden Santo Niño or little Jesus to the wife of Rajah Humabon (Chieftain of Cebu that time), Harah Amihan as a baptismal gift. Shortly thereafter, on April 21, 1951 he fought the reigning ruler of Mactan, Rajah Lapu-lapu and died.

With the colonization of the Spaniards for 300 years of the Philippines, Christianity became the major religion in the country. By then the yearly festival was conceptualized to honor Santo Niño which is now commonly called Sinulog.

Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Nino. The dance moves to the sound of the drums and this resembles the current (Sinulog) of what was then known as Cebu’s Pahina River.

Too often, it was mistaken for Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, complete with painted faces and war-like, martial beat. Now this festivity features in its parade seven floats to depict the history of Christianity in Cebu. See you there.

Cebu City

Known as the Queen City of the South, Cebu City is one of the most visited in the Philippines. 

Travel here is just easy and comfortable especially to those who want to get cheap rate. A bus (Ceres) can take you anywhere you want to go in the province. Roads connect the city to some beautiful places like beaches located near the city and dive spots. To go on island hopping, a pump boat can take you to all the small islands in the province. 

Modern civilization is much appreciated here, big malls like SM Cebu, Ayala Mall, Robinsons and Metro Gaisano are just some of the recommended places where one can relax and enjoy. It is also home to some hotels from the inexpensive to the most expensive five star hotels.

Malapascua Island

Although Malapascua is probably most famous for thresher sharks, which are the general attraction to the island, upon arriving most divers are amazed at the variety of other things that can be seen in the surrounding reefs.  Divers leave promising to come back to capture the pygmy sea horse or witness another mandarin fish mating. The waters are full of surprises some expected, some not.

Malapascua is known for some of the best shark diving in the Philippines, famous for the thresher sharks, which can be seen at any time of year at Monad Shoal. This is reputedly the only place in the world where these sharks can be seen within recreational diver limits on a regular basis. The owners Dik and Cora de Boer and staff of Exotic carried out the first encounters with the thresher sharks in 1997. Later,  film crews and dive magazines from all over the world came to visit our resort just to see this phenomenon.


At other times of the year it is also possible to encounter schooling hammerheads and giant manta rays that also frequent the cleaning stations at Monad Shoal. If you would like to learn more about cleaning stations and thresher sharks check out our distinctive thresher shark specialty course. Gato Island is another famous shark site where it is practically guaranteed that you will see white tip sharks sleeping within the caves and crevasses and if you have a good eye, bamboo sharks nestling in the cracks. source: malapascua.net

Panglao Island

Escape to a slice of paradise and experience Bohol’s celebrated sights and sounds in the island’s most luxurious beach resort. 

Invigorate your senses amidst lush tropical landscapes embraced by clear, turquoise waters and dazzling white-sand beaches. Indulge yourself and relax in world-class amenities while we pamper you with warmth that is classic Boholano.

From sun-kissed hills to underwater wonders to exotic wildlife, Bohol is a tropical sanctuary of natural beauty. Feel its festive charm pulsating through Panglao Island Nature Resort. Here you can experience all the beauty that Bohol has to offer. We’ll make your stay in Bohol the perfect island getaway.

Amanpulo, Pamalican Island

Pamalican Island is a small island of the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea, between Palawan and Panay, in the north part of the Palawan Province of the Philippines. The island is set in the middle of a 7 square-kilometer coral reef. It has a length of 2.5 kilometers, and measures only 500 meters at its widest point.

The island was originally exploited as a struggling family-owned plantation. It was then purchased by Andres Soriano Jr., a successful businessman. His children then decided to build a resort on the island and leased the management responsibility to establish an exclusive resort. The island is private property and belongs in totality to 7 Seas Resort (owned by the Sorianos). It is part of the high-end resort group, Amanresorts, under the name Amanpulo.

The island is serviced by a Dornier 228-202K plane flying from Manila, which is used to ferry customers and to bring supplies to the resort. Each bungalow (casita) comes with a personalbuggy for free circulation throughout the island. The atmosphere around the island is extremely tranquil and secluded.

Diving activities are available, allowing for nice coral viewing and encounters with large turtles and rays. Several windsurf boards and sails are provided at the "Windsurf hut" on the north shore. The shallow protected lagoon there allows for easy windsurfing on a flat surface, and is especially favorable during the northern monsoon season (November to May), when the wind blows onshore.

About 40% of the employees are from the neighboring Manamoc Island.

The resort has been nominated as one of the best island resorts in the world.

Source: Wiki.com

Eastern Samar

Samar surfing is located along the eastern shoreline which is exposed to the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the critical element in determining the waves.
The Samar surfing season is generally accepted as being from September to March, the larger and more consistent waves arrive during the North East Monsoon or if there is a typhoon off the coast it will really push the swell up.
If you want to explore and surf some locations that perhaps have never been surfed before, then Samar surfing is the place for you. All you need to bring with you is a bit of time and adventure and you may find your very own idyllic break with no one to drop in on you and annoy you. Why don’t you try and find your own paradise by the surf. source: philippines-travel-guide.com

Moalboal

One of Cebu’s treasured jewels is Moalboal—made famous by its magnificent white sand beaches, diving spots, and other adventures. A peninsula—almost entirely engulfed with water—Moalboal is an ideal outdoor destination since it is endowed by the gifts of nature. The beaches are world class and diving spots are certainly one of the best in Asia, if not, the world. The people of Moalboal get their means of livelihood from fishing and farming since the place is also gifted with mountain sites. So whether one loves the beach or looks for adventure in the high mountains, Moalboal is the place. Moreover, the place has been a tourism industry since the 1970s and over the years the place has continued to attract both local and foreign tourists.


Meanwhile, diving is considered as one of the main activities in Moalboal and ever since this sport has become popular, many diving enthusiasts flank Moalboal from time to time. A number of people love the diving spots in Moalboal and its rich marine sanctuaries. To cater the needs of the tourists, a number of diving resorts are now fully operational. Also some of the native Cebuano delicacies are proudly offered in the restaurants or stores in Moalboal. Meanwhile, to make the tourists’ stay in the place convenient and comfortable, a number of services are conceptualized. These services aim to cater the needs of the tourists and some of these services include boat and diving equipment rentals, tours, etc. Source: Moalboal-travel-guide.com

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. Rising from the volcanic depths of the Sulu Sea in the western Philippines, these magnificent atolls encompass an astonishing diversity of marine life.The park is an underwater sanctuary where nature thrives. 


Tubbataha is the Philippines' first national marine park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place of global importance being preserved for future generations of humankind.Tubbataha supports an unparalleled variety of marine creatures. Colorful reef fish crowd corals growing in the shallows while sharks and pelagics haunt the steep drop offs to the open sea. Source: tubbatahareef.org

Apo Island

Apo Island, a small and pristine island that offers fantastic snorkelling and some of the best diving in the Philippines. This Island has some lovely and scenic view with a magnificent and good assorment of dive sites.

Stunning and outstanding hard and soft corals are all around and enormous table corals, stag horns, brain corals and fire corals can be seen. You will also encounter lovely beaches and a tranquil, relaxing atmosphere, as no automobiles are allowed on the island.

Source: aposhore.com

El nido Palawan

It is the scenic landscape, crystal clear waters, and relative isolation that attracts and fascinates most travelers to El Nido. The 45 islands and islets and the surrounding sea present endless opportunities for adventure, nature appreciation, and even just simple amusements. El Nido's majestic limestone cliffs are estimated to be 250 million years old. They stand guard over clear waters, with 200 species of tropical fishes, more than 100 species of corals, and three species of endangered sea turtles. El Nido's forests are host to more than 100 species of birds, a large number of which are endemic to Palawan.


Kayaking in secret lagoons, mangrove tours, snorkeling or diving with colorful tropical fishes, hiking to the peak of an island, fishing, bird watching, exploring uninhabited islands, picnic lunches or sunbathing in a white sand beach. These are just some of the activities that can be arranged by El Nido Resorts. Philippinecountry.com.

Bantayan Island

Bantayan Island is a beautiful Island, and currently Cebu's semi-secret little Island Paradise (small numbers of travelers over the years have slowly been putting the word out) located just off the northwest tip of Cebu's mainland, and I live here when I’m not in the USA.


Largely un developed and definitely not over crowded and over priced with the commercialization of some other Islands; it’s a perfect place for those seeking peace & quiet, blue skies & clean air, with spectacular turquoise water & great white sand beaches, along with some of the most beautiful sunrise & sunsets in the world! by PJAMES.

Siquijor

Siquijor has a long reputation of being an island of magic and sorcery. Many still believe that the island is mystical due to primitive rituals and ceremonials in the deep caverns of Siquijor mountains. These rituals they say, involves black magic. Folk legends on the practices of witchcraft, existence of witches, shamans and other supernatural beings continuously haunt the island. Thus, fostering fear among locals and even foreign people.The mystery that lies about Siquijor may be true to some degree. However, these beliefs shouldn't let any adventurers be afraid of setting foot in the island. Siquijor is definitely more than that! The real 'mystery' of Siquijor is not about its folk legends but rather the rich and pristine natural resources that anyone will surely fall in love with. Siquijor has a lot in store for everyone. The island is a perfect place to visit with its amazing white beaches, waterfalls, caves, natural parks and sanctuaries. by Marvin L. Salazar.

Boracay

Years ago, Boracay Island was an almost possessively guarded secret so that only a few knew of its existence. Tourism only began to develop in the 1970s, when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveler, 'Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world. Whichever story is true, it was around this time that Boracay Island slowly ceased to be a private hangout for travelers.


In the 1980s, the island became popular with backpackers. Since then, Boracay has gradually become more and more a cosmopolitan tourism destination and, in the 21st century has become, one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines. wiki.com