Puerto Princesa Underground River

Throughout the tour, your tour guide will shine a flashlight on the many stalagmite and stalactite formations within the cave, some of which have grown to extremely large proportions over centuries. It is simply spectacular how the formations can resemble many things; you are encouraged to bring your imagination. It is also one of the most important conservation efforts in the country.

The subterranean river is nominated as one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. It was once called the St. Paul underground river. Vote for it by clicking this link>>>

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or PPSRNP They have recently uncovered the fossils of a dugong and some crystal caves!

It is a core area for the Palawan Biosphere Reserve and is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). It was also declared as a National Geological Monument. In recognition of global significance, the PPSRNP has been inscribed to the list of natural World Heritage Sites.

The trip from Puerto Princesa city center takes anywhere from an hour and forty to and almost 2 hours to get to the underground river depending on the weather.

IF GASOLINE PRICE GETS HIGHER AND HIGHER !!

This will be us when the gasoline price gets higher and higher...

source: Bernard Roxas

City of Baguio

The City of Baguio (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio; Filipino: Lungsod ng Baguio) is a 1st class highly urbanized city in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on September 1, 1909. There is a presidential mansion, as well as supreme court and legislative offices in Baguio. Baguio is the seat of government of the on June 1, 1903 and incorporated as a city by the Philippine Assembly Cordillera Administrative Region. The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning 'moss'. The city is at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters (5100 ft) in a moist tropical pine forest conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids.

According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 252,386 in 52,302 households.

Mt. Pinatubo

Image shows the crater after the 1991 eruption. The canal near the bottom of the image was built to release extra water and avoid another round of flash floods. Radiometric dating on Mt. Pinatubo indicates that it has been active for over 1.1 million years. Pinatubo is of the 22 active volcanoes dotting the Philippines. To the Aetas, the country's semi-nomadic negrito tribes, Mt. Pinatubo is the Aetas "Holy of Holies", the inner sanctum where their supreme God, the Apo na Mallari dwells. They believed the recent eruption was due to Apo's anger over the continued denudation of the environment.

Mount Apo

Mount Apo is a large stratovolcano on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is the highest mountain in the country and overlooks Davao City, a few kilometres to the northeast. Its name means "master" or "grandfather". Apo is flat topped, with three peaks, and is capped by a 500 m wide volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. It is a source of geothermal energy, but the date of its most recent eruption is unknown, and none are verified in historic times.

Mount Apo is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines, and the summit is easy to reach. It was first climbed on October 10, 1880 by a party led by Don Joaquin Rajal.

It is also a home of monkey eating eagle or Philippine eagle and a breeding ground of exotic Waling-Waling orchids, one of the rarest and most beautiful in the worlds. Among its exciting sites are Agco Blue Lake (at 1,200m) three summit lake including Lake Venado (2,400m) and the sulphurous volcanic cone.

The Henson-Hizon House is a heritage house in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Built by the couple Saturnino Henson y David, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando from 1882-1883 and 1896, and the first tesorero municipal from 1900-1902, and Maria Lacson. Inherited by their eldest daughter Juana Henson y Lacson who was married to Florentino Hizon. Inherited by their son Vicente Hizon y Henson who was married to Concepcion Dizon y Dayrit. Inherited by their son Vicente Hizon y Dizon who was married to Anastacia de los Reyes. Purchased by the couple Pablo Panlilio y Dayrit and Dolores Argüelles. This bahay na bato of the Spanish colonial period was declared a Heritage House by the National Historical Institute on 27 January 2003 by virtue of Resolution No. 3, S. 2003.

Fort Santiago, Intramuros Manila

Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine National Hero spent his last days here before he was executed by the Spanish Government on December 30, 1896. The restored shrine inside Fort Santiago houses Rizaliana items in his memory. Among the object exhibited are various books and manuscripts by and about the national hero; sketches, paintings, wood carving and sculpture done by the hero. Fort Santiago was also used as a prison camp by the Japanese during World War II.
The location of Fort Santiago was also once the site of the palace and kingdom of Rajah Suliman, chieftain of Manila of pre-Spanish era. It was destroyed by the conquistadors upon arriving in 1570, encountering several bloody battles with the Muslims and native Tagalogs. The Spaniards destroyed the native settlements and erected Fuerza de Santiago in 1571.

Calauit Island, Palawan

The Island in Palawan is home to the biggest game preserve & wildlife sanctuary in the Philippines. Initially, 104 giraffes, impalas, topis, gazelles, elands and zebras were imported from Kenya Africa. They now number well over 600. The forest grasslands and mangrove swamps also host some of the country's rarest and most endangered species such as the Calamian deer, bearcat, Philippine mouse deer, tarsiers, pheasant peacock, scaly ant eater and monitor lizard. Calauit marine sanctuary provides refuge to sea turtle (pawikan), giant clams and the rare seacow (dugong).

Mag-Aso Falls

It is one of the most recommended tour sites in the Philippines for waterfall lovers. Located in Antequera, Bohol, 20 klmtrs from Tagbilaran City. It is about 25 feet tall with verdant green forest fitting background for the placid waters. It has a very beautiful bathing resort with its cool cascading water scenic surroundings.

Manila City Hall

The Manila City Hall clock tower is a major landmark of the city. On the foreground is a Hole#10 of the 18 hole Club Intramuros Golf Course. The course used to be a wide moat that protected the walled city from invaders during the spanish regime. The moat was drained and turned into a golf course for sanitation reasons later when the Americans ruled the country.

Anilao, Batangas

Anilao, in Batangas province is a diving and windsurfing paradise. It is a proud theme of a picture book that bagged the International Prize of a Underwater Images at the 27th World Festival of Underwater Images in France in November 2000. "Anilao" book creator and Filipino Scuba divers Scott Tuason and Eduardo Cu Unjeng defeated big names in underwater photography such as Jacques Mayol, Pascal Kobeh, Monique Walker and Alessandro Tomasi.

Anilao is about three hours from Manila and is popular with divers and snorkelers. The waters surrounding the area are teeming with marine life, plenty of corals and amazing diversity of fishes.

With its niche popularity among divers, Anilao is no longer as difficult for visitors to get to as in the past. It is accessible by sea or land. From Manila, one can typically get to Anilao by taking a bus bound for Batangas City (Buendia terminal) and asking the conductor for drop off at the Mabini/Bauan jeepney terminal. By request, a Mabini jeepney driver will then take passengers to the Mabini dock area. From the Mabini docks, visitors can hire a driver to any one of the resorts.

Vigan Ilocos Sur

Vigan is in Northern Luzon. Its Spanish colonial influence in local architecture and old-world charm make it a unique city in the Philippines.In pre-colonial times, Vigan was an important trading post for Chinese junks, trading gold beeswax and other products from the central Cordilleras for exotic Asian goods. Many Chinese traders settled in the mestizo district, marrying locals and starting new bloodlines.
Vigan was captured and settled by the Spanish in 1572, and grew to become a centre of Spanish political and religious power in the north of Luzon. In 1758 Vigan became the Seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.

Interestingly the town was also a hotbed of anti-Spanish politics. Diego Silang was perhaps the most notable resistance leader, but was assassinated by his friends (on commission from the Spanish) in May 1763. Undeterred, Silang's wife, Maria Josefa Gabriela Silang, assumed leadership of the uprising but was later captured by the Spanish and publicly hanged in on September 20, 1763.
Local legend has it that Vigan got its name from a simple communication breakdown. A Spaniard walking along the Metizo River apparently met a local and asked which the city's name. Not understanding what he was being asked, but seeing that the Spaniard seemed to be pointing to a tree, replied "Bigaa Apo" (a giant Taro plant that was common in the area). It is from the word "Bigaa" that Vigan is said to have derived its name.

Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometers. They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name.

The Chocolate Hills is a famous tourist attraction of Bohol.It is featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attraction in the province. It is also in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in the Philippines. Sometimes considered the "Eighth Wonder of the World", it has been declared the country's 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano is an active volcano in the Philippines on the island of Luzon, in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region. Its almost perfectly-shaped cone is considered by some to be the Philippine equivalent of Mount Fuji in Japan. The volcano is situated 15 kilometres northwest of Legazpi City.

Mayon is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano). Its symmetric cone was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava flows. Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted over 50 times in the past 400 years. It is located between the Eurasian and the Philippine Plate, at a convergent plate boundary: where a continental plate meets an oceanic plate, the lighter continental plate overrides the oceanic plate, forcing it down; magma is formed where the rock melts. Like other volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, Mayon is a part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire".

Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue) are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the Batad indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 feet) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.The Banaue terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old. They are found in the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a commonly visited place in the Cordilleras aside from Baguio.

Manila Bay View

Manila Bay is one of the finest natural harbors in the world which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. The entrance is 19 km wide and expands to a width of 48 km. Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, is an anchorage just inside the northern entrance and Sangley Point is the former location of Cavite Naval Base.

On either side of the bay are volcanic peaks topped with tropical foliage: 40 km to the north is the Bataan Peninsula and to the south is the province of Cavite.

Across the entrance to Manila Bay are several islands. The largest is Corregidor, which is 3 kilometers from Bataan and, along with the island of Caballo, separates the mouth of the bay into the North and South Channels. In the south channel is El Fraile Island and outside the entrance, and to the south, is Carabao Island. El Fraile, a rocky island some 4 acres (16,000 m²) in area, supports the massive concrete and steel ruins of Fort Drum, an island fortress constructed by the United States Army to defend the southern entrance of the bay. To the immediate north and south are additional harbors.

The bay was the setting for the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 and the siege of Corregidor Island by invading Japanese forces in 1942.

Kalesa

Kalesa (sometimes called a karitela) is a horse-driven carriage used in the Philippines. The word predates the Spanish conquest and descends ultimately from an Old Church Slavonic word meaning "wheels." This was one of the modes of transportation introduced in the Philippines in the 18th century. They are rarely used in the streets nowadays except in tourist spots and some rural areas.
A kalesa looks like an inclined cart popularized during Spanish occupation as a method of transportation. It has two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can accommodate four persons. The driver sits in a block of wood hosted over the tip of the cart near the horse.

Taal Volcano

Where in the world is there a lake in an island within a lake, in an island on an ocean? Thats Taal Volcano, regardless as the smallest active volcano in the world. There have 33 eruptions since 1572, the impact of which were mostly confined on the volcano island. However fallout of the 1754 plinian eruptions effected the entire regions, including what is now Metro Manila. Its last eruption was in 1977, which caused only minor damage. Its last violent eruption was in 1965 when it killed 200 people.In light of its proximity to populated areas and violent eruptive history, Taal has been designated one of sixteen Decade Volcanoes, making it a focus for research efforts and disaster mitigation plans. While seismic activity is a common precursor to eruptive activity, another useful indicator at Taal is the temperature of Lake Taal. Before the 1965 eruption began, the lake's temperature rose to several degrees above normal. However, the lake's temperature does not always rise before an eruption. Before some eruptions, the dissolution of acidic volcanic gases into the lake has resulted in the death of large numbers of fish.

Boracay Island

Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

Philippines, Republic of the

Philippines, the "Pearl of the Orient' is located in Southeast Asia. Its consists more than 7,000 islands, grouped into Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Ferdinand Magellan landed here in March 16, 1521 and for more than 300 years, the Philippines was a Spanish Colony. It declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. During the Filipino-Spanish war for independence, Spain ceded the island to the US. After World War II in 1946, the US gave the country full independence.

The Philippines has many affinities with the Western World, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicisms became the predominant religion, although the pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices and Islam continue to flourish. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino, which is based on Tagalog and English.