Philippines - Boracay

BORACAY
In Aklan has powdery-white sand and crystal-clear waters. It is one of the world's best beaches.

Sent by Jose from Quezon City,Philippines.

Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards from numerous travel publications and agencies. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak municipality of Malay, province of Aklan. The island is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan. Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation. It is also emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife.

In 2012, Boracay was awarded as the best island in the world from the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

Boracay was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956.

Sofia Gonzales Tirol and her husband Lamberto Hontiveros Tirol, a town judge on nearby Panay island, took ownership of substantial properties on the island around 1900 and planted coconuts, fruit trees, and greenery on the island. Others followed the Tirols, and cultivation and development of the island gradually spread from this initial beginning.

Tourism came to the island beginning in about the 1970s. The movie Too Late the Hero was filmed in 1970 on locations in Boracay and Caticlan. In the 1980s, the island became popular as a budget destination for backpackers, By the 1990s, Boracay's beaches were being acclaimed as the best in the world.

In 2012, the Philippine Department of Tourism reported that Boracay had been named the world's second best beach after Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The name Boracay is attributed to different origins. One story says that it is derived from the local word "borac" which means white cotton with characteristics close to the color and texture of Boracay's white sugary and powdery sand. Another credits the name to local words "bora," meaning bubbles, and "bocay," meaning white. Yet another version dating back to the Spanish era says the name is derived from "sagay," the word for shell, and "boray," the word for seed. (Source)

Philippines - Cebu - Bantayan Island

Crystal waters, white sand beaches and rich marine life of Bantayan, Cebu ... where the day begins and ends with the whispering of waves and sweet smell of coconut trees.

Sent by Allan, a postcrosser from Dumaguete City, Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Bantayan Island is in the Visayan Sea, Philippines, located just west off the northern tip of Cebu Island. The island, politically a part of the Province of Cebu, is about 7 miles (11 km) wide by 10 miles (16 km) long, with a total population of 120,101, as of the 2000 census. It is also the main and largest island of the Bantayan Island Group that is roughly the geographical center of the Philippines. The island group includes numerous smaller islands, of which the more notable are:

• Biagayag Island
• Banitugan (or Panitugan) Island
• Botong Island
• Jilantagaan (or Jicantangan) Island
• Lutungan Island
• Maamboc Island
• Mambacayao Island
• Moalboal Island
• Panitogan Island
• Sagasa Island
• Silagon Island
• Sillon Island
• Yao Island
• Botigues Island

About 20 of Bantayan's islets stretch for another 5 miles south with some being accessible by foot from the main island at low tide. The islands are beside the busy shipping lanes for ships and ferrys coming from Mindanao or Cebu City on its way to Manila.

Bantayan Islands are considered as Cebu’s fishing ground from where boatloads of fish are transported daily to Cebu City and Negros. Tons of guinamos (salted fish) and buwad (dried fish) are delivered to Cebu City and Cadiz, Negros for further distribution to as far as Mindanao and Manila. Equally important is the thriving poultry industry with hundreds of thousands of chicken eggs produced daily.

The island can be reached via bus from Cebu City (via the North Bus Terminal near SM City Shopping Mall) then via ferry from Hagnaya Wharf in San Remigio, Cebu, or from Sagayin Negros Occidental. No commercial flights or overnight ferries are currently operating from Cebu City. It is possible to charter small private aircraft from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, to Bantayan Airport on Bantayan Island.

Bantayan Island is administratively divided into three municipalities:

• Bantayan, Cebu (the largest municipality, covering the central part)
• Madridejos, Cebu (covering the northern portion)
• Santa Fe, Cebu (covering the eastern portion)

Philippines - Singkil Dance (2)

SINGKIL - A royal Muslim dance performed with quick steps through four crisscrossed bamboo poles to the rhythm of brass gongs.

Sent by Jenell, a postcrosser from Philippines.

Philippines - Cordillera Mountain Range

MT. PULAG NATIONAL PARK
Cordillera Mountain Range is the second highest park in the Philippines.

Sent by Raine, a postcrosser from Manila, Philippines.

Philippines - Mount Makiling

Mount Makiling, also rarely Mount Maquiling, is located in the province of Laguna on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It is an inactive volcano, which rises to 1,090 m above sea level.

Sent by Ruby, a WiP partner from the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Mount Makiling, also rarely Mount Maquiling, is a potentially active volcano in Laguna province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It rises to 1,090 m above mean sea level.

Legends surround the mountain, many of which relate to Maria Makiling, said to be the 'guardian fairy' of the mountain. The contour of the mountain is said to be that of her in a reclining position.

The University of the Philippines, Los Baños is designated as the official caretaker of the mountain.

* Makiling National Scout Reservation, a campsite at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines this is the site of the 10th World Scout Jamboree in 1959 and 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree in 2009 and 2010.
* Mud Springs, widely accepted albeit erroneously as the volcanic crater of Mount Makiling
* National Arts Center, a patch of land at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the site of the Philippine High School for the Arts, a special school for young artist scholars
* Pook ni Maria Makiling, an eco-tourism site adjacent to the Jamboree Site, National Arts Center and U.P. Los Baños
* University of the Philippines, Los Baños

Philippines - El Nido, Palawan

EL NIDO, PALAWAN
A perfect tropical gateway; a dream destination for the adventurous tourist.

Sent by Godfrey from Sarangani Province in the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : El Nido (officially the Municipality of El Nido) is a first class municipality and managed resource protected area in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 420 kilometres (260 mi) southwest of Manila, and about 238 kilometres (148 mi) northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital.

The municipality, covering a land area of 465.1 square kilometres (179.6 sq mi) in the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan, is bordered by the Linapacan Strait in the north, the Sulu Sea in the east, and the South China Sea in the west. It is composed of 45 islands and islets, each has its own unique geological formations. The highest peak is at Cadlao Island, towering up to 640 metres (2,100 ft) above sea level.

Together with Sulu Archipelago, Sabah, and South China Sea, El Nido, being part of Palawan, is located in the tectonically active and seismically active Sunda Plate, a plate that is entirely separate from the Philippine Mobile Belt to which the rest of the Philippines belongs. The Permian to Paleogene rocks and limestone cliffs of El Nido are similar to those that can be found in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Guilin in China, as well as Krabi in Thailand, all of which are part of the Sunda Plate.

Philippines - Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

BATAD RICE TERRACES
Batad, Banaue, Ifuago
Batad's amphitheater-like terraces was carved by Ifuago's indigenous people more than 2,000 years ago. It is tagged as one of the wonders of the modern world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Godfrey from Sarangani Province in the Philippines.

The rice terraces of the Philippines Cordilleras are living cultural landscapes devoted to the production of one of the world's most important staple crops, rice. They preserve traditional techniques and forms dating back many centuries, still viable today. At the same time they illustrate a remarkable degree of harmony between humankind and the natural environment of great aesthetic appeal, as well as demonstrating sustainable farming systems in mountainous terrain, based on a careful use of natural resources.

They are the only monuments in the Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by colonial cultures. Owing to the difficult terrain, the Cordillera tribes are among the few peoples of the Philippines who have successfully resisted foreign domination and preserved their authentic tribal culture. The history of the terraces is intertwined with that of its people, their culture, and their traditional practices.

The terraces are the only form of stone construction from the pre-colonial period. The Philippines alone among south-east Asian cultures is a wholly wood-based one: unlike Cambodia, Indonesia, or Thailand, in the Philippines both domestic buildings and ritual structures such as temples and shrines were built from wood, a tradition that has survived in the terrace hamlets. Terracing began in the Cordilleras some 2,000 years ago, although scholars disagree about its original purpose. It is evidence of a high level of knowledge of structural and hydraulic engineering on the part of those who built the terraces. The knowledges and practices, supported by rituals, involved in maintaining the terraces are transferred orally from generation to generation, without written records. Taro was the first crop when they began to be used for agriculture, later to be replaced by rice, which is the predominant crop today.

The terraces are situated at altitudes between 700 m and 1,500 m above sea level. There are four clusters of the best preserved terraces in the region, with its basic elements of a buffer ring of private forests (muyong ), terraces, village and sacred grove. Terraced rice fields are not uncommon in Asia. To contain the water needed for rice cultivation within the paddies, even gently rolling terrain must be terraced with stone or mud walls. High-altitude paddies must be kept wet and have to rely upon a man-made water-collecting system. The principal differences between the Philippines terraces and those elsewhere are their higher altitude and the steeper slopes. The high-altitude cultivation is based on the use of a special strain of rice, which germinates under freezing conditions and grows chest-high, with non-shattering panicles, to facilitate harvesting on slopes that are too steep to permit the use of animals or machinery of any kind.

Construction of the terraces is carried out with great care and precision. An underground conduit is placed within the fill for drainage purposes. The groups of terraces blanket the mountainsides, following their contours. Above them, rising to the mountain-tops, is the ring of private woods (muyong ), intensively managed in conformity with traditional practices, which recognize a total ecosystem which assures an adequate water supply to keep the terraces flooded. Water is equitably shared, and no single terrace obstructs the flow on its way down to the next terrace below. There is a complex system, of dams, sluices, channels and bamboo pipes, communally maintained, which drain into a stream at the bottom of the valley.

The villages or hamlets are associated with groups of terraces, and consist of groups of single-family tribal dwellings which architecturally reproduce the people's spatial interpretation of their mountain environment. A steeply pitched thatched pyramidal roof covers a wooden one-room dwelling, raised above the ground on four posts and reached by a ladder which is pulled up at night. Clusters of dwellings form small hamlets of interrelated families, with a centrally located ritual rice-field as their focus. This is the first parcel to be planted or harvested; its owners makes all the agricultural decisions for the community, manages its primary ritual property, which includes a granary housing carved wooden gods, and the basket reliquary in which portions of consecrated sacrifices from all agricultural ceremonial rites are kept. A short distance from the cluster of dwellings is the ritual hill, usually marked by a grove of sacred betel trees round a hut or open shed where the holy men live and carry out traditional rites. (Source)

Philippines - Manila City Hall

MANILA CITY HALL
The seat of City's government, built in 1930's, it is one of Manila's most distinctive landmarks.

Sent by Godfrey from Sarangani Province in the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : The Manila City Hall is one of the distinct landmarks in the capital city of Manila, in the Philippines. The edifice, with its hexagonal tower with three red-faced clock on three of its facets, received unfavorable reviews in its initial years because of its austere architectural design, lack of entrances and the placement of the clock tower. The building's floor plan had been dismissed as similar in shape to a coffin or, in the other end, like the shield of Knights Templar. Nowadays, many critics praise the design of the City Hall for the same reasons the complex was vilified. The building is located in the center of tourism area where major government buildings and landmarks, are located. The National Museum, Museum of the Filipino People and the Department of Tourism are located just south of the city hall. Rizal Park, the largest city park in the country is just south of the museums. The city hall is also located just outside the oldest and most historic part of the city of Manila - the walled city of Intramuros. .

Designed and planned by Antonio Toledo.

The clock tower has become a trademark for Manila and the city hall. At nighttime, the tower is illuminated with its details highlighted by beautiful lighting. Every hour, the bell is rung three times followed by a melody. It is recognized as the largest clock tower in the Philippines.

Philippines - Tappia Waterfalls

TAPPIA WATERFALLS
It is a 32 foot waterfalls, perfect after a trek from Batad Village.

Sent by Godfrey from Sarangani Province in the Philippines.

"The Tappiyah Waterfalls is 70 meters tall with a wide swimming pool. A visit to Batad Rice Terraces would be incomplete without seeing this beautiful cascading waterfall with an enormous natural pool. The Tappiyah Waterfalls can be reached about 30 minutes walk from the village of Batad. (Banaue Tourism Council).

To go to Tappiyah Waterfalls without a guide: When arriving to Batad Village Proper from the saddle point, walk towards the rice terraces amphitheater. Go through past it and up to the promontory. From here, go down again. There are stairs / a pathway from this point, which ends at the foot of the waterfalls."(Source)

Philippines - Callao Cave

CALLAO CAVE, CAGAYAN
It is found in Peñablanca, Cagayan; the cave has seven chambers and each chambers is 100 meters by 50 meters wide and 36 meters high. The cave is also rich in "guano", a fertlizer useful to farmers.

Sent by Godfrey from Sarangani Province in the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Callao Cave is a cave with seven chambers located on the Province of Cagayan, in the Philippines. It is one of the best known tourist attractions of the province. It is located in Barangays Parabba and Quibal, Peñablanca, near Tuguegarao, the capital city of the Province of Cagayan.

It has a natural cathedral located at the first chamber, which was turned into a chapel by the local people. The conditions inside the cave cause stalactites and stalagmites, particularly in the deeper chambers.

Every chamber has natural crevices, which let light get into the cave, serving as illumination for the otherwise dark areas of the place.

Philippines - Sinulog Festival (3)

Sinulog Festival.
Cebu, Philippines.

Sent by Daniel, a Facebook friend from the Philippines.

Philippines - Sinulog Festival (2)

Sinulog Festival or Fiesta Señor.
The word "Sinulog" is a Visayan term for "dance". It is one of the largest and grandest annual festival in the Philippines, held every third Sunday of January in honor of the Sto. Niño or the Child Jesus. It features street dancing and a colorful procession bearing the city's venerated image of Sto. Niño.

Sent by Daniel, a Facebook friend from the Philippines.

Philippines - Palawan

PALAWAN, Philippines
Coco-Loco Island, Roxas * Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island, El Nido * Coron Bay * Calauit, the African animals island * Hot spring, Busuanga * Jeepney, means of transportation in Palawan * Cadlao beach, El Nido * Underground River, Sabang * Batak Tribe

Sent by Clark, a TravBuddy friend from the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island, measuring 450 kilometers (280 mi) long, and 50 kilometers (31 mi) wide.

Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island. The Calamianes Group of Islands, to the northwest consists of Busuanga Island, Culion Island, and Coron Island. Durangan Island almost touches the westernmost part of Palawan Island, while Balabac Island is located off the southern tip, separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait. In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometers to the west is considered part of Palawan by the Philippines, and is locally called the Kalayaan Group of Islands.

Palawan's almost 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) of irregular coastline are dotted with roughly 1,780 islands and islets, rocky coves, and sugar-white sandy beaches. It also harbors a vast stretch of virgin forests that carpet its chain of mountain ranges. The mountain heights average 3,500 feet (1,100 m) in altitude, with the highest peak rising to 6,843 feet (2,086 m) at Mount Mantalingahan. The vast mountain areas are the source of valuable timber. The terrain is a mix of coastal plain, craggy foothills, valley deltas, and heavy forest interspersed with riverine arteries that serve as irrigation.

Philippines - Dinagat Island

DINAGAT ISLAND, SURIGAO DEL NORTE, PHILIPPINES

Sent by Jelaine from Manila, Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Dinagat Island is an island located northeast of Mindanao in the Philippines.

Until December 2006, it was part of the province of Surigao del Norte. Almost all of the province of Dinagat Islands is located on it.

Philippines - Singkil Dance (1)

A Muslim princess deftly, gracefully and regally moves about between two pairs of bamboo poles in a native dance called "Singkil". Philippines.

Sent by Bea, a postcrosser from Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Singkil (or Sayaw sa Kasingkil) is a famous dance of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao, which was popularized by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

Philippines - Sinulog Festival (1)

Sinulog Festival
Cebu, Philippines

Sent by Clark from Cebu.

This is from Wikipedia : The Sinulog is an annual festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Philippines. The festival honors the vision of the child Jesus, known as the Santo Niño (Holy Child),who used to be the patron Saint of the City of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is a dance ritual that commemorates the Cebuano peoples Islamic and pagan origin, and their acceptance of Roman Catholicism.

The festival features a street parade with participants in bright colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets and native gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan" performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the parade. Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.

Philippines - Basco

Basco - Batanes, located at the Northern part of Bataan; the second largest island among the Batanes Island. it is also known as Sto. Domingo de Basco.

Sent by Nathalie, a postcrosser from Manila, Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Basco (also known as Santo Domingo de Basco) is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batanes, Philippines. It is the capital municipality of Batanes. According to the latest census, it has a population of 7,517 people in 1,469 households.

Basco is located on Batan Island, the second largest island among the Batanes Islands which comprises the province, and are the northernmost islands of the Philippines. Basco has a domestic airport, Basco Airport, serving flights from Manila.

The town is named after Capitán General José Basco, who led the Philippines to freedom from the control of New Spain, which is today Mexico.

The Basco Lighthouse is one of the landmarks.

Philippines - Pagudpud

Pagudpud is sometimes called as Boracya of the North. It does have gorgeous white beaches backed by rows of palms. It's also good snorkling and dive spot. The beaches around here don't have much in the way of services or beach toys. Hang-and-do-nothing types will find Pagudpud a hidden paradise.

Sent by Yolanda.

This is from Wikipedia : Pagudpud is a coastal resort town on the northernmost tip of Luzon in the Philippines. According to the latest census, Pagudpud has a population of 20,385 people in 3,804 households.

The town is bounded to the south by the town of Bangui and to the east by the Cordillera Mountain Range, the town of Adams and the province of Cagayan. The South China Sea lies to the west and north. The town rolls over mountains, hills, valleys and flat coastal land. It lies 45 miles north of Laoag City, the provincial capital, and about 350 miles north of Manila. They reside in 3,804 homes that are spread across 83 square miles. Most make their living through farming, fishing and subsistence retailing. Tourism is a growing part of the economy.

Pagudpud was made a municipality on February 5, 1954. Unlike Laoag City, the province's only autonomous city, Pagudpud derives its authority from the provincial government. It had previously been a part of the neighboring town of Bangui.

Philippines - Baguio Cathedral

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is the biggest Catholic church in Baguio City. It stands magnificently on top of Mount Mary Hill. It is distinct for its rose colored exterior. The construction of the Cathedral was started in 1920 and was completed in 1932.

One of the two first postcards from the Philippines, sent by icelance.

This is from Wikipedia : Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral located at Cathedral Loop, adjacent to Session Road in Baguio City in the Philippines. It is distinct for its rose-colored exterior and is one of the most photographed buildings in Baguio City.[1] It served as an evacuation center during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

Philippines - Philippine Eagle

The first postcard received from The Philippine. Sent by icelance who lives in Naga City. Thanks for the beautiful postcard. This is one of the two postcards from him. It shows a Pithecophaga jefferyi, a national bird of The Philippine.

This is from Wikipedia : The Philippine Eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, also known as the great Philippine eagle or monkey-eating eagle, is among the tallest, rarest, largest, and most powerful birds in the world. A bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae, it is also known as "Haribon" or "Haring Ibon," which means "Bird King". Its local name is banog