Philippines

[senah]

Well, I'm finally back and hopefully for good. I decided to open up this new thread about the many beautiful places here in our country. Great tourists destinations and popular places here in the "PHILIPPINES".

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The Philippine Islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands lying about 500 mi (805 km) off the southeast coast of Asia. The overall land area is comparable to that of Arizona. Only about 7% of the islands are larger than one square mile, and only one-third have names. The largest are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36,537 sq mi; 94,631 sq km), and Samar (5,124 sq mi; 13,271 sq km). The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m) on Mindanao.

[senah]

this thread is not for discussion on politics but mainly on the world class places in the Philippines... ok... hehehe

I'm going to tease you guys first, ok!?

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awww... isn't that lovely????? ohh how i would like to tour the country... hehehe
more to come...

[big master]

senah! u from manila?

those places r nice! sad to say that i havent been to many places in our country yet xcept for manila which aint a very good tourist spot

[senah]

senah! u from manila?

those places r nice! sad to say that i havent been to many places in our country yet xcept for manila which aint a very good tourist spot

yes... southern part of metro manila... were probably the same... i haven't been to many places either... but i've seen also the common tourists spots... like Tagaytay(several times), Batangas (several times also), Subic...

[senah]

to everyone, feel free to ask questions... i'll try my best to answer those questions of what i know and what i can research about it...

thanks again..,

[senah]

I'll give you guys some general info...

CLIMATE
March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C; humidity is 77%.

POPULATION
There are a total of 76.5 million Filipinos as of the latest national census in May, 2000. Population growth is estimated at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population.

LANGUAGES
Two official languages --- Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education.

Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.

Filipino is that native language which is used nationally as the language of communication among ethnic groups. Like any living language, Filipino is in a process of development through loans from Philippine languages and non-native languages for various situations, among speakers of different social backgrounds, and for topics for conversation and scholarly discourse. There are about 76 to 78 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.


RELIGIONS
Some 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.

UNIT OF MEASURE
The Metric System is used in most trade and legal transactions.

ELECTRICITY
220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110 volts a/c is also used, especially in major hotels.

CURRENCY
The Philippines' monetary unit is the peso, divided into 100 centavos. Foreign currency may be exchanged at any hotels, most large department stores, banks, and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central Bank of the Philippines. International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.

* so when you like to go here, you'll know the basics. when is the best time to visit... so there it is..,

[Bangs]

Here's what I can say to people visiting our country, carrying visible valuables like expensive jewelry is dangerous specially in the cities. A cellphone is also very dangerous, so if you have to carry one hide it.

I'm not trying to scare people, I know it since I've lived there for most of my life. I extremely hate what politics has done to the livelihood of the people.

[senah]

Here's what I can say to people visiting our country, carrying visible valuables like expensive jewelry is dangerous specially in the cities. A cellphone is also very dangerous, so if you have to carry one hide it.

I'm not trying to scare people, I know it since I've lived there for most of my life. I extremely hate what politics has done to the livelihood of the people.

That would be the saddest part of it, but I always believed that we are far more hospitable than what others would say or perception that we are thieves, drug pushers or criminals(but I don't we are). I think that everywhere we go; there would be these kinds of people lurking around. I guess we were only used to seeing this in our country because we live here, but If we try to see the news about the other countries they also have these kind of incidents or sometimes much worse.

This is not to discourage anyone of us to travel around; we just have to be careful and be aware of our surroundings..,Peace

*** I guess the no. 1 tip that I can give you guys is: "Don't wear expensive jewelries when traveling and don't flaunt any of your valuable things around crowded places!"

[senah]

To anyone of you that are fans of extreme sports or very fond of it, well you can enjoy the world-class facility of wakeboarding here in our country.

Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC)

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Camsur Watersports Complex(CWC) is a unique watersports park designed for wakeboarding, wakeskating and waterskiing. For beginner riders to the professional wakeboarders and skiiers from all over the world, CWC offers a 6-point cable ski system, coupled with restaurants, sand bars, spas, pro-shops and grand stands to hold guests. Riders can also enjoy their favorite water sports at night as the park will be equipped with spotlights that allow for it even to be open on evenings.

visit: www.camsurwatersportscomplex.com
to learn more about this...

[senah]

more of CamSur or Camarines Sur:

How to Get There:
Camarines Sur is accessible by all main modes of transportation with Naga City as the axis. Mini-buses, jeepneys, and tricycles are modest ways of going around most places. Air-conditioned vans and cars-for-rent are also available. Intra-provincial travel is mostly serviced by public utility jeepneys as well as air-conditioned and ordinary buses. Or go the scenic route with a 10-hour train ride via the Philippine National Railway.


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Caramoan Beach

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famous Pili nuts (ohh... so delicious)

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Malarad Island

*** actually there are more places to visit in this province, but since i cannot post them all. visit this site:www.camarinessur.gov.ph

[big master]

Here's what I can say to people visiting our country, carrying visible valuables like expensive jewelry is dangerous specially in the cities. A cellphone is also very dangerous, so if you have to carry one hide it.

I'm not trying to scare people, I know it since I've lived there for most of my life. I extremely hate what politics has done to the livelihood of the people.

omg bangs u from isla de felipe too? wow! i never knew that!!! u dun sound like ur from the philippines hehehe

[Bangs]

omg bangs u from isla de felipe too? wow! i never knew that!!! u dun sound like ur from the philippines hehehe

I'm a mix of filipino and chinese but I grew up in the philippine summer capital of baguio city. I love my hometown but I hate those politicians running the country. I didn't know you are from the phil. too, what a small world.

[GuGu]

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That right there doesn't look too safe. If a storm hits, you would drown into the ocean.

I would love to visit though, looks beautiful!

[senah]

after the water sport "Wakeboarding", this one is for surfing fanatics and people also that would like to go to beautiful beaches...

Siargao Island

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Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land mass of approximately 437 kilometers. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white, sandy beaches. The neighboring islands and islets have similar landforms.

Siargao Island contains the largest mangrove forest reserves in Mindanao, at Del Carmen. Long stretches of wetlands indicate a potential for commercial seaweed propagation. Siargao Island is greatly influenced by the winds and currents coming uninterrupted from the Pacific Ocean, intensified by the Mindanao current running westward through the Siargao Strait.

Cloud 9

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One of the best known surfing waves on Siargao and the Philippines, with a worldwide reputation for thick, hollow tubes is "Cloud 9". This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup, a domestic and international surfing competition sponsored by the provincial government of Surigao del Norte.

The wave was discovered by travelling surfers in the late 1980s. It was named and made famous by American photographer John S. Callahan, who published the first major feature on Siargao Island in the US based Surfer magazine in March 1993, and hundreds of his photos in many other books and magazines since his first visit in 1992. Callahan has put the island on the international map and has drawn thousands of surfers and tourists to Siargao. Cloud 9 also has a reputation for being a relatively cheap destination for surfers with many Cheap accommodations and restaurants and bars to choose from.

There are several other quality waves on Siargao and nearby islands, but Cloud 9 has received more publicity than any other, indeed in the Philippines as a whole. It is the only wave easily accessible without a boat, leading to overcrowding and the nickname of "Crowd 9" among surfers worldwide. Eager foreign and locally owned accommodation and tourist facilities have profited from the magazine publicity and the influx of visitors drawn by the annual Siargao Cup competition in September.

Siargao is well known as "The Surfing Capital of the Philippines" with a reputation among surfers within the Philippines and the International scene.

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for more, visit this site:www.siargaoisland.net

[senah]

Filipino Food
Food, glorious food! Where else in the world can you sample delectable and tempting delicacies if not in the exotic country of Philippines. It is hardly surprising that Filipino food is often labeled as somewhat strange but in its own way, a unique mixture of eastern and western cuisine. After all, with nearly 400 years of outside influences, the Philippine cuisine is a fascinating blend of Malay, Spanish and Chinese cultures. To the Filipinos, food is important as it is an integral part of local art and culture as well as communal existence.
To the Filipinos, simple cooking means fish of different sizes from the sea. They prefer their fish and other seafood such as crabs, shrimps and shellfish to be as fresh as possible. The freshness of the seafood is often complemented by sauces and spices. In fact, seafood is appreciated at its best when left uncooked - in a vinaigrette (kilawin) matrix, grilled (ihaw or inihaw), and sometimes stuffed with onions wrapped in banana leaf.
It is no secret that coconuts are used liberally in creating exotic Filipino dishes. Cooking meat and vegetables using coconut milk create dishes called guinatan. These dishes originated from the Malay side of the Filipino cuisine. Apart from that, coconuts are also great for creating mouth-watering desserts like bibingka (puddings made of ground rice, sugar and coconut milk, baked in a clay oven, topped with fresh, salted duck eggs) and macapuno (thick dessert jam).

Adobo

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Adobo is made from chicken, pork, squid (pusit) or vegetables stewed in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf. It is believed that this dish was derived, and then, Filipinized from the Spanish adobado, a more complicated preparation soaked in garlic and oil.

*** Adobo is one of my favorite dish (alongside with Sinigang and Menudo), one of the national dishes in our country. When you visit the country, this is one of the dishes that you should try. Next posts will focus on the beaches in our country..,
Thanks...

[senah]

Pearl Farm

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The 11-hectare Pearl Farm Resort was once, literally, a pearl farm, where thousands of white-lipped oysters, transported from the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white, and gold pearls. The resort lies in a secluded island off the coast of Davao City. It boasts Samal Houses patterned after the stilt houses of seafaring Samal tribes of the Sulu archipelago, with schools of tiny fish frolicking between the sturdy poles that support the houses. This is in Mindanao.

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for more visit: www.pearlfarmresort.com

[big master]

I'm a mix of filipino and chinese but I grew up in the philippine summer capital of baguio city. I love my hometown but I hate those politicians running the country. I didn't know you are from the phil. too, what a small world.

u from baguio? cool dun i sound like im from the phil too? hehehe

the tastiest dishes from the philippines are those with coconut milk in it (gata) : bicol express! love it!

[libby96]

wow... the phillipines look beautiful. i haven't been to many countries before, only china.

[senah]

sorry... i've been with schoolwork and exams... i think i'll be posting here once a week, so everyone will be updated....

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El Nido

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Dominated by towering marble cliffs that are homes to a number of tropical birds, El Nido is the source of one of the most delectable soups specially found in Chinese restaurants – the Nido Soup. This soup consists mainly of the birdnests that abound in the area. But El Nido is more than this. It prides itself in having the most beautiful seascapes in the province of Palawan, known as the country’s last frontier. Because of its utter splendor, it has also been called the island of the gods – heaven on earth, that is El Nido.

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* El Nido was also featured in Amazing Race.
for more, visit: http://www.elnidoresorts.com/
http://www.elnidopalawan.com/

[big master]

wow... the phillipines look beautiful. i haven't been to many countries before, only china.

omg libby! ur signature!!! is that true!!! wow!!!!