Hello!
Welcome to the eighth of ‘WHAT’S IN SOUTHEAST ASIA?‘ blog series.
Last week I posted about Myanmar and from all you could see, mostly temples.
Well now, I’m gonna show you an eighth country to see in Southeast Asia. This is one of my favorite country that I’d love to spend my holiday, and you need it too. It is Philippines!
According to WIKIPEDIA,
Philippines officially the Republic of the Philippines is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The Philippines’ location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons, but also endows it with abundant natural resources and some of the world’s greatest biodiversity.
Filipino and English are the official languages of the country. Filipino is a standardized version of Tagalog, spoken mainly in Metro Manila and other urban regions.
What can you do in Philippines?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOUwYH3DeBZ/?taken-by=the_philippines
Besides from the hardcore president Mr. Duterte, Philippines is really a great country. Just like another country, they are bad and good side of it. Everything happened by the cause, so just enjoy and appreciate things.
After Ms. Wurtzbach crowned as Miss Universe 2015, Philippines automatically selected as the next home for Miss Universe 2016. It is a great idea, because a lot of people would know how beauty is Southeast Asia. Even it was just for Philippines, I’m proud of it and keep supporting Southeast Asia’s tourism.
Many wonderful beaches in Philippines are just part of one of the world’s longest coastlines and it takes about 20 years to spend a day on every island. Since Spanish colonial times, the country has been Asia’s largest Catholic country. Over a hundred ethnic groups, a mixture of foreign influences and a fusion of culture and arts have enhanced the uniqueness of the Filipino identity.
Palawan (El Nido)
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Puerto Princesa and it is the largest province in terms of land area. It is considered as the last frontier of the Philippines.
El Nido is a first class municipality and managed resource protected area in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs, limestone cliffs and as the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago.
It’s become a thing in social media (Instagram) that people uploading their picture when traveling to El Nido, sit on the boat and strike a pose. It’s because the beauty in it is super. From my point, El Nido a little bit like Raja Ampat, Indonesia, but if I need to choose or compare both of them, I’d like to visit both place. Because, it has their own uniqness and their own beauty.
El Nido is currently ranked #1 in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of “20 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World.” CNNGo has called it the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines for its “extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPSI83fD1x9/?taken-by=the_philippines
The province boasts many splendid beaches and resorts and it is where the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River two of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are located.
Oslob
Same country and different island, Oslob is located in Cebu island. It is one of the two destinations in Philippines famous for Whale Shark watching. It is a tourist magnet and over a hundred thousand tourists come here every year to swim with the whale sharks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJZas8Mjqcp/?taken-by=the_philippines
Oslob’s Whale shark watching is located at a small barangay named Tan-awan, a 10 km drive away from the town center of Oslob.
Another must-see and recently discovered place in Oslob is the Tumalog Falls. The falls have mini-umbrellas that cascade fine strands of cold, fresh water in a rain-like fashion. It can be reached via a habal-habal or on private cars.
If you rent a transportation and wanted to going there, just watch out for any Tumalog Falls signs in the main road, 3km before the whale shark location coming from Cebu city. From there, the road goes up in the mountain for a couple of km.
Coron
Coron is the third-largest island in the Calamian Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. The island is part of the larger municipality of the same name. The area is famous for its World War II wreck diving, and the site has been named in many lists of top dive spots in the world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2uMHYjDLS/?taken-by=the_philippines
When you’re decided to fly to Coron or another island in Philippines, just don’t forget to bring google glass and swimwear! Or even a sunblock!
Get Tanned, Get Wet, and Go Traveling!
There are many beautiful bleach white sand beaches, mostly tiny and surrounded by large limestone cliffs and wildlife. Barracuda and Kayangan lakes are both stunning locations, and good for snorkeling, and the island is the ancestral domain of an indigenous tribe who are managing the island in a sustainable way and keeping outsiders at a distance and offshore at night.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLkq_MBjim4/?taken-by=the_philippines
The entrance fee to Barracuda Lake is around P200, while to Kayangan Lake is around P300. Before you straight to the lake, go over the cave and glimpse at the great view on top of the mountain. That view is the most photographed area in Palawan. It is also judged as the cleanest lake in the country.
NB: Philippines using Peso (PHP) as their currency.
There are few things you could do in Philippines even there’s a lot of things you could explore and much more than the list I made. But, I just take the best that I think it’s very nice to do in Philippines.
It just a thing when you’re a perk of being a Southeast Asian, you have a lot of similarity but there’s something different in that. Which is our uniqueness and foreign like to come.
That’s it for Philippines!
So, I’m gonna see you with another country which is Singapore!
There’s a lot of thing that you could see in there and see you next week with ‘WHAT’S IN SOUTHEAST ASIA; SINGAPORE!’
(Note; As you might see all the pictures are credit to @the_philippines and you should check their Instagram!)
Hello Yoggi 