Posts archived in Home & Family
October 23, 2010. There was some saltiness in the clear waters, but Kayangan Lake is said to be one of the cleanest bodies of waters in the Philippines. It is located inside Coron Island itself and can be reached after hiking up and down steep limestone hills covered in lush foliage. It is one of Coron’s main attractions.
After Siete Pecados, our boatman brought us to a cove, one of many, in Coron Island. After out boat docked, we walked towards a steep makeshift staircase up a limestone hill.
October 22, 2010. The afternoon our family arrived in Coron, Palawan, we were taken to Maquinit Hot Spring a few kilometers from the center of town. Tourist brochures and guides claim it is the only saltwater hot spring in the Philippines, where the water temperature can be as hot as 40 degrees celcius.
(The hot spring is apparently within the private property of some company, so they charge an exorbitant entrace fee of P100 per person for the natural wonder of no one’s making.)
A standard landscape snapshot of the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, taken from the viewdeck where all the other thousands of tourists take their snapshots
Our second day in Bohol was spent going around the usual tourist spots in the province. With just a day, we could only cover so much.
Our first destination was the world-famous Chocolate Hills, a two hour drive from Panglao Island. It started to drizzle while we were on the way to Carmen, Bohol where many of the hills are located. The hills, numbering more than a thousand, are actually spread over two other municipalities in the center of the island province. Named Chocolate Hills because of their Kisses-like shape and their brown color during the summer, they were apparently formed through thousands of years of tidal and land movements.
Thankfully, the skies cleared up a bit just as we arrived at the hill with the tourist view deck, just in time for a few snapshots. There were hundreds of local and foreign tourists, too. The hike up the hill can be very tiring. There is a zig-zag concrete ramp up the hill for those who can’t take hiking up a hundred or more steps straight up.
Along the highway from Tagbilaran to the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, a few hectares of tall mahogany trees make for a beautiful and serene route. Located in the town of Bilar, the trees were artificially planted as part of an environmental project in the 60's of then-President Carlos Garcia, himself a son of Bohol
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol
Almost a month ago, my family spent a weekend in Bohol. We availed of the usual tour package, a two night stay at a Panglao island resort and a day tour around the usual tourist spots in the island-province. I’ve never been to Bohol till then, but because much has been written about it as as one of the country’s emerging top tourist destinations, I’ve heard enough about it to be familiar with what to do in the island in a span of three days. Admittedly too short to immerse oneself, in any destination for that matter, but isn’t that what tourism is about, to sample destinations, just the good and the beautiful at face value?
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol
It was the week when my mother and my younger brother celebrated their birthdays, and a short trip to Bohol was what my mother thought would be an apt way to celebrate the occasions. We stayed at Flushing Meadows Resort at Dauis, in Panglao Island. It’s relatively isolated from the other resorts clustered and located in the major stretches of white sand beaches in the island, though the resort has its cove with its own small stretch of fine white sand (which only appears during low tide, though).
The historic Pangasinan provincial capitol in Lingayen, beautifully lit at night
January 28, 2010. The provincial capitol complex in Lingayen boasts of newly renovated historical buildings that date back to almost a hundred years and saw important moments in the history of province and the country. The provincial government can provide tours of the capitol complex to interested tourists.
Behind the capitol complex, one can spend the day in one of the longest and widest stretches of beaches in the country.
A view of the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, taken from the top of Governor's Island
January 29, 2010. It is rare to find a Filipino, young or old, who is not familiar with the Hundred Islands. Along with the Mayon Volcano and the Banaue Rice Terraces, the renowned group of islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan has always been a standard mention in textbooks as one of the best natural wonders of the Philippines. The group of islands has thus etched itself an almost permanent part in the consciousness of many Filipinos from childhood.
Corals and stones can be seen from the crystal clear water that surround the Hundred Islands
Despite its relative fame, however, the city government of Alaminos admits that the islands do not attract the number of visitors nor the investments they deserve, compared to other beach destinations in the country. I, myself, have never been to Hundred Islands before Lakbay Norte’s stop at Alaminos. And what a shame, indeed. The islands are unique gems incomparable to the Philippines’s other beach destinations.
The controversial coal-fired power plant sits along a bay with half a dozen marine sanctuaries and coral reserves
Masinloc may sound familiar to some of us, as the town plays host to a giant coal-fired power plant that was subject of a controversy a few years back, as the government was trying to privatize the facility and sold it to a dubious company.
Ironically, the town also hosts half a dozen coral reef sanctuaries and marine reserves along its coast, very near the power plant. I don’t know how they co-exist with each other, but when I asked an officer from the marine sanctuary office, he said the existence of the power plant has not affected the marine sanctuary.
Because of the town’s marine sanctuaries, Masinloc is also considered as having some of the few dive sites in Central Luzon. We were supposed to hop on a boat to one of the off-shore islands and visit one of the marine reserves and observe the giant clams sanctuary, but due to lack of time, we were just presented with a short video presentation of what the town has to offer in terms of eco-tourism.
Also in Masinloc is the San Andres Church built in the 1600′s and is considered one of the country’s few national cultural treasures. The baroque church features a white facade, made up most probably of coral stones. I’m not really into churches, so I don’t know how else to describe San Andres.
Subic Bay Freeport was once home to one of the largest overseas naval bases of the Americans. Since the abrogation of the bases agreement in the early 90′s, Subic has been transformed into a premiere freeport with a robust business and investment climate.
Subic attracts hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists who flock to the freeport for its duty free shopping, its nature and adventure activities, and its excellent convention facilities. Reports even claim that the freeport received more than two million local and foreign visitors in 2009, making it the top tourist destination for locals and foreigners.
One of Subic’s newest attractions is the Subic Tree Top Adventure in the virgin forests of Subic. Visitors can try out their Superman Ride where one is suspended horizontally along a zip line that transports one from one tree top to another hundreds of meters away in a matter of seconds. Other exhilarating activities include the canopy walk on the wooden trail on top of the forest’s 60-foot trees and rappelling down the canopy. One may also enjoy a trek through the trails of the forest. They also have their own cafe and restaurant where visitors can enjoy their meals amidst towering greens.
January 30-31, 2010. Angeles City and Clark have many establishments that cater to local and foreign visitors, from restaurants that serve local and international cuisine to budget motels to world-class hotels and leisure resorts to shopping malls.
During our stay in Clark for the Lakbay Norte 2010 caravan, we were booked at Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn Clark is the only accredited international deluxe hotel in Central Luzon.
Holiday Inn Clark occupies a building that used to be called Chambers Hall, where bachelor officers of the former American airbase and some generals were billeted while on assignment in Clark. In 1996, after renovations, it stood as one of the first landmarks in Clark right after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. It has again just recently been renovated and refurbished in accord to the Holiday Inn chain’s global re-branding campaign. Like other international deluxe hotels, it features modern amenities and furnishings in all of its rooms and villas. Broadband internet access is also available in the rooms.
It has three restaurants (Mequeni, Rodizio Rooftop Grill, Copa’s Bar) a swimming pool, a recreation and game area, function halls, a spa and fitness area, and since it is located within the Mimosa Leisure Estate, it also has a 36-hole championship golf course.
If you choose to stay in Angeles City right outside Clark, you may stay at the Oasis Hotel, which has been in operation for more than four decades, and is one of the leading business hotels in Angeles City. Unlike the Holiday Inn, Oasis occupies a sprawling complex of 124 rooms in apartment-like single-floor structures.
On our last day in the Lakbay Norte caravan, we had lunch at Oasis Hotel’s Maranao Grill, where we were served with roast lamb and roast beef, together with pasta, baked mussels and roast duck in taco shells. Every Friday, Maranao Grill has an RST Buffet where they serve roast beef, roast lamb, sushi, sahimi and tempura all day.
We arrived in Clark Saturday night, and we had dinner right after checking in at the hotel at Red Crab Seafood and Steaks which is just walking distance from Holiday Inn Clark. We had generous servings of local staple viands and, of course, red crab.
After dinner at Red Crab, we were taken to Camalig Restaurant in downtown Angeles City where we sampled Armando’s Pizza–different kinds of “Kapampangan Pizza,” pizza with all sorts of combinations of local toppings, from salted eggs, to fried crickets. It was a sumptuous after-dinner treat.
January 31, 2010. It was in 1903 when the American invaders established “Fort Stotsenburg.” For almost a hundred years later, the fort, which was later renamed to “Clark Air Base” became a major stronghold of the American forces in the Far East. It was considered the largest American military installation on foreign soil. With the expiration of the base agreement in 1991, the Philippines reclaimed the air base and the government sought to transform the facility into a freeport zone.
Clark has been a known as a destination for duty free shopping and leisure estate activities from swimming to golfing. The tourism offices in the area, however, have been promoting more activities for visitors to Clark.
For those who want to get to know more about the air base’s history there are tours onboard airconditioned “Jeep ni Juan” jeepneys provided by Castro Travel Solutions (+63 45 6256608) that you may avail. They also have packages for an afternoon at volcanic hot springs, a trek to Mt. Pinatubo and an even aerial tour of the infamous volcano.
Another new activity for visitors to Clark is horseback riding at El Kabayo Riding Stables (+63 09178122106). You can ride the horses around the compound or you can request for a ride around Clark. If you’re up for it, you can even take the horse for a ride along the Sacobia River to see the lahar canyons created by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.
Across the Sacobia River from Clark is a nature and conservation park called Paradise Ranch which features gardens and zoo animals. The park features one of the largest butterfly gardens in the country and a “millio-dollar” view of the entire Clark Freeport Zone. The place is more suited for kids and educational field trips. Adults, on the other hand, can hold team building seminars, retreats, camping and weddings in the garden.
With the development and expansion of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Clark is now poised to become one of the country’s major gateways. The master development plan of the freeport zone seeks to transform the former US air base into an airport city and as a globally competitive international service and logistics center in the Asia-Pacific Region.
While that has not fully happened, Clark Airport does serve inbound and outbound flights to and from many local and international destinations. It has flights to and from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and even the Middle East.
law student, national democracy activist, film school graduate, photography hobbyist