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Calamba Laguna in the Philippines

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Calamba Laguna Philippines

Perhaps most Filipinos already knew what’s in this place, yeah, it is the home place or birth place of Doctor Jose P. Rizal –the Philippines’ National Hero, A renaissance genius man. He is an artist, a doctor (ophthalmologist), a poet, a publicist, an engineer, a sculptor, a novelist, a teacher, a linguist who could speak 21 languages, and of course a martyr hero. Actually, his ancestral house at Calamba has now become a tourist attraction for those who visit Calamba Laguna Philippines where a memorabilia about him was on display. They call it Rizal Shrine.

Actually, his ancestral home was destroyed during World War II but was restored during the presidency of Elpidio Quirino, which is during 1950s.

However, it was not only Dr.Jose P.Rizal is the known hero that Calamba Laguna have produced, actually, there are still other four National heroes, namely General Paciano Rizal, Teodora Alonzo, General Vicente Lim, and Lt. Geronimo Aclan. Thus,an association have arise,that is the Calamba Association Of Northeastern USA,Inc. base on New York.This Calamba organization have established by the former residents of Calamba Laguna Philippines to promote Calamba Philippines itself and for the welfare and improvement of the lives of Filipinos in line with the heroic deeds of the national heroes which have sprouted from Calamba Laguna in the Philippines.

Anyway, what are other places of interest at Calamba Laguna Philippines aside from its hero’s zone area? At Laguna Philippines there are many resorts and hot springs you could visit, however, we will discuss them at my article Laguna Philippines. Calamba Laguna is only at the footstool of Laguna Philippines’s famous Enchanted Mountain –Mt. Maria Makiling,thus you could tread upon the Mt. Maria Makiling through Calamba Laguna. Moreover, Calamba has rich source of fresh clean water due to Laguna Philippines have many hot springs within its vicinity. Calamba Laguna has also hot springs at Laguna de Bay- the Wonder Island Resort.

Another place of interest at Calamba, is the St. John the Baptist Church. It has a beautiful ambience and most tourists attend mass on it. I remember, when I was a child we attend mass in it after we visit the Rizal Shrine. For it is said that on this church, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was baptized. Furthermore, at the front of Calamba Laguna Municipal Hall, there are a beautiful potted plants and flowers for sale that could awe your site.

Aside from Rizal’s memorial statue at Luneta Park, he has also another memorial statue at Rizal Memorial School at Calamba Laguna.

However, if you want to visit Calamba Laguna Philippines, it is only 53 kilometers away from Manila Philippines and lies at the southern terminal of South Luzon Expressway. And they say it is a gateway to many part of Laguna in the Philippines and to other adjacent cities and regions.

Calamba Laguna is the largest city of Laguna Philippines which largely are migrants from Manila Philippines and Tagalog regions of the Philippines, as well some religious groups and foreign tourists. Thus, it has many real estate businesses within its region.

Leyte Philippines Beach Vacation

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The Relaxing Side of Leyte Philippines

Aside from Leyte Philippines rich historical tourist places, there are also places in LeytePhilippines which was weaved not by history but by nature itself. Leyte has also beaches a beach lover tourist seek, such as the White Beach located at Brg. San Jose where one could do what one is commonly doing in a beach. That is, swimming, skiing, fishing, boating, etc. Another beach which we mention in my article about historical Leyte Philippine or about General Douglas MacArthur historical landing upon the shore of this beach is the Red Beach located at Palo Leyte.

Leyte Philippines have also cool and relaxing places aside from beaches; such is the cool climate of Mt.Kankahanay located at Jaro Leyte. It has scenic virgin forest which nature lovers could appreciate. And from Mt. Kankahanay we may visit Leyte’s cool Parks which also exhibits natural beauty like the scenic virgin forest of Mt. Kankahanay. We may start nature trekking from Mahagnao Volcano National Park where we could see awe inspiring volcanic craters as well as the multi-colored muds and rocks and witness the gigantic ferns and orchids of the virgin forest of this park as well its beautiful lagoons. Then from Mahagnao Volcano National Park we may cross the Lake Danao Natural Park where we could witness a spectacular fall called Guinaniban Falls as well as we could view the breathtaking Amandiwing Mountain Ranges. Not to mention also the beautiful lakes, namely, Mahagnao, Malagsum, Casudsu-ran and Danao Lake of course. Then we could go at   Mt. Pangasugan Ecopark where could see the endangered species of Lemurs and Tarsiers. After we have treaded from this nature trekking we may take a bath at Tongonan Hotsprings National Park to relax our tired feet and body as well.

Like island hopping in Leyte? We may start at San Juanico Straits where it is said that it has beautiful islets, infinite whirlpools, and rushing water sceneries. From San Juanico Straits we may swim first at Amihan Cebu Woodlands which is said to be a perfect site for swimming while watching cattles roams within their grassy pasture. Then after we have taste the swimming experienced at Amihan Cebu Woodlands, we may hop into Himokilan Island to watch how this big delicious coconut-cracking crabs crack our own coconuts. Surely, your own coconut will be crack because of it very delicious taste that will drive you to snorkel or scuba dive them at Mahaba Island in obsession. Or it will drive you nuts to drive Leyte’s longest beautiful bridge in the Philippines which is the San Juanico Bridge into the endpoint of it. It will be tattooed on you mind these beautiful islands of Leyte and will be drive to join Leyte’s Pintados festival where the participants where all tattooed throughout their bodies at Tacloban city.

Perhaps, you have to relax already at The Leyte Park Resort Hotel before you drive your body into the next trip. This resort hotel in Leyte was build by the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She builds it in 1979 and now has become a major tourism and convention complex.

Leyte Philippines

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The Historical Leyte Philippines

If you are looking for a rich historical tourist attraction in the Philippines, Leyte Philippines is the one you are looking for. That is if you are up to historical trip and adventure. Let us just summarize like this, Leyte Philippines is filled mostly with vestiges of World War II remains which has developed into a historical tourist spots. However, there is some other historical sites goes way back before World War II. So our trip to Leyte is like a flashback in the past.

Take for example the landing site of General Douglas MacArthur (remember his famous word “I shall return”?).As you recollect your mind who is General Douglas Macarthur, in case you do not know him or have forgotten your history class about him, I will refresh you about his landing site at Leyte Philippines. He and his companions of American Liberation Forces step in the beach shores of Palo Leyte Philippines in 1944.This Palo beach has now become the tourist-known Red Beach Resort. It is indeed a very beautiful beach in Palo Leyte, where of course, a memorial bigger than life-size statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur was erected there at the lagoon site of the beach. This particular site is called MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, just like the Rizal Park or Luneta at Manila Philippines. The statue erected on the lagoon was not only him but also with his Allied forces then, in a reenactment act or mode. You better visit Palo Leyte to see these reenactment statues on the lagoon. However, if this not your trip and but want to climb up high from this body of water to keep your foot from getting wet, well try climb the three historical hills of Leyte.

Hill 522 and Hill 120 and Buga-Buga hills are historical tourist hills in Leyte Philippines where one could still see the remnant of World War II between Americans and Japanese, like for example the foxholes which the Japanese soldiers then made at Hill 522 which is also called Guinhangdan Hill. However, there is also a panoramic view of Leyte gulf at Hill 120 where one could relax at concrete canopies and tables surrounded with the landscape of flowers and shrubs while viewing the Leyte Gulf and the coastal lines around the town. But at Buga-Buga hills you will have a creepy feelings while up on it, because thousands of Japanese soldiers died on it and were buried on it as well as hundreds of American soldiers died on it during World War II. Actually, there a bone hunting expedition on it to those who do pilgrimage and foreign tourist.

But if you like banging and get noisy on your historical adventure trip to drive away the spirits of the past lest you will spirit possess by your historical creepy adventure, why don’t you ring a bell at Hilongos Bell Tower at Hilongos Leyte? You could see a huge highest existing Spanish inspired Bell tower here where you could climb it and get Leyte’s attention.

Scared already at your Leyte trip, relax and rest for a while at Japanese War Memorial Cemetery, a site where the fiercest battle for freedom in Leyte took place during World War II. Oops! Seems it is really scarier place for relaxation or rather a wrong place. So let us rather go to this place which they call Dio Mainland Resort. This place they say have native cottages, native beach kiosk, swimming pool, and other you could find in a resort. However, we heard that this resort if formerly called Baluarte San Jose, where remnants of Japanese pill boxes and canon of World War II still exist. Ngek! It seems, there is no place in Leyte where there are no historical vestiges of World War II.

Palawan Island Philippines

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Palawan Philippines, the Last Frontier?

Why Palawan Philippines is called the last frontier of the Philippine archipelago? Probably, because of its most protected and preserved areas. Such as the Calauit Game Preserve and Wild life Sanctuary where you could find exotic African animals and some endangered endemic native animals of Palawan. However, you could still visit this place only of course with a tourist guide and consent of local government. Aside from this wild life sanctuary, you could see the seven lakes at Coron Bay, Busuanga Islands at Coron Reefs where it is surrounded with craggy limestone cliffs.

Perhaps, the most famous beach resort at Palawan Philippines is the El Nido Beach Resort, however, just like the protected ecological sites we have mentioned above, this resort is also protected. It protects the giant clam garden and the endangered Philippine cockatoo. The giant clam garden are large marine life on the shallow coral reefs of the shore, this marine life are called clam.

El Nido Palawan Philippines is the largest marine sanctuary in the entire Philippines for it comprises limestone cliffs, five types of forest (namely, the lowland evergreen rainforests, the semi-deciduous forests, the forests over limestone, the beach forests, and the mangrove forests), fifty white sand beaches you could choose, three major marine habitats, sixteen endemic and ten endangered species of birds, six species of marine mammals including dolphins and the native “dugong”, four species of endangered marine turtles ( namely, hawksbill turtle, olive ridley turtle, leatherback turtles, and the green sea turtles), one hundred species of corals, eight hundred thirteen species of fish, the Palawan Spiny Rat, the Palawan Tree Shrew, the Palawan Anteater, the Northern Palawan Tree Squirrel, and the Palawan Stink Badger.

The beach resorts you could found at El Nido Palawan are: (1) the Miniloc Island Resort, where you could see a peaceful turquoise-green waters with a backdrop of limestone cliffs. (2) the Lagen Island resort, (3) the Pangalusian Island, (4) the Vigan Island resort, which is also called the as the “Snake Island,” because of its fine natural sand spit (the s-shaped sandbar), (5) the Secret Beach at Matinloc Island and,(6) as well as the Kulasa Beach at Matinloc Island also.

Aside from what we mentioned above there is also another protected area in Palawan Philippines, the Malampaya Sound Land and Seascape, where you could see the bottle nosed irrawaddy dolphins.

By the way, Palawan Philippines is an island province at the Visayas region of the Philippines. How to get to Palawan? You could fly from Manila Philippines into its capital – the Puerto Prinsesa city and from the main capital city do a land travel to the destination you wanted to go at Palawan, however, you should ride a boat going to the Beach islands, for example, of El Nido’ s beach islands.

Palawan Philippines is indeed the last frontier of the Philippines because of its protected areas which, of course, the Philippine government should do because of Palawan’s rare natural treasuries which the Philippines can be proud of. It is indeed an ecological tourist destination a tourist should visit.

Cagayan De Oro Philippines

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Have you included CDO in your list of travels in the Philippines? Yes, CDO is what they call for Cagayan De Oro Philippines. It is located at the northern coastline of Northern Mindanao at Misamis Oriental. Cagayan De Oro Philippines is the Mindanao counterpart of Manila Philippines- – where Manila Philippines is Luzon’ pride (Luzon is the whole Northern part of the Philippines) –and Cebu Philippines (Visayas’ pride).Actually, the Philippines is divided into three major parts, namely Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Cagayan De Oro city is a highly urbanized city of the south or Mindanao because of its populous population Moreover is so called the first class city of Mindanao. For it is Mindanao’s central city.

Cagayan De Oro city Philippines is also known as the “City of Golden Friendship” and the “Gateway to Northern Mindanao. However to tourists it is known as the “City of Whitewater Rafting and River Trekking” For tourist who pay visit to it enjoy river trekking at the Cagayan De Oro river. This is one of the tourist places you could found in Mindanao, especially at Cagayan De Oro Philippines.

Aside from River trekking and whitewater rafting and kayaking the Cagayan De Oro River, there are other tourist places a tourist could go at Cagayan De Oro Philippines. The Gaston Park and the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral located at San Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral itself where many locals there flock, especially the area where the water fountain is located. The Macahambus Adventure park which is perfect place for nature lovers and a must see place a tourist should visit. It is just a 10 minute away from Cagayan De Oro city airport. It is located at Barangay Lumbia and Barangay Bayanga Cagayan de Oro.You could also try the Monigue Cave if you want an extraordinary visit at Cagayan De Oro city. This beautiful cave boasts the sparkling formations of white and brown stalactites and stalagmites.Monigue Cave is located at Barangay Mambuaya.

Or witness the soothing flow of F.S. Catanico Falls and scroll at the garden museum of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village and Gardens and do a repelling and horseback riding at Mapawa Nature Park, just a few minutes away from Malasag Eco-Tourism Village and Gardens. And other beautiful tourist places like the Bonifacio Park,Kagay-an resort, and Vicente de Lara Park.

Cagayan De Oro Philippines has a beautiful music theater located at Liceo De Cagayan University. Wherein a state-of-the-art acoustic and concert pianos is located.

There are also some museums you could enjoy at Cagayan De Oro city, like the La Castilla Museum, Museum of Three Cultures, and the Museo de Oro.

There is an archeological site located at sitio Tanguanao,the Huluga archeological site. It is an open cave and two sites where a skeletal of a woman and child were found. The woman skull is dated to be 377 AD.

However, if you wanted to visit Cagayan De Oro,you could buy an airline ticket at Mactan airport or Cebu airports to go there or you could directly go to Cagayan De Oro city via the Manila airports.