Posts Tagged ‘rizal’

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.

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.

Manila has many tourist spots that the Philippines can be proud of aside from what we have mentioned above. Like Intramuros which is beside the Rizal Park. In it lie a number of historical sites, namely, The Fort Santiago which was once a prison cell for Filipinos who fight against the Spaniards, the San Agustin Church, the Manila Cathedral, the Casa manila and the San Juan De Letran School.

In the Philippines there are many tourist spots not only in Manila, as well as in the Visayan and Mindanao region. Like the Chocolate Hills and beaches in Bohol. Bohol is in the Visayas region. Moreover, the famous El Nido resort in Palawan is also in Visayas region. The Beautiful beaches in Glan Sarangani bay. Sarangani is located in Mindanao region. The Diving spots in Batangas city like the, Layag Layag Point and Mapating Rock at the Maricaban Island.

So much of the tourist spots in the Philippines you can Google it anyway them in full details at Google Philippines. Let’s talk about the Philippines’ famous foods and dishes.

Have you ever taste the sweet and sour Mango fruit of the Philippines? Don’t you know that the Philippine Mangoes are one of the best mangoes in the world today? You can either enjoy the Philippines mangoes on raw or dried type.

The second fruit which the Philippines are proud about is the Durian fruit. The durian fruit is not as sweet as the smell of a mango fruit but it is the opposite of it, a stinky smell! However, it is not the smelly smell you are after why you buy this fruit rather its delicious mixed taste of sweet and sour taste.

Let’s go to the kitchen of a Filipino native, what Filipinos are burning in their stoves? Of course, rice will not be out from their table but mostly soup base food is Filipinos main dishes, like sinigang na baboy(or Baka) and Nilaga (both are pork or beef and vegetable soup, respectively),tinola (chicken and vegetable soup),Sinigang na Hipon( shrimp and vegetable soup),the famous Adobo dish ( a pork or chicken “ginisang”(on the oil of fried garlic and onions, and other fried optional spices) soup where soy sauce is the base),the Kare-kare ( a pork or chicken ginisang soup where peanut and aciete extracts is the soup base),and other delicious Filipino dishes. You could Google them on the net if you want a complete list of Filipino dishes as well as their complete recipes.

Among Philippines’s most favorite snacks are halo-halo, banana cue and of course, Fishballs is on the top of our list. You could check them up in the web anyway for complete information about them.

If you want to tour this country and get around in it, most of about Philippines means of transportation is by jeepneys, bus, train and tricycles and rarely taxis. However, if you want to travel the country in a larger scale, you have to get into domestic planes and ships to go about Philippines most tourist visited places and regions. And be yourself as the witness of the big tourist population Philippines have, adding more of you to the already large regional population Philippines have in every region.