TOP 7 Things I wanna see in the Philippines

It's More Fun in the Philippines

1.)Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. They look like giant mole hills, or as some say, women's breasts, and remind us of the hills in a small child's drawing. Most people who first see pictures of this landscape can hardly believe that these hills are not a man-made artifact. However, this idea is quickly abandoned, as the effort would surely surpass the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. The chocolate hills consist of are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown. From this color, the hills derive their name. At other times, the hills are green, and the association may be a bit difficult to make.

Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.

2.) Batanes

Taming the wind and the waters in the northernmost Philippine frontier, the relatively isolated islands of the Batanes, the home of the resilient and welcoming Ivatans, with its rolling hills, subtropical climate, ancient cultures, windswept traditional stone houses and breathtaking landscapes and seascapes which perhaps make it one of the prettiest corners of the world.

3.) Donsol

is now dubbed by enormously awed and satisfied tourists as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World”. It is in the waters off Donsol where such a phenomenally large number of Whale Sharks congregate, cavort and caper.

These gentle giants of the sea – considered the largest fishes in the world, measuring from 15 ft. to as long as 40 ft. in length, have been observed to converge in the waters off Donsol starting sometime during the months of October and November, and peaks in the months of Febru

ary to May.

The Butandings, featuring silvery polka dots all over its huge body, feeding only on plankton and krill, are harmless, gentle, friendly and playful, allowing humans to swim, play and interact with them, as they ponderously glide alongside seacraft.

And then, the gentle giants quietly disappear. Nobody knows yet where they go during the rest of the year. But the seasoned Donsol fisherman assures, the Butandings sill surely be back again sometime in October, November or December for the start of another wh

olesome ecotourism adventure – the incomparable Whale Shark/Butanding Interaction. Only in Sorsogon

4.) Calauit Game Reserve-Palawan

The 3700 hectare large Calauit Island is the sanctuary of African and Palawan wildlife threatened with extinction. Calauit was decreed a game preserve and wildlife sanctuary in August 1976 b

y then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

It was the late President´s response to an earlier appeal made for Kenya by the International Union of Conservation of Nature to help save African animals caught in the midst of civil strife.

Today giraffes, zebras and impalas live together with rare animals like bear cats, Calamian deer, mousedeer and Palawan peacocks, which are endemic to Palawan. The aviary is a recent addition.

A guide drives visitors around the national park in a specially designed jeep for a fee of approximately US$ 5,-. Ad

mission costs you another US$ 5,-.

Because of the long travel time from Coron to Calauit Island (between 4 and 6 hours), we recommend renting a van or jeep in Coron.



5.)Culion

Culion was called the Island of the Living Dead or the Island of No Return. Once the largest leper colony in the world, it stands today as a stark reminder of life in the Philippines when leprosy was still an incurable disease, and a testament to how leprosy was eradicated not just in the Philippines but in the entire world, and how technology and advances in medicine have improved and changed the way we live tod ay. Culion was selected as the containment area of all those with leprosy in the Philippines during the Am erican Period. At that time, leprosy was still an incurable disease. And the only way to stop its spread was to isolate all those afflicted with it. People with leprosy were rounded up like criminals to be sent to the island, most certainly to die given that there was no cure. That is why it was called the Island of No Return. The government apprehended lepers, detained them and sent them for isolation on Culion Island. Fam ilies knew that when a leprous member of the family was collected for segregation, that would be the last time they would see him or her. Ships brought patients to Culion every three months. And by its 25th year, there were 16,138 patients on Culion's roster making it the largest leper colony in the world.Because of the large number of patients, Culion naturally became a laboratory for scientists around the world who had striven to look for a cure for leprosy. That's why Culion's legacy makes the Culion Museum worth visiting if you have both time and a budget for it. Boats to Culion from Coron cost between Php3,000 to 3,500. But you could do visit Culion plus parts of the Coron Loop in one day. Or a Culion visit plus Banana and Malcapuya Islands. There are ferry services which leave at lunch and late in the afternoon. But that would mean sleeping overnight on the island.


6.)Polilio Island

is an island in the Northeaster

n region of the Philippines. The mere island is subdivided across three municipalities.

The municipality of Polilio takes up the Southern part of the island.

The Eastern partition of the island is administered by the municipality of Burdeos, while the North is within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Panukulan.

Polilio is a fourth class municipality in the Province of Quezon, Country Philippines. It is located on Polilio Island in the Philippine Sea and separated by Polillo Strait from Luzon. As of the year 2000, Polilio has a population of 24,105 people in 5,102 households.

The Polilio is subdivided into twenty Barangays namely: Anawan, Atulayan, Balesin, Bañadero, Binibitinan, Bislian, Bucao, Canicanian, Kalubakis, Languyin, Libjo, Pamatdan, Pilion, Pinaglubayan, Poblacion, Sabang, Salipsip, Sibulan, Taluong, and Tamulaya-Anibong

7.)Camotes Island

Enchanting... The Lost Horizon or a poet's heaven. These are few of the
words that describe Camotes Group of Islands. It lies about 562 km. [350 mi.]
southeast of Manila, 62 km. [38 mi.] northeast of Cebu and 25 km. [15 mi.]
west of Ormoc.. It has four islands which are composed of three sub-islands
which are divided into four municipalities. The fourth small island is called
Tulang Diyot which is under the jurisdiction of Barangay Esperanza in the
municipality of San Francisco.