Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano is one of the most famous volcanic landmarks in the entire Philippine archipelago, particularly in the Bicol Region. It stands majestically with an almost perfect cone shape, which no other stratovolcano anywhere in the world can match. It is 15 kilometers from the city of Legazpi, Albay Province.

Its base measures 130 kilometers in circumference and rises to 8,077 feet from the Albay Gulf, which has a distance of ten kilometers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) maintain a 6-kilometer permanent danger zone from its crater because it remains to be the most active volcano in the Philippines if not in the entire Pacific Ring of Fire.

Yet, in spite of the danger of its erratic activity, it allures people from different places with its enigmatic magnificence only God can create. It is sometimes ironical, even unsympathetic that tourists would come to see the volcano at the middle of its activity just to watch and wait for what it would do. The red-orange crater glow in a clear night sky, which molten rocks and lava flows create at the crater summit are amazing images of the wonder of nature.

Several days ago, on November 11, 2009, Phivolcs has placed Mayon Volcano in alert level 2 after manifesting activity. With rumbling and earthquake, it spews grayish ash two times in a day.

However, the most devastating eruption of Mayon on record happened in 1814. Molten rocks and flaming lava flowed down its slopes reaching towns below. An estimated 1,200 people took refuge in Cagsawa church in the town of Daraga, Albay. However, the fiery flood submerged the entire town and the church, killing all the people inside. Only the bell tower of the church remained standing.

Today, the Cagsawa Ruins (bell tower) have become a memorial monument that reminds the tourists and visitors of the cruelty of the volcano’s anger behind its calm and pristine appearance. The Cagsawa Park is under the management of the municipal government of Daraga, Albay.

You can reach Albay, either by train or bus from Manila.

This is a Wikipedia photo of Mayon Volcano taken from outer space

For more information and photos of Mayon Volcano,

you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayon_Volcano

The Corregidor Island

Corregidor Island is a famous destination here in the Philippines for both local and foreign tourists not only because of its peculiar beauty but for its rich historical past.

I have gone there before once as a child with my family aboard a navy ship but I could not vividly recall the particular sites we have visited in our brief stay there.

If you will look at it on a map, Corregidor is a tadpole shaped island at the mouth of Manila Bay. It is approximately 4 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers at its widest and a total area of approximately 3 square miles.

Under Spanish colonization, Corregidor served as a fortress and an early warning outpost to warn Manila of intrusions by any hostile ship. It also served as a customs outpost and even a hard labor prison. In fact, its name Corregidor, has come from the Spanish word "corregir", which means “the corrector” pertaining to the effect of hard labor on prisoners. People also called Corregidor as "the rock" because of its rocky landscape and heavy fortifications.

Under the American colonization, the US Army used the island as a military station. They called it Fort Mills in honor of Brig. Gen. Samuel M. Mills. They built bomb-shelters, a hospital and trails around the island. They started the construction of the Malinta Tunnel in 1922 to protect the military installations in case of a war. There were 56 coastal guns, 13 anti-aircraft artillery batteries and 10 searchlights.

The island painted Philippine history with blood in 1941. Hours after Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Imperial Forces invaded the Philippines.

Bataan and Corregidor Island witnessed the gallantry of the Filipino and American soldiers fighting the Japanese. After declaring Manila an open city, Gen. Douglas MacArthur went to Bataan to regroup his forces and make their last stand until 1942. Corregidor, meanwhile, served as the temporary refuge for the government of President Manuel L. Quezon and his family from December 24, 1941 to February 19, 1942 prior to the eventual exile of the Philippine Commonwealth government to the United States. After the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942 to the Japanese Imperial Army, the forces keeping Corregidor laid down their arms after sustaining the battle for 27 dreadful days.

Today, Corregidor is not only a place to remember history but also a place for recreation. The best part of a visit to Corregidor is the audio-visual presentation at the Malinta Tunnel of the events that occurred during World War II, which features the recorded voices of the historical personalities, including the departure of President Quezon and Gen. Douglas McArthur on a submarine from Corregidor to Australia.

One can also avail of the island tour of Corregidor on a motorized boat or do some hiking on the hills and forest and discover some landmark ruins along the way.

Places of Interest in Corregidor:

● Malinta Tunnel

● Pacific War Memorial

● Filipino Heroes Memorial

● Spanish lighthouse

● Gun emplacements

● Eternal Flame of Freedom

● Aviary and Theme Park

● Filipino-American Friendship Park

● Barracks ruins

If you are interested to visit Corregidor Island in the near future, please click the link below for additional information particularly on how to get there.

(Data & Photos courtesy of: www.PhilSite.Net/corregidor.htm)

The Songsong Ruins

However, the most intriguing place for me in Batanes is the Songsong Ruins. It is like an ancient ghost town in Batan Island. I have tried to get a story about it in the internet but I have not found any yet. I am wondering who lived in these ruins, why they abandoned their habitation and why nobody tried to rebuild these ruins. Maybe if I could get a story somewhere, I would blog it.

Photo from
www.wikimedia.org

Interesting Places in Batanes

There are many places in Batanes that will capture your heart and arouse your curiosity. One of those is the oldest stone house, which remains standing since 1887: The House of Dakay. It has been declared as a UNESCO heritage building.

Photo & Info courtesy of:

Ironwulf.Net

Another is the Mahatao Lighthouse

Photo Courtesy of:
lagalog.com

And the Mahatao View Deck

Photo courtesy of:
pasyalera.com

 

The Torongan Cave- in the town of Itbayat. The most ancient dwelling place and on top is a pre-historic burial caves. Many believe that this is the first landing place of the Austronecians from Taiwan in 2000 BC.

Photos courtesy of: 
superkengkoy

It would be an impossible dream for me to even think of visiting these places. However, who knows? Dreams can still come true...

Batanes: The New Frontier

Photo by Melo Villareal

Payaman - known as "Marlboro Country", a pasture overlooking farm fields & the Pacific Ocean
http://www.melovillareal.com/photoblog/travel-photography/batanes-marlboro-hills.jpg

One of the most amazing places in the Philippines is the Batanes Group of Islands, which lies at the northern most tip of the archipelago. This is where two great bodies of water- the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea- come together. According to WOW Philippines, a series of volcanic activities and other geologic forces have formed the island-province of Batanes millions of years ago.

While I am surfing the internet, I have come across this photo by Melo Villareal that has captured the scenic “Payaman” in Batanes. Those were grassy hills along the boulder-lined coastline of the province, which serve as graze land for cattle. At the background is a view of its pristine coastal waters.

Two things amaze me about this province:

One is that in spite of its almost isolated location, I do not remember any news report wherein the “Ivatans” (people of Batanes) ask for relief after a storm considering that almost every typhoon that enters the Philippine area of responsibility slams through the Batanes Group of Islands. In storm-affected areas, we usually see houses destroyed by strong winds or submerged in floodwaters and people need to stay in heavily crowded evacuation centers for days. However, it seems like the people of the province have been immune from disasters that tropical cyclones might cause. They build typhoon resistant homes made up of thick stonewalls that are unique to the Ivatans.

The Ivatans have preserved their culture down from centuries past in spite of the modern technology that slowly invade the consciousness of peoples even in rural areas. Although, reports say there are not so much vehicles going around the province. Good for them, the air that they breathe has remained least contaminated by toxic fumes.

Another amazing thing about Batanes is its “Honesty Store”. I do not recall the name of the owner of the store nevertheless; I believe it has become a legacy for the Ivatans. It is a small and ordinary store except that there is no storekeeper; everything is self-service. You can pick up what you want; a cup of noodles perhaps or a cup of coffee or whatever then jot it down on a record book on top of a table and leave your payment in a box. If you have a change, you can pick it up the following day. It is amazing because it involves an unblemished honesty. It has been a feature in many television documentaries here in the Philippines. It is something we are proud of as Filipinos.

Photos and info courtesy of the following:

Melo Villareal.Com
WOW Philippines
Philsite.Net

Tubbataha Reef

A candidate for the New Seven Wonders of the World is the protected marine sanctuary Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park in the province of Sulu. Known as one of the most famous diving sites in the world, it truly captivates divers with its beautiful and rich marine life and its virgin marine ecosystem.

When I first saw and heard about Tubbataha Reef as a featured site at the Probe Team TV documentary several years ago, I did not think that it was in the Philippines. Ironically for a Filipino like me.

Now, I feel that I should be proud to blog such a scenic spot here in the Philippines. It is an amazing place...

An article from www.tubbatahareef.org says, “The name 'Tubbataha' is a Samal word for "long reef exposed at low tide". Samals are seafaring people of the Sulu Sea. Cagayanen people who are more geographically associated with Tubbataha Reefs referred the Park as 'gusong'… The park is an underwater sanctuary where nature can thrive. Tubbataha is the Philippines' only marine natural Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place of global importance, being preserved for generations to come.”

Rising from the volcanic depths of the Sulu Sea in the western Philippines, these magnificent Tubbataha Reefs serve as a habitat for an amazing diversity of marine life. The article further says, “…From majestic whale sharks to elusive seahorses -Tubbataha supports an unparalleled variety of marine creatures. Colorful reef fish crowd corals growing in the shallows while sharks and manta rays haunt the steep drop offs to the open sea”.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than:

573 species of fish
379 species of corals (about half of all coral species in the world)
11 species of sharks (including endangered ones)
12 species of dolphins & whales

Nesting Hawksbill & Green sea turtles
Over 100 species of birds find refuge in Tubbataha Reef National Park's Bird Island. Near to it is a ship wreck, which gives clues to its long historic past.

Sadly, diving is not for me. I can swim with floaters especially using big rubber interior of truck wheels but diving with floaters is ridiculously impossible.

Photos by:

Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt
http://www.pbase.com/kleine/tubbataha_reef

Info:
http://www.tubbatahareef.org

A Subterranean River

Leading the race for the New Seven Wonders of the World is another place here in the Philippines that I would like to see for myself. I have heard people talk about their experience in visiting that wonder of nature. I must admit that heir stories arouse my curiosity. Unfortunately, my physical condition constrains me from going there. However, for those who are physically and financially capable, the place is surely worthy of visit.

I am referring to The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan in western Philippines. It boasts of a limestone karsts mountain landscape with an 8.2 km navigable underground river that winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. Inside that cave are major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers although the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. At the mouth of the cave, ancient trees growing right to the water's edge frame a clear lagoon. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave. Experts believe that this is the longest subterranean river in the world.

In fact, the Puerto Prinsesa Subterranean River has been nominated in the new Seven Wonders of the World and its doing well in the voting. Well, I hope that those who are thinking of a place to visit one of these days would consider visiting this subterranean river in Puerto Prinsesa Palawan.

Info and Photo:
www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/nominees/asia/c/PuertoPrincesa

To cast your vote for the New Seven Wonders of the World, click the link below:
http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/