| Philippines II |  |
| November 10 to December 26, 2002 |
The Philippines - what a country! A country you have to fell in love with! I have already been there in the year 2000 when I did an internship at the Austrian Trade Commission in Manila (check out Philippines 2000)... already then I was sure that those 3 months weren't my last ones - and how right I was!
This time we visited friends in Manila, learned how to dive in Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro, intensively explored the island of Palawan and celebrated Christmas in Baguio, North Luzon.
Although there were warnings concerning terror attacks in general, and the Abu Sayyaf rebels in particular, we nevertheless dared to visit the Philippines - and I have to admit, I don't know if this is just naïve, that I felt safe all the time. I never had the impression that I'm in danger. However, I also have, in order to consider both sides, to say that there were some kinds of terrorist attacks in the Philippines while we were there - firstly, the police found a bombing device in Manila's metro that just didn't explode due to some kind of malfunction in November and secondly, there were gunfights between the police and some rebels in the sea between Luzon and Mindoro in December. I don't wanna underplay those happenings (they are horrible!) but not a single civilian was hurt.
Well, the Philippines is suffering a lot because of happenings like this... We talked with a lot of people and they all told us that there's a great breakdown in the (already low) number of tourists coming to the Philippines, especially to Palawan.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed our trip to the Philippines and loved the lonesome beaches and the (illusive?) peacefulness! However, I guess it's everybodys own decision to visit the Philippines or stay away.
Anyway, you can be sure that a virtual trip to the Philippines isn't dangerous at all - so, check out my pictures and enjoy! And read the respective Online Diary entries on the Philippines!
I've divided our 7-weeks-trip into four categories:
| Manila, Luzon |  |
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Back in Manila - it felt a bit like coming home after a long time! |
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| Diving in Puerto Galera, Mindoro | |
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Situated 150 km south of Manila on a beautiful natural harbour, with many fine beaches, sheltered coves and a backdrop of lush green hills, Puerto Galera offers some of the most renowned diving in Asia. With more than 30 sites located within ten minutes of the beach, Puerto Galera is blessed with gentle sloping reefs, where one will find vast fields of corals and rare species of fish. The underwater world there is famous for its spectacular macro life which makes every dive an adventure! |
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| Christmas in Baguio, North Luzon | |
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The country's summer capital, Baguio which is also known as the "City of Pines" stands amidst the mountainous region of the Cordillera. Situated 1,500 meters above the sea, Baguio is one of the few places in the country blessed with a cool climate. At any given time, it is eight degrees cooler in Baguio than the lowlands. |
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| "The Last Frontier" Palawan | |
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Palawan, considered as the Philippines' last ecological frontier, with its 1,780 islands is situated on the Western border of the Philippines. |
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| Puerto Princesa City | |||
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| Sabang | |||
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| Taytay | |||
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| El Nido | |||
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