"PHILIPPINES PEARL OF THE ..." a Manila Travel Page by listenandlearn

Lets start with a touch of history, perhaps this would mean much more than just knowing a bit about the Philippines. Just before the Spanish explorers arrived, Indo-Malays as well as the Chinese merchants had settled in the Philippines. Sometime in year 1521 the Spaniards, led by Portuguese explorer- Ferdinand Magellan, discovered the islands. The Spanish conquistadors had established a colonial government in Cebu in 1565, then in 1571 Phil. was then colonized. Yes, on June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippines independent from Spain and proclaimed himself the President. After Mr. Aguinaldo ruled the country for 333 long years, the Spaniards finally left in 1898 and this time the Americans then continued to colonize the Philippines for about 48 years. Americans then introduced to the country their system of educational; their legal system, their democtratic form of gov. Letīs not forget that on July 4, 1946, the American finally recognized Philippines independence. Oh! before I forget, Philippines is divided into 3 geographical areas which are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, it has total of 16 regions and 79 provinces and of-course with the capital as Manila.
Letīs start speaking of the weather in the Philippines. We are sure many visitors would be anxious to know what the weather is like during their holidays. In March or during March through May is a pretty hot and quite dry, at times I find it too sticky after prespiring even after a good cold bath... June to October is the rainy season. Heavy storms is quite common in the Philippines during these months. November till February is the cool weather. It is normally when many tourists come to the Philippines during these cooler months and specially for the Christmas season which is exceptionally outstanding the way Christmas is celebrated in the Philippines. Average climate would be 78F/32C and the humidity approx. 77%. Clothing to bring would be best light. Warmer garmets are needed for mountain regions. When visiting the churches and temples, propriety dictates that short pants,short-short skirts be avoided, people stare and do not appreciate too much body exposures at this places for prayers. Filipinos are known for good and picky outfits when among friends, relatives or just out of their homes, in parties they, the men wear this very thin material made from bambo, called barong tagalog. Oh! letīs not forget the most important thing...money, the currency is called: PESOS. They come in notes of 10 Pesos, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000Peso.Now letīs speak of accommodation or where to stay. In the centre of Manila or throughout the country a very wide selection of De Luxe, standard, economy hotel is always available. This all depends on how deep you wish to dig into your pockets. Night life in Manila is quite westernized these past 10-15 years now. Manila, Makati we would consider this to be the centre of cultural activities. NIghtlife happens to be one of the most vibrant in Asia, letīs not forget that by nature Filipinos has a passion and love for music and dancing. Philippines also has rows of casinos and to this date this city wherein years back the U.S. Airforce had their little town called Angles is now turning out to be a pretty good place for casino, then too we have the city of Tagaytay as well as in Cebu, Davao, Laoag and Bacolod you will find many casinos at these places. Now, for the shop lovers: You have a great choose from an exciting selection of great buys in the country known for export - quality items at a quite reasonable and affordable prices. Sea pearls is quite common, handwoven cloths, embroidered fineries, fashionable, ready to wear and haute couture clothes, terra-cota, porcelain, coral and of course MOTHER OF PERAL. Letīs not forget to warn the tourists and visitors. It is highly recommended that we all buy bottled water, as even the locals as long as they can afford to pay for the water, they would not buy bottled water.

Phil. may also be accessed through five international gateways. One can explore other interesting destinations and venture out of these gateways by land, seas or air. In Manila. It offers many places of interest, that are easily accessible for day excursions. Intramuros, the Walled city of Old Manila, Nayong Filipinas, a theme park that showcases in small scale the countryīs famous landmarks, the Rizal Park, a tribute to the countryīs nation hero, museums and some of Asiaīs most modern and biggest shopping malls. If coming from Manila you could easily access several places and lands, such as Daet/Legaspi/Sorsogon, Baguio, Tarlac/La Union (where a beautiful summer beach is located)/Pangasinan, Bulacan/Pampanga, Banaue/Bontoc/Sagada, Isabela/Cagayan, Cavite/Tagaytay City/Laguna and also Bantangas and Quezon.

Will write more about this typical papaya fruits. Yummy!