If there is one country that I could visit right now before any other, it would be the Philippines. My paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the 1960s and I would love to visit the country of my ancestors. The Philippine archipelago consists of over 7,000 islands and lies south of China and east of Indonesia and Vietnam. Centuries of Chinese, Malay, Spanish and even American influence have created a unique blend of culture, language and people. The Philippines stands out from other Asian nations as it is the only predominantly Roman Catholic country in Asia. The rich history and my familial connections have always drawn me to the Philippines.
There are so many different things that I would do in the Philippines. My family lives on the island of Cebu, so naturally I would go there. I would love to visit Inambakan Falls to swim and explore the caves. There are several different “levels” and natural pools to swim in. I would also go snorkeling at Moalboal. Here, you can swim along with schools of sardines and see the lush wildlife in the clear and colorful waters.
While the Philippines is full of natural beauty and interesting sites, I would definitely want to do some non-tourist-like activities. I would visit my family on Cebu and Bantayan, an island off the northeast coast of Cebu, where my family is originally from. I would love to hang out at the white beaches and stare at the beautifil waters and landscape, but I would also explore my ancestral home and meet more of my extended family.
A trip to the Philippines would not be complete without visiting the capital city of Manila. I would certainly go see the Manila Ocean Park; I love aquariams and sea life and Manila has a top tier aquatic attraction with many different forms of life. I would also visit the National Museum of the Philippines. I could learn more about the history and culture of the Philippines with a firsthand look at artifacts from throughout the centuries Finally, I would love to go to the Divisoria Market and barter with local vendors. I visited a similar market in Beijing and found haggling over small trinkets and souvenirs to be a fun and exciting activity. I have to buy gifts and things to remember my trip but not for the absurd prices that the vendors offer.
The Philippines has always been at the top of my travel bucket list. The history, culture, geography and uniqueness make it a very appealing country to travel to. I have always wanted to see where my family is from and to observe the differences in our lives and culture but also what makes us similar. The Philippines has a plethora of natural and man-made attractions. I would definitely suggest traveling there; hopefully in the near future I will be traveling there myself.
Works Cited:
Google My Maps, Google, www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1gj6hh-pjgL3wPylVFQRwws-SY6A&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=10.776650000000014%2C123.85436999999999&spn=0.944339%2C1.167297&z=9&output=embed.
Hamper, Anietra. “12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Manila: PlanetWare.” PlanetWare.com, PlanetWare Inc., 10 Mar. 2020, www.planetware.com/philippines/top-rated-tourist-attractions-things-to-do-in-manila-phi-1-2.htm.
January , Jenny, et al. “26 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON CEBU, PHILIPPINES.” Journey Era, Journey Era, 5 July 2020, www.journeyera.com/things-to-do-cebu-philippines/.
Nightwolfdezines, nightwolfdezines. “Download Vector Flag Map Of The Philippines for Free.” Vecteezy, Eezy Inc., 1 Oct. 2019, www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/671402-vector-flag-map-of-the-philippines.
The TripGuru, TripGuru Limited, 2019, thetripguru.com/tour/moalboal-pescador-island-sardine-run-tour-from-cebu-full-day.
The images included are so cool. I also would like to visit the Phillipines just to see it because of how unqiue everything is.
The Phillipines seems almost like a large American city but there’s also distinct Asian aspects of it. Overall it looks like a great place to go.
The Phillipines seems almost like a large American city but there’s also distinct Asian aspects of it. Overall it looks like a great place to go.
traveling to less “popular’ countries and experiencing the area is truly eye-opening and the philippine seems to be one of those places.