Module 6 - Hand-On Activity For Web Design
Module 6 - Hand-On Activity For Web Design
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Introducing Philippines
The Philippines is defined by its emerald rice fields, teeming mega-cities, graffiti-splashed
jeepneys, smouldering volcanoes, bug-eyed tarsiers, fuzzy water buffalo and smiling, happy-
go-lucky people.
With 7000 tropical islands on my doorstep, all ripe for exploration, I find it easy to like the
Philippines. Love, on the other hand, is borne of subtler things. Love is borne of long rooftop
jeepney rides through the mountains of North Luzon; of a frosty San Miguel at sundown on a
sublime slab of Visayan sand; of a fresh-fish lunch, followed by a siesta on an interminable
bangka journey through Palawan's islands; of friends with names like Bing and Bong; of
phrases like 'comfort room'; of – dare I say it – karaoke. Now that is love.
Tempestuous Tropics
We've all had it happen: your trip to paradise is ruined by day after day of torrential monsoon
rain (in the Philippines that paradise is often Palawan). There are a couple of simple ways to
avoid this. One, study the climate charts. The western parts of the the country get hammered
by rain at the peak of the southwest monsoon (July to September), so go east during this
time (unless there's a typhoon brewing). Two, stay flexible. Dispense with advance bookings
so you can migrate to fairer climes if need be.
Cultural Quirks
The Philippines is a land apart from mainland Southeast Asia – not only geographically but
also spiritually and culturally. The country’s overwhelming Catholicism, the result of 350
years of Spanish rule, is its most obvious enigma. Vestiges of the Spanish era include
exuberant town fiestas (festivals), unique Spanish-Filipino colonial architecture and
centuries-old stone churches. Malls, fast-food chains and widespread spoken English betray
the influence of Spain’s colonial successor, the Americans. Yet despite these outside
influences, the country remains very much its own unique entity. The people are, simply,
Filipinos – and proud of it. Welcoming, warm and relentlessly upbeat, it is they who captivate
and ultimately ensnare visitors.
Outdoor Adventures
The Philippines isn’t just about finding an isolated beach and getting catatonic. From
kayaking to kiteboarding to canyoning to spelunking, the Philippines can capably raise any
adrenaline junkie’s pulse. While surfers are just catching on to the tasty (if fickle) waves that
form on both coasts, divers have long been enamoured of the country’s underwater charms.
Freshwater pursuits include rafting and wakeboarding. Back on terra firma, trekking can be
done just about anywhere, while rock climbing is gaining popularity. And the Philippines is
also, unofficially, the zipline capital of the world.
Places in Philippines
Manila
Manila’s moniker, the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, couldn’t be more apt – its cantankerous shell
reveals its jewel only to those resolute enough to pry. No stranger to hardship, the city has
endured every disaster both human and nature could throw at it, and yet today the chaotic
metropolis thrives as a true Asian megacity.
North Luzon
North Luzon, a region that invites intrepid exploration, encapsulates a nation in miniature.
Machete-toting mountain tribes who are quick to smile and quicker to share their rice wine.
Surfers racing waves onto sunny beaches. White-sand beaches lapped by teal waters.
Impenetrable jungle hiding numerous endemic critters.
Cebu
Simply being from Cebu carries a certain cultural heft, and it’s not hard to see why. Cebu is
the hub around which the Visayas revolve. It is the most densely populated island in the
Philippines and is second only to Luzon in its strategic and economic importance to the
country.
Palawan
Nothing defines Palawan more than the water around it. With seascapes the equal of any in
Southeast Asia, and wildlife terrestrial and aquatic, the Philippines’ most sparsely populated
region is also the most beguiling. Because of its silhouette – a long sliver stretching 650km
all the way to Borneo – there’s a certain liberating logic to travel here.
Cebu City
Cebu City is like an entrée-sized Manila; it’s energetic, exciting and fast-paced, or loud, dirty
and ruthless, depending on your perspective. On the surface, it does its worst to attract
tourists, with its honking jeepneys spluttering exhaust fumes, shopping-mall culture and lack
of world-class sights. Yet give it a chance and you'll find plenty to do here.
Negros
With its rugged mountain interior, unspoilt beaches, underwater coral gardens and urban
grooves, Negros has the most to offer in the Western Visayas after Boracay. This is
particularly true of its southern coast, stretching from Danjugan Island around the tip to Bais,
where diving has become big business.
The Cordillera
To many travellers, North Luzon is simply the Cordillera. These spiny mountains, which top
out at around 2900m, are beloved, worshipped and feared in equal doses by those who
witness them and those who live among them.
Boracay
While only 7km tall and at its bikini line 500m wide, tiny Boracay has rapidly become the
Philippines' top tourist draw, fuelled by explosive growth and a tsunami of hype; in 2013 the
readers of Travel & Leisure voted it the second-best island destination in the world after
Palawan.
Northern Mindanao
The coastline from Cagayan de Oro to Surigao and the offshore islands off the far
northeastern tip is a region apart from the rest of Mindanao. Though largely spared from the
violence elsewhere, it’s often inaccurately stigmatised simply by dint of association.
Bohol
Just a quick ferry journey from Cebu, Bohol offers independent travellers a wealth of options
both on and off the beaten track. The island province is promoted almost exclusively through
images of cute bug-eyed tarsiers and the majestic Chocolate Hills, and while both are
fantastic highlights, in reality it’s the diving on Panglao Island that brings in the crowds.
Mindoro
Bisected by a virtually impassable mountain range – aptly named the High Rolling Mountains
– rugged Mindoro is part tropical paradise, part provincial backwater. Forming a dramatic
backdrop almost everywhere, the mountains separate the island’s two provinces: rough and
rugged Mindoro Occidental to the west, and more prosperous Mindoro Oriental to the east.
Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/