Corregidor Island - History and beauty

Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the North Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the City of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) inland, Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, from the colonial rule of Spain, Japan and the United States, to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946.  

Congratulations Vigan, Philippines - New Wonders Cities!

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Banaue Rice Terraces - 8th Wonder

Banaue Rice Terraces (Filipino: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 metres (5000 ft) above sea level. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.

HOW TO GET THERE:

By bus
Getting to Banaue directly might take a lot of effort if you're not taking a direct route from Manila or if you don't have a tour agency to help you. Visiting Banaue can be tied in with a tour of North Luzon, it can be reached easily from Bontoc, which is a close to Sagada, and easily reachable from Baguio, the capital of the region. Here are a few possible ways to get to Banaue:
Manila - Banaue
Ohayami Trans, Lacson Ave. cor. Fajardo St., Sampaloc, Manila (Just near University of Sto. Tomas or take the train from the Legarda Station then just take a trickshaw to the terminal). Provides trips directly to Banaue. They have three daily trips - 21:00 and 22:00 leaving their terminal in Manila and taking 9-10 hrs

GV Florida Transport Inc./Dangwa Transport Co., Lacson Ave. cor. Earnshaw St., Sampaloc, Manila (Just near University of Sto. Tomas or take the train from the Legarda Station then just take a trickshaw to the terminal, gvfloridatransportinc.com. Provides trips directly to Banaue and Deluxe bus w/ restroom equiped ,one stopover. daily trips - 22:45 p.m. leaving their terminal in Manila and taking 7-8 hrs. and from Banaue leaving @ 20:00 p.m.

Manila - Baguio - Banaue
Ohayami Trans, Otek St., Burnham Park, Baguio City (within Chowking area), [2]. 8 hrs. Provides trips from Baguio to Banaue. 
KMS, Near Rizal Park, Baguio City. 7 hr. Provides a mini-bus trip from Baguio to Banaue. They have two daily trips: 08:00 and 21:30
The first option may be a good choice if you don't like overnight buses or want to enjoy the very scenic drive during the day.

Manila - Baguio - Bontoc - Banaue
There are jeepneys going from Bontoc to Banaue (P150) and even Sagada to Banaue (P195) during peak season or holidays. Jeepneys arriving into Bontoc from Sagada (and no doubt other jeepneys and buses) are sometimes met by drivers who can offer you a minivan journey on to Banaue, which takes around 2-2.5 hours, we paid 150 Piso each for this in May 2014. There does not appear to be a fixed schedule for these but we left Sagada by jeepney at approximately 1220, reaching Bontoc at 1300, our van set off shortly before 1400 and we were in Banaue by 1610.

Manila - Solano - Nueva Vizcaya - Banaue Ifugao
Buses heading to Tuguegarao (e.g. Baliwag transit, Victory,Florida transport inc., etc.) pass by the town of Solano. Several jeepneys ply the Solano-Banaue route or the Solano-Lagawe, Ifugao route. From Lagawe, one can then take another jeepney to Banaue.

Manila - Tarlac - Solano - Banaue
Buses heading for Baguio pass by Tarlac. Vizcaya liner plies the Tarlac-Solano route at 05:00.

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Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banaue_Rice_Terraces
http://wikitravel.org/en/Banaue

Images:
http://www.riceterracesbanaue.com/
http://www.markmaranga.com/
http://www.bestourism.com/

September is Pangasinan Tourism Month!

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan Sept 2 (PIA) – The Pangasinan provincial board has declared September of every year as Pangasinan Tourism Month to strengthen the province's tourism program.

The board authorized the Tourism Operations Division of the Office of the Governor to spearhead the tourism month and plan and implement appropriate activities supportive to the declaration.

Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, Jr., who authored the resolution, said the declaration is in line with the observance of World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27 as declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The declaration also supports the National Tourism Week marked every last week of September under Presidential Proclamation No. 894 in 1996.

 Calimlim said the recognition will instill tourism in Pangasinan peoples' consciousness and raise awareness on the social, cultural, political and economic values of tourism among Pangasinenses.

 Meanwhile, Provincial Tourism Officer Malou Elduayan disclosed that for the past years, Pangasinan showed an increasing trend in tourist arrivals.

 The tourism office's latest record showed 250,165 tourist arrival based on hotel occupancy and 611,000 visitors based on guest arrivals in the province’s tourist destinations.

She added Pangasinan remains on the top spot among the four provinces in Region 1 in terms of tourist arrivals. (MCA/EMBS/PIA-1, Pangasinan)

#travelnorth, #travelnorthph, #travelnorthphilippines

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan Sept 2 (PIA) – The Pangasinan provincial board has declared September of every year as Pangasinan Tourism Month to strengthen the province's tourism program.

The board authorized the Tourism Operations Division of the Office of the Governor to spearhead the tourism month and plan and implement appropriate activities supportive to the declaration.

Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, Jr., who authored the resolution, said the declaration is in line with the observance of World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27 as declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The declaration also supports the National Tourism Week marked every last week of September under Presidential Proclamation No. 894 in 1996.

Calimlim said the recognition will instill tourism in Pangasinan peoples' consciousness and raise awareness on the social, cultural, political and economic values of tourism among Pangasinenses.

Meanwhile, Provincial Tourism Officer Malou Elduayan disclosed that for the past years, Pangasinan showed an increasing trend in tourist arrivals.

The tourism office's latest record showed 250,165 tourist arrival based on hotel occupancy and 611,000 visitors based on guest arrivals in the province’s tourist destinations.

She added Pangasinan remains on the top spot among the four provinces in Region 1 in terms of tourist arrivals. (MCA/EMBS/PIA-1, Pangasinan)
- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2821409643611#sthash.kScF5NZ4.dpuf