The Church - 08.07.2009 EOS CANON 450
Cebu from the Sea-08.07.2009 EOS CANON 450
Food Glorious Food-08.07.2009 EOS CANON 450
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Nostalgia
Cebu in My Mind
Being a proud Malaysian and a Sabahan, I have never thought of any more beautiful islands and seas as ours. We have the best of everything especially where sun, sea and sand are concerned. And our islands? Superb! But that’s just the patriotic me speaking.
We all know however that each island destinations has its own unique features and beauty. They are attractive and beautiful in some ways other than what we are used to and I might add, take for granted..
When I was in Cebu Philippines, a few years ago, I never thought I would gasp at the beauty of an island. But I did. Many times.
Actually I was told by a guide that island hopping is one of the most interesting things to do in Cebu and that it should be tried if one was vacationing in there.
“It is quite simple actually, just hop on a banca, (a boat that looks like a catamaran, and is one of course) and cruise to some small islands around Cebu Island,” the young man said.
So some Malaysian sojourners and I decided to go island hopping. We took a banca and chug off towards the blue sea yonder.
Our first destination was to snorkel and feed some fish on the shallows off a small island. The boat crew was very helpful and put down ropes and ladders for us to stand on as we feed the fish.
None of us was inclined to dunk our face in the water however, loving the deck too much, and we just watched as our friendly crew pointed out some fish swimming around.
Because of our reluctance to get wet, we arrived early for our lunch at Olango Island. This island actually boasts beach villas and some seafront eateries. The beach was just like ours, white and sandy; plus it was populated; although still boasting its status as a marine and bird sanctuary.
So we opted to go to Pandanon Island before lunch.
Pandanon was the island that evoked gasps.
Off the coast of Getafe, Bohol, the island looked more like a huge sandbar with an attractive seaside chapel.
This was interesting as the chapel was so near the beach, the waves actually crashed at the steps.
There were pillars there called The Pandanon pillars. I was not sure what the purpose was but they looked quite imposing; being part of the landscape like that.
There are cottages for rent, ideal for day use in beach outings, picnics and private parties there. But I was not too interested in that, being keener to go for a walk around the quaint island. Time constraint however made this impossible.
What we did was buy souvenirs from a stall by the chapel. A nice although standard activities for tourists.
After taking in as much as possible, risking sensory overload, we hopped back on our banca and made our way back to Olango.
We chugged back and were welcomed by our host and cold food, which we did not mind a bit. We were too hungry to care.
The food was mostly sea derived. There were shells of various shapes and sizes, fish cooked to perfection and crabs just waiting to be devoured.
While wolfing down our food, we were serenaded by three musicians. To the tunes of ‘Anak’, ‘Dahil Sayo’ and ‘Pangako Sa yo’, we enjoyed our fare.
The serenaders were so good that some of us wished they had a pub here and bring these talented trios in. They were that good. And to think that one of their musical instrument were improvised from water containers, woods and rope.
After lunch we cruised back to Cebu. The sea had turned rough so all of us were eyeing the life buoy.
However we arrived back to the shore none the worse for wear.
Needless to say we enjoyed our cruise thoroughly.
Malaysians going to Cebu should experience island hopping. Fun!
Sabah Land below the Wind
Tourism Trivia
By AV Latinggam
Sabah, land of
the Sacred Mountain
There are
plants, trees, flowers and shrubberies to scrutinize. These sights are in
abundance and will take a person many, many good productive hours of enjoyment.
As we all know,
tourism, particularly eco-tourism, is a major contributor to the economy of Sabah .
And with vigorous
promotions by Sabah Tourism Board and the Malaysian Tourism Board, as well as stability
and security in the region, Sabah with its six
national parks will never fail to attract tourists.
The attractions
that are the main focus at the moment are the parks. Of course the main pride
of Sabah is Mount Kinabalu National Park ,
where the second highest mountain in Southeast Asia
with an altitude of 4,095.2 metres is sited. The park is 54 square kilometers and one of the most popular tourist spot in the State
as well as in Malaysia
The trees and
plants in this site is tremendously interesting as it contains a variety of
flora and fauna that ranges over four climate zones; from rich lowland
dipterocarp forest through the montane oak, rhododendron, to the coniferous
forests, to the alpine meadow plants, and to the stunted bushes of summit zone.
Plants such as
the nepenthes and orchids are always mentioned in the same breath with the
park. However there are many and several of these plants are found in other
parts of Sabah .
Besides that the
park is also home to various members of the animal kingdom.
It consists of 3
islands; Selingan, Bakkungan Kechil and Gulisan, including the surrounding
coral reefs and ocean.
Green turtles
and hawksbill turtles come to these islands to lay their eggs on the 17 square
kilometre islands.
The island’s
claim to fame is the fact that it boasts the first turtle hatchery in Malaysia
Selingan,
Bakkungan Kechil and Gulisan are designated as a Marine Park
The other park is the Pulau Tiga National Park Klias Peninsula
The Pulau Tiga Park
Pulau Tiga is covered in dense vegetation
while Pulau Kalampunian Besar is almost like a sandbar, eroded away by wave
action. Known for its sugar-white sands and clear waters, it is popular for
scuba diving and snorkelling. Its claim to fame is that it was the location of
both the US and UK
Pulau Kalampunian Damit, a large rock, also
called Pulau Ular, is famous as a mating location for highly poisonous sea
snakes. Sights of interest, actually.
And then there is the Crocker Range
National Park
The Park in 1984 covers the north-south Crocker Range
The park covers 1399 square kilometres, of
both hill and montane forest, with many species of flora and fauna endemic to Borneo .
Maintenance of this forest cover is
necessary to ensuring a pure water supply for many of the towns and communities
around the area.
The Tawau
National Park , also known as Tawau Hills
Park
Located 24 kilometres from Tawau, and
comprising lowland dipterocarp rainforest, it is surrounded by oil palm and cocoa
plantations. There are picnic areas and camping sites.
The Park contains rugged volcanic
landscapes including a hot spring and spectacular waterfalls. The highest point
in the park is Gunung Magdalena at 1310 metre.
Last but not least is the Tunku Abdul
Rahman Park; five islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, that comprises 49 square kilometres of which
two-thirds are sea, and the rest is coral reefs and the five islands. It is
named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman and is
accessible by ferry.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Singapore Sojourner II
Photographs by HEL
Singapore Skyline
Jacuzzi taken from Marina Bay Sands on 04.09.2012 Canon EOS600D
Singapore Sojourner
Photographs by HEL
HEL on the lookout Point of Marina Bay Sands Singapore 04.09.2012 canon EOS 600D
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