Natural Wonders Of Philippines- Mysterious, Intriguing And Romantic!

July 28, 2010 by Hengul

When Nature brainstorms and comes up with ideas to give expression to her creativity, the output is beyond the reach of any living being on Earth. Poets and writers, down the centuries have worshipped Nature as equivalent to the unseen entity named God. The reasons are many- her superiority, her enigma, her imagination and above all her grace!

Humans also have put on efforts to ventilate the smoke of their imaginative flight time and again; but the fact remains, without the favoured treatment from Mother Nature, no human endeavour would have existed.

Many parts of the earth has been the preferred canvas for Nature to sprinkle the colours of fancy and she has blessed them with unmatched and timeless creations. The nation of Philippines made of 7,107 islands is one of them with several beautiful archipelagos, some active and vibrant volcanoes and unusually located rivers.

Mayon Volcano: This is perhaps one of the finest specimen of the phrase that the famous Irish poet W.B. Yeats popularized in his immortal poem 'The Second Coming'- 'Terrible Beauty'! To describe the terrible part of this volcano we must be aware that it has wrecked havoc in the past by puking out streams of lava to do considerable amount of damage in terms of lives and property. But the beauty of this mountain is unparalleled with an evenly shape that resembles a pyramid and has earned it the sobriquet- 'The Perfect Cone'! With its top point kissing the sky, with 2,642 meters in height, Mount Mayon truly mesmerizes the onlookers.

Chocolate Hills: No, don't get ecstatic to think that they are some kind of fairy tale hills that produces chocolate! But, the unbelievable uniform shapes (sizes vary from 30 meters to 120 meters in height) of these hills located in the Bohol Island are quite intriguing, crazy and romantically mysterious. The number of the hills touches 1,268 mark that are placed at the center of the island with a brown colour vegetation on their surface which eventually led to their somewhat deceptive name. More interesting is the legend that is associated with the formation of these unique hills as locals believe that two giants threw the boulders at each other during a battle that resulted in this awesome landscape.

Banaue Rice Terraces: In existence for the past 2000 years, covering an area of 10, 360 km on the mountainside of Ifugao at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea-level is the World renowned Banaue Rice Terraces. No wonder many consider it the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. The numbers might be impressive, but the beauty that it displays from a distance is truly out of the World and perfectly complements its mathematical figures! What adds to the awe factor is the fact that, the early people who created these terraces had only the basic equipments and often they employed their hands to carve out these mind blowing rice fields.

Hundred Islands: As the name suggests, it is a conglomeration of 123 islands that are lying across the Lyngaien Gulf in the Pangasinan Province. Covering a staggering 4557 acres, the Hundred Islands are capped with lush green vegetation and floats over the ocean waters offering the visitors an opportunity to spend some priceless moments in them. Consequently, only three of them is open to the tourists with comfortable resorts and guest houses.

Puerto Princesa Underground River: Situated in the island province of Palawan, Puerto Princesa river has the coveted distinction of being the second longest underground river in the world. Basically a part of the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park, this amazingly mysterious river is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The navigable distance of this river is of just 8.2 kms and once you jump in a boat to sail through that stretch the feeling will be like setting out on a adventure trip hunting down some hidden treasure in a Walt Disney production! Just before the river immerse in the sea, it passes through a cave and that is one experience!

Already looking for the travel bag? Well...find it out and make it fast! Be the first in your circle to hit these wonderful destinations hard and bang on target!