It’s difficult not to fall in love with Boracay. The main draw is the beach, of course, coupled with an endless array of attractions, including cliff jumping, the mermaid academy, and the 24/7 party atmosphere. The options are endless. There are activities to satisfy the party animals, the outdoors buff, the spa addicts, beach bums, energetic kids; practically everyone, even those who wish to do soul searching. And there’s parasailing. We’d go out on a limb and say that you haven’t been to Boracay if you haven’t done parasailing. We tried to describe how it feels to float high above the white-sand paradise called Boracay, but it seems a photograph is better suited to relay the emotions, like this photo by Charmilyn Mamaradlo (miaischarm3718). Click photo to enlarge:
Tag Archives: sea
Photo of the Day: The Underwater Wall
We admire the brave souls who have the courage to face the deep sea and everything that lurks in its darkness. Ok, we’re exagerrating, we know, probably a result of watching too much suspense movies with the ocean/sea as the backdrop. We’re fish out of water, so to speak, when it comes to diving. But we have lots of friends who go diving and we’ve seen countless photos/videos showing the sheer beauty of underwater life. Take, for instance, this photo by Anna Arancon-Milan (annaamilan) — a digital marketer, ocean lover and smile advocate — of a freediver (your husband, Anna?) at the Barracuda Lake in Coron, Palawan. Gorgeous view, don’t you agree? Click to enlarge the photo: Continue reading Photo of the Day: The Underwater Wall
Photo of the Day: Batangas Sea Gypsies
Should you decide to see the Philippines in a slower pace and ride a ship, there’s a high probability that you’ll encounter a group of kids swimming beside the boat, as the ship is about to dock. Anyone not familiar with this sight will think that the kids are putting their lives at risk by swimming too close to the ship. Why are they doing it? Well, to find out, try throwing a coin towards their direction. Nope, they won’t catch it above water. They’ll let it hit the water and catch the coin as it gracefully falls towards the bottom of the sea. These children are descendants of the best natural freedivers there is. They are most uncomfortable living on land. A few of these sea gypsies, badjaos, were spotted in the Batangas port by cherrdon, a nature lover and a volunteer, an off-the-beaten path traveller. Here’s the photo: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Batangas Sea Gypsies
Photo of the Day: Biri Island
She doesn’t say much in describing herself in instagram: CEBU | travel | coffee | music. She’s even more tightlipped when it comes to her name — she calls herself, quite simply, toot (rubbitoott). But when it comes to to traveling, this lovely lady takes a decidedly long-distance view. She recently went to Biri Island in Samar. How far? “Travelled a long way to get here, sailed 12 hrs to Samar and a never ending roadtrip/boat trip towards the Northern part is all worth it. A must!” Good things come to those who wait (and travel), right? Anyway, as you marvel at the beautiful rock formations and imagine the power of the waves, it might be helpful to remember that Biri Island is the frontline to the Pacific Ocean — the birthplace of typhoons, including the most powerful typhoon to make landfall in recorded history, super typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan. Here’s the photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Biri Island
Photo of the Day: Sardine Run
We remember a movie called “Chicken Run.” It’s a movie about, well, a bunch of chickens. Just recently, on the other hand, we came across a photo of Mary Tariman (miri020988) which she says involves a “sardine run.” It’s a photo of, well, sardines. And Mary trying to run, er, swim after them. Sardines, of course, swim. They don’t really run. Whoever coined the term “sardine run” must have a healthy sense of humor. Or maybe because the billions of sardines involved in a sardine run, associated with the migration of sardines in southern Africa, look like a huge mass of something running when viewed up in the air. We’re not really sure. We’re sure, however, that Mary was freediving in Moalboal (Cebu) when she had her version of running, er, swimming after a school of sardines (but only after taking a selfie). Love it! Here’s the cool photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Sardine Run
Photo of the Day: Waves of Baler
We haven’t been to Baler but we know it’s one of the favored destinations by surfers because of its big waves. It’s really understandable for people to assume that because we’ve mentioned Baler, we’ll be featuring a surfboard on the beach, or a surfer gracefully navigating (is that how it’s called?) the powerful waves, or a beautiful wipeout. We’ve seen a lot of those photos and we’ll definitely feature some of them in the weeks to come (do tag us with your surfing photo, ok?). But before we feature the surfboards or the surfers, we’ll feature the waves. Feel free to please describe, for the benefit of the community, the waves of Baler (use the comment section below). Right now, we have this description from the lovely lady Amiel A (amieleima), shown running for her life from the Baler waves (ok, we’re just making up the running part): “10ft waves in rage! Swear it looks small from the shore but when you get closer it’s really huge!” Can’t see the 10-foot waves? Look closer at the photo below (click the photo to enlarge). Better still, go visit Baler! Travel time! Continue reading Photo of the Day: Waves of Baler
Photo of the Day: Freedivers and Mermaids
It is said that mankind knows more about the outer space than earth’s ocean. Perhaps this mystery is the reason why we love images of the underwater world. Just the images, though, because we can’t really venture much below surface. Not with scuba diving; much more with free diving. Four seconds or so after submerging, the gag reflex takes over. We can never be graceful underwater, we thought. That’s why we remain in awe with beautiful sea photos like this graceful freedive in Palawan‘s Siete Pecados — courtesy of the lovely Ferina Santos (ferinasantos), a surfer and a diver (and, judging by the ease by which she glides underwater, perhaps a mermaid). Here’s the photo (click photo to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Freedivers and Mermaids
Photo of the Day: Cliffhanger in El Nido
You’ve probably heard about the “little” news that the gorgeous beach paradise of Palawan has been cited as the BEST in the whole WORLD by a travel magazine. You probably have been there yourself and can personally vouch how lovely this tropical paradise is. We’ve been to certain areas of Palawan but we truly believe that we can’t see all of it in one lifetime. We’ve stumbled on two fellow wanderers who took home beautiful souvenirs of El Nido. Here’s the more interesting part — we think (of course, we could be wrong, so please feel free to confirm our mistake or confirm if we’re correct) that these photos were taken in the same spot, the reason why, for the second time since we’ve been doing the #PhotoOfTheDay, this space is shared by two individuals (click photo to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Cliffhanger in El Nido
Photo of the Day: Turtle Dude
What would you do if you get punched by someone? Yes, you’ll most likely fight back or, if that person happens to be Manny Pacquiao, complain to the authorities. Now, what happens if you go snorkeling and, while in the process of enjoying the underwater scene, you get punched by — of all creatures of this world — a sea turtle? What would you do? We must admit the question made us pause for a second or two. Our kababayan, Rizza Diaz (rizzadiaz), bravely fought back by, well, taking photos and sending a lot of love to the cool turtle dude. She was in Apo Island, she said, and we had to do a little bit of sleuthing to learn that it’s the Apo Island Marine Reserve in Negros Oriental. Oh, you want proof of the sea turtle encounter? Here’s the photo (click photo to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Turtle Dude
Photo of the Day: Beach, Boat, Sea and the Panglao Sky
Life is awesome, said the lovely fanne22, who snapped this beautiful photo while at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao, Bohol. For the most part, however, we easily forget how awesome life is, getting too caught up in our daily grind. We cease to appreciate the little pleasures, like the view of the gentle sea. As we navigate life’s endless ocean, we prefer to stay tied to the shore, preferring the safety of dry land as compared to the adventure — and risk — brought by exploring the vast sea. As beautifully phrased in the poem/prayer attributed to Sir Francis Drake: “Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore…” Here’s the photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Beach, Boat, Sea and the Panglao Sky