Marikina The Shoe Capital

Marikina is not the shoe capital of the Philippines for nothing. For the greater part of the 20th century, Marikina was the biggest manufacturer of quality shoes. There was a time, between 1978 and 1982, when Marikina’s women’s shoes and handbags made of snakeskin were the rave on Fifth Avenue, New York City. As early as 1935, Marikina already had 139 shops producing 260,078 pairs of ladies shoes and 86,692 pairs of men shoes worth P762,896.00. And as may as 2,450 inhabitants were directly engaged in the industry either as shoemakers or uppermakers. By 1983, Marikina produced 70 percent of the shoe production of the Philippines which was estimated at 30 million pairs.



The Largest Shoes in the World are located in Marikina City !

Officially recognized and certified by the Guinness Book Of World Records, the pair of shoes measurre 529 centimeter(5.29 meters)long measures 237 centimeters(2.37 meters)width and is made of genuine leather. The upper lining it took 77 days to finish(August 5, 2002 to October 21,2002). Due to its sheer size, it was built at the Marikina Sports Center. Upcon completion, the shoes were displayed at the entrance of the Sports Center, then later transferred to the Marikina Riverbanks where it is located until present.



The shoes can be worn by a person with a height of 125 feet can fit 30 people inside the shoes can produce 250 pairs of regular shoes from the materials used.

You can see the shoes for yourselves by visiting the Marikina Riverbanks Center. It's at the far end of the mall and beside several shoes on display for sale. There are also some souvenirs you can buy like t-shirts and keychains.

San Juanico Bridge

The San Juanico Bridge, part of the Pan-Philippine Highway, stretches from Samar toLeyte across the San Juanico Strait in the Philippines. Its longest length is a steel girder viaduct built on reinforced concrete piers, and its main span is of an arch-shaped truss design. With a total length of 2.16 kilometers (1.34 mi),[1] it is the longest bridge in the Philippines spanning a body of seawater. It is considered one of the most beautifully-designed bridges in Philippines[2]. The bridge has 43 spans and medium size boats can pass beneath its large main arch the top of which rises 41 meters above the sea.[1]Construction commenced in 1969 over San Juanico Strait from Cabalawan, Tacloban City to the municipality of Santa Rita, Samar, with completion in 1973.[3]

The bridge was then named as Marcos Bridge after the era that was built upon. It was said to have been presented as a Gift and "Testimonial of Love" by the Philippine PresidentFerdinand Marcos to the first lady, Imelda, a native of Leyte.




The Candaba Viaduct of Pampanga which forms part of the North Luzon Expressway is longer, but being a land bridge crossing a few streams, ponds, and a swamp which usually fills in rainy weather, is less impressive.

Connecting Tacloban City on the Leyte side and Santa Rita town on the Samar side, it offers many picturesque views, especially of the San Juanico Strait with its thousand whirlpools as well as the islets of the province. It is approximately 10 minutes from downtown Tacloban City and is accessible by passenger jeepney, bus, motorcab or private vehicle.

Construction of the 21.9 million-dollar bridge was contracted to the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corporation), which together with Japanese engineers conducted studies and designed the actual project.[4]

Cagayan De Oro (PASTEL)

Last week, Marc and I joined fellow travel bloggers on a weekend trip to Cagayan De Oro. So nope, we didn’t go to Camiguin, but we just couldn’t resist but bring home three dozens of these yummy custard-filled buns—straight from a Vjandep branch in Cagayan de Oro.

Vjandep is the popular brand name of this delicious pastry. I don’t know if they’re the ones who invented it, but they certainly are the most popular. I have no idea how the Pastel came about, but what I do know it’s a small bun (similar to the usual dinner buns you get at steak restaurants), with a sweet custard filling. It’s best eaten at room temperature, the custard loses its creaminess a bit when refrigerated—best “thaw” it out first before eating if you had it stored in the fridge.


Pastel is also available here in Metro Manila, mostly in leading supermarkets and groceries. However, the price difference is incredible—I saw a half-dozen box selling for Php98 here. From Vjandep’s branch in Cagayan de Oro (which is near Camiguin where Vjandep Pastel originally came from), it’s less than Php60. A box of a dozen Pastel buns is only about Php115 there.

The price of Pastel here sucks, but hey, at least I’ll get to satisfy a Pastel craving when it arises—you just wait when our stock here runs out

The Plunge

E.A.T. Danao or the Danao Adventure Park has the only canyon swing in the Philippines. And it’s called the Plunge. It’s considered the main attraction of the Danao Adventure Park here in Bohol Philippines.

Bohol Extreme Thrills -- The Plunge a must see in In Danao Adventure Park. This is a canyon swing which is called the Plunge. It’s a 50-meter free fall drop from the top of the 200-meter high cliff. Then as you hit the end of the rope, you’ll be swinging over the canyon for about 5 minutes before they haul you back up.



I survived the E.A.T. Danao Plunge! Talk about wild rides!E.A.T. Danao or the Danao Adventure Park has the only canyon swing in the Philippines. And it's called the Plunge. It's can be considered the main attraction of the Danao Adventure Park.

After the visit to Kamira Cave in the morning, and a sumptuous buffet lunch (they have weekend buffets at Php250/head), we proceeded back to the cliff for even more activities. I had a second shot at the Suislide, the highest zipline in the country at 200 meters.
RELAX! :]

Then it was a challenging 60-meter rappel down the cliff. Don't worry about how to get up again since they have a motorized rope which hauls you back to the top. My arm accidentally hit the metal figure eight descender which gets really hot as you go down. So I had to contend with a minor burn. Others in the group hit the ropes which caused bigger burn marks in the stomach area, arms or neck. So you really have to be composed when rapelling down the cliff.

Adobo

Adobo (Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock (or sauce), of different components, including paprika (from red peppers), oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of food. The cooking technique is native to Spanish cuisine,[1] and, once becoming widely used in Latin America, was subsequently adopted in other countries, such as the United States.[2]


Alternatively, in Venezuela, adobo refers to a mixture of salt with various spices, technically known as sal condimentada (seasoned salt).[3]

Lechon/Lechón

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Lechón is a pork dish in several regions of the world, most specifically Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. The word lechón originated from the Spanish termleche (milk); thus lechón refers to a suckling pig that is roasted. Lechón is a popular food in thePhilippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, other Spanish-speaking nations in Latin America, and Spain. The dish features a whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal. Nowadays in most of Latin America, the original use of a suckling pig has given way to a medium-sized adult pig.


In most regions, lechón is prepared throughout the year for any special occasion, during festivals, and the holidays. After seasoning, the pig is cooked by skewering the entire animal, entrails removed, on a large stick and cooking it in a pit filled with charcoal. The pig is placed over the charcoal, and the stick or rod it is attached to is turned in a rotisserie action. The pig is roasted on all sides for several hours until done. The process of cooking and basting usually results in making the pork skin crisp and is a delicious food

Philippine Flag

The national flag of the Philippines (Tagalog: Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent the country's provinces; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star, each of which, represent the country's 3 main islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This flag can indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top.[1]

Kilawin

Kinilaw means to “cook” in vinegar. It’s not really cooking since there is no heat involved. But soaking fish or some other seafood in a strong vinegar solution turns the meat opaque and gives it a texture of having been cooked.
TASTE it and you won't FORGET it

Pacquiao VS Marquez

A lot of people are thinking that the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight this coming November 12 will not live up to its hype. Defeating the pound-for-pound king (Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao) is impossible to many people, but knowing Juan Manuel Marquez and watching his last two fights against him might give you doubts.

Boxing fans are aware that Marquez (nicknamed "Dinamita") has been announcing to the world that he won the last two fights against Pacquiao, even though he drew a draw in 2004 and was given a loss in the other bout in 2008.

I think that many people have scored the last two matches more in favor of Marquez than for Pacquiao.

In these two matches, one judge had favored Marquez because of his counter punching ability and capability to match his opponent's speed and skill.

Marquez is a very good counter puncher and he knows his way around Pacquiao. He has almost the same speed as the 8-world division champion. He is also very determined to end this trilogy with a win and quite knowledgeable on how Pacquiao moves in the ring.

Manny Pacquiao and his renowned coach Freddie Roach knows that’s why Pacman is training hard in order to knock down Marquez in the early rounds, which is quite impossible because JMM knows how to take a fight a bit far. That can be very disadvantageous to Pacquiao.

Going to the last rounds and eventually to the scoring cards might hurt Pacquiao’s career. He might experience a devastating loss against his arch rival. It will be very good for him to finish the fight as early as possible. But Marquez is also ready to not let that happen. He will move around, counter punch and fight with will for the fight to reach the 12-round end.

This will be a very good boxing match, a fight that can end the sour taste of what boxing has become. There is a great possibility that Marquez can pull the upset in his incoming boxing match but Pacquiao's skill and newly developed right hand skill can decide the match.

I bet that Pacquiao will end the match early for this fight and win.

So who's your bet? Who do you think will win this fight?

Tune in and watch the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight live on HBO Pay-Per-View this coming November 12, 2011, and be part of history.

General Santos City

I surely asure you that you will enjoy General Santos City! One of the most fastest rising city of the Philippines!

This City is popular about their Fish resources it is the TUNA capital of the philippines and a international exporter of Water Resources.

LOCATION
General Santos City is located in Region XI or Southern Mindanao, at the southernmost tip of the archipelago, with bearings 530' to 640' North Latitude and 12415' to 12545' East Latitude.

LAND AREA
GenSan (Gen. Santos) covers a total area of 536sq.km. Its terrain ranges from generally flat to gently undulating in the city and generally flat with scattered hills and isolated mountains in neighboring South Cotabato and Sarangani Province.


POPULATION and PEOPLE
In 2000 the city's population was placed at 411,822. Annual population growth rate is a high 5.1%, mainly due to in-migration to this booming area. Nearly all the ethnic tribes of the country, plus a number of expatriates, are represented in the area.

Puerto Princesa Underground River

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city center of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. The City Government of Puerto Princesa has managed the National Park since 1992. It is also known as St. Paul's Subterranean River National Park, or St. Paul Underground River. The entrance to the Subterranean River is a short hike from the town of Sabang. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the 28 finalists for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" competition.

There are 154 days left to vote for our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.


No less than our President Benigno Aquino III appeals to Filipinos worldwide to vote for the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan in the “New Seven Wonders of Nature” poll.


Located in what is considered “the last frontier”, the Puerto Princesa Underground River is the country’s lone contender in the global poll now being contested by 27 other official finalists from an initial list of 400 locations worldwide.


“Some 80 million Filipinos have cellular phones and some two billion text messages are sent every day. We only need a billion votes – that is just half a day of texting for all Filipinos who have cellular phones,” the President said.

2 WAYS TO VOTE:

1. Vote by telephone in three easy steps:

a.) Dial one of these international telephone numbers:
            +23 92201055      
            +1 869 760 5990      
            +1 649 339 8080      
            +44 758 900 1290      

b) At the end of the message, after the tone, insert the 4 digit code for your chosen nominee. The code for Puerto Princesa Underground River is 7723.


c) When you hear the thank you message, you are all done – you have voted by telephone!

Banaue Rice Terraces

the Philippines is blessed with many natural wonders. With tropical climate and lush vegetations, this archipelago is a destination you’ll never forget.

One of Philippines pride is the beautiful Banaue Rice Terraces. These man-made rice paddies were constructed about 2,000 years ago. The original Ifugao’s used their bare hands to build the stone walled mountain, one stone at a time.

This magnificent landscape is the main tourist attraction in Banaue. They have a lot of tourists who go out there to go trekking too. It’s perfect for hiking because of the slopes and the narrow rugged trails.

The carved out mountains looked like stairways going up the sky. It goes up to 4,900 feet high. It was said that if you put the steps side by side, from end to end, it would wrap halfway across the globe. It is truly a work of art, no wonder it was named as the 8th wonder of the World.

The lands are still being used today to plant their crops. The Ifugao’s only use organic fertilizers and natural pesticides gathered from the neighboring forest, just like their ancestors did many, many years ago.

Some areas of the rice terraces are showing signs of erosion. It needs maintenance. Some of the new generations Ifugao’s do not want to work in the farm anymore, so if it starts falling apart, they don’t know how to repair it. But despite of all of that, tourists still flock to see this wonderful work of mankind that never ceases to amaze.

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, make sure to include the Banaue Rice Terraces in your itinerary.