Up Close and Personal with the Tarsiers of Bohol

November 30, 2010


Up Close and Personal with the Tarsiers of Bohol

Why you shouldn't miss seeing the Tarsiers of Bohol
You cannot find it anywhere in the world except where it is endemic, like in Bohol. They cannot be transported anywhere like other animals because they are so sensitive and easily traumatized. Those who have attempted to smuggle them outside their habitat were unsuccessful. The Tarsiers are so sensitive, they commit suicide and die when they are touched. Therefore you cannot find it in different zoos around the world. 


What Kids Should Know
  • What are Tarsiers
  1. They are the world's smallest primate. They have similar physical characteristics as the monkey. 
  2. They are also one of the oldest land species, existing for almost 45 million years
  • Where can it be found
  1. The Philippines (in Bohol, Leyte, Samar and Mindanao) 
  2. Indonesia (in Sulawesi, Borneo, Sumatra) 
  • Interesting facts about the Tarsiers of Bohol 
(taken from http://www.tarsierfoundation.org/the-tarsiers-of-bohol)
  •  They are nocturnal animals (meaning they are active at night and sleep during the day) and should not be disturbed at day time  
  • Their main diet is insects and should not be fed with meat. 
  • They commit suicide during captivity due to trauma from touching and loud noise. 
  • They’re one of the slowest fetal growth rates of any mammal, taking 6 months to reach a birth weight of 23 grams. 
  • A single tarsier needs at least a hectare of space per individual 

1:30PM -1:45 PM: Traveled from the Loboc River to the Tarsier Sanctuary


1:45 PM-215pm: Saw and fed the Tarsiers of Bohol

They sleep during the day.

This is how close we were able to see the Tarsier.


No touching!
My daughter pretending to touch the Tarsier.

See our next stop: The Actual Blood Compact Site

Lunch at the Loboc River Cruise

November 29, 2010

Lunch at the Loboc River Cruise

What Kids Should Know
  • Where it is located: at Loay-Loboc River
  • Why is the river important in the history of Loboc: the Loboc River is important because most of the inhabitants pf this town live near the river before the Spaniards came and established the town.
  • What the river cruise boat is made of: The river cruise boat, which is also a floating restaurant, is made of 2 boats with a platform on top.
  • What to expect:  The cruise takes you along the Loboc River. While on the cruise, you dine with Filipino food, buffet style, and are entertained by locals dancing and singing Filipino songs on a platform built on one side of the river. At the end of the river is a small waterfalls.
11:30 AM -12:00 PM: Registration at the terminal of the Lobor River Cruise


Our guide, Tatsky, recommended Riverwatch Floating Restaurant. 

The Menu of Riverwatch: Pork Barbecue, Grilled Fish, Grilled Squid, Crab, Kutsinta and Suman, Ginaling, Malagkit, Fresh Mango, Mix Vegetables, Bamboo Shoots, Pancit, Pinakbet, Etc.


The ticket
Free wifi at the terminal
The new rates as of May 1, 2010


 12:00 PM -1:30 PM: Loboc River Cruise

Boarding the floating restaurant

The floating restaurant built on top of 2 large bancas

Dining at the floating restaurant


The end of the River where the boat takes a u-turn


A small performance was made by the locals singing Filipino songs on a platform on the side of the river.

German Christmas Market

November 26, 2010


German Christmas Market


Mamasko tayo sa Weihnachtsmarkt!
The 2nd German Christmas Market will be held in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University. The event brings together students, teachers, parents and educational partners to experience German culture through various contests, educational games, concerts, dance performances, sport competitions, cooking demos and food tastings. Let us come together to experience a traditional German holiday cheer!
(Taken from the Goethe Institute Website.)

What I Love about the German Christmas Market
1. The Stollen!

  • They have the best and freshest stollen I've ever tasted! Santis Delicatessen usually sells the Stollen during the Christmas season, but the Stollen at the German Christmas Market is much better.
  • What is a Stollen:  Stollen is a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. A similar cake from the Dutch cuisine is called a Kerststol in Dutch, while in Italian cuisine the panettone also shows a likeness. (from Wikipedia)
2. The different varieties of sausage available.
3. The different food stalls that mainly carries European food. And of course, German cuisine is widely available.

What Kids Will Learn
1. They will have a brief exposure to German culture, more particularly, the German Christmas tradition.
2. They will learn that the tradition of having Christmas Markets originated from Germany.
A Christmas market, also known as Christkindlmarkt, Christkindlesmarkt, Christkindlmarket, and Weihnachtsmarkt, is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany and Alsace but are now being held in many other countries. (from Wikipedia)

Location of the 2010 Christmas Market 






To view the Ateneo School Map, see here

Bring back WoW Philippines!

November 19, 2010





vs






Bring back WoW Philippines!

As of this writing, the Department of Tourism is reconsidering it's decision to adopt " Pilipinas Kay Ganda" as the new slogan of the Philippines tourism campaign. We should make more of our voices heard so the new government will bring it back and continue to use it. 


To recall why the Wow Philippines! ad won at both the prestigious Internationale Tourismus Borse (ITB) in Berlin and World Travel Mart in London in 2003, see the collection of video commercials below:


15 second spot commercials shown at CNN and BBC


Video uploaded by PlaneFreak


Video uploaded by PlaneFreak


30 second spot commercials shown in Asia:




Video uploaded by PlaneFreak

30 second spot commercials shown in Europe:



Video uploaded by PlaneFreak

Holidays in the Philippines

November 18, 2010

Holidays in the Philippines

People often refer to the Holiday Economics Law (RA 9492) to find out when the regular holidays and nationwide special holidays are observed in the Philippines. However, with the addition of the Eidul Adha holiday with the enactment of RA 9848 last December 2009, we now refer to RA 9848 as the most recent law on regular and nationwide special holidays. Below is the list of non-working holidays in the Philippines



Regular Holidays

New Year's Day-January 1
Maundy Thursday- Movable Date
Good Friday- Movable Date
Eidul Fitr- Movable Date
Eidul Adha- Movable Date
Araw ng Kagitingan
(Bataan and Corregidor Day)
- Monday nearest April 9
Labor Day- Monday nearest May 1
Independence Day- Monday nearest June 12
National Heroes Day- Last Monday of August
Bonifacio Day- Monday nearest November 30
Christmas Day- December 25
Rizal Day- Monday nearest December 30

Nationwide Special Holidays

Ninoy Aquino Day- Monday nearest August 21
All Saints Day- November 1
Last Day of the Year- December 31



NOTE: With the new government of President Aquino, we don't know whether we are celebrating the holiday on the day itself or the Monday nearest the date, as the law provides.  Check out my article on 3 day long weekends in the Philippines.

Puerto Princesa Underground River: Finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature

November 17, 2010





Puerto Princesa Underground River:
Finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature


We have all heard in the newspapers about the campaign to vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. This is an update.


Background:
The nominees for the 7 wonders of nature came from more than 440 locations and 220 countries.  The global voting was conducted from December 2007 until July 7, 2009. Only 77 nominees were chosen.


After the 77 nominees were chosen, the Panel of Experts deliberated for 2 weeks and then announced the 28 finalists on July 21,2009. Among them is the Philippines' Puerto Princesa Underground River.


Update on our current ranking:
We are currently in the top 14. The global voting is still ongoing. The Official Declaration on the new 7 Wonders of Nature will be made on November 11, 2011. We have less than a year to vote. If you haven't voted yet, go here to vote. A sample is shown below: