#Philippines: Look past Bohol's Chocolate Hills for more

#itsmorefuninthePhilippines #Philippines

While most tourists visit the province of Bohol to see the world-famous Chocolate Hills, many are often surprised at the diversity of attractions on offer. The Philippines Department of Tourism encourages travellers to allow plenty of time to discover the picturesque landscapes, white sand beaches, rich culture and jungle activities in what is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Ms Norjamin Delos Reyes, Tourism Attaché at Philippine Department of Tourism Australia and New Zealand said,

"Bohol is the friendly heart of the Visayas. Not many people know that it is also among one of the worlds' most popular tourist destinations which is largely due to the variety of attractions on offer. In addition to the Chocolate Hills, which is on many peoples' bucket list, travellers will be thrilled to find picturesque jungle adventures, ziplining, waterfall climbing, cave exploring, and river cruising, all of which will get the heart racing!"

The Chocolate Hills are a group of unusually shaped hills located in the middle of Bohol. This extraordinary landscape is unique to the small island and mystery still surrounds how the Chocolate Hills were formed. During the rainy season, they are lush and green but at the end of the dry season, the grass turns from green to brown, giving the hills their name. Whilst this is the most popular destination in Bohol, there are many more things to discover.

Loboc River Cruise

The Loboc River is a popular sightseeing destination in Bohol. The best way to explore this must-visit attraction is to take a river cruise on board on one of the many vessels on offer. The boats resemble large floating houses and travellers will often enjoy a buffet lunch, live music and dancing.

Panglao Island

Panglao Island is a hub for all activities and there are many resorts, hotels, and restaurants on offer in the area. A beautiful beach getaway, Pangalao island is known for its white sand beaches and world-class diving sites and travellers will not be disappointed with the amount of exploring to be done, including sunset spots, cliff jumps and the chance to swim with turtles.

Hinagdanan Cave

The Hinagdanan Cave is one of the many wondrous caves in the island province of Bohol. Located on the northern coastline of Panglao Island, the cave is accessible by a staircase leading down to a whole new world below. Features of the cave include incredible stalagmite pinnacles and turquoise pools, offering travellers the chance to experience natural enchanting beauty.

Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park

Located near the Chocolate Hills, Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park is the perfect place for those with a love of heights, nature, and adrenaline. Travellers are able to fly through the jungle on an exhilarating zipline course which goes over the jungle, the river and gives a view of the Chocolate Hills.

Dimiao Twin Waterfalls

Around 25 metres tall, Dimiao Falls is a twin set of falls which flow down limestone rocks and into a large pool formed at the base. One of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Philippines, the falls are perfect for swimming and cliff jumping, complete with cool turquoise waters.

For more information, visit Tourism Philippines at https://www.tourismphilippines.com.au/. Follow Tourism Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.

Adventure Tours in the Philippines

Set between the West Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines has been a mythical and largely undiscovered mystery for many Australian and New Zealand travellers for some time. Still considered to be relatively untravelled, the tropical archipelago is a hidden gem for those seeking more adventurous off-the-beaten-track destinations.

A Fun Festival of Philippine Food at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

Philippine Food at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

The world's most rich and colourful cuisine will star again during Philippine Food Week at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney in a joint initiative with the Philippine Department of Tourism and Philippine Airlines from 2 to 10 October 2015.

Philippine Airlines will fly chefs Darel Pajarito, Edgar Santiago and Ireneo De Mesa from Makati Shangri-La, Manila to create a delectable menu of the nation's most-loved dishes or lunch and dinner at Café Mix. Their menu will bring alive the flavours of this paradise nation, home to more than 7,000 idyllic islands covered in thick lush jungle, dramatic mountain ranges and glistening white-sand beaches.

Philippine cuisine is known for taking comfort food to the next level and this might explain why it is grabbing the attention of picture-snapping foodies seeking out the next hot Asian food obsession.

For those who have not tried Sisig or Lechon, it is time to add this melting pot cuisine to the culinary map, with its mix of Chinese and Malay as well as Spanish influence from colonial days and splashes of American flavour from the days of US governance.

Long-time crusaders of nose-to-tail dining, the Filipinos' most popular dishes involve using many parts of the animal. Sisig is a stir-fried pork belly and crispy pig's ear in a heady mix of garlic, ginger and chilli.

Lechon is a whole suckling pig dish native to Spain and its colonies, carved and served with crackling and sides, while Kare-Kare is a rich oxtail and vegetable ragout cooked in a peanut sauce. There will also be carving stations with plentiful barbecued meats and seafood, salad and dessert bars.

Philippine Food at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

The dessert station will be laden with favourites including sweet sticky rice Biko and the to-die-for Leche Flan, a traditional Spanish caramel custard made even sweeter and creamier with condensed milk and extra egg yolks.

At the Halo-Halo cart, guests can have fun making a DIY mountain of shaved ice, sweet beans, fruit, tapioca and vivid purple Ube Ice Cream. Halo-halo means “mix mix” in Tagalog, the primary Filipino dialect, which is exactly what you're supposed to do.

Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney Head Chef Bo Sorensen said the festival had become a fixture in the hotel's calendar each year and attracts a huge turnout from the Filipino community and beyond.

“Filipino food is really taking a hold in the broader population,” he said. “The whole foodie phenomenon means people are more adventurous and more curious than ever about trying different cuisines. Anyway, who could say no to that creamy flan? And you have to try Ube, at least, so you can say you've had Purple Yam Ice Cream.”

The Philippine Food Week buffet lunch is available at $55 per person from Monday to Friday, noon to 2:30pm, and from 12:30pm to 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The buffet dinner is available all week from 6 to 10pm for $75 per person.

For bookings or enquiries regarding this event, please contact Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney on (61 2) 9250 6206 or e-mail dine.slsn@shangri-la.com.

Follow @shangrilasydney on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the Philippines, visit tourismphilippines.com.au. To book flights, visit philippineairlines.com.

Traveloscopy | 

Dive Resort Travel (DRT) Philippines Show - Manila

Professional underwater photographers/writers, underwater cinematographers, ocean advocates, technical divers, and marine biologists from nine countries are set to impart their professional experiences to Filipino dive enthusiasts, marine conservationists, and the general public at the Dive Resort Travel (DRT) Philippines Show to be held on 11-13 September 2015 at the 5th Floor of the Megatrade, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

With the theme “It’s more fun to dive in the Philippines,” the three-day travel fair will gather dive industry stakeholders in one venue, especially those from Asia and Oceania. Expected to participate in the event are at least 2,000 international dive exhibitors, dive enthusiasts, and marine conservationists.

A series of underwater photography and cinematography workshops, a marine conservation seminar, and a technical diving seminar will be conducted by international experts like Dr. Terry Gosliner of the California Academy of Sciences, Charlie Fasano, Mike Bartick, Amanda Cotton, and Andrew Marriott (US); Gunter Bernert (Germany); Yoshi Hirata (Japan); Enzo Chen (Taiwan); Jerome Kim (Korea); Imran Ahmad and Zulkarnain Ng (Singapore); Tim Ho (Malaysia). Also giving talks during the event are the country’s very own Scott “Gutsy” Tuason and Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay.

Some of these diving experts will share their diving experiences in the country through thematic sessions. Dr. Terry Gosliner will deliver a lecture on “The Philippines: The Center of the Center of Marine Biodiversity” and “Marine Invertebrates of the Philippines”; Charlie Fasano will speak about “Anilao’s Underwater Fauna and their Roles to the Reef in Southern Mabini”; and Jerome Kim will deliver talks entitled ““Romblon: The New Macro Haven” and “Sogod Bay: The Hidden Treasures of Southern Leyte.”

Expo visitors are invited to the photo gallery highlighting the myriad of underwater attractions, as well as the best beach and dive resorts in the Philippines. There will also be screenings on the Australian 3D dive survival film “Sanctum” (2011) produced by James Cameron of “Titanic” and “Avatar” fame; BBC documentary series “Blue Planet” (2001), narrated by Sir David Attenborough, which won multiple Emmy and BAFTA television awards for music and cinematography; “Deep Blue” (2003), BBC’s highest grossing documentary film in Europe which explores the secret lives of sea creatures; and “Coral Reef Adventure” (2003), an American documentary narrated by actor Liam Neeson, which won the U.S. Giant Screen Theater Association Award for best achievement in film.

In addition, scheduled members meetings of dive organizations such as the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and the Technical Diving International/ Scuba Diving International/ Emergency Responsive Diving International (TDI / SDI / ERDI), will likewise be held during the DRT.

“The marine ecosystems of the Philippines are home to many of the best and rarest wildlife species. Most of these species are endemic to our country and can be found nowhere else in the world. It is of utmost importance that both our conservation and destination marketing efforts for marine wildlife tourism should go hand in hand. The DRT Show shall be an important venue for responsible, ethical, and sustainable dive tourism in the Philippines,” Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. emphasizes.

Organized by Hong Kong-based LX Development Group Limited (LXDG), the DRT Philippines Show 2015 is envisioned to be the first and biggest international dive event in the country. Co-organizers include the Department of Tourism (DOT), Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), local travel trade associations, and the sports and underwater associations of Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Japan, as well as the Prefecture and Convention Bureau of Okinawa.

For more information, interested parties may visit the DRT website www.philippinesdiveexpo.com for the three-day program of activities and list of specific topics for the event.