10 – Anawangin Beach in Zambales, Luzon Island

Anawangin Beach in Zambales, Luzon Island, Photo by paul david (busy running!), Flickr

9 – Siargao in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island

Siargao in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Photo by smallislander, Flickr

8 – Dakak Beach in Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao Island

Dakak Beach in Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao Island, Photo by VisualTreats, Flickr

7 – Pearl Farm Beach in Davao del Norte, Mindanao Island

Pearl Farm Beach in Davao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Photo by jimpg2-->Looking for Peace group moderators, Flickr

6 – Honda Bay Beach in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Island

Honda Bay Beach in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Island, Photo by jedsum, Flickr

5 – El Nido Beach in El Nido, Palawan Island

El Nido Beach in El Nido, Palawan Island, Photo by elmarshox, Flickr

4 – Camiguin Beach in Catarman, Mindanao Island

Camiguin Beach in Catarman, Mindanao Island, Photo by Roslyn in Starfish Island

3 – Panglao Beach in Bohol, Bohol Island

Panglao Beach in Bohol, Bohol Island, Photo by Pinay06, Wikipedia

2 – Pagudpud Beach in Ilocos, Luzon Island

Pagudpud Beach in Ilocos, Luzon Island, Photo by Magalhães, Wikipedia

1 – Boracay Beach in Panay, Panay Island

Boracay Beach in Panay, Panay Island, Photo by Magalhães, Wikipedia

Obviously, with hundreds of beaches, the Philippines would likely have one to suit your liking no matter your preference. Some of the most secluded and the least known beaches could easily be better than any of the top 1- ones from the list above, but they’re still waiting to be discovered and enjoyed to the fullest. Or perhaps the fact that few know about them make them so special, in which case we best keep them a secret. Either way, hope this guide to the Top 10 Best Beaches in the Philippines was a good starting point for your journey to this tropical country.

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10 – Sinulog Festival in Cebu City, Cebu Island

Sinulog Festival in Cebu City, Cebu Island, the Philippines, Photo by Marcelino Rapayla Jr., Wikipedia

9 – Pintados Festival in Tacloban City, Leyte Island

Pintados Festival in Tacloban City, Leyte Island, the Philippines, Photo by JinJian, Wikipedia

8 – Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City, Luzon Island

Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City, Luzon Island, the Philippines, Photo by webzer, Flickr

7 – Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon Province

Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon Province, the Philippines, Photo by twinkletuason, Flickr

6 – Moriones Festival on Marinduque Island

Moriones Festival on Marinduque Island, the Philippines, Photo by ederic, Flickr

5 – Maskara Festival in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Maskara Festival in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, the Philippines, Photo by nfocus photography philippines, Flickr

4 – Kadayawan Festival in Davao City, Mindanao Island

Kadayawan Festival in Davao City, Mindanao Island, the Philippines, Photo by webzer, Flickr

3 – Ati-atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan Province, Panay Island

Ati-atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan Province, Panay Island, the Philippines, Photo by Flipped Out, Flickr

2 – Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal Province

Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal Province, the Philippines, Photo by TheMollyJayne, Flickr

1 – Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City, Panay Island

Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City, Panay Island, the Philippines, Photo by Icqgirl, Wikipedia

Festivals from the list above are celebrated annually, that means one can only experience each of them once a year. They are popular tourist attractions, captivating the eyes and the ears of thousands of tourists who often take a trip to the Philippines just to experience their chosen festival with their own eyes. As the popularity of the festivals continues to grow, the future of traditions they celebrate is certain to remain preserved for future generations.

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Kolukkumalai Tea Estate in Munnar, India, Photo: Motographer, Flickr

Kolukkumalai is both remote and difficult to access. To get there from nearby Munnar would take about an hour and a half but the panoramic views of the area with the rugged mountains that surround it make the trip worthwhile. Due to its remoteness, most people from Kolukkumalai have never left the area and all they know are their homes and their work in the tea plantation. Their life is simple but that’s exactly the way they like it.

Native Girl Working at the Kolukkumalai Tea Plantation, Photo: sguà!, Flickr

The Kolukkumalai Tea is harvested and processed using traditional techniques which is one of the most important aspects that continues to draw tea enthusiasts to it. It takes seven steps to properly process the Kolukkumalai Tea and all of it is done in a factory at the center of Kolukkumalai Tea Estate that’s more than 70 years old. The seven steps of their orthodox tea making process are as follows:

1. withering
2. rolling
3. sieving
4. fermenting
5. drying
6. fiber extraction
7. grading

One doesn’t have to be a tea enthusiast to enjoy a trip to the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate in Munnar, India. Quality, sustainably harvested tea can be appreciated by anybody, but even if all teas taste the same to you, the views offered to those who make up the hill are bound to take your breath away. Give it a try if you’re in that part of India and don’t miss out on a trip to the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate, the highest located tea estate in the world.

Finally, check out the video of the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate filmed by a YouTube member who got a chance to enjoy the pristine beauty of the area:

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Villavicencio Hotel Near Thermal Baths in Argentina, Photo: Vocoder, Wikipedia

Villavicencio is not a tourism hot spot. Even in its home country of Argentina, the name of Villavicencio only rings the bells because the bottled water bearing the same name is distributed throughout the country. If it weren’t for the thermal baths (Termas Villavicencio Spa), there would be nothing in Villavicencio to attract tourists. Though to make the site more feasible, a hotel was built in the area in 1941.

The Thermal Baths of Villavicencio are tucked high in the mountains which makes access to them challenging to say the least. Small interpretive center can be found a few kilometers before the pools but perhaps the only real reason to pay it a visit would be the center’s pet llama. Despite its remoteness (or perhaps because of it), the Thermal Baths of Villavicencio are an interesting vacation spot for those looking to unwind and recharge. As an interesting fact, the Termas Villavicencio Spa was visited by Charles Darwin during his world tour on March 30, 1835.

Short video below was filmed by a group of Spanish speaking people in the Thermal Baths of Villavicencio:

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Aerial Photo of Insein Prison in Rangoon, Myanmar, Image by Microsoft Map via BBC News

Notorious around the world for frequent use of both mental and physical torture and less than inhuman conditions, the military junta run Insein Prison is part of the ruling party’s vehicles used to maintain control over Myanmar (Burma). Most of the inmates in Insein Prison are political dissidents or people who otherwise get in the way of the government’s totalitarian rule.

Insein Prison is located in the old capital of Myanmar – Rangoon (Yangon). Myanmar’s human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi is believed to have been held prisoner there on three different occasions – once in 2003, then again in 2007 and one more time in 2009. It was his imprisonment that brought worldwide media attention to Insein Prison and based on the findings of investigative journalists, serving a sentence at Insein often sentenced the prisoner to death.

Insein Prison is overcrowded. At times it holds more than 10,000 inmates yet its capacity is less than half of that. Prisoners are forced to sleep on bare concrete and are deprived of a chance to take a shower. Add to it the fact that they are also often left inside their cells with hand chained to the wall and legs kept wide apart by metal bars, the conditions are perfect for communicable diseases to spread easily and quickly. With only 3 doctors available to assist sick inmates, many die before adequate medical care could be provided.

There really is no surprise that Insein Prison is dubbed “the darkest hell-home in Burma.” Sources from the prison itself confirm that many inmates died within its walls while serving their sentence there. Unfortunately, Myanmar continues being one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The ruling party is having themselves an unchallenged lifestyle and is not looking to part with it anytime soon.

It goes without saying that each time a foreigner takes a trip to Myanmar, they are irreversibly supporting this totalitarian government. Unfortunately, while most of the income from tourism ends up in the pockets of the elite, without it the life for the ordinary folk would be even worse. It’s a catch 22 that doesn’t come with an easy way out. As a vacation destination, Insein Prison could be a questionable choice, but given how increasingly popular Thanatourism is getting, it might be an interesting landmark to visit. That if you can get past the fact that while you’re out there taking pictures, somebody inside is being tortured, or is dying due to inhuman conditions they are forced to live in.

The video below was shot just meters away from Insein prison which is normally guarded and any attempts to photograph or film it are frowned upon:

Incoming search terms:

• rangoon

Gomateshvara - Tallest Monolithic Statue in the World, Photo: Sistak, Flickr

Gomateshvara Statue depicts a Jain deity Lord Gomateshwara. Jain devotees flock to the Gomateshvara Statue every 12 years to celebrate what’s known as the Mahamastakabhisheka festival. During the festival, the statue is sprinkled with water, milk, sugarcane juice and saffron flower paste (in that order) which are brought before Gomateshvara in 1,008 vessels. The bathing of Gomateshvara Statue is followed with offerings of silver and gold which the devotees leave at the deity’s feet.

Gomateshvara Statue is Located on the Vindhyagiri Hill, Photo: Sistak, Flickr

614 steps lead to the top of Vindhyagiri Hill where the Gomateshvara Statue is located. Several temples can be found along the way and at other parts of the hill. The hill is also famous for its inscriptions dating as far back as 600 CE. There are more than 800 of them at various spots around the Gomateshvara Statue.

Below is the video of Gomateshvara Statue or Bhagwan Bahubali as it is known locally. The video description states: “Monolithic statue of Bhagwan Bahubali located in Shravanabelgola, Karnataka, India. It was built by Hoysala Senapati Chamundraya around 983AD.:

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Bats Flying Out of the Caves of Khao Yai National Park in Thailand at Sunset, Photo: Nir Nußbaum, Flickr

Much of the landscape within the Khao Yai National Park in Thailand contains limestone hills with hollow insides. Over the millennia, small cracks within the cliffs eroded into a labyrinth of caves that created perfect habitat for nocturnal creatures. The agricultural region surrounding the hills is full of insects offering ample supply of food for large numbers of bats who could be perceived as a natural pest control.

Many of the Khao Yai National Park bat caves are revered among the local Thais, some even had a statue of Buddha erected within and receive monks and other Buddhist devotees who come to pay respect to the deity while shriek of countless bats echoes deafeningly from the darkness above.

During the Day, Bats Sleep Upside Down Within the Caves of Khao Yai, Photo: whitecat sg, Flickr

Visitors to Khao Yai National Park who arm themselves with patience can stay at the edge of the park until the sun sets beyond the horizon and watch how bit by bit, the bats start to emerge from the caves. An odd one here and there is soon joined by dozens of others until eventually you see a myriad of them seemingly appear from out of nowhere.

Millions of Bats Fly Out of the Caves at Dusk in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, Photo: stijnbokhove, Flickr

Eventually, like a giant shadow of doom from the underworld, a massive cloud of bats fills up the sky as its ever changing shape keeps growing into a river of darkness. The biggest spectacle is to watch the flow of bats exiting the cave split like a fork of fluid to avoid a raptor who dived toward the bats in anticipation of an easy meal. The forked arms of a cloud of bats then come towards each other to become one again in a spectacular fashion resembling twisting ribbon.

Khao Yai National Park was established in 1962. It is the second largest national park in Thailand and is located in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province, about 4 hours east of Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. Covering the area of 2,168 square kilometres, Khao Yai National Park is home to a wide range of fauna and flora (on top of the vast population of the above mentioned bats) and was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Finally, check out this video a guy recorded at the entrance to one of the bat caves outside of Khao Yai National Park. The video contains a recording of bats exiting the cave. Up to 2 Million Wrinkled Lip Bats exited this cave alone. What an amazing mass of flying power. I bet the man who recorded the video had no mosquito problem whatsoever:

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Dried Baby Llamas Sold at the Witch Market in La Paz, Bolivia, Photo: Jungle_Boy, Flickr

The Witches Market of La Paz is in a popular tourist area so vendors are plentiful and so are the items for sale. You can buy many things that would normally get classified as “strange” or “bizarre” yet even if you’re not into witchcraft, the variety and uniqueness of available items is sure to leave you in awe. Anything from traditional folk remedies, through herbs and formulas to brew your own aphrodisiacs, all the way to dried snakes and turtles, owl feathers, bat wings, soapstone figurines, and dried frogs (used for Ayamara rituals) can be found at the La Paz’ Witch Market.

Street in Bolivian La Paz Where Witches Market is Held, Photo: jacsonquerubin, Flickr

One of the coolest items offered for sale at the Witches Market of La Paz are dried llama foetuses. These are highly valued among the practitioners of witchcraft for their ability to bring upon good fortune and prosperity. Llamas are large animals used throughout Bolivia and are believed by many Bolivians (witches or not) to be the bearers of good luck. Bolivian construction workers use llama foetuses as offerings to the goddess Pachamama to protect them from workplace accidents. Wealthy Bolivians, on the other hand, make their offerings to Pachamama more poshy and use a living llama which they sacrifice. This is part of the Bolivian tradition that’s centuries old.

Check out the video of the Witches Market in La Paz, Bolivia below:

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Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower in Florida, Photo by donielle, Flickr

The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower was built, bats put into it, but after one night they all flew away and never came back. Since its erection in 1929, not one bat has come back to sleep in the Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower and use the area of Monroe County in Florida as their hunting grounds. A good intention, but a complete failure. I guess you can’t dictate the wild animals what they choose to call their home.

Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower has been on the U.S. Register of Historic Places since 1982. Out of 14 bat towers designed by Dr. Charles Campbell, only 3 remain standing (this one in Florida and two more in Texas). Unfortunately, because the Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower failed to serve its purpose, nobody maintains it so the wood that was used for construction is slowly but surely deteriorating and coming loose plus the tower has been subjected to vandalism with beer cans nailed to its walls.

Still, the Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower remains the site of historical significance and one that’s off the beaten tourist path which could be an interesting spot for any traveller exploring the state of Florida. Check out the video with the Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower in Florida that also contains directions instructions.

Incoming search terms:

• sugarloaf key

Preserved Mummy of the Church of the Dead aka Chiesa dei Morti in Urbania, Italy, Photo: sterte, Flickr

Chiesa dei Morti is a tiny church with a baroque doorway that leads straight into the chapel suitably named “the Mummy Cemetery” (Cimitero delle Mummie). There, behind the altar of the Church of the Dead, 18 glass cases stand erect, each bearing a well preserved mummy that’s been there on display since 1833. The mummies of the Church of the Dead have been naturally mummified with a special mould that sucked the moisture right out of them leaving them in a remarkably good condition.

The mummification and display of the Chiesa dei Morti mummies was the work of The Brotherhood of Good Death. The group, which was founded back in 1567 in Italy took upon itself the task of burying deceased bodies even if there was no one to pay for the burial and kept records of the deaths.

Human Skulls Decorating the Interior of the Church of the Dead in Italy, Photo: Hari Seldon, Flickr

There is a story behind each of the mummies that Urbania locals guard but are more than happy to share with the visitors. One of the mummies was a female who died giving birth to a child. Another one was a murder victim while yet another one died of a heart failure following long struggle with Down’s syndrome.

People’s fascination with death and all things from beyond is undeniable. The Death Tourism is an ever growing travel niche and while the mummies of The Church of the Dead, aka Chiesa dei Morti do not exist because of any grieving circumstance that lead to mass termination of life, they are an interesting attraction for tourists of all ages and interests.

Mummies on a Display in a Glass Casket in Chiesa dei Morti, Urbania, Italy, Photo: Hari Seldon, Flickr

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