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Lessons from Hanauma Bay Do the foreign tourists and visitors know that there are 7107 tropical islands in the Philippines? Hundreds of the most beautiful and ecologically attractive islands are no man's lands. They are too small. No fresh water. No electricity. Most of the native Filipinos, permanent and foreign residents and retirees, and over one million foreign students that are learning English as a Second Language in the western side of the Pacific Rim are inhabiting in many of the familiar islands, which the mass media and travel writers oftentimes popularize about in their reports. What about the hundreds of other tropical islands which they do not cover in their TV and radio programs and/or publications? There are more islands with much more to offer to the lovers of nature, the adventurers, tourists and other visitors. In some of the well known or populated Philippine islands, there are hundreds of the ecological and historical sights and sounds waiting to be explored and experienced than the one in Hawaii in which 3 million annual visitors spend their vacations, hobbies, sports, educational trips and other outdoor activities. Hanauma Bay is only 10 miles from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. The famous Hanauma Bay, which is about 40 to 45 minutes by public transportation from downtown Honolulu, is so popular and crowded with tourists, families, students and individuals such that the city and county of Honolulu have to restrict and regulate the number of visitors to protect and preserve the delicate sea life in the bay. In 2008 when he was a senator, Pres. Barack Obama and his family visited Hanauma Bay! Hanauma's natural beauty over and under the sea and the entire environment have been attracting millions of visitors, far more than the foreign tourists that travel to Cebu City, Boracay or Bohol in a year! In contrast to the millions of dollars (U.S.) invested in hotels, inns, motels, condotels, and resorts in Cebu City or any other city in the Philippines, there is no single commercial lodging place in and within 1.5 kilometers from Hanauma Bay. Thus on this web page, we would like to share with you the photographic coverage of one of the top 10 attractions in Oahu island. We hope that as you see and observe these pictures, you would take the time to think how the Philippines and other developing tropical countries could emulate the excellent example of Hawaii's Hanauma Bay.
The Filipinos in Region 8, for instance, do not have to wait for the multi-millionaire investors from foreign countries to jump-start the tourist-oriented projects similar to that in Hanauma Bay. The local "barangays" and "sitios" can be organized with the assistance and cooperation of the domestic and international non-profit organizations including colleges and universities to search for the ideal, strategic and logistical sites to establish the nature preserve. There are numerous bays with shallow seas in Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces with coral reefs and mangroves, and various colors of sandy beaches which can be developed into a fish sanctuary like the very popular one in Hanauma Bay. One top advantage in Region 8 is that the students in school buses and the regular passengers in public transportation from Luzon and Mindanao, the largest and second largest islands respectively in the Philippines, can access Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces. In addition, Region 8 is easily accessible currently by the ferries and/or fast crafts from Cebu and Bohol provinces. Again, it is not the multi-million dollar infrastructures, but the nature preserve which is attracting about 3 million visitors annually in Hanauma Bay! In the meantime, while some factions and political die-hard followers are accusing and blaming the past, present and future administrations for not doing their jobs especially in election year, we have some contacts of small groups and individuals who can provide and guide the international tourists and visitors to the existing ecological and historical attractions in Region 8. If you search the Internet, there are many travel guides which the non-residents wrote about and took pictures of Southern Leyte as well as Leyte, Biliran and Samar provinces. We who are natives of both Leyte and Southern Leyte would like to share with you the extra information and pictures which are not covered and included in the familiar travel guides. We can provide you with the reliable persons to contact with and right information to see, for example, our famous whale sharks, coral reefs and mangroves, the gray, ivory and white sandy beaches, caves, rainforests, waterfalls and other famous attractions in Southern Leyte. When you tour, visit or take a vacation to experience and enjoy our famous ecological and historical attractions, you can reach our truly green province by boarding a flight to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila. Then from the Manila Domestic Airport, take a connecting flight to Tacloban City, the capital of northern Leyte. We highly recommend that you spend a week or more days touring the historical, ecological and other attractions in Leyte, Biliran and Samar provinces. Do not fail to visit the Gen. MacArthur Landing Memorial, Santo Niño Museum, San Juanico Bridge (longest bridge in the country), Visayas State University in Leyte province, and the various attractions in Biliran and Samar provinces. For more travel guides and other information on Region 8's northern provinces, please click on the Leyte links below. When you are done touring Leyte, Biliran and Samar, you can then continue with your travel and tour down to Southern Leyte. From Tacloban City's taxi van and bus stations, you can take one of the passenger vehicles from early morning up to late in the evening bound for Maasin City, the capital of Southern Leyte. The van or bus ride along the straight and zigzag concrete highway takes about 3.5 to 4.5 hours from Tacloban City to Maasin City. An alternative way to visit us is to take a flight to Cebu-Mactan International Airport. If you have the budget for faster travel, you can charter a small aircraft from Mactan to Maasin City Airport. Travelers from Cebu City take the ship which sails about 2 to 3 times per week direct to Maasin City and daily to Southern Leyte via Bato, Hilongos, Baybay and Ormoc City which are located in northwestern side of Leyte island. From these towns and a city, you can ride any one of the buses, jeepneys, or taxis (vans) which travels several times daily down to Maasin City. When you wish to have a personal car, professional or super fine tourist guide to meet you at the Tacloban City Airport, Maasin City Airport or at the piers as mentioned above, you may contact Mr. Bambom T. Gonzales in Maasin City through his phone #(011+63+920) 216-4537. His residence phone # is (011+63+053) 570-5543. Upon arrival in Maasin City and if you are seeking for a fine place to stay, we suggest that you check-in either at the Villa Romana Hotel, Ampil Pensione, Southern Comforts, Maasin Country Lodge, the newest Jaimee's Hotel and Resort, or the other small hotels, inns and lodging houses which are listed in the local telephone directory. The air-conditioned, nice and cozy lodging places are located in barrio Abgao, Mambajao and Ibarra, just about 5 to 20 minutes by motorcab from the Maasin City pier and bus stations. Furthermore, when you are going to tour, visit or take a vacation in Southern Leyte, we highly recommend that you venture out to the new concrete roads and bridges from Liloan to San Ricardo, Panaon island, to see the latest ferry terminal which can take the passengers and vehicles about one hour to ride in the ship bound for Surigao in northern Mindanao. In your itinerary, we suggest that you include driving or riding through the new concrete roads and bridges from Silago, Southern Leyte to Abuyog, Leyte. Southern Leyte has the newest and tallest bridge in the Philippines! The tourists and visitors can try bungee jumping, rappelling or paragliding off the Agas-Agas Bridge. Most importantly, we suggest that you visit the Tahusan Beach in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte which faces east to the Pacific Ocean. Tahusan Beach is about as long, if not longer, and as wide as the world famous Papohaku Beach in Molokai, Hawaii. But, Tahusan Beach has additional attractions: the beautiful, fantastic and photogenic San Pablo and San Pedro islands across the blue channel. Moreover, we recommend that you explore the historical, ecological, scenic and the scuba diving attractions in Sogod Bay and Limasawa island! "Sogod Bay now has 11 marine sancturaries within the Bay. Limasawa is the latest marine sanctuary in the bay; it's one of the largest marine sanctuaries in the Philippines and includes two of our divesites Adrian's Cove and Zack's wall. The Southern Leyte Government is pushing for more marine sanctuaries within Southern Leyte and is a big supporter of the marine environment and eco tourism. There are a few new discoveries in Sogod bay. In our marine sanctury in Santa Sofia we have seen a flamboyant cuttlefish, in the Lungsodaan marine sanctuary we have seen 3 different coloured pygmy seahores and on Napantau marine sanctury we've found a warty frog fish. The whale shark season has started; we have been on 10 whale shark trips this year. Plenty of plankton in the water hopefully this will be a good season," according to the website of Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. Regarding our intentional community, we are still a proposed project. We have been praying and hoping that some generous churches, individuals and organizations from all over the world would provide us the funds to build the self-sustainable 7th Millennium Community. However, as consultants we can work with you when you plan to have a successful tour, investment and/or retirement in Southern Leyte. Finally, please check with the offices of Congressman Roger G. Mercado, Governor Damian G. Mercado, Mayor Maloney Samaco in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, and their counterparts in Samar, Biliran and Leyte provinces, for the official information on touring, visiting and investing in Southern Leyte.
Where else can you find the world's 3rd largest English-speaking country and a haven for comfort, dignity and natural hospitality? Please read the maps, directions and other related information from the Australian, Canadian, U.K., U.S. and other foreign embassies in Metro Manila before you visit, tour or take a vacation, and to invest or retire in Southern Leyte. To see some pictures along the coast of Maasin City and Southern Leyte, one hotel with a restaurant very near the seaport, and the 2 hotels on the beachfront, you may click on pictures. If or when you need additional information, feel free to contact us or the Trip Advisor. The 7th Millennium Community is one of the top reliable and trusted sources of general information in the country! Please contact now your favorite international airlines or your travel agencies, and make your reservation to travel in the Philippines!
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Maasin City 06600, Southern Leyte, Philippines
