Chocolate Hills

Mmm... Yummy... Chocolate... I wonder what chocolate are the Chocolate Hills made of; is it Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate...STOP!!! Chocolate Hills are not really chocolate!!! Read on to find out more.

The Chocolate Hills are an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. According to the latest accurate survey done, there are 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). Geologists speculated these little mountains that turn brown (thus the name chocolate) during the dry season due to blighting grasses that were remnants of corral reefs when this tiny Island province of Bohol was under sea some two million years ago. There is no natural formation like them in the world. From a distance, they look like half a ball grown out of the ground. The molehill-shaped and almost uniformly sized hills dot the landscape with green and brown. Here are 4 a legends on how the hills were formed:

1)The first tells the story of two feuding giants who hurled rocks, boulders, and sand at each other. The fighting lasted for days, and exhausted the two giants. In their exhaustion, they forgot about their feud and became friends, but when they left they forgot to clean up the mess they had made during their battle, hence the Chocolate Hills.

2)A more romantic legend tells of a giant named Arogo who was extremely powerful and youthful. Arogo fell in love with Aloya, who was a simple mortal. Aloya's death caused Arogo much pain and misery, and in his sorrow he could not stop crying. When his tears dried, the Chocolate Hills were formed.

3)The third legend tells of a town being plagued by a giant carabao, who ate all of their crops. Finally having had enough, the townsfolk took all of their spoiled food and placed it in such a way that the carabao would not miss it. Sure enough, the carabao ate it, but his stomach couldn't handle the spoiled food, so he defecated, leaving behind him a mound of feces, until he had emptied his stomach of the food. The feces then dried, forming the Chocolate Hills.

4)The last legend is about a Gluttonous giant named Dano that eats everything in his path. One day he came to a plain. He saw a beautiful young woman named Eng. To win her affection, he needed to lose weight. So he excreted everything he ate. In the end, his fecal matter covered the land and he won Eng's affection

Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano is also known as Mount Mayon. It is renowned as the 'Perfect One' because of its almost perfect conical shape.It is active volcano but erupts in centuries interval. The volcano has been a boon for centuries to Bicolano farmers nearby, due to rich farm land brought forth by its tectonic activity. The volcano is 2,462 m (8,081 ft) tall and is located in Albay, Philippines. Since 1616, the volcano has erupted over 49 times. Here are some quick facts on the volcano:

°It is located right in the center of the Albay Province, 460km south of Manila. The Mayon is visible from nearly all cities and towns in the Albay Province. It is also visible from neighboring provinces.

°The upper slopes of the Mayon are steep, reaching up to 40° in angle.

°The Mayon Volcano has a base circumference of 62.8km.

°The name Mayon is derived from the Bicolano word Magayon, which means "beautiful."

° The worst recorded eruption occurred on February 1, 1814. Some 1,200 people from the nearby town of Cagsawa sought refuge inside the local church, but had lost their lives, as the whole town including the church was completely destroyed by the lava. Only the church tower remained standing.

Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year old terraces. The terraces were carved into the mountains of Ifugao by the ancestors of Batad indigenous people. The people of the Philippines refer the Banaue Rice Terraces as the 8th Wonder of the World.The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers of mountainside.The Banaue terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old. Another thriving economy in the Banaue Rice Terraces is tourism. The Tourism industry has developed a number of activities for visitors which may include the traditional sight seeing of the terraces and visits to the tribes at the foot of the terraces. In my opinion, I think that tourist who visit the Banaue Rice Terraces should keep the place clean and not destroy the beautiful scene. Well, the Banaue Rice Terraces are really magnificent.

Introduction to The Philippines

This is the Pambansang Watawat (National flag) of The Philippines. These are what the colours symbolize: the white triangles are for equality and fraternity; the blue field for peace, truth and justice and the red field for patriotism and valor. Beside the Pambansang Watawat, is the map of The Philippines. The seas around The Philippines are: The Philippines Sea, The South China sea, The Sulu Sea and The Celebes Sea.