the philippines is in the news !! no, it is not the miss universe crown that was an arm's length away from our country's bet in glittering ceremonies aired this morning. boy, that was close!!
the news has nothing to do with any act of notoriety. some losers have somehow ingrained in their sick and twisted minds that the path to fame is best (and quickly) achieved through ill-repute. sadly, quite a few of our countrymen have chosen to follow this infamous path. thankfully, as well, the news is not about any tragedy that has befallen our country. it has nothing to do with breaking any guinness records, either. yes, the shortest man on record is a filipino and yes, we just recently caught the biggest crocodile in the world. oh but there are much bigger crocodiles in government. no trap, no matter how intricately laid out or how tempting the bait is, can ever snare these two-legged crocodiles. just saying.
the philippines is in the news as it attempts to include one of its own stunning natural landscapes as one of the world's new seven wonders of nature. the poll calls for natural wonders not man-made creations. the winners are to be announced on the eleventh of november, just two months away. puerto princesa in palawan (southwest of the philippine archipelago) boasts of the world's longest underground river. it covers a navigable eight-km stretch and winds through a cave before it opens up to the south china sea. no cosmetic renovation has changed the landscape of this paradise. picture-perfect and postcard-pretty are how one would describe such scenes that take one's breath away. it is perfect and it is pretty alright but it is not a postcard nor a picture. it is real. real natural beauty beyond words.
official publicity shot of the underground river as an entry into the final phase of the competition. the worldwide poll started with 261 natural landmarks. the list has been narrowed down to 77 and further down to the remaining 28 finalists.
gugud started off her summer vacation with a trip to palawan. safety among its visitors is topmost priority on the river cruise. gugud and her daddy gear up for the ride that would take them through the underground river.
they enter the river and are instantly caught up in a world of stalactites and stalagmites. these are stuff that one learns in elementary school. textbook pages come alive in a flash. even in the cavernous shadows, the magical sight is enough to throw them overboard in captive awe.
one would think that when God, the supreme artist, used the earth as his canvas, He singled out puerta princesa in palawan as one of His masterpieces. it was not meant to be an abstract and monochromatic tableau. He carefully pieced together paradisiac details to dream up a perfect harmony of seascape and landscape. glossing it over with a blend of colors, the giant mural that is the subterranean park emerged. gentle waves and whirring murmurs of bats create a semblance of a serene dance of sights and sounds. it gives one a feeling of walking through an art gallery. only the paintings are real.
twenty-eight finalists in a worldwide poll. one of our own makes it to the list. isn't that awesome?
twenty-eight finalists in a worldwide poll. one of our own makes it to the list. isn't that awesome?
Grabe! Never knew this place existed and I wonder how many of your own countrymen (and women) knew it was there :) This would be a site to see, and obviously one of God's and nature's hidden secrets.
ReplyDeleteI like the second picture :D
ReplyDeleteFather and Daughter.