The Philippines: a cruise around the stunning islands of Palawan

<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The endless ocean, broken occasionally by sand-fringed islands, stretched before me. A salty breeze caressed my face and two magnificent sails billowed bright in the sunlight as we headed into the unknown. I was on an oceanic adventure, sailing across the Palawan archipelago in a replica of a boat that first crossed these Philippine seas more than 1,000 years ago.<br /> My trip was a taster of a new tour by local company Tao Philippines, which offers off-the-beaten-track sailing holidays between El Nido, in the north of long, thin Palawan island, and Coron, further north, off Busuanga island. Taking in areas few tourists visit, it directs some of its profits to funding community projects across the islands.<br /> <br /> The newly built boat, christened Balitik (which means “constellation of Orion” in Hiligaynon, a language of the Western Visayas region of the Philippines), was their latest and most ambitious project. We were to spend three days at sea, setting off from Coron and stopping at different islands each night, with only a vague route planned. Most of the journey would depend on the wind, the weather and the whims of the crew and guests. It was a chance to go off-grid and see Palawan’s beauty, untouched by tourism.<br /> <br /> The day was perfect as we boarded – cotton puff clouds drifting across the sky, the luminous aquamarine ocean shifting gently. It was difficult to believe that just a year earlier, typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in recorded history, tore across this region, leaving 8,000 people dead or missing and four million displaced. By the time it hit Palawan, in the south-west Philippines, its force had waned, but small island communities were devastated.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxgU8YpzBR3VSsOa1PPRCxEOtEb30B0E-3KWem7fZajGEA0YLhWkieJLTYzK2eS4bcObpFXFtana2wpXUUSAp3rn1irDnKSCifSJwuxavbxxE-0P69RfeDNLCx7yU12eHwANRwPCmHos/s1600/19c6ffc9-f599-4a47-b8c5-09a4c284ee6d-460x241.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxgU8YpzBR3VSsOa1PPRCxEOtEb30B0E-3KWem7fZajGEA0YLhWkieJLTYzK2eS4bcObpFXFtana2wpXUUSAp3rn1irDnKSCifSJwuxavbxxE-0P69RfeDNLCx7yU12eHwANRwPCmHos/s1600/19c6ffc9-f599-4a47-b8c5-09a4c284ee6d-460x241.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> Local children fishing. Photograph: Jacob Maentz/Corbis <br /> Gradually, people here have been putting their lives back together, with Tao Philippines at the forefront of the mission to deliver aid to the area. Today, there is little evidence of any damage in the region – though thousands are still waiting for new homes in the worst-hit areas, such as Tacloban and Guiuan, in the east of the country.<br /> <br /> Balitik was something to behold. At 22 metres long, with room for 20 guests and a crew of nine, it is the largest boat of its kind in the Philippines today, a reconstructed paraw<br /> , the traditional Philippine outrigger sailing boat once used to transport cargo and passengers.<br /> I had watched the boat’s development before I saw it in real life, following the trials and tribulations of its birth on a blog. Balitik was much bigger than initially planned, much costlier and much more demanding, but when I first laid eyes on it, I could see why the owners of Tao Philippines – British sailing enthusiast Jack Footit, Eddie Brock, a Filipino who met Footit while waiting tables in Edinburgh, and Gener Paduga, an avid sailor who grew up in Palawan – had put their heart and soul into the project.<br /> Accommodation at one of Tao Philippines’ base camps. Photograph: Aya Lowe <br /> Now, three kayaks were shuttling back and forth between the shore and the boat, bringing supplies and guests on to its bobbing deck. A flurry of activity on board signalled our imminent departure, as the crew scuttled into position, gathering up the ropes. Datu, the boat’s jack russell, scampered to attention. Balitik was ready to set sail. <br /> <br /> I settled in, putting my bags below deck and chatting to Eddie, Gener and Lito, a former smuggler turned boat captain. Gener showed me around the captain’s den, pointing out the old navigation devices, used when sailors relied much more heavily on the constellations. Aside from modifications to make the boat more reliable and comfortable than its ancient counterpart (including a motor for windless days), a lot of effort had gone into recreating an authentic experience of traditional boat life. Vegetables hung from the roof of the kitchen – originally a measure to stop rats getting to them on long journeys, though thankfully no rats were to be seen, and the crew had brought along a pig, as is the tradition, to eat any leftovers. <br /> <br /> Days rolled by at a leisurely pace. I sprawled under the decks’ canopies, mesmerised by the shimmering ocean, and watched occasional passing fishermen making their rounds of pearl farms. As the sun crossed the sky, I too shifted position, finding cosy nooks within the mesh of ropes snaking across the boat. Two nets at the prow soon became my favourite viewing pouch and siesta spot.<br /> Aerial view of the Palawan archipelago. Photograph: Alamy <br /> Several times a day we’d stop to explore secret snorkelling spots, hidden caves or picture-perfect bays. I donned my snorkel and mask and dived into the cool deep blue, seeking sunken wrecks, stingrays and schools of tropical fish. In the evenings we moored at the islands where Tao has base camps. First was Pinagbuyutan, where a dense, knotted jungle crept up to the mangrove-fringed shore. The low hum of crickets, cicadas and lapping waves accompanied me as I strolled at sunset to my hut on the beach. The paradise landscapes of Cadlao island, with its virgin chalk-white sand backed by limestone cliffs, could indeed have been the inspiration for Alex Garland’s novel The Beach<br /> . He was living in the Philippines when he wrote it.Some nights, I basked in the rawness of nature; on others I laughed and played with village children, who would show me their favourite swimming spots or beachcombing treasures. When we docked at one island, a boy ran up to me and ushered me to his hut, where his pig had just given birth. He proudly showed me the heavy mother and her dozens of suckling piglets. Gener fishes from the back of the boat. Photograph: Aya Lowe <br /> Gener would fish from the back of the boat, and when I wanted to hide from the wind and the sun, I retreated to the kitchen, which was always bustling with activity and smelled strongly of coconut milk or grilled fish. Meals were Filipino food at its most basic and tasty, using ingredients found around us. Stuffed squid marinated delicately in calamansi<br /> (a type of lime), curries of vegetables grown in Tao’s organic gardens, grilled grouper fish and banana lotus. Dinner became a theatre of food, and I dug my feet into the sand and sipped rum and pineapple cocktails while colourful fish and squid were brought out to be grilled. Relaxing on Balitik <br /> As the days passed I learned more about the scale of the project to recreate a paraw from the crew. Eddie, Jack and Gener had hatched the idea because they wanted to revive the Philippine sailing traditions that had almost died out with the arrival of the motorboat in the 1970s. Only a handful of small traditional sailing boats exist for show, in tourist hotspots such as Boracay.Finding men to build the boat had been the initial hurdle. There were no blueprints or diagrams. Knowledge of boat-making was passed down from generation to generation, so they searched the Philippines to find three master carpenters who still remembered the traditional structure: Jaime Maltos and Bernando Conche from Palawan, and Celso Conde, a boat builder from the Sulu sea to the east. After two years of research and building (five types of wood were used), they fulfilled their dream and successfully launched the largest paraw in the Philippines.For the traveller who wants to go where few tourists have gone before, the trip is a dream come true. Traversing these seas by boat is really the only way to explore the remotest islands and discover their rare beauty. And a tour that doesn’t adhere to any particular schedule, that changes and evolves depending on the weather and the whims of its passengers, yet takes care of everything, is hard to find.The fact that our tourist pesos were helping the people on these islands get back on their feet again allowed us to bask in the glow of doing good, as we soaked up the culture, the food, and the glorious scenery of the open sea.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/4047466b/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cphilippines0Epalawan0Ecruise0Eethical0Etao0Eguardian/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

The Philippines: a cruise around the stunning islands of Palawan

The endless ocean, broken occasionally by sand-fringed islands, stretched before me. A salty breeze caressed my face and two magnificent sai...

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Istanbul: readers travel tips

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAUAnsT9rLzuxruuRgYEEeSXvBTkImGrTao4fClWR-W4Zrg7BdUzZ5iW61SGKw47Z8KKMIdF7OGhVs-cwX6wEHEgHIqP1GCXgCkyKwFveFXWs9O7UqbAKhjq1bYQfU9DZS_H9pVRPyJY/s1600/Boza-being-served-at-the--011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAUAnsT9rLzuxruuRgYEEeSXvBTkImGrTao4fClWR-W4Zrg7BdUzZ5iW61SGKw47Z8KKMIdF7OGhVs-cwX6wEHEgHIqP1GCXgCkyKwFveFXWs9O7UqbAKhjq1bYQfU9DZS_H9pVRPyJY/s1600/Boza-being-served-at-the--011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Boza being served at the Vefa Bozacisi in Istanbul. Photograph: Alamy </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> If your legs are weary from following the Byzantine walls, then a short detourdown the intriguing backstreets to Vefa in Mollahüsrev Mh<b> </b>is just what you need. This blast-from-the-past cafe with its marbled doorstep and smoky-glass windows has been selling the iconic drink boza</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> since 1876. Its owner will instantly serve you a glass brimful of this unusual, thick drink, made from fermented millet topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> vefa.com.tr</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBoQYCio-Q5KADAFBmNct2vusNjeBbUdhiRXyTATVxtPvAjJ-9str2Z5eeoHQchLdkacIr9ICB_fMq07RkcaX0T3TFKjDeflqRAXoLTzINBbOlO9ZX3cJJLU-uiTLApthGp32y_P8ijM/s1600/200a174e-0879-47e0-b3d1-063a8b5f0d26-460x285.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBoQYCio-Q5KADAFBmNct2vusNjeBbUdhiRXyTATVxtPvAjJ-9str2Z5eeoHQchLdkacIr9ICB_fMq07RkcaX0T3TFKjDeflqRAXoLTzINBbOlO9ZX3cJJLU-uiTLApthGp32y_P8ijM/s1600/200a174e-0879-47e0-b3d1-063a8b5f0d26-460x285.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>lemkenny</b> The Basilica Cistern Photograph: Alamy </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> This underground space is close to the much more famous Hagia Sophia. It was built in the third century AD by the Romans, one of many similar underground water storage caverns only discovered again in the 19th century by a British archaeologist.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> yerebatan.com</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFlet2Z11LtBAFWx21BBdRjTstd3VM24VD4FXWbmCXc0jcPBmPCBUC1qJQgTp2LADXSjvFmu2kh4ONuvThyV747vNAo_ZKDfYj0fD8lPZ6cO-SUuyMjHvkNMpr_5Z0-KRia7FUIm0rQ/s1600/23b34a65-f452-43d5-b539-5e28c8824155-460x276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFlet2Z11LtBAFWx21BBdRjTstd3VM24VD4FXWbmCXc0jcPBmPCBUC1qJQgTp2LADXSjvFmu2kh4ONuvThyV747vNAo_ZKDfYj0fD8lPZ6cO-SUuyMjHvkNMpr_5Z0-KRia7FUIm0rQ/s1600/23b34a65-f452-43d5-b539-5e28c8824155-460x276.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Caroline Fawcett </b> The ornate cafe/restaurant on the platform of Istanbul’s Sirkeci railway station. Photograph: Alamy </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> You can still soak up the atmosphere of travel 100 years ago by visiting Sirkeci railway station, originally the Orient Express’s eastern terminus, and its original, splendid cafe. Sip a coffee and conjure up Hercule Poirot and the stylish travellers of yesterday.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> +90 212 522 2280</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Tynegal</b> Misirli Ahmet playing the darbukah in his Rhythm House, in the Fener and Balat area. Photograph: Facebook </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Misirli Ahmet is a darbukah</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> (goblet drum) virtuoso. The mysterious interior looks part tekke (monastery of dervishes) part clubhouse (he improvises rap beats and beatbox too) with 20-30 musicians playing with him at any time. Drop in to see it for yourself. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> misirli-ahmet.com</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>llgin Egem Yorulmaz </b> A swimmer launches himself into the Bosphorous. Photograph: Getty Images </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Join the swimmers early on Saturday mornings just under Topkapi palace, in beautiful clear blue water yet next to the passing tankers. Even if you haven’t got your trunks they’ll give a wave and a slice of watermelon.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>nbritton</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Big Bath (Buyuk Hamam) in the Kasimpasa area. Photograph: buyukhamam.net </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Fifteen minutes’ stroll from the Beyoglu Tünel underground station is the working-class suburb of Kasimpasa and my favourite Istanbul chill-out zone – a Turkish bath simply called the Big Bath. For £20, recline, sweat and release the city dirt on the “belly button” stone plinth. Massage is optional, as is the scrubbing glove. I recommend a freshly squeezed lemon juice (sitron sulu</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ) with a bottle of gazoz to add zing to the chillax. Bookend your visit with a glass of Turkish tea, çay, at the tea gardens lining the entrance.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> buyukhamam.net, +90 212 253 4229</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>charlibey</b> Locally Istanbul offers tailored tours that reveal the more authentic side of Istanbul. Photograph: Facebook.com/locallyistanbul </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Guides take you to the underground coffee houses, the little-known eateries on the Asian side, the smartly renovated buildings off the beaten track and the hippest boutiques. We learned so much about the up-and-coming designers in the city. Erk is also very knowledgeable about the political scene. The guides are smart and fascinating. They leave the historical sites to the experts but make sure you see the real city – on foot, by boat, tram, and in their car.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> loc</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> allyistanbul.com</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>DavidandTom</b> Iznik tiling at the tombs of the sultans under Hagia Sophia. Photograph: Alamy </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Underneath tourist-thronged Hagia Sophia is an oasis of calm in the form of five sultans’ tombs. Each is decorated differently and there are wonderful examples of Iznik tiling. Beautiful, and free to enter too.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> hagiasophia.com</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>ID6526322</b> Fishermen on the Galata Bridge. Photograph: raspu/Getty Images/Moment RM </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Join the locals and meander across the Galata Bridge at sunset, watching as fishermen jostle for space to dangle their lines into the water, while seagulls circle overhead against the silhouettes of the vivid minaret- and dome-filled skyline. Then try a fresh fish sandwich from one of the gaudy floating boat restaurants that bob in the water under the shadow of the mosque.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Anna Phipps</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> This delightful little coffee shop is tucked away down a small alleyway off Istiklâl Caddesi in the heart of Istanbul. It serves delicious Turkish coffee (türk kahvesi</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ) as you sit nestled in the tiny seating area, or perch on the wall outside and peek down the alley on to the bustling main street of Istiklâl. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Olivia Gecidi 1/A, Beyoglu</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Rosystourdeworld</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/404745be/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cistanbul0Eturkey0Ereaders0Etips/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Istanbul: readers travel tips

Boza being served at the Vefa Bozacisi in Istanbul. Photograph: Alamy If your legs are weary from following the Byzantine walls, then...

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10 Trips Around the World With Google Maps Street View

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvegWR00qLwV-gRWmzMuqlOikHSh-6TXsINscymBvrVbzIN-8qd8OTqhbxdfbAksjM8IAa8oQ3FyKQWKXOoN4vlk2WtQrBeUKNYYK58E79swcAculX6LmB6LQ-Kh6mjksmxaL7wu_ebUM/s1600/58e11efa2dfd8321_Screen_Shot_2014-10-08_at_10.38.35_AM_2_.xxxlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvegWR00qLwV-gRWmzMuqlOikHSh-6TXsINscymBvrVbzIN-8qd8OTqhbxdfbAksjM8IAa8oQ3FyKQWKXOoN4vlk2WtQrBeUKNYYK58E79swcAculX6LmB6LQ-Kh6mjksmxaL7wu_ebUM/s1600/58e11efa2dfd8321_Screen_Shot_2014-10-08_at_10.38.35_AM_2_.xxxlarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 10 Trips Around the World With Google Maps Street View <br /> The easiest way to see the wonders of the world? Google Maps. You might use the technology more for directions from Point A to Point B, but you can also go into Street View to tour through some of the Earth's most spectacular sites. And this digital form of armchair travel's latest addition? The Liwa desert via, of all things, camel. <br /> To minimize disruptions to the delicate Arabian landscape, Google recruited a camel to carry its Street View camera to capture 360-degree imagery of the desert. The unexpected is seeing what you don't usually witness in history books and on travel shows, the real-life surroundings of these attractions. See tourists clamoring for the perfect photograph, while apartment buildings and housing complexes are speckled across the skyline.<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Google-Maps-Street-View-Underwater-25170588" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

10 Trips Around the World With Google Maps Street View

10 Trips Around the World With Google Maps Street View The easiest way to see the wonders of the world? Google Maps. You might use the t...

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