GREENBELT, MAKATI CITY, PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is considered as one of the best tourist location in Asia because of its natural wonders that continue to generate major tourism flow for the country. It is very well-known for its world-class white sand beaches like Boracay, Puerto Gallera and Puerto Azul; man-made wonders like The Banaue Rice Terraces and the Sagada Hanging Coffins and “The World’s Most Perfect Cone”, The Mayon Volcano are just some of the few scenic spots the tourist immediately go to when visiting the Philippines.

Although the country boast its natural wonders as the major tourist destinations, the metropolitan also has many things to offer for people who would like to experience the city life in this beautiful archipelago. In this particular article, I would like to show Makati City’s Greenbelt Shopping District. A place where you can shop for the best brands, dine and unwind at well-known bars and restaurants and retreat to a beautiful and calm garden right at the heart of Makati City, the Philippines’ “Business Capital”.

Here are some of the photo I took of the Greenbelt Shopping District using my Nikon D3000.

The garden has a man-made stream that runs through the middle of the garden leading to a church. Public masses are here held regularly.

Different kinds of trees and plants surround the garden, a perfect compliment to the high-rise buildings that towers the city.

Below are photos that give Greenbelt its unique appeal. The distinct landscape that perfectly blends well with the mall's design.

As the sun slowly sets, the breath-taking beauty of the garden begins to take a new form. The lights gives the a new life to the garden.

Makati City is a tourist destination on its own. A fusion of infrastructure paired with luscious trees and plants give the place a modern, but relaxing ambiance that is rarely seen in other cities.

THINGS TO DO IN METRO MANILA

The Philippines is a beautiful country with its many wonderful things to explore. Manila, being the Philippine Islands' capital is the most visited and the first stop for many tourists where the International airport is located. There are many fascinating places to see in Manila, and surely have lots of things to do. Everyone will definitely enjoy their trip to the Philippines and they'll certainly be back for more. Though there are so many things one can do in Manila, here are some of the things one cannot resist to do while in the country's capital:

Sightseeing

There are so many historical sites in Manila. There is the Intramuros, meaning "inside the walls", for it is a walled city. The place has a fort which is built by the Spaniards in the late 1500's during their reign to the Philippines. Though the fort was destroyed during the American-Japanese war in the year 1945, it is now restored and was now turned into a museum. Another must-see place in Manila is the Luneta Park, or the Rizal Park. The park was built in honor of Rizal. This is also the place where he was killed the Spaniards in the late 1800's. The park is crowded almost everyday especially during holidays and Sundays where Filipino families gather together to have picnics along the park.

Shopping

There are lots of shopping stores in Manila that sell many different kinds of items. One can find almost everything while strolling around the area. There are also easy to find bargain chains located just by the sidewalks like Divisoria, where they sell variety of items with the cheapest prices. You could also got to The SM City North EDSA (2nd largest Mall in the World) and The SM Mall Of Asia (4th largest Mall in the World).

Relaxing

There are plenty of places in manila where one can enjoy relaxing activities like the spa, massage centers, and several hotels that offer relaxing services and other pleasant commodities.

Enjoy a bubbly night life

Manila has many bars and cafes where you along with your friends can jam and watch band gigs all night long. There is the Jazz Rhythms bar and the all famous Hard Rock Café where one can watch local and foreign bands perform live on stage.

Visiting Churches

There are many famous churches in Manila like the Manila Cathedral which are mostly visited by tourists and locals everyday. There are also the San Agustin Church and the Quiapo Church that are well known churches in the Philippines.

PLACES TO VISIT IN CHINA

China is one of the most visited countries in the world. Foreign visitors coming from different parts of the globe couldn't get enough of this wonderful and attractive place. Apart from the culture and people, it also has lots of wonderful landscapes to see.

If you are planning to visit to China, you should know more about the famous places here. The following are the places that we can pay a visit to in China:

The Great Wall

This is one of China's trademarks. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and also a very popular tourist spot in the country. Travelers never want to miss the opportunity of visiting the Great Wall once they arrive in the country.

The Forbidden City

This has been the palace of the late emperors during the Ming and Ching Dynasties. The place is called "Gu gong" in Chinese. It is considered as one of China's pride. Over the years, especially during wars, the kingdom has been devastated. It has been rebuilt and restored. What we see now in the Forbidden City is exactly what it looks like thousands of years ago. A lot of the country's history can be seen in the said palace. It is now made as a part museum for all the country's oldest artifacts.

Temple of Heaven

It is the temple that was built in the years when the Forbidden City was built. It is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is now used for Chinese ceremonies and other occasions. But most of the time, the place is used as a tourist spot for visitors.

The Temple of Confucius

It is one of the attractive places in China that is found in Beijing. It is such a wide area of 22 thousand square meters. It is also where the 700-year old cypress tree is found which was said to have the power to distinguish the good from the evil.

Those are just some best places in to visit China. Be sure to make the most out of your stay at this historical and beautiful country.

GROUP TRAVEL TIPS

What does traveling have to do with the recent economic crisis? As long as you know how to get the best deals, you can make vacations something you can do often enough. It's all about being smart and doing the right research so you can make the most of what you're getting and stretching your budget down to the very last dime. Here are a few suggestions that could save you:

For the Ride

• If you can take the car instead of the plane, go for it. You can all chip in for gas. Plus, the road trip gives you the privacy that you need and enough time to plan and bond before reaching your destination.

• Apply for frequent flyer miles. With enough trips under your belt, you could actually accumulate enough points that allow you to go to far-flung areas.

• If you're going on a cruise, check if they offer group rates and see if you can get bigger discounts when you have more people signing up for the trip.

For the Hotel and Accommodation

• No doubt, five-star hotels are way more expensive, but like anything, it becomes cheaper when you have two or more people staying in a room.

• You don't have to limit your choices with the ones in the area. If you have a car with you, you can actually get a room in a nearby town. If you want to head for the beach, you just have to give your group fifteen or thirty minutes leeway. That's not really much when you see how much you can save.

• Camp out instead. While the planning can be more of a hassle, the time you'll spend outdoors can be just as rewarding.

For Your Meals

• Forget about those expensive restaurants. Ask a local where you can get the meals for a fraction of the usual cost.

• Forget the usual fare of fast-food as well. Instead, make friends with those who live in the area. Who knows, they could actually invite you to feast in their homes instead and show you some local hospitality. This ought to be safe as well if you go in a big group.

• You can also bring canned goods and easy-to-prepare meals with you. Some inns offer a mini-kitchenette where you can do the actual cooking. When you get things in bulk and do the preparation yourselves, you can spend the extra money you'll save on other luxury items instead.

For Souvenirs

• Prepare a list of people you need to give to. Otherwise, postcards will do.

• You can also just take your camera along and just put them all in an album that you can always access whenever you want to reminisce. Plus, you save yourself from all that extra junk because chances are, you really won't get that souvenir that you've purchased.

Follow these tips and stretch your money. You'll see that vacations are more special because of the memories you get, and not the amount you've purchased.

VERY INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO (Nick Vujici: Man with no arms and legs )

What do you do when everything seems to fall apart and everyone has turned their backs on you? What do you do when you feel like you carry the whole world's problems on your shoulders and that it seems like there is no more hope? All of us, at some time in our lives and for some, most of their lives, feel that the burden becomes heavier and heavier and never ends. What do we do when we hit the very rock bottom and no one else is there?

For me, I dig deep, I deep within my own strength and will. I know that everything happens for a reason and that reason is to face that moment, overcome whatever obstacles it brings, learn from that experience and become a better and wiser person to be able to take on bigger challenges that life may give.

This person (Nick Vujicic), is a living testament of the power of the human spirit. The power to believe on oneself and to have the will to take on life's challenges. As one of my favorite saying goes, "Impossible is not a fact, It's just an opinion".

I hope this video gave everyone the inspiration and a new perspective about life. Like taking on a journey, we should never stop or take a step backward when we face difficulties. Life is so full of beautiful things that needs to be discovered, but only if we have the faith and the will on ourselves to find them.

BEAUTIFUL SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE

My good friend and officemate, Abel Diaz was kind enough to give me pictures of his trek with his friends in Sagada which is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. It is located 275 kilometers north of Manila,the capital of the Philippines and is 140 kilometers from Baguio which is the Philippines’s summer capital.

Sagada is famous for its Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves, Bomod-ok and Bokong Falls, Rice terraces, Echo Valley, Kiltepan Tower, Underground River, Lake Danum, Hanging Coffins.

Sagada is first became known for its beautiful rice terraces. But catching up and increasing in popularity as its primary destination for both local and foreign tourists is the Sagada Hanging Coffins.

Because of the ancestral belief of the Sagada natives’ forefathers about reincarnation and the importance of keeping a departed loved-ones’ body sacred, for he/she will need it once they have crossed-over to the afterlife, they have chosen to keep their departed loved-ones’ bodies in coffins hanging on the mountain’s edges to keep it untouched and safe.

This is a picture of the directions the tourist guides made to direct the location of tourist spots in the area. Like any place we travel and explore, we should always maintain the proper behavior as a sign of respect to the place and the people who inhabit on it.

Here is another perspective of the Sagada Hanging Coffins from a more elevated location. It is really amazing to imaging how creative the Sagada natives are. As shown here, most of the coffins are on the edges of the mountain and elevated from the ground.

So the next time you are considering to travel and explore a new place, you might want to consider Sagada, Mountain Province.