Phu Quoc Island - Vietnam

Ever wonder what the cutie island in the Cambodian south is or who owns it? (Check the map) As you can see it is closer to Cambodia than to Vietnam's mainland town of Ha Tien which is just 46 kilometers away. Well, don't argue with me because Vietnam will surely go to war with you if you claim that it's Cambodia's. Lol. Anyway, this tiny island called Phu Quoc Island is a famous fishing haven of the Vietnamese people. The relatively large number of fish being caught here makes the island a leading producer of fish sauce.

The island of Phu Quoc boast the spectacular beauty of its white sandy beaches, coral gardens offshore, different species of flora and fauna, friendly locals, and slow yet relax atmosphere.

Since many tourists are flocking the island, the Vietnam government decided to develop it into an eco-tourism destination by 2020. Its new international airport capable of accommodating large sized airlines is under construction and promised to be completed by 2012. Sounds nice eh? Well, let's just hope that its beauty will be preserved and won't be short-lived. 

Good luck to our Vietnamese friends. More power to you!

Our Very Own Charice on GLEE

 A short info of what is "GLEE"

Filipino and southeast Asian pride Charice is not just conquering the international music scene. From singing, she crossed over to television acting in the second season of the highly acclaim musical comedy-drama television series "Glee" as Sunshine Corazon, an exchange student from the Philippines.  

The spring premiered on April 13, 2010 had an estimated 13.7 million viewers. And since GLEE is back I won't be surprised if the number of viewers double or even triple for that matter. And for the record WIKI says that she is the first Asian artist in history to land in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. 

Awesome! 

Here is the video of Charice's remarkable scenes on Glee.

 

Indeed a Filipino and southeast Asian talent..Really!

The Pride Cities of SE Asia

Singapore skyline

Southeast Asian countries don't just boast natural and man made wonders, flora and fauna, or even its culture. The capital cities are also a must see for their modern and unique architecture of gigantic buildings, museums, and parks.

Check out this short video of the stunning modernity of the Southeast Asian Cities. It was a tedious search looking for a video that features all the Southeast Asian cities. Unfortunately, I didn't find one. The one i got only featured five cities though...

Whatever! Let's just enjoy, OK?

Ngapali Beach - Myanmar

Ngapali Beach is the most popular beach in Myanmar. It can be accessed by flight from Yangon everyday which takes about 35-45 minutes, or a 14 hour drive along the Rakhine Yoma. The beautiful white sandy beach of Ngapali stretches three kilometers from the Bay of Bengal to Rakhine State of Myanmar.

Ngapali is remarkably pristine that doesn't have loud, rowdy bars along its coastline and no vendors selling souvenirs and other stuff that can be annoying sometimes. While being there, one can also enjoy the beauty of coconut groves that stretches as far as the eye can see. Sweet!

Perhaps some of you may ask where does the name Ngapali came from. It is said that the word Ngapali was derived from the word Naple which was first heard from an Italian who got sick. He said Ngapali looked like the Naple Beach in Italy. Ask the Burmese or Rakhine what does Ngapali mean and they will tell you that it doesn't have anything to do with their language. To cut the chase, there is no meaning at all.

Wherever the name was from, let's just enjoy the beach, shall we?

Jurong Falls - Singapore

The tallest man-made or artificial waterfall in the world is Jurong Falls which is standing at 30 meters high within the African Waterfall Aviary at Jurong Bird Park in Singapore. It looks very natural and does not come close to being artificial.

The various species of free-flying birds that roam freely with their different colors are like rainbow that moves. The different species of plants found in the area and the sound of the water plunging down are also relaxing. As Wikipedia puts it "The water plunges over the top of a towering cliff at a rate of140 liters (31 imp gal) per second. The water is recirculated through a meandering stream, that cascades down over a series of levels". Coolness!

The Waterfall Aviary Area is an ideal nesting ground for birds, plants and other living creatures. If you are into bird watching, this is the place to be.

Also, the Jurong Falls is just but one of the things you can enjoy at the park. There are several more which will take your breath away. Visit Singapore and have a first hand experience of its wonders.

The Endemism in Palawan

This is a Palawan shrew that looks like the newly discovered one

Recently, another mountain shrew that scientist confirmed is unknown to science and three new species of plants were discovered in Palawan. A Filipino scientist said that the newly discovered shrew is the second species of its kind that can only be found in the province. It has small eyes, long sharp snout, and a soft, downy fur.

This orchid was discovered in 2007 under the same family of the one discovered this year

On the other hand, one of the newly discovered plants was described as an orchid “having a beautiful set of white flowers with golden lip petals.” The orchid was found 1,700 meters above sea level in the stunted summit of the mountain. Click HERE to read the complete article.

Romeo Trono, country director of Conservational International Philippines said, “These noteworthy discoveries and rediscoveries on Mt. Mantalingahan will further strengthen the justification for our recommendation to have this important center of endemism in Palawan declared as protected area,”

There were several discoveries in the Philippines and in the island of Palawan alone. With several discoveries of flora and fauna in Palawan year after year, it is truly safe to say that Palawan is the Last Frontier of the Philippines.