Palosebo, Philippines

One more card for today, this time from the Philippines...

It shows children playing the Palosebo game. It is a traditional Filipino game and is usually played by children in the countryside during the town fiesta, or on special occasions in the various Provinces of the Philippines. Long and straight bamboo poles are polished and greased, after which a small bag containing the prize is tied to the top. The bag usually contains money, sweets, or toys. Sometimes a small flag is used instead of the actual prize, which is given to the winner afterwards.

The contestants try to climb the pole in turns to secure the prize, and anyone who fails to reach the top is disqualified. The winner is the one who succeeds in reaching and untying the prize or retrieving the flag.

Really cool...much better than playing Minecraft or such....

a number of nice stamps here - the fruit ones were issued in 2015 in a set of 5 stamps showing popular fruits in the Philippines (you have a banana and a papaya here).
The other stamp is from 2012 from a series of Folklore and Legends stamps - this one shows Amihan, the Goddess of Monsoon Weather.

Thanks to Fern for this nice card.

And Happy Easter to everyone celebrating this weekend! (here it will be at the end of April)

San Juanico Bridge, Philippines

A nice card that the kind Rosemie sent me earlier this year....just because :)

The card shows the San Juanico Bridge, formerly known as the Marcos Bridge, which is a suspension bridge in the Philippines stretching from Samar to Leyte crossing the San Juanico Strait. It is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway. It is the longest bridge in the Philippines with a length of 2.16 km and is considered as one of the most beautifully designed bridges in the Philippines.

the stamp is from a set of two issued in 2008, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Missionary Cathecists of St. Threse of the Infant Jesus

San Juan Bautista Church, Philippines

so after the blabber, here comes a normal post featuring a card from the Philippines

Received this card from Ronan through a swap, and here is what the back of the card says:

The construction of the church was started in 1864 and was completed in 1879. The stones on the church walls bear the noticeable marks of the masons who built the church. This church was named a national landmark on August 1 1993

the two stamps form a set issued in 2012, featuring the Diocese of Malolos ( Roman Rite diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The motherchurch of the Diocese is the Malolos Cathedral located in Malolos City, Bulacan)

Leyte, Philippines

next comes a really nice card from the Philippines.

On the card you can see the monument showing the return of Gen. McArtur to the Philippines, where on October 20 1944, his forces started liberating Philippines and parts of Asia from the Japanese occupation. McArtur earlier made the promise of "I shall return" (I guess something like Schwarzi's "I'll be back" in Terminator :) and became famous for that line.
And Lannie, the sender says that it is very common nowadays for Filipinos to use that "I shall return" phrase when they want to say they will be back.

the fish stamp is from a set of 10 Marine life stamps issued in 2011, while the beautiful one with the roses is from a set of ten, Paintings of young Filipino artists' 2012 stamps.

Urdaneta, Philippines

Very cool card that arrived from the Philippines, showing a grain dealer at the Urdaneta Central Market (when one says dealer, it doesnt really have a nice connotation :D)

but the whole image and the colours on this card are just so nice! I just need to find out what grains we have here exactly!
Urdaneta is considered a 1st class city in the eastern part of the province of Pangasinan in Philippines.
Funny, but ive never heard before of a 1st class city (as if im on an airplane and can choose between first and economy class for example..). But from what I read, the cities in the Philippines are actually classified according to the average annual income based on the previous 3 calendar years and a first class city ha a PHP of 400 million or more

maths is not really my strong side, so all such BDP's, GDP's and similar stuff are not really my cup of tea...but still, this was an interesting thing to learn...

the stamp on the right was issued in 2011 in a set of 9 definitives representing marine life, while the other one is from a set of 40 birds' stamps issued in 2009.

Taal Volcano and Lake, Philippines

a lovely card from the Philippines!

the Taal Volcano is a complex volcano (a volcano with more than one feature) located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Permanent settlement in the island has been prohibited by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS, declaring the whole Volcano Island as a high-risk area and a Permanent Danger Zone. But despite the warnings, poor families have settled on the island, risking their lives, earning a living by fishing and farming crops from the rich volcanic soil.
There have been 33 recorded eruptions at Taal since 1572.

Really ironic....such a beautiful place, yet so dangerous....

the bottom stamp is from a set of 9 definitives issued this year, showing marine life...while the one above is from 2010 from a set of 12, another 'marine life' definitive

Manila, Philippines

A great train card sent by Cenezo!

The card in particularly shows the LRT in Manila, or the Light Rail  Transit System. It is a metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Although referred to as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it has many characteristics of a rapid transit (metro) system, such as high passenger throughput and exclusive right-of-way.
The LRT has at its disposal 31 stations along over 31 kilometers of mostly elevated track form two lines, and around 579,000 passengers are served each day.
There are two lines, Line 1, also known as the Yellow Line, opened in 1984 and travels a north–south route, while Line 2, the Purple Line, was completed in 2004 and runs east–west.

and the card arrived with two lovely train stamps! they come from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2010, featuring the Manila City Railway...perfectly matching the card! 

Philippines

My last card for today is an official I received in 2009

PH-11181

My only official card from the Philippines so far...however, the user eventually moved to Canada, so I dont have it anymore counting as one from the Philippines =/

It is a very nice map card, showing a bunch of different views from the country, and they go as follows (starting from top left corner, to the right, then you go down and just follow the line :)

1. Makati; 2. Black Nazarene Procession, Quipao; 3. Jeepney; 4. Intramuros; 5. Rizal Shrines; 6. Manila City Hall; 7. Fort Santiago, Intramuros; 8. Philippine Brahma with gypsies woven handicraft carriage, Diliman; 9. San Augustin Church, Intramuros; 10. Ortigas Center; 11. Manila Bay sunset; 12. Roxas Blvd.; 13. Rizal Monument in Luneta Park; 14. Manila Cathedral, Intramuros; 15. MRT in Ortigas Center; 16. Spanish-inspired horse-driven calesa, Intramuros

If I ever get a particular card from one of these places, ill give you more details regarding it or them....if i get to write one about each one of them, that's gonna be an endless boring post :)

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the famous Philippines' definitives...here you have two different designs from a set of 40 stamps issued in 2009

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

A UNESCO card from the Philippines

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was nominated for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" Competition.
From what I know, it has entered the Finalists list.
If you want to vote, you can do it here.

The two bird stamps were issued in 2009 in a set of 40 different ones.

Moriones Festival, Philippines

A fantastic card I received for the Big Slavic RR!

The Moriones refers to the masked and costumed penitnets who take part in the reenactment of the Legend of Longinus, and Passion of the Christ Morions. They roam the street in town from Holy Monday to Easter Sunday scaring the kids or engaging in antics or surprises to draw attention. The festival is characterized by colourful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets and brightly coloured tunics.

the stamps were issued in 2009 and I really love the one with the postal boy, or more known as Pheepoy, the lovable mascot of the Philippine Postal Corporation. The bird stamp comes from a set of *cough* 40 stamps!

thanks to Jan for choosing this lovely card for me!

Boracay Island, Philippines

A very cool card that used to be on my wish list, but now is on my *I have it* list with a huge thanks to Jane!

I admire people who are capable to build something like this...first of all you need to get the idea itself...than you need to make a plan of that idea...its like being really an architect, you cant just put piles of sand wherever you feel like...and of course you need to have the touch, so that you dont make a mess out of all this and that what you make looks so nice and sо exquisite. And I so much wish i could be somewhere warm right now....but actually I have another reason to be excited..in like 10 hours im taking off to Belgrade to an AIR concert!! Wohoo! cant wait!!! So yeah, expect a Belgrade card in my next update, as id be able to ramble about my trip till there and back :P

Mayon Volcano, Philippines

Hmmm...sometimes i think im overestimating myself with this every-day-update thing...but at least im trying :)

This really lovely card comes directly from the Philippines and shows the Mayon Volcano - a beautiful and symmetrical cone shaped volcano located in Albay province. Even though this volcano is very active at the moment, tourists keep coming, since they are fascinated by its almost perfect cone shape. Right now the Level 2 alert is in force due to the increased volcano activity in June and July. It is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted 49 times in the past 400 years.
The current cone was formed through pyroclastic and lava flows from past eruptions.

The most destructive eruption of Mayon occurred on February 1, 1814. Lava flowed but not as much compared to the 1766 eruption. Instead, the volcano was belching dark ash and eventually bombarding the town with tephra  that buried the town of Cagsawa - only the bell tower of the town's church remained above the new surface.

Hmmm, it IS fascinating, this nature created thing...but i certainly wouldnt want to live near one...

this is a prepaid postcard...with  a lovely matching prepaid stamp....i guess these arent in the philatelic databases so i wont go and look up the information....the truth is, i feel rather lazy...and cranky :)

Maria Cristina Falls, Philippines

Well, not so far from Malaysia, are the Philippines and lets see whats happening there...

I got this card in the Different Countries RR, showing the Maria Cristina Falls on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. They are sometimes called the twin falls as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. Apart from their beauty, the falls are also the primary source of electric power for the city's industries, being harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant.
Do you know that at the time of writing this, Postcrossing has 100 013 members??? I wonder who became the 100, 000...before i went to work it had 99, 9something...and i wondered when the 100, 000 will happen, and while i wasnt looking, it did...so, CONGRATS! and a THANK YOU for making this whole project possible...im actually proud and happy to be a part of it :)

the two stamps belong to a set of definitives from 2007, issued December 10th, called simply Philippine Birds. All these are from a value of 7p.There are other sets issued with a number of other values, on the same theme.
The stamp on the left features the Pied Imperial Pigeon, while the other one, the Spotted Imperial Pigeon.

Philippines

In general, my cards to the Philippines travel around a month...i have one currently travelling to there..i wonder if its gonna take the same again...2 weeks have passed...

I think you've seen most of the sites here in all those previous Philippine's postcards....but here we go again:
- Coco-Loco Island, Roxas * Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island, El Nido * Coron Bay * Calauit, the African animal island * Hot Spring, Busuanga * Jeepney, means of transportation in Palawan * Cadlao beach, El Nido * Underground river, Sabang * Batak Tribe

I got intrigued why there are Spanish names in the Philippines places...and i found out that the Spanish colonized the Philippines from 1565 to 1898. And of course, it influenced many parts of the Filipino life, including language and culture.
The Spanish that is spoken in the Philippines today has a great affinity to Mexican Spanish. In fact, the number of Mexican Spanish loan-words that appear in various indigenous Filipino languages are of Nahuatl origin that were first incorporated into Mexican Spanish, and which do not exist in European Spanish.

that Coco-Loco name of the Island...I know that 'loco' means 'crazy' in Spanish....but its funny to see it as a part of the name of an Island....esp. since 'coco' means coconut....
and "el Nido" meant 'the Devil'. right?  or i had confused something....well, its not as if its gonna be the first time....

Philippines (08)

The last post for today shows another one of the set of the Philippines' maps...this time showing the island of Palawan

So, as usual, in short, ill just tell you what the pictures here show, first the left group of pictures, then the right one:
1. El Nido;  2. Arreceffi Is., Honda Bay; 3. Diving in Tubbatha Reefs; 4. Local Fisherman on offshore of Busuanga Is.; 5. Coron Is.; 6. Sunset over Palawan; 7. Batak tribe; 8. Jeepney, public transporation in Palawan; 9. 1667 Spanish Fortress in Taytay; 10. Underground River

i should be back to work now, no?  huhhh, if i just didnt feel in such a need of not doing it....

Philippines (07)

With all the Philippines' maps I have, feels like im having the Philippines at the palm of my hand :)

This time I present you the island of Mindanao...and here is what you can see on the pictures:

- Tiboli Tribe, Southern Cotabato
- Tingao Falls in Iligan
- Philippine Eagle, Malagos
- Camiguin Island
- Guyam, small paradise island neaeby Siargao
- Colourful Muslim Vintas, Zamboanga

just look at those crystal blue waters....each map of the Philippines contains at least one such lovely image....no wonder they call it paradise...

Philippines (06)

Another Philippines' map from my dear Marie...I really think i can freely say im the proud owner of all the postcard maps from the Philippines (in case you want to object, i still have 3 postcards pending...:P)

This is the island of Boracay, which is one of the Philippines' most popular tourist destinations.

Lets see whats on the pictures:

1. White Beach

2.Ati-Atihan festival, unique cultural event found in nearby Kalibu and Boracay Is., every middle of January

3. "Paraws" - outrigger sailing boats which were the most commonly used as transportation for centuries in the Philippines Archipelago

4. Aerial view of Boracay Is.

5. Shell vendors at Punta Bunga Beach

6. Sunset over Puka-Shell Beach

7. Banca in tropical crystal clear waters of Boracay Is.


Dont know about you, but i can never resist crystally clear blue waters....with white sandy beaches....pure paradise...

Philippines (05)

And here is an update for today...i promised you yesterday im gonna try my best to make it today..and here it is :)  Though i should be working actually, but at this point i feel really tired and i thought to relax myself with this first and then ill proceed to what needs to be done....i cant get away from it either way

This card from the Philippines came as a total surprise since i didnt expect it...well, it aint a RAS, it doesnt say its one, so i cant label it like that, hence the category of surprises
It comes from Kris...the one who sent me both the cards from Costa Rica and Nicaragua....thing is i had no idea he had gone back home to the Philippines and more over that he would send me a card...thanks Kris! :) Even though we all hoped you would actually make a trip to Panama so we can stalk you for postcards from there....hehehheheheheheee :))))))

The card shows the Philippines' Tricycle....its like a symbol of the Philippines I guess.
It is three wheeler motor-rickshaw commonly used in the Philippines as mode of transportation on short distances. They can be found in every city, town or village. Tricycles are part of the Filipino wat of living, and moving around without them would be difficult.

Hmm, well...ive never been to the Philippines, so i cant say what is it like to be taking a ride in one...its funny to actually see the people sitting on the roof...not a very common way of seeing people being transported...at least not here. I wonder how it is to be on the inside...from this perspective seems as if it feels packed...but i dont know
If possible, i would like someone who had had a ride in this or actually uses it often, to share the experience....im really curious....

Philippines

Well, it may not be possible to get map-cards from all the 7107 islands in the Philippines, but Marie definitely took care that i have all the island-map-cards she could find :) Thanks a lot Marie!



Here you can see the island of Luzon, which is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country.
It includes a number of islands, including Mindoro, which you can see on the card as well...its south of Luzon.

Quezon City, the former capital and most populous city in the Philippines, is also located on the island of Luzon. (now, Quezon City rings a bell of something..:-)))))))

Lets see the pictures on the card now, starting from the left first:

- Paoay Church, Ilocos N.
- White sand beach and azure blue waters of Pagudpud......mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
- Vigan, a Spanish heritage city
- Hundred Islands National Park, Pangasinan

on the right side:

- Century old Banaue Rice Terraces
- Crater of Mt. Pinatubo, Pampanga
- Taoist Ma-Cho Chinese Temple in San Fernando, La Union
- Mayon Volcano, Albay

that crater picture looks amazing!

Philippines

A map from the Philippines!!!  I already have a whole country map, now, we are getting into detail!! :)

Lets see what the pictures from around show.

- Baclayon Church, Bohol
- Kawasan Falls, Cebu
- Chocolate Hills, Bohol  (you remember these, no? :))
- Tarsier, world's smallest primate  (the eyes are really huge though!)
- Alona Beach, Panglao Is.

Well, if i ever get a postcard from each of these respectively, ill write more about each of them...otherwise, if i write it all now, eventually i may be left without a writing material :)