I will be honest. I feel like I live in the most beautiful state in the USA, Washington. We have everything for everyone. Oceans and beaches, forest and mountains, lakes and deserts. But outside of this state, my favorite place in the world is the Philippines.

I have been to the Philippines three times. The first two times was with my dad and stepmom (because she is Filipina). The last time was with my boyfriend and his family. Obviously you can tell how much I love the Philippines and Filipinos (my son is half Filipino). Even visiting the different places I have in the world, the Philippines still takes the cake.

The People of the Philippines:

The main reason why the Philippines is my favorite place in the world is the people. You will never meet friendlier and humble people in the world. You are greeted with hospitality the second you step off the airplane. I remember my first time arriving to my stepmom’s island, there was 15-20 family members waiting for us. They all gave me a big hug and welcomed me to there country. It was a similar experience with the second time, but it was more of a ‘It is great to see you again’ demeaner. The third time, with my boyfriend’s family, we had two cars full of people waiting for us outside the airport. I received many hugs and welcomes again. Above all, it was the best feeling in the world to be welcomed by people you are meeting for the first time.

As far as being humble, you have to understand that the Philippines is a third world country that has many natural disasters every year. From typhoons to earthquakes and volcanos erupting, there is no shortage of something going on there. With each event that happens, people either lose their belongings or loved ones. No matter what happens, Filipinos stay positive and humble. I have had the poorest of people be the most helpful and happy towards me.

The landscape of the Philippines:

When talking about the Philippines, you can’t stray away from the landscape and weather. Beautiful beaches, hot sunny weather, green and lush forests, the Philippines has it all. I have visited all of the above. The first beach I visited in the Philippines was Boracay. It was about a 6 hour car ride from my stepmom’s village. You HAVE to register to go from Malay to Boracay Island. Once you are finished with registration, you go out the the boats and board. I would say the trip across is about 20-30 minutes. After that, you arrive and find transportation, then the island is your oyster. We went to our hotel, that was on the main beach of Boracay, and got settled. The evening and few days of being there consisted of being on the beach, eating, walking through the palengkes (public markets), and scuba diving. Hands down, amazing experience!

My second time being in the Philippines, instead of going back to Boracay, we took a boat south to Guimaras, did some island hopping and stayed at a beach resort. That was a blast! For my third trip, we did everything. We traveled all over Luzon. From Manila all the way to the most northern providence. The BEST part of the trip, for me was, my birthday! My boyfriend, his family (about 30 people), and I traveled to the mountains in Cagayan and spent the day hiking up a river and swimming in waterfalls. The river water was perfect temperature for swimming and having fun! We even did some cliff jumping!

The Food in the Philippines:

Lastly, you can’t forget about the food! The main dishes that people can name off are lumpia, pancit, adobo, and lechon, because those are the most popular dishes. All of those are delicious, don’t get me wrong. -Little side note. I have been pescatarian for 4 years now. I ate everything last time we were in the Philippines. However, next time, my diet will be more limited.- When people ask me what my favorite food to eat in the Philippines, I usually blow people’s minds. It is called isaw. You wouldn’t guess it, BBQ chicken intestines. The first time I tried it was in my stepmom’s village. I am pretty open with eating anything, so I told my step grandma I would try it. I don’t know if it was the sauce the guy used or what, but it was amazing!

The Philippines also has amazing seafood. You can get fish and shrimp fresh off the boats. You even have people walking down the street selling live crabs with their claws tried off. I even ate balut. Thankfully, mine wasn’t as formed (it might have turned me off from it), but it wasn’t bad. My boyfriend and his cousin helped me season it with salt and vinegar, but overall, it just tasted like a hard boiled egg that was a couple days old. When I am in the Philippines I try to stay away from too much fast food and eat more at family owned restaurants or home cooked meals. Good thing most people in the Philippines knows how to cook.

Conclusion:

If you ask me about visiting the Philippines, I will always recommend it. Go! Visit this beautiful country and fall in love like I did, because you will realize why the Philippines is my favorite place in the world.

Stayed tuned for more about the Philippines. =)

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