13 November 2008
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Published on November 13th, 2008 @ 08:18:41 pm, using 199 words, 17 views
Another interesting article and an actual photo taken by Gunther Deichmann and now in German Stern Magazine published in spread size (double page) as "Photo Of The Week".
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© Gunther Deichmann - Double page (spread size) in Stern
The Photo was taken in Bali on the 8th of October in the small commercial Harbor of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. I just happen to come across a vessel unloading not only Fish but massive amounts of Shark fins.
Each time a pile of shark fins had been cleared of the deck and trucked away by small trucks more Shark Fins appeared from the Hull of the vessel. I left the scene after about 45 minutes but the unloading continued, thousands of Shark fins of all species. I recognized Hammerheads, White tip and Black tip sharks.
I believe the reason for the worker wearing the hood is due to the cold temperature in the hull, (or is he hiding his face)? All fins had been frozen, which indicates that the vessel came from a longer trip. I could not get into the area where the fins where transported to by the trucks, which could have revealed most likely the real scope of this “catch”.
GD
24 October 2008
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Published on October 24th, 2008 @ 01:27:16 pm, using 1558 words, 110 views
First of all... a million thanks to all readers who shared their thoughts regarding my previous posted blog topic 'A Barbaric Whale and Dolphin Killing in Denmark… A TRUTH! and FICTION!' courtesy from other internet source. I was really surprised of the massive response and comments that I received from different people over the net for the past few days since I posted the blog, thanks for the support and I really appreciate it.
To others who haven't read yet please click this link 'A Barbaric Whale and Dolphin Killing in Denmark…' and you are free to share and throw some violent reactions with us =)
Upon reading some other blogs from CDNN, another interesting news/article and a follow-up blog that might be answer to stop or maybe lessen the killing of whales and dolphins. Have a look and see what I've got. By the way... sorry for the others who loves to eat dolphin meat for this disgusting article.
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Written by: JUSTIN McCURRY? - CDNN
TAIJI, Japan (23 Oct 2008) — Japanese diners who enjoy tucking into dolphin meat are putting their health at risk, as well as courting international condemnation.
Dolphin Meat - Japan Products
A new study by two Japanese universities found that residents of Taiji, a whaling town on the Pacific coast, who frequently ate the meat of pilot whale - a member of the dolphin family - have mercury levels 10 times the national average.
The hair of three tested residents contained quantities of mercury higher than 50 parts per million [ppm], a level that can lead to neurological problems.
Researchers from the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido and Daiichi University's College of Pharmaceutical Studies tested hair samples from 30 men and 20 women from the town between last December and July this year.
The average mercury level among the men was 21.6 ppm and 11.9 ppm among women - both about 10 times the national average. Three men with dangerously high levels of mercury said they ate pilot whale meat more than once a month.
Pilot Whale
Tetsuya Endo, a member of the research team, said the residents faced no immediate threats to their health but suggested they cut back on their dolphin and whale meat consumption, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Mercury levels halved among people who stopped eating the meat for two months.
Last year a study of dolphin meat served in school lunches in the Taiji area revealed mercury levels 10 to 16 times higher than the health ministry's accepted level of 0.4 ppm.
The latest warnings come as the town, about 280 miles west of Tokyo, begins its annual dolphin cull.
Local fishermen are expected to slaughter around 2,000 of the estimated 20,000 dolphins that will be killed in Japanese coastal waters between now and April.
The hunters bang on metal poles to drive pods of dolphins into secluded coves, where they are speared and hacked to death. The few that survive are sold to aquariums in Japan, Europe and the US.
Despite international condemnation of the culls, the people of Taiji, where coastal whaling is said to stretch back 400 years, claim the local economy would collapse if coastal whaling and dolphin hunting were banned.
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Additional Source:
In Taiji, the fishermen say that dolphin tastes like venison or beef. But eaten raw with a dab of ginger and soy sauce, the glistening dark flesh resembles liver with a coppery aftertaste that lingers on the roof of the mouth long after you’ve chewed it past your protesting taste buds. The ripe, tangy smell stays longer. “I hate cutting up dolphin,” says Motohata Toshihiro, who runs a nearby whale-meat shop. “The stink stays on you for days, even after several baths.”
Taiji Entrance - Japan Focus
Dolphin-hunting season has arrived again in this sleepy harbor town at the tip of the Kii peninsula south of Kyoto. Since October, perhaps 2,000 small whales and striped, bottlenose, spotted and risso’s dolphins have been slaughtered for meat that ends up on the tables of local homes and restaurants and in vacuum-packed bags in supermarkets. By the end of March, 1,000 more will go the same way, part of what is probably the largest annual cull of cetaceans – about 26,000 around coastal Japan according to environmentalists -- in the world.
Taiji View - Japan Focus
Six hours from Tokyo and accessible only via a coastal road that snakes through tunnels hewn from dense, pine-carpeted mountains, Taiji for years escaped the prying eyes of animal rights activists, but the isolation has been abruptly ended by the Internet and the cheap rail pass. A steady trickle of foreign protestors – most Japanese people know little about the tradition -- now arrives in the rusting town square to cross swords with local bureaucrats and the 26 fishermen who run the hunt.
As Taiji’s notoriety has grown, fueled by gruesome videos of the dolphin kill posted on YouTube? and by celebrity criticism from Joaquin Phoenix, Ted Danson and other high-profile environmentalists, tensions have sharpened. Protestors have repeatedly clashed with the fishermen. Nets and boats have been sabotaged, activists arrested and several environmental groups have been effectively banned from the town.
Foreigners now almost inevitably mean trouble, especially when they come with cameras; locals speak with special venom of a BBC documentary that they say depicted them as barbarians. “One fisherman told me if the whalers could kill me, they would,” says the best-known protestor, Ric O’Barry, who once trained dolphins for the 1960’s TV series ‘Flipper.’ “But I always try to stay on the right side of the law. If I get arrested, I’m out of this fight.”
Around Taiji and in the nearby towns of Kii-Katsuura and Shingu, whale meat has been eaten for hundreds of years, claim local officials. Restaurants and shops offer dolphin and whale sashimi and humpback bacon, along with tuna and shark-fin soup. A canteen next to the Taiji Whale Museum, where trained dolphins and small whales perform tricks for tourists, sells Minke steak, sashimi and whale cutlets in curry sauce in a room decorated with posters of the 80 or so ‘cetaceans of the world’: whales, dolphins and porpoises.
According to local wholesaler Mizutani Ikuo, dolphin meat sells for about 2,000 yen (about US$16) a kilo, cheaper than beef or whale. Unlike most Japanese children, who have no idea what whale tastes like, Taiji kids know their cetaceans. “I don’t like the taste of dolphin because it smells,” says 9-year-old Utani Rui. “I prefer whale.” Inside the museum, out-of-towners are often stunned to learn of the local tradition. “I’m shocked,” says Shibuya Keiko from Osaka. “I couldn’t imagine eating dolphin. They’re too cute.”
The hunts are notoriously brutal and blue tarpaulin sheets block the main viewing spots overlooking the cove where the killings take place to prevent picture-taking. Beyond the cove, a small fleet of boats surround a pod of migrating dolphins, lower metal poles into the sea and bang them to frighten the animals and disrupt their sonar. Once the panicking, thrashing dolphins are herded into the narrow cove, the fishermen attack them with knives, turning the sea red before dragging them to a harbour-side warehouse for slaughter.
The fishermen, who consider dolphins just big fish, like tuna, are bewildered that anyone would find this cruel, dubbing the weekend protestors ‘extremists.’ “If you walked into an American slaughterhouse for cows it wouldn’t look very pretty either,” says one, who identifies himself only as Kawasaki. “The killing is done in the open here so it looks worse than it is.” Most are descended from families that have been killing and eating the contents of the sea around Taiji for generations and reject arguments that dolphins are ‘special.’ Says Kawasaki: “They’re food, like dogs for the Chinese and Koreans.”
A 1994 statement [www.furcommission.com/resource/perspect3.htm] by Taiji Mayor S. Hamanaka directly addressed environmentalists in making the case for tradition and the legitimacy of the whale hunt:
We believe we know more about our own sea in Taiji than anyone who lives hundreds or thousands of miles away from us. We also believe we are more concerned with its protection and assume more responsibilities than anybody else in the world. We are sure that the same view is shared by Alaskan Eskimos, Faroese, Greenlanders, Icelanders, Norwegians, and Russians in Chukotka as well. We hope many environmentally concerned people in the industrialized nations will understand our views and trust us as rational and humane people, and stop making whaling a "scape goat" of the environmental crusade and making inhumane attacks on whaling people.”
O’Barry claims, however, that he was told in private by town officials that tradition is not the real reason for the hunts. “It’s pest-control; they’re over-fishing and want to kill the competition for the fish. That’s unacceptable. These animals don’t have Japanese passports, they belong to the world. They’re just trying to get around this town and these 26 guys.” He calls the town ‘schizophrenic.’ “It’s as pretty as a 1950s postcard and the people are so friendly, but this secret genocide takes place every year.”
The schizophrenia is sharpest, say activists, in the Taiji Whale Museum, where tickets for “whale-watching trips” in dolphin-shaped boats are sold while the non-performing animals bump up against each other in a tiny concrete pool. Trainers here help sort the ‘best-looking’ dolphins from the kill and train them for use in circuses and aquariums across Asia and Europe.
10 October 2008
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Published on October 10th, 2008 @ 09:27:03 pm, using 401 words, 70 views
ROXAS CITY – President Arroyo has exhorted Filipinos anew to help the government win in its campaign for the Tubbataha Reef, Chocolate Hills and the Underground River to win in the search for the "Seven New Wonders of the World."
Presently, the Tubbataha Reef in Cagayancillo, Palawan is ranked eighth, Chocolate Hills in Bohol is 9th, and the Underground River in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan is number 18 in the Top 77 Live Rankings of the worldwide on-line poll for the Seven New Wonders of the World.
The President has also called on the Bicolanos to lead the campaign to nominate and vote the world-famous Mayon Volcano for the new batch of the Seven Wonders of the World.
"Kaya Joey (Albay Goernor Jose Salceda), magkampanya naman tayo para iboto yung Mayon Volcano as one of the world’s new seven wonders. Dapat lahat ng mga taga-Albay, lahat ng mga taga-Bicol ay bomoto sa www.new7wonders.com para sa Mayon Volcano," the President urged the Albay residents.
She added: "Pero dahil kailangan bomoto kayo sa pito (in the list of choices), huwag niyong kalilimutan, bomoto rin kayo sa Tubattaha Reef (in Palawan), sa Chocolate Hills (in Bohol), at saka sa Puerto Princesa Underground River."
Addressing a town fiesta in Albay — home of the world-famous Mayon Volcano – the President called on the Bicolanos to lead the campaign for their hometown’s tourist attraction to join the new batch of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) website, www.news.ops.gov.ph, has also put a link to the New 7 Wonders website for Filipinos to vote and see rankings of the country’s nominated wonders.
Nominations can be submitted for the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign until December 31, 2008.
"Nominations can be submitted for the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign until December 31, 2008. Voting for nominees will continue through 31.12.08. Then, a panel of experts will create a list of 21 candidates from which voters worldwide will elect the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The New 7 Wonders Panel of Experts, under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former director-general of UNESCO, will select the 21 Finalists from the top-ranked Official Supported Nominees.
To ensure the fairness of the process, the names of the Panel of Experts will be released after their decision shall have been made.
The 21 finalists will then be put to popular vote," said a New 7 Wonders website article about the campaign. (PIA)
05 October 2008
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Published on October 5th, 2008 @ 09:40:43 pm, using 272 words, 92 views
Written by: Elaine Yong, Special to The Sun
The Philippines, often skipped over by tourists too focused on Thailand and Vietnam, has several world-class dive destinations with fantastic deals on packages that include accommodations, diving and even certification. This country is a bargain-hunter's dream where you can easily find cute air-con rooms on the beach for $35/night and a delicious Filipino chicken adobo dinner for less than $2.
In Puerto Galera, a five-hour bus and ferry trek from Manila, the narrow strip of beach is lined with dive resorts and operators. The PADI Open Water course plus five nights hotel starts at less than $400 (www.puertogaleradive.com). More than two dozen dive sites are within a 20-minute boat ride.
Diving around the island of Boracay isn't as cheap (rates have jumped about 50 percent in the past year), but it's home to the best beach in the Philippines, if not all of Southeast Asia, even making the 2007 Yahoo Travel's World's Best Beaches list (www.boracay.com). In the low season of May to October, room rates are slashed by more than half, plus you can negotiate discounts for diving packages.
Head to Palawan in the south for postcard-perfect limestone cliffs that rise dramatically from cerulean waters, but below the surface, you'll find a stark contrast. During the Second World War, A U.S. Navy strike force surprised a fleet of Japanese supply ships hiding out in Coron Bay, off the north end of the province. The stealth attack devastated the Japanese and left behind mass destruction. Now, 14 of those sunken ships make up one of the world's best wreck dive sites (www.coronwrecks.com).
27 September 2008
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Published on September 27th, 2008 @ 12:54:14 am, using 181 words, 112 views
Vice President Noli de Castro vowed to complete the priority projects of Region 4-B in 2010, saying he will use all his powers to bring development in Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.
De Castro, who was recently appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) for Region 4B which covers the four provinces known as Mimaropa, said he will complete the priority projects and programs of the region on time.
In a meeting of the region’s development council in Calapan, Mindoro, the other day, De Castro said he will follow up with the department secretaries themselves if their department or agencies are slow in implementing the priority projects.
He said he accepted the CORD position for Region 4-B because it covers Mindoro where he comes from. De Castro is from Pola, Mindoro.
De Castro said the region’s development council should not waste any time if it wants to accomplish its priority projects and programs, which include an airport, aimed at transforming Mimaropa as one of the food baskets and tourism hubs of the country.
18 September 2008
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Published on September 18th, 2008 @ 07:33:27 am, using 831 words, 5348 views
This horrible massacre of whales and dolphins article is really caught my attention which originally came from another source in the internet Truth or Fiction!
Whale and Dolphin Massacre in Denmark
From the original site text:
Denmark: What a shame, we have to spread the news in hope that someone can come and do something about this. Without a doubt man is the worst animal on the planet!
It is hard to believe that in this age that this bloody massacre annually takes place on Faroe Island in a country that claims to be a civilized member of the European Union. It is not publicized that this blood thirsty massacre is a rite of passage into adult life for participating young men. It is incredible that this act of barbarism against this species, a dolphin intelligence that is known to approach people with curiosity has not been made public. Please help spread the word.
From GD:
The “Red Sea” blood every where, a barbaric custom from the stone age has just caught my attention.
I don’t care what the excuse is, but now I have just about seen enough, this makes me sick! I have never seen such a brutal way of killing those harmless animals in this part of Europe, Denmark to be exact, where children helping in the slaughter yet another real “good education” Children even given a day off school so they can participate, Oh Boy...
A Whale of a Killing in Denmark -Truth! & Fiction!
Disgusting whale massacre! - Fiesta Galore in Denmark? - Arj
So what's this for??? - Arj
To be honest, I am lost for words…the true color (blood red) of our human or not so human behavior, I think our ancestors in the stone age have behaved themselves in a more human way.
See below some links for additional info there you can cast your vote and bring this cruel practice to a STOP!
Below some excerpts from the articles for more check the links;
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/w/whale-killing-denmark.htm
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/end-whale-dolphin-slaughter-in-the-faroe-islands
I am lost for words... GD
Courtesy and Excerpts from the articles, all the photos have been send to me with the understanding that these could be used, and help to stop this barbaric practice. Thank you very much.
Target:
Prime Minister Jóannes Eidesgaard
Sponsored by:
John Koehler
Whales are sensitive, social animals with highly developed nervous systems. They have a profound capacity to suffer distress, terror and pain. Each year, the Faroese kill pilot whales and other small cetaceans.
Islanders in motorboats first drive the whales into a bay. The chase may be lengthy. The exhausted, terrified and confused whales are eventually driven into the shallows. Here the bloodbath begins. The islanders repeatedly hammer 2.2 kg metal gaffs into the living flesh of each whale until the hooks hold. A 15 cm knife is then used to slash through the blubber and flesh to the spinal column. Next the main blood vessels are severed. The blood-stained bay is soon filled with horribly mutilated and dying whales.
The Faroese celebrate the butchery of their victims in an carnival atmosphere of entertainment. Indoctrinated from an early age, children are often given a day off school to watch the fun. They run down to the bay and clamber over the carcasses of slaughtered whales.
Every year around 2,000 whales are driven ashore and cruelly slaughtered in the Faroe Islands, mid-way between the Shetland Islands and Iceland. For centuries the Faroe Islanders have hunted pilot whales, driving entire schools into killing bays, where they are speared or gaffed from boats, dragged ashore and butchered with knives. Although the Islands are a protectorate of Denmark, they have their own Government and regulations governing the pilot whale hunt or "grind" as it is known.
Aside from the fact that the number of North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales is unknown and they are listed as 'strictly protected' by the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, this is an act of barbarism and pointlessness. By slaughtering 100 whales at a time, the Faroese are wiping out entire pods and family groups. They are removing building blocks from the gene pool of the species and damaging the web of life in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.
The drive hunt is a practice abandoned elsewhere many decades ago, and now outlawed by other European states. The inhabitants of the Faroe Islands have no subsistence need for whale meat, and much of the flesh is left to rot and be dumped; it cannot be exported, as it is polluted with heavy metals and other toxins and therefore cannot meet EU heath standards for human food.
According to Faroese legislation it is also permitted to hunt certain species of small cetaceans other than pilot whales. These include: Bottlenose dolphin; Atlantic white-beaked dolphin; Atlantic white-sided dolphin; and Harbour porpoise (There are also specific regulations for the hunting of harbour porpoise. Harbour porpoises are killed with shotguns).
07 September 2008
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Published on September 7th, 2008 @ 01:25:52 am, using 715 words, 282 views
Article by: Dr. Bernardo Villegas
IN a recent column, I raved about the attractions of Oriental Mindoro as a tourism destination because of its varied natural endowments such as tropical beaches, mountains, forests, cultural heritage, and one of the cleanest lakes left in the country, Lake Naujan.
Naujan Lake is so environmentally clean that there are parts of it in which the water can be safely drunk directly by humans. This favorable condition was not accidental. It resulted from at least nine years of vigilance on the part of former Governor Rodolfo Valencia who prohibited fish pens from being constructed anywhere in the lake. This environment-friendly policy was accompanied by a log ban and an aggressive tree-planting program that has resulted in new forest growth around the lake.
Sunset @ White Beach, Puerto Galera - Photo © by: Arj Muñoz
The success story of Naujan Lake may not, however, be replicated by the famous Puerto Galera beach, another tourist attraction of the province. As I wrote in a previous column, during the Holy Week of 2005, as many as 600,000 tourists visited Puerto Galera. Such a huge crowd, however, can be bad news for the environment. That is why, I wasn't surprised when last May 25, I received an e-mail from Mr. Luisito C. Samsin who has sounded a very timely alarm about what could happen to Puerto Galera if the local authorities and the property owners there do not get together to address the danger of environmental damage. The sad experiences of Boracay should serve as a warning.
Let me quote from Mr. Samsin's e-mail: "I read your article about the growing tourism in Mindoro, specifically in Calapan and Puerto Galera. I would just like to air my view on how the beautiful places in the province are being destroyed.
"Because I have relatives in Calapan, I frequented the place in the 70's and 80's. In the 80's, I went to Puerto Galera with officemates twice. The sights were breathtaking. Just the approach of Puerto Galera's pier already offered a magnificent view of the cove from the ferry. Snorkeling in the La Laguna beach showed the magnificent view of the corals. One could play with the fishes, the feeling was like you were inside an aquarium. If you wanted to swim, you could go to Sabang beach. We also went island hopping to White Beach. I went back to Puerto in 1996 with members of the fire brigade in our company. At first, one of the boys blamed me for bringing them to Puerto because they could not swim in the rocky beach of La Laguna. But when I told them that snorkeling is what they should do, they did not want to go back to Manila anymore.
Beautiful Puerto Galera Bay - Photo © by: Arj Muñoz
"Last April 29, 2005, my family went to Puerto Galera and what I saw was a shock. We traveled by car from Calapan to Puerto and landed in Sabang. I could not recognize the place anymore. But what really surprised me was that swimming is not allowed anymore in Sabang. The water was already dirty and brownish. La Laguna has lost most of the corals near the shore. Only a small area is left for looking at the corals. Water discharges from the restaurants go directly to the sea. Less than ten years from now, Puerto Galera as we know it today would be gone.
"The government of Mindoro should do something about this. Funds from tourism income should be allocated for cleaning up the beaches and maintaining the conditions in its present state. It is obvious that waste water would cause the death of the once beautiful cove."
I am sure that the governor of Oriental Mindoro, the two congressmen and the mayor of Puerto Galera can put together a medium-term plan to make sure that Puerto Galera doesn't go the way of Boracay in terms of environmental decay. There are enough Filipino experts, especially from the Environmental Engineering Department of the University of the Philippines who can help formulate an action program that can be funded by both local government and private enterprise. Those officials interested in such a plan may contact Mr. Florencio Ballesteros Jr. at tel. 927-1745 or e-mail balleste@up.edu.ph. (For comments, my e-mail is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.)
04 September 2008
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Published on September 4th, 2008 @ 10:48:43 am, using 831 words, 393 views
Article by: Deepa Paul-Plazo
Approximately three hours from crowded, sweltering Manila is an island getaway where the seafood is fresh, the sand is dazzling white, the water is a beautiful clear turquoise, and good vibes abound.
Hidden Paradise - Photo © by: Arj Muñoz
It is a getaway for adventurers of the "strike anywhere" variety, who think nothing of hopping on a bus on a whim, armed with nothing but a swimsuit and a pair of flip-flops. It is a refuge for the low-key urbanite escaping the frenzied crowd at Manila’s latest "in" spots (the same crowd that currently overpopulates Boracay). It is my paradise on the cheap—Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.
Centuries ago, during Spain’s colonization of the Philippines, Puerto Galera was a historic port of call for Spanish galleons plying trade between Mexico and Manila. Today, it is a popular summer haunt for young, middle-class Manilans. The opening of an affordable ferry route to Boracay via Mindoro has also made Puerto Galera a pit stop of choice for those who prefer to hie off to the upscale island getaway.
Life in Puerto Galera revolves around White Beach, where a significant number of affordable, frills-free cottages are available for rent. I’m often asked how to book reservations in Galera. The answer is, you don’t. (This answer often leaves born planners in a cold sweat.) Upon stepping off the ferry, visitors are besieged by a number of resort owners calling out rooms and rates—the Galera equivalent of Manila’s street hawker. For those who absolutely must have their fluffy bathrobes and room service, upscale private villas are located on the other beaches of Galera, such as Coco Beach, Big La Laguna, and La Laguna.
The denizens of White Beach, however, are happy where they are. The white-sand beach has remained amazingly clean despite the tourism boom. Outrigger boats are moored close to shore, giving swimmers welcome refuge from the sun. These boats can be rented for jaunts to nearby reefs, where the snorkeling and diving are excellent. An ice-cold dip in a nearby waterfall, Tamaraw Falls, is only a tricycle ride away. After a typically spectacular sunset, beachside bars open for business, allowing you to swig an ice-cold San Miguel or shot of Mindoro Sling right down at the shoreline, beneath the stars.
Rewarding patrons
For the past seven years, I’ve been a regular visitor to Puerto Galera, mostly during the off-peak months of October to February. People remember you, and reward you in the most unlikely ways for your continued patronage. While I was haggling with a henna tattoo artist, a wizened local masseur sitting nearby cut in. "Hindi mo na maloloko ‘yan (Don’t think you can cheat her)," she warned the tattoo artist. "Madalas ‘yan dito (She comes here often)."
Or, you just might get a special invitation to Lasagna Night at Italian Corner Pizzeria, a literal hole-in-the-wall eatery off White Beach. Home of fresh-baked Italian bread and crispy, thin-crust pizza, this bamboo shack is manned by an Italian adventurer-turned restaurateur and his friendly barkeep, who speaks fluent English with a quirky Italian-Batangueño accent.
Aside from the peace and quiet, the prices are simply the best thing about off-season. Cottages are available for P500 per night, four to five times less than what they would cost in the summer. A full meal of grilled tanigue, rice and ice-cold Coke can be had for about P50. For the same price, a tall, frosty ripe mango shake is an inexpensive indulgence, especially when the sun gets fierce. Boatmen will fall all over themselves to sell you an eight-hour snorkeling jaunt for P850, boat and gear included. A five-day stay for two off-season will barely reach P6,000, which is about what you would spend on airfare alone for Boracay. No wonder the place is a favorite of twenty somethings and backpackers.
Pockets of paradise
However, while I am a fan of the quiet off-season months, White Beach simply explodes into life during the peak months of March to June. Makeshift stalls selling colorful cotton sarongs, pearl jewelry, and beachwear abound. Henna tattoo artists ply their trade alongside local masseurs who proffer hour-long, full-body massages on the sand with fragrant coconut oil. Colorful friendship bracelets are thrust at you every now and then by the local children, who sell these to augment the family income. Somewhere along the shore, browned yuppies are setting up a beach volleyball game. And something about the summer sunshine just turns the water into an insanely bright, sparkling shade of aqua.
Peak Season - White Beach, Puerto Galera - Photo © by: Arj Muñoz
While prices may change peak or off-peak, the natural beauty of Puerto Galera never does. Neither does its appeal to those looking for a patch of sunshine and an easy getaway. Puerto Galera’s turquoise waters, white sand, and poignant sunsets are pockets of paradise that are accessible to all. Indeed, the best things in life are almost free.
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