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Disaster Travel / Philippines / Philippines Travel / Disasters / → All Tags

Lava Spews From Mount Mayon in the Philippines

Already battered by typhoons in recent months, it doesn't appear that Mother Nature is easing up on the Philippines, a destination that holds a special place for those of us who have traveled there in recent years. On our last trip, we had the opportunity to trek up an active volcano on horseback, but even the most adventurous of tourists will have to abstain from getting close to Mount Mayon, which is currently spewing lava "half a kilometer downslope," according to a report from The Philippine Star.

Located on Luzon, the largest of the Philippines' 7,000-plus islands, Mayon's seismic activity has triggered "43 volcanic quakes" in recent days, says Business Mirror online. Suffice to say, now is not optimal for visiting the area, though the holidays are a particularly popular time of year for tourists and Philippine expats to travel there.

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Floods / Philippines Travel / Philippines / Disasters / Travel Warnings / → All Tags

Hope You Aren't Planning A Trip To The Philippines This Month

We hope not too many Jaunted readers were traveling through the Philippines over the weekend because it hasn't been pretty: a tropical storm hit the north of the country and caused the worst flooding Manila has seen for more than 50 years.

Almost half a million people have been displaced by the floods and sadly, at least 86 have been confirmed dead, with the final death toll expected to be a lot higher.

What this means for travelers: right now is clearly not a fantastic time to be landing in the northern Philippines. Apart from the fact that the locals are busy with more important things than entertaining tourists, with such widespread flooding there's also the danger of disease outbreaks. Postpone your trip if you can. When you do get there, remember we've also warned you to be wary of ferries, okay?

Related Stories:
· Storm Kills Dozens in the Philippines [NY Times]
· Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Saavedra]

Seven Wonders of the World / Philippines / Chocolate / Asia Travel / → All Tags

Enticing-Sounding Destinations: The Chocolate Hills

We admit we don't know everything about every destination in the whole world, but we sure are surprised that we hadn't heard of the Chocolate Hills until now. They're found in Bohol in the Philippines and have hit the headlines because they're in the running to be one of the new Natural Wonders of the World.

But before you book your ticket, don't get too excited: They're not actually hills made of chocolate, as we'd hoped. Instead they are a weird set of over 1,200 cone-shaped hills, all of a similar size, and because the green grass that covers them turns brown during the dry season, they were named the Chocolate Hills.

Two of the chocolate hills have resorts on them, and at one there's a special viewing station which is part of the Chocolate Hills Complex. They've also got a hostel, swimming pool and a restaurant: Here's hoping their menu features lots of chocolate.

Related Stories:
· Chocolate Hills Back in Race [Cebu Daily News]
· Can You Afford A Natural Wonder? [Jaunted]

[Photo: crazyegg95]

Flickr / Philippines / → All Tags

Flickr by Candlelight

Farl is a photoblogger based out of the Cebu islands in the north of the Philippines. While each photo is on Flickr, there's generally a thorough explanation of what is being documented in the pictures. The photos also cover travel, including trips to Madagasgar and New York City.

The photo pictures above is a time-lapsed photographed of a candlelight procession, in the Philippines. The procession was for Good Friday; it's probably the coolest the town of Bantayan will ever look.

[Image via farl/Flickr]