What "More Fun in the Philippines" really means...

It's not just about the non-creative, outright rip-off...

It's not just about ripping off fellow Filipino, using photographs without his permission or at least a notice...

It's not just about using other countries' images trying to get away with it...

Thailand's Songkran Festival read here. 

It's not about millions of tax payer's money used to reasearch (for what?), campaign, broadcast, print. No, it's not just about that...

"It's More Fun in the Philippines"... is Filipino culture. "We are better than...", "Our country is better than....". Insinuations.

Is there a Siti Nurhaliza video in YouTube not bashed by Filipino critters? Is there a Miss Indonesia video in YouTube not bashed by Filipinos online? Is there a Thai tourism video on YouTube without any comments -- "In the Philippines we have this and that..."? Are there anything, in any forum or platform, not bashed by Filipinos?

It's more fun in the Philippines "than"....

It's their culture. I hate to admit but this slogan says a lot about them than WOW Philippines in my previous tourism rant.

I love the Philippines. Old friends of this blog knows it very well. And this post... is a reflection that nobody want to see.

"It's more fun in the Philippines than YOURS." It's their culture. Love it or hate it.

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THE 20 BEST VIEWS IN THE WORLD

Nope, this isn't BISEAN's list. But we'll come up with our own very soon.


This (as posted all over the net, thanks to Yahoo!) is from Andrew Harper, a veteran travel writer and foremost in travel & leisure (for over 30 years). He reveals the most spectacular vistas around the world. [source] Guess who made it...



1. The Grand Canyon from the South Rim

People come from all over the world to take in this vista, which at sunset resembles an impressionistic painting brought to life. Hopi Point, on the West Rim Drive, extends far out into the canyon and is an excellent vantage point among many. Try to visit during the shoulder seasons of April-May and September-October, when the weather is milder and the park is less crowded.



2. Hong Kong Island from Kowloon

Hong Kong Island is clustered with dizzying neon-lit skyscrapers, and the view from the Kowloon Peninsula across Victoria Harbour is straight out of a science-fiction film. This dense urban scene is especially impressive every evening at 8, when it promptly erupts into a laser light show!


3. Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

This remarkable bay between the island of Phuket and the Thai mainland is dotted with hundreds of tall limestone formations that rise hundreds of feet from the sea. Ten thousand years ago, you could walk among these towers; now only their tops are visible, like the skyline of a sunken city.



4. Manhattan from the top of Rockefeller Plaza

5. Istanbul skyline from the Bosphorus strait, Turkey

6. The Ngorongoro Crater from North Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania

7. St. Paul’s from Waterloo Bridge, London

8. The Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands

9. Machu Picchu, Peru

10. The Yucatan Peninsula from the top of Chichen Itza, Mexico


11. Florence from the loggia of Villa San Michele, Italy
12. Paris from the Pont des Arts, France
13. The medina of Fes from the Palais Jamai, Morocco
14. Annapurna from Sarankot, Nepal
15. Sydney Harbour from Taronga Zoo, Australia
16. The Potala Palace from across the Lhasa River, Tibet
17. The Parthenon from Mount Lycabettus, Athens, Greece
18. The Lemaire Channel, Antarctica
19. The City Palace from the Lake Palace, Udaipur, India

20. The temples of Bagan, Burma

Dotted across a plain beside the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar, the ruins of Bagan cover 16 square miles. Dozens of immense stupas and temples rise from the red, dusty soil, all that remains of a major city sacked by the Mongol Kublai Khan. The scene at sunrise is unforgettably romantic

2008 VISIT INDONESIA YEAR

Indonesia calling...



...waiting for us.



No screeching divas with irritating high notes...




...just pure Indonesia.


Come and visit.

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*One of the videos claimed 17,508 islands. I better change my referrence.

SOUTHEAST ASIA’S MOST VISITED COUNTRIES IN 2006

Lower those dang eyebrows! Yes its 2006 data. You got a problem with that? Ha! Unless you got the 2007 data, I would kneel down before you and beg. But I know you don’t. So shut up.

Let's get on with it, shall we? Here…

The 10 Perfect Paradise countries of the ASEAN got a combined total of 237,450,700 tourist arrivals in 2006. Where did most of the tourists go?

1. Malaysia 73,550,200
2. Thailand 57,957,600
3. Singapore 40,547,000
4. Indonesia 24,428,900
5. Vietnam 14,274,000
6. Philippines 11,442,300
7. Cambodia 5,664,400
8. Laos 4,563,000
9. Burma 2,784,300
10. Brunei 2,238,900

Almost 43% of those tourist arrivals came from us – SE Asians! Where did most of us go?

1. Malaysia 56,738,800 - Don’t we all just loooove Malaysia?! Woohoo!
2. Thailand 14,861,800
3. Singapore 14,835,400
4. Indonesia 10,935,800
5. Laos 3,266,100
6. Vietnam 1,968,400
7. Brunei 1,880,800
8. Cambodia 917,400
9. Philippines 796,200
10. Burma 261,400

And 57% of the total tourist arrivals came from the European Union, Japan, China, Korea, USA, Australia, Taiwan, India, Hong Kong (Top 10), etc.

Where did most of them go?

1. Thailand 43,095,900 – Ha! Do I need to elaborate?
2. Singapore 25,711,600
3. Malaysia 16,811,400
4. Indonesia 13,493,100
5. Vietnam 12,305,600
6. Philippines 10,646,100
7. Cambodia 4,747,000
8. Burma 2,522,900
9. Laos 1,296,900
10. Brunei 358,100

I’m sure the 2007 data is very close to these figures because it was Visit Malaysia Year, all-the-world-knows-Thailand and Changi Airport forever.

Please don’t forget that 2008 is Visit Indonesia Year – so let’s go and head over to Indonesia! They are waiting for us!

Be good to yourself. Travel more.


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*Data source: The ASEAN Secretariat