Highlights of the Philippine Islands

The Philippine Islands have a lot of good scenery, and for me the show began before I even touched the ground, as my flight through Hong Kong flew near the infamous Mt Pinatubo. From the size of that crater you can get a pretty good idea of how massive the 1991 eruption was. It was still having a significant effect even when I visited in March of 2006, because the ash visible at the top left-hand corner of this photo is still getting washed further from the mountain every wet season, inundating farmland and even whole villages.
Technically speaking I wasn't even staying on Bohol, but rather on the much smaller Panglao Island, connected to the mainland near the main city of Tagbilaran by a one kilometer long causeway. This scene shows the shallow bay between the two islands, I assume that the thing at the front of the picture is a fish pen or perhaps (heaven forbid) a turtle pen, to keep the animals alive after being caught.
Technically speaking I wasn't even staying on Bohol, but rather on the much smaller Panglao Island, connected to the mainland near the main city of Tagbilaran by a one kilometer long causeway. This scene shows the shallow bay between the two islands, I assume that the thing at the front of the picture is a fish pen or perhaps (heaven forbid) a turtle pen, to keep the animals alive after being caught.

The fishermen aren't the only ones who might take a passing interest in you, though in this case I'm not sure if this water buffalo is more interested in me or that plant growing in its water hole.
The reef off Alona beach is certainly good enough to keep most people happy for an entire vacation, but there are even richer pickings at tiny Balicasag Island, about half an hour away by "bangka", the classic outrigger boat found all around the Philippines. The water here is very clear and there's both large and small marine life to marvel at.