Why Screw Up Nature’s Beauty?

Sometimes I read a little in a book titled “Culture shock”. It is meant for people who want to visit or live in the Philippines. One part was about how the people here keep their own houses very clean and neat but don’t mind too much about the environment, littering wherever they go. I think the author was quite mistaken by singling this subject out as being part of a culture shock. It is definitely not a typical Philippine habit after all. Believe me, I have been to several countries and it is the same there. It has nothing to do with culture but rather is a habit of homo sapiens in general. Nature’s beauty? Here are some examples of the beauty one can find in the Philippines. Let me start with one picture I took in Malaysia.

But in the The Philippines we have beautiful trees too like these palm trees on a farm in Quezon Province where I also saw cocoa beans for the first time in my life.

When I lived in San Juan I saw the bark on the Tamarind tree turn beautiful red during the sunset.

In the big garden, there are also banana trees and nice spicy chilis. And orchids. They just root on dead trees and all you have to do is water them daily. They then will show wonderful flowers. The next picture is a plant, called Santan here in the Philippines. If someone knows the English or Latin name; please leave it in a comment. Right in front of the house in San Juan farmers grow rice almost every year. The green color looks so intense fresh. The native mango is very sweet. Perfect to make ice-cold mango shakes! 

Just outside San Fernando City in La Union is barangay Pias where I took the next picture because I liked all the shades of green and then suddenly the red flowers in top. My friend had brought his advanced camera and so he got the opportunity to shoot the shy oriole high in a tree.

But also in the cities you can enjoy the beauty of the country. I love standing on Kalaklan bridge in Olongapo City, looking over the river, seeing the mountains far away. 

Closer at home the neighbor grows bromeliads. During the rainy season, this frog came out in the evening. One day we went to the lagoon to relax and try to catch some fish.

South of the main island Luzon is a small island called Bohol. It is famous for the Chocolate hills.

Bohol is also home for colorful butterflies and Tarsiers. The latter are very shy and hard to find in the wild. This one lives in a sanctuary. No need to say that people are not allowed to use a flash while taking photographs. It is said that the brains of a tarsier as big as his eyes.

These are just a few examples. Of course there are much more great places where you can enjoy the beauty of the Philippines. Volcanoes, waterfalls and rice terraces just to name a few.

Love the ones you’re with and be loved in return.