Get relaxed beach resorts in the Philippines

The Philippines is a popular tourist destination. Whether you come to visit its many sights around the country or just to spend your holiday in one spot, you’re sure to have a dream vacation here. If relaxation is your primary reason to visit, you won’t be disappointed. Since this Southeast Asian country is made up of many islands, beach resorts in the Philippines abound, each offering a smorgasbord of water activities and relaxation options.

Bohol Beach Club

With an emphasis on healthy outdoor activates, the Bohol Beach Club makes it fun and easy to keep in shape while on holiday. You can choose from activities such as windsurfing, kayaking, and pedal boating or biking. But, if you played too hard in the sun, the Bohol Beach Club offers massages to work out the kinks and ease those tired muscles. Buildings center around an outdoor pool or you can go for a swim in the ocean just steps away. This newly renovated three-star is on Panglao island.

Plantation Bay Resort

Although Plantation Bay Resort is right on the beach, you won’t have to jump the waves to go canoeing and paddle boarding. That is because the resort has its own private waterway, one of the largest in the world. The resort is near a top diving site, with coral reefs and shipwrecks just waiting to be explored. The hotel has all the graciousness of the tropical plantation it resembles. Spacious rooms have specially designed sleeping tubs, while restaurants serve everything from fried bananas to shrimp tempura.

El Nido Resorts Lagen Island

El Nido Resorts on Lagen Island calls itself an eco-sanctuary, a place that is designed to preserve the surrounding environment. On one side of the resort, there’s a lush forest; on the other side, tranquil bay waters. You can relax by going bird- or wildlife watching or looking at the scenery from limestone rock formations to the jungle. You can get your daily exercise by sailing, hiking a nature trail, swimming or working out at the fitness center, followed by a relaxing massage.

Shangri-La's Boracay

Lush vegetation gives Shangri-La’s Boracay a very intimate feel, almost like you’re on a deserted island. Located on Puka Shell Beach on scenic Boracay island, the resort’s white sand beaches and green forest make for a winning combination. Water activities range from lounging on the beach to parasailing to deep sea diving. You can rejuvenate yourself at the full-service spa that offers treatments using Chinese and Philippine techniques. Your dining options include a cliff-top restaurant that specializes in seafood.

Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort

Green is a relaxing, serene color; it reminds us of the great outdoors Which makes Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort the perfect spot for relaxation. Located on Palawan island in the West Philippine Sea, this small resort is surrounded by lush green vegetation. You can walk along the beach, swim in an enormous pool or just walk through the jungle. If you’re looking for different water activity, consider a ride on the nearby Puerto Princessa Underground River — Daluyon is the closest resort to the river.

Read more: Top most beautiful towns in the Philippines

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Things you should know before traveling to Thailand

Millions of people flock to Thailand each year, and the number of annual visitors is continuing to grow. Having a basic knowledge of what to expect before you arrive in the Kingdom will be helpful both for you and for the local people you meet along the way. Here are things to know before you arrive.

Avoid animal tourism

Getting up close and personal with some of Thailand’s most exotic animals has become a must-do activity on many tourists’ itineraries. Elephant trekking, tiger temples, and photo ops with monkeys are a few activities you may come across while visiting the country. If one of these attractions is on your bucket list, we suggest crossing it out. Many travelers are unaware of how these animals are mistreated and neglected. Before arriving in Thailand, make sure you do some thorough research into the ethical ways you can interact with the native wildlife. If you’re dying to see elephants, see elephants! Just do so responsibly.

There are a lot of soi dogs

There are about 300,000 strays roaming the streets of Thailand’s capital city alone. While the exact number of soi dogs (street dogs) is unclear, one thing remains certain: you’re going to run into at least a handful of them while visiting Thailand. Lesions, fleas, rashes: these are just some of the conditions that street dogs are suffering from. Caring locals provide food and water for these animals, but many are still neglected. Help out when you can, but also be vigilant.

Do not feed the monkeys

You’ll come across plenty of monkey-filled beaches in Thailand. These animals are cute, clever, and are definitely cool to see up close. That does not mean you should feed them. Feeding the monkeys means they become less able to find food on their own, making them vulnerable in the wild. It also means that they’ll associate people with food. It’s not uncommon to see monkeys steal bags, clothing, and more from tourists in hopes of finding food. These monkeys become less cute when they are tearing your purse apart. Remember these are wild animals. Monkeys bite, and unless you had your rabies shot and there’s a hospital nearby, an enjoyable experience could quickly turn into something very dangerous.

Bargain responsibly

Bartering in Thailand can be fun. There are few places in the Western world that allow you to exchange numbers back and forth with a merchant until you both agree on a price. That being said, there is always a time and a place to fight for a discount. If you’re visiting Chatuchak Weekend Market, barter away! If something doesn’t have a visible price tag, you should definitely suggest a merchant go lower for an item than what they originally said. If you’re blatantly making a merchant uncomfortable or bartering is no longer a friendly banter, move onto the next shop. Don’t be the tourist fighting over a single dollar.

Read more: All you need to know about Ayutthaya, Thailand

Invest in bug spray

One too many trips to Thailand have been cut short by an unfortunate encounter with one too many bug bites. Whether you are left confined to your hotel room because the itching is simply unbearable, or worse, you contract a virus, you’ll certainly regret being so brazen. Bug spray should replace your perfume or cologne while in Thailand. Be sure to have a travel-size spray with you at all times. You never know when a bloodthirsty mosquito is going to be out for dinner.

Source The Culture Trip

Pad Thai, the most famous dish in Thailand

Pad thai is a dish synonymous with Thailand and unlike Singapore noodles, is actually Thai from the place it’s named for Thai people take great pride in the dish and use it as a yardstick for their own cuisine.

“Whenever we try Thai food,” chef and Thailand native Nick Srisawat tells Gastronomica,“ we try pad thai first because that is a way to judge how good a restaurant is.” It’s become a staple in Bangkok and is loved across the world, but the story of its inception is one you might not know.

Back in 1938, a man named Phibunsongkhram, better known as Phibun in the West, had just played a prominent role as a military officer in a coup that dethroned Thailand’s monarchy and, after rising through the ranks of government, became Prime Minister (dictator).

Despite being the center of power in Thailand, Phibun was worried. Siam - as Thailand was then known - had never been colonized but was surrounded by the French and British. Siam was also an ethnically diverse country with strong regional identities, and with the removal of the monarchy, there was little to hold these disparate groups together.

So, in an effort to forge a true national identity and - more importantly - cement his power, Phibun decided to transform the country’s culture and identity. From 1939 to 1942, Phibun passed 12 Cultural Mandates that would - hopefully - encourage the Siamese people to be productive, well-mannered, and proud of their country.

Phibun’s mandates were incredibly nationalistic, and like a lot of modern-day legislation, were aimed to curb foreign influence within Siam. Some of his mandates - like his desire for everyone to wear hats in public - have faded into the fog of history. But his decision to change the name of the country to Thailand has stuck, and his ability to forge a true national identity has lived on. But what has this got to do with pad thai I hear you ask? Patience, we’re getting to that.

Before Phibun, pad thai didn’t’ exist. In fact, most Thai people ate rice with chilli paste, leaves, and salt and bought lunch and snacks from Chinese food vendors. But during world war II, Thailand suffered a shortage of rice, and Phibun used this shortage as a nationalistic propaganda opportunity. Thus pad thai was born, ironically from a dish with Chinese origins. The original name for Pad Thai, was ‘Gway Teow Pad Thai.’ Gway Teow’ is a Chinese word for rice noodles, while ‘Pad’ means fried and ‘Thai’ means in Thai style. Some people believe that a similar creation to Pad Thai was brought to Siam by Chinese traders in the 1700s.

Phibun’s son told Gastronomica that his family cooked pad thai before his father made it the national dish of Thailand, but is unsure who invented it. Others say there was a national competition held and pad thai won. What everyone does agree on is that the dish was used to protect Thailand’s rice resources. Noodles are cheap and economical to produce and could be dried and kept for long periods of time. The amount of rice used to make noodles was 50% of what would be consumed if it was eaten unprocessed, so noodles essentially doubled Thailand’s rice stores.

Married with Phibuns mandates, pad thai was promoted heavily up and down the country under the campaign slogan “noodle is your lunch”. The propaganda led menu change told the Thai people they were “helping the war effort” and “supporting your country” all while reducing the influence of non-Thai within the country. The Public Welfare Department gave out recipes to restaurants and even gave free food carts to people to sell pad thai in the streets, all while quietly banning foreign nationals from selling their wares.

But it worked. The Thai people adopted pad thai and started eating it regularly. Phibun’s push to unite the Thai people under his nationalist agenda worked and the Thai nation started to become the country Australians regularly visit today.
So next time you order pad thai from your local Thai, remember it was the delicious brainchild of a dictator.

Oh and Phibun? The vocal fan of Mussolini and the man who forged an alliance with Japan during World War II? After numerous coups where he lost and then regained power, he was forced into exile in Japan in 1957 and lived there till his death in 1964.

Read more: 4 popular Thai noodle dishes you should try

Source Asian Inspiration