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Photo Journals: The Philippines and
Beyond
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| Simply
said, life in the Philippines is good. Maybe all you've
heard about the country are the stories about terrorists,
or the devastating natural disasters. These stories
make the international news, but the day to day reality
of life here is quite different. If you hop on a transcontinental
flight for a visit in person, you'll find the people
are very friendly, life moves at a slower pace, and
every week there is a fiesta or colorful celebration
somewhere if you look. There are certainly problems:
a bad legacy of colonization followed by the bombast
and corruption of the Marcos regime turned what was
the number two economy in Asia into a shadow of its
former self. But despite the problems, life in the
Philippines is still varied and vibrant; from the
tasty Guimaras mango festival, to the food coma inducing
Tagbilaran fiesta, to the traditional sunday cock
fight, to a typical day at my site in Dumaguete and
much, much more. This section is an evolving spotlight
on my highlights of living here.
(Click here to visit
the gallery--36 photo essays) |
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| One of my motivations
for joining the Peace Corps was to have the opportunity
to explore places far away from the U.S. that most
Americans never get a chance to visit. In October
2004, I met up with my great friends Steve and Alex
Iams to do a three week tour of Thailand, Laos and
Malaysia. Three countries in three weeks is a pretty
hectic schedule, but we packed in more hightlights
than many travelers put into three months of traveling.
So check out this section to find some photos of the
simple life in Laos, authentic Thai food from food
stalls in Bangkok, a blood sucking trip into Malaysia's
Taman Negara jungle to end the trip, and a whole lot
more. You might just find your next travel destination
here.
(Click here to visit the gallery--22 photo essays) |
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| The more than 7,000
islands of the Philippines are home to some of the
most ecologically important reefs in the world. Species
diversity here in the Philippines is higher than even
the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Since I've been
in the country, I've been lucky enough to spend quite
a bit of time underwater visiting some of the most
pristine reefs in the Philippines with my camera along
for the ride. This gallery includes some of my favorite
shots from under the sea taken in marine sanctuaries
such as Apo Island, just a short trip from my site,
Balicasag Island in Bohol, and Bicol in Luzon. The
photo essay from San Miguel Island in Bicol includes
some photos that were used by the Philippine
Daily Inquirer newspaper for an article about
the threatened sanctuary there. So dive on in, you'll
find lots of photos of colorful clown fish, shimmering
schools of jacks, a few toothy moray eels and more.
(Click here
to visit the gallery--24 photo essays) |
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