My trip to Ranthambore national park in Rajasthan, India (IUCN Category ll) was an experience which confirmed the above. Ranthambore National Park is one of the oldest and most renowned national parks in Northern India. The park is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of the state of Rajasthan. Being considered as a former hunting ground of the Kings of Jaipur, today the Park is a major wildlife tourist attraction spot, though plagued by ailments like poaching and habitat destruction.

Ranthambore National park is spread over an area of 1,334 sq km, along with its nearby sanctuaries – the Mansingh Sanctuary and the Kaila Devi Sanctuary which serve as vital buffer areas and provide corridors for animal movement. The park lies at the edge of a plateau, and is bound by the Banas and the Chambal Rivers. It is named after the historic Ranthambore fortress, which lies within the park. The core park covers an area of about 400 km�. The park is famous for its tigers and is one of the best locations in India to see the majestic cat in its natural open habitat. Other wild animals include the leopard, blue bull, Indian wild dog, wild boar, sambar deer, hyena, sloth bear and spotted deer. It is also home to a wide variety of flora, birds and reptilian species. A good time to visit Ranthambore National park is in November and May. The nature of the dry deciduous forests makes sightings more common during this period.

A major attraction in the park is tracking the tiger on safari rides. Rides are carried out at two different times of the day. Each ride lasts about three hours. The core park area has been divided into several zones and the safari vehicles go on one of these zones. Other sites of interest include the majestic fort, built in the 10th-century, towering the park area. It stands at a height of 700 feet above the surrounding plain. Inside the fort, there are three red Karauli stone temples devoted to Hindu Gods – Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji. Padam Talao is the largest of the all the lakes located inside the park, and the beautiful red sandstone Jogi Mahal is located at the very edge of this lake. A gigantic banyan tree, considered to be India’s second largest, is in the garden of the Jogi Mahal.

A visit to Ranthambore National Park is a delight for every wildlife and nature enthusiast. The time spent watching tigers walk around in utter fearlessness, down the golden meadows and thick bushes is priceless, and worthy of being explored at least once in a life. You can spend as many days tracking and feasting your eyes on the beautiful tigers and become completely absorbed in the tiger’s habitat, but time constraints enabled us to take only four game drives over three days. Each game drive to the park began with high expectations and ended, almost always, in unexpected encounters and stories for the travel diary. In the forest, as in life, when you want it most nothing shows up and when you least expect it, a surprise awaits you at the next turn…

The tranquil peace which encompasses you as soon as you enter the Park is enough reason for any wildlife adventure lover to keep coming back. And then when you hear stories of poaching, habitat destruction of cattle grazing and human-animal conflict it leaves you disturbed.

It disturbed me enough to visit Mr. Fateh Singh Rathore, former Field Director of the Park, a famous Tiger Conservationist, but foremost a wildlife lover. He runs an NGO- Tiger Watch in Sawai Madhopur located just five miles away from the Park entrance. He works with the government and local community to preserve the tiger habitat and save the cat from being poached. He explained that “Saving the tiger is of utmost importance as the tiger is an apex species. This means that if you save a predator species like the tiger who is on the top of a very large ecosystem you automatically save the entire eco system which supports the tiger. You are saving the land, water, flora, fauna and the delicate balance which naturally exists in nature.” Tiger Watch has played a key role in providing alternative means of livelihood to local hunting tribes. The organization takes responsibility for educating children by setting up free schools and medical care for them so that they are dissuaded from hunting for easy money. Some are being trained as tour guides in the park and others support and participate in the growing tourist industry of the region. They are made aware that the tiger, due to its innate charisma, draws people from all over the world to their region and the protection of the forest is only going to enhance their own quality of life and that of their future generations. As Mr. Rathore puts it, “In wilderness lies preservation of the world…”

Costa Rica. A country that is covered almost entirely in rainforest with many zip line adventures, challenging caving with qualified guides and hiking on rugged mountains through virgin rainforest.

Dominica. A very mountainous rugged country comprised of several volcanoes, one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world, a boiling lake and hiking with qualified guides that will challenge even the fittest and most accomplished of hikers. Explore Morne Diablotins (4747 ft) on a multi-day hike not for the feint of heart. Scuba dive on volcanic landscapes in the Scotts Head Marine Park.

Jamaica. A well known and popular destination for beaches, but the island is also home to white water rafting expeditions, caving, hiking and mountain biking that will satisfy the cravings of even the most avid adventure tourist. Explore the mountains of Cockpit Country, mountain bike in the Blue Mountains, caving trips to the Deeside Roaring River Cave at certain times of the year only if you pass the physical requirements and restrictions, or explore the more accessible Peterkin Cave.

Guyana. An oft forgotten country when it comes to adventure, but Guyana is home to some of the largest and wildest rivers in the world. Multi and single day hiking and wildlife watching tours to Kaiteur Falls, Baganara Island, the Rupuni and the interior will satisfy adventure travelers. Travel on foot, horseback or 4 wheel drive vehicle. Tours to Mount Roraima, Orinduik Falls and Lethem, plus river trips, camping trips and fishing trips on the Essequibo River.

Belize. Thought of mainly as a destination for scuba diving in the Blue Hole, beach vacations to Ambergris Caye or visits to the rainforest and Mayan ruins, Belize also offers incredible caving, hiking, kayaking and scuba diving – the vertical walls of the Blue Hole are enough to intrigue any scuba diver. Multi-day and single day hiking trips in the rainforest and to Mayan ruins, plus kayaking on fast flowing rivers and zip lining through the rainforest canopy are enough to satisfy traveling adventurers.

Lonely Planet collected lots of ideas from travellers, bloggers and tweeters from which they generated a list of countries. Countries chosen are said offer a range of experiences to travellers albeit a few shortcomings like the less than satisfactory infrastructure and seeming tense political atmosphere after the just concluded presidential elections for the Uganda’s sake.

From the collected ideas, the top ten ranked countries were then voted for by a panel of travel experts at Lonely Planet and Uganda happens to be at the pinnacle of this list. The ranking was based on factors such as topicality, excitement, value and the special x-factor for a particular country.

Measuring almost the same size as Great Britain, Uganda passes for the most beautiful and diverse nation on the African continent. The country boast of a range of unique attractions and with the rapidly expanding tourism infrastructure and the much improved political stability, Uganda is turning out to be a haven for travelers.

Uganda is the entire Africa in one small package. What you find in the different parts of the African continent you find it all here in Uganda. At a glance you find the smallest of sunbirds iridescent in the dawn light, the enormous clumsy yet silent elephant disappearing like a vapor behind the trees, the naughty chimps crashing about the forest canopy, the Mountain Gorilla chewing thoughtfully in the bamboo thicket.

This lush tropical country is the source of the longest river in the world, the Nile. The mighty Nile twists its way North like a flickering ribbon, through arid semi-desert with scattered rocky kopjes. It is in Uganda where the savanna meets the huge Lakes of East Africa, and where snow capped mountains bear down on expansive jungles.

Snow capped peaks, tropical, sandy, fresh water beaches, and beautiful jovial faces all over the place. All that and more is here; Uganda is a feast for all the senses.

Declared by legendary British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill as the Pearl of Africa, it is little wonder Uganda is now the number one travel destination in the world.

The other ranked countries among the top ten travel destination for the year 2012 include:

2. Myanmar, 3. Ukraine, 4. Jordan, 5. Denmark, 6. Bhutan, 7. Cuba, 8. New Caledonia, 9. Taiwan and 10. Switzerland.

The Tropical Appeal
Apart from varied animal species, the park is popular worldwide for that stunning beauty of its widespread greenery and large quantity of plants found here. It houses very rare types of plants. Some are unique so much in fact that they are not present in every other lands. You must capture their pictures in your camera like a memory of this adventurous India wildlife holiday. The Jim Corbett National Park is an immensely diverse biome ecologically. In addition to the rare flora and fauna found here, the park also offers many rivers along with their tributaries flowing through it.

The Corbett Experience
You’ll want watched wildlife adventures on-screen within the convenience of your homes, but experiencing and enjoying the thrills in a national park is an experience that is among its very own kinds. The structured management system of the Corbett Tiger Reserve had put into its popularity. Vacationers love to come here over and over. In your Corbett tour, you may enjoy your remain at any of the several resorts that are constructed around the park. These resorts are equipped with impeccable amenities and services. They offer a very comfortable stay. Many of these wildlife resorts have affordable packages in tie-ups with reputed travel operators. The Corbett tour packages could be customized according to your individual needs in budget. Just let the agent know your specifications and you will get a tour option that meets your interest completely.

Corbett tours are actually an experience of a lifetime. You’ll love the risk of viewing the best of incredible India so closely. The tour guides which will accompany you on your tour are highly trained and fully experienced wildlife experts. They’ve immense knowledge about the park and its resident’s histories.

The Everest Base Camp Trek is known for the magnificent views of the Himalaya, not to mention, the initial, incredible experience of following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing.

Most people choose to fly to Lukla to start the Everest Base Camp Trek. For some trekkers and mountaineers, even the experience of landing at Lukla airport is in itself a nerve-wracking challenge. You should go ahead and take trek from Jiri if you have time, as it will enable your body to acclimatize gradually. This classic route takes approximately 30 days and moves from the predominantly Hindu lowlands to the Tibetan Buddhist High Himalaya. The path involves many ascents and descents, therefore to savor the trek, you have to be really fit and never your investment amount of time required to acclimatize. AMS (Acclimatization Mountain Sickness) is a real and heavy threat that professional mountaineers are well aware of.

Late September to Early November and March to April are the most useful times to enjoy the Everest Base Camp Trek. Over these months, with the pleasant climatic conditions, the abundance of wildlife, and also the full blossom of flora and fauna, the trek is more enjoyable. Bitterly cold weather and unpredictable changes in temperature as the altitude increases, make trekking in the winter months an even more dangerous proposition, which explains why it remains an unfavorable season for trekkers and mountaineers.

Across the trek, inspiring views such as Khumbu Glacier, Everest, and Nuptse will amaze and take your breath away. As you walk along, you’ll surely be astounded by the ‘ Sherpa’ who are recognized for their dedication, effort, and devotion towards the practice of Buddhism.

You must take your time to fully appreciate the Everest Base Camp Trek because this is no easy option. In contrast to other routes, this trek is intense. Nevertheless, it’s well worth it! As you look toward Mount Everest from Base Camp, also could you possibly ask for?

Wayanad’s ensemble of topography gives tourists opportunities to enjoy various forms of chance activities. Forest treks, boating, overnight camping, bird watching and wilderness study are a handful of amazing options available to visitors. The resorts at Wayanad are as interesting as its landscape.

Go through the jungle-feel: To keep up with the aesthetic appeal of the Wayand’s natural prettiness, there are several resorts that offer to their guests, the opportunity to climb atop trees and live in tree top houses to savor the thrill of jungle life. You will find simple bamboo cottages, having a warm cozy feel for them, or perhaps a little more elaborate tribal huts constructed with utmost care and artistic touch to give them a geniune feel, making your holiday at Wayand, fantastic and memorable. This exquisite experience comes at a cost of around Rs.5000 per tree house for a room for 2.

Unpretentious Home-stays: For individuals who like to keep things simple, comfortable home stays are for you personally. They are modest homes that are offered to guests, entirely or on share basis based on their need, and yet are equipped with the basic comfort you might consider when searching for a resort accommodation. These home-stays come at a fair price close to Rs.2000 to Rs.3000 for single or deluxe rooms. Usually home-stays don’t come with much facilities, but there are some with do provide pool, a conference hall and a recreation room for their guests.

Ideal time for you to visit: Wayanad includes a healthy climate throughout the year. Monsoon months of June to September are warm with heavy winds and rainfall. Wayanad looks beautiful with average rainy days. December to February is perfectly chilled and tourists love these months in Wayanad. The perfect months for sightseeing when nature reaches its best and may be beautifully captured in photographs, is during the months between October and could.

Be an earlier bird: These exquisite tribal huts and tree homes get booked like hotcakes throughout the high season as everyone likely to Wayanad looks toward experience this excellent adventure stay. Hence, it is best should you be an earlier bird for making your reservations well ahead of time to make sure you have a tree house or tribal hut booked under your name, before anyone else takes it away!

Plenty of apps obtainable to a mobile phone with their many addictive games. This can be a very costly way to go though. Even though you decide to splurge, constant use of the mobile phone results in a dead battery.

Save your electric batteries for roadside emergencies. You could always spend the trip singing along towards the radio. How many verses of “99 Bottles of Beer” can your voice box handle? Your fellow travelers can offer all of the entertainment you crave without the strain on your vocal chords.

Bingo is not just for little old ladies at the senior community center. Visit among the websites that permits you to build your own Bingo cards. You can make all of them with driver stereotypes rather than numbers and call them out as you slide on in the future. Look for the girl-type redneck in her own fuchsia pick-up truck, the Bentley-driving executive type or even the aging hippie within the day-glo painted Volkswagen Bus.

Talking about Volkswagen, they’ve come up with a new-beetle. Spotting these bugs provides you with carte blanche to punch your neighbor when you holler “Punch Buggy” If that neighbor does not develop the response “No Punch-backs” the sport can embark upon for eternity.

Don’t let the beatings drag out. Whatever driving game you play, there should be a success. People will want to participate more if they can go from it. The winner can claim prizes like snacks, which roadside attractions to prevent at, select the radio station for an hour, or possibly they get the front seat.

Be careful with the driver when playing a game title. One real good punch to a driver might have all of you swerving off course. Safety always comes first even with competitive road games.

The picnic game combines memory and also the alphabet in a creative way that gets everybody involved. Begin by saying, “I’m seeing a picnic and I’m going to bring…” then say something which begins with the letter A up to Z. The trick is originating track of food beginning with ‘u’, ‘x’, and all those other unpopular letters. The enjoyment starts when people get desperate and produce whatever they can think of once they win.

In many cases along the road the scene is going to be pastoral and you will have more sheep than people to watch. Just a little game called the Cow game pits the right side of the road against the left and provides points to the traveler who spots a cow. Spotting a cemetery on the opposite side of the road clears the points the cow side has earned. The victors with the most cow points pick the next lunch place.

Keep sane by continuing to keep amused. The destination is only a part of your journey. Don’t mark time by whining and wishing you were somewhere else. These games is really so invigorating you might just keep driving!

A Kaleidoscope Nation

The Philippine Culture and Filipino people, to begin with, really are a assortment of different backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. Everything begun using the migration of Malay and Austronesian people throughout the early centuries to the colonization of Spain, the Americans, and then the Japanese. Increase the continuous migration of Chinese, Indian along with other nationalities, the Philippines is without a doubt a diverse nation. With this diversity come the different cultures and traditions, which, after hundreds of years of mixing and matching, define the unique culture and tradition that makes the Filipino race.

The Fiesta

The very first thing foreigners notice concerning the Philippine Culture is our fondness on festivities, locally referred to as fiesta or “pista”. The Filipino fiesta list usually -and unusually- starts with Christmas. Christmas carols can already be been told by radios, as soon as September, decorations pop up by October, then after a brief break for that Halloween (Pinoy fashion) on November, the actual Pinoy Christmas enters with style for 9 days (or nights, or dawn, or whatever) on December with the Simbang Gabi, that ends with the Christmas eve dinner “Noche Buena”. But wait, there’s more, the Christmas season does not end until the January from the next year, coinciding using the New Year’s celebrations, and lastly, the Feast of the Three Kings.

Throughout the midsummer, there’s the Holy Week or Semana Santa, a Christian holiday that begins with the Palm Sunday, followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday and lastly culminating with Easter Sunday.The Holy Week celebration is usually marked with a whole week of faculty and work off, for this reason why it is the best time for Filipinos to return to their provinces and spend more time with their relatives, as part of Philippine culture and tradition.

Then, by May comes the Flores de Mayo or even the Santacruzan. The Flores de Mayo is really a Catholic festival, honouring the Virgin Mary. This feast culminates with the Santacruzan or Sagala, a parade that presents how Queen Helena and Constantine found Jesus’s true cross from Jerusalem. For that Philippine culture, the Sagala is held with your regard that it is ensured that it only shows each Barangay’s most beautiful ladies.

Besides the usual festivities, different regions all throughout the Philippines host various local fiestas that reflect its very own history, religion, nature, people and wildlife. There is the Ati-atihan of Aklan, the Pahiyas Festival of Quezon, the Pintados Festival of Leyte, Kadayawan Festival of Davao and Dinagyang Festival of Ilo-Ilo.

This year of festivities culminates using the All Saints Day and All Souls Day of November. It is a time where Filipino families pay tribute for their departed relative and friends by visiting cemeteries and saying prayers for that dead. It is one of the well-known traditions including within the Philippine Culture.

Religions

Being a nation of various ethnicities, it also follows that the Philippines is really a nation of numerous religious beliefs. Different religious beliefs were contained in Philippine Culture too. The Anito-worshippers from the early pre-Spanish era are now replaced Catholic devotees. Add to that the Islam of the south, and the different Protestant religions brought by American occupation, coupled with Buddhism in the Chinese. The Filipinos are into religion to the stage that we have our very own branch of the Christian faith, The Philippine Independent Church or the Aglipayan Church.

Food

Filipino cuisine includes foods and dishes with Hispanic, Chinese and American origin adapted to indigenous ingredients.Probably the most popular Filipino dish is the lechon, whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal. Another popular and Filipino dishes include:

� Longganisa, Filipino version of a sausage

� Tapa, beef in thin slices, cured on salt and spices

� Torta, omelette with various ingredients

� Adobo, chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce

� Kaldereta, meat in tomato sauce stew

� Mechado, larded beef in soy sauce and tomato sauce

� Pochero, beef in bananas and tomato sauce

� Afritada, chicken and/or simmered inside a tomato sauce with vegetables

� Kare-kare, oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce

� Crispy-pata, deep-fried pig’s leg

� Hamonado, pork sweetened in pineapple sauce

� Sinigang, meat or seafood in sour brooth

� Tinola, chicken in tamarind broth

� Pansit, Filipino-style fried noodles

Gambling

Another part of Philippine culture is gambling. From the “Sabungan” of rural barrios towards the casinos of the urban cities, gambling is a pervasive social activity. The “sabong”, however, is easily the most ubiquitous of those gambling activities, making the Philippine the planet centre for cockfighting. Filipinos have legal and illegal “sabong”. The latter, usually done in secluded areas away from police raids. Sabungeros use 2 kinds of knives or gaffs, which is attached on the left leg from the cock. Bets are collected through the Kristo, and the Sentesyador may be the one who deliberates the winning cock.

Sports

Philippine sport scene usually consists of basketball, boxing, billiards, football and volleyball. Filipinos athletes are rather competent in these fields, garnering multitudes of awards on nearly every competition they enter. Some of the successful Filipino athletes are:

� Lydia de Vega (sprinting)

� Elma Muros (track and field)

� Eugene Torre (chess)

� MikeeCojuangco (equestrian)

� Philippine Dragon Boat team

� Onyok Velasco (Boxing)

� Efren “Bata” Reyes (Billiards)

� Manny Pacquiao (Boxing)

Music

Music is also a part of Philippine Culture. Music in the Philippines is composed of different genres and styles, with influences from across the world.In the get-go, Filipino folk music has already been a mix of indigenous and European/Asian music, usually adapted to various dialect among regions. Some of popular Filipino folk songs are:

� Bahay Kubo

� Sitsiritsit

� Alibangbang

� Leron Leron Sinta

� Paruparong Bukid

� Magtanim ay Di Biro

The Harana, a courtship song, and Kundiman, a song that typically has romantic themes, will also be popular in the Philippine culture dating back the Spanish period. Some of it is adapted to modern style.

Popular music in the Philippines is generally branded as OPM or Original Philippine Music. In the 70′s, the OPM scene was mostly dominated by the jukebox idols like Claire dela Fuente, Rico Puno, Ryan Cayabyab, Freddie Aguilar, Hajji Alejandro and Rey Valera.

By the 1980s and 1990s, OPM was led by artists for example Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta, APO Hiking Society, Jos� Mari Chan, Dingdong Avanzado, Rodel Naval, Janno Gibbs, Ogie Alcasid, Joey Albert, Lilet, Martin Nievera, Manilyn Reynes, Pops Fernandez, Lea Salonga, Vina Morales, Raymond Lauchengco, Francis Magalona, and Gary Valenciano.

Art

Pottery is probably the most popular craft early Filipinos have mastered. Evidence present in Sanga-sanga Cave, Sulu and Laurente Cave, Cagayan proves that pottery was already widespread as early as 6000 BC.The products of this craft were well-liked by the neighbouring lands, with Filipinos enjoying trade relations with Japan and China.

Art can also be seen on traditional tattoo of early Filipinos as part of the Philippine Culture before, from which the term pinatados came into effect. Various designs referencing plants and creatures with heavenly bodies decorate their skin in a variety of coloured pigmentation.

Using the arrival of the Westerners came a new light on Filipino art. Filipinos began creating paintings that mostly cope with religion and politics. Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo are the type of who enjoyed fame and prestige in the Philippines and abroad.

In Mindanao, there are tribes who’re famous for their intricate weaving production. Some tribe, such as B’laan, Mandaya, Mansaka and T’boli are skilled in dyeing abaca fibre. Others, such as the Ilongot make jewellery from pearl, red hornbill beak, plants and metals.

The Filipino Character

Filipinos are sensitive with regards to social interaction. Filipinos have the term “pakikisama” meaning adjusting to the people you receive involved with, and it’s the centre of all Filipino values. Filipinos also be aware of need for paying one’s debt, especially when the Filipino trait “utang na loob” comes in play. Filipinos are also noted for being hospitable. They treat visitors with utmost care and diligence.

Filipinos are family-oriented. Most Filipino homes really are a tightly knit abode for extended family members such as the Lolas, or Titas. Filipinos strongly believe that blood is thicker than water.Filipinos are pleased people. Despite problems arising from poverty and the like, Filipinos never neglect to flash a smile or flaunt laughter at jokes as well as misfortunes.Filipinos depend on their faith amongst others, thus the old saying “bahala na”, which attaches ones action to fate and God.

Filipinos know a good deal about respect. From childhood, Filipinos are taught to mano using their parents and older relatives. A typical Filipino child’s sentence usually ends with po and opo, and they are taught to address elders with kuya or ate.

The Filipino Ethnicity

Philippine’s geography helped shape the Philippine culture. Filipinos are mainly split into various regional and ethnical groups. A few of these groups would be the Ilocano, Cebuano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano and Waray. Mindanao was, for the longest time, home for that Filipino Muslims, whom was called Moros during the Spanish regime.

Then, there is the Aeta or Negritoes: famously known as the first individuals to settle in to the islands. They mostly live in isolated mountains or forest, which leaves them free to live away from Western and Islamic influences.

Apart from these regional groups, there’s also for the most part 100 highland, lowland and coastland tribal groups within the Philippines. To name a few:

� Badjao

� Igorot

� Ilongots

� Lumad

� Mangyan

� Batak

� Tagbanwa

� Tumandok.

Plenty of apps obtainable to some mobile phone with their many addictive games. This can be a very expensive approach to take though. Even though you choose to splurge, constant utilisation of the cell phone results in a dead battery.

Save your electric batteries for roadside emergencies. You can always spend the trip singing along towards the radio. The number of verses of “99 Bottles of Beer” can your voice box handle? Other travelers can offer all the entertainment you crave without the strain on your vocal chords.

Bingo isn’t just for little old ladies at the senior community center. Visit one of the websites that allows you to build your own Bingo cards. You can make all of them with driver stereotypes rather than numbers and call them out while you slide on down the road. Look for the girl-type redneck in her fuchsia pick-up truck, the Bentley-driving executive type or the aging hippie in the day-glo painted Volkswagen Bus.

Talking about Volkswagen, they’ve think of a new-beetle. Spotting any of these bugs provides you with carte blanche to punch your neighbor when you holler “Punch Buggy” In the event that neighbor does not come up with the response “No Punch-backs” the sport can go on for eternity.

Don’t allow the beatings drag out. Whatever driving game you play, there should be a success. People will want to participate more whether they can go out of it. The winner can claim prizes like snacks, which roadside attractions to stop at, pick the radio station for an hour, or maybe they obtain the front seat.

Be cautious using the driver when playing a game. One real good punch to a driver might have the lot of you swerving off course. Safety always comes first despite competitive road games.

The picnic game combines memory and also the alphabet in a creative way that gets everybody involved. Begin by saying, “I’m going to a picnic and I’m likely to bring…” then say something which begins with the letter A up to Z. The trick is originating up with food starting with ‘u’, ‘x’, and all those other unpopular letters. The fun starts when people get desperate and produce what you can think about as long as they win.

In many cases across the road the scene will be pastoral and you will have more sheep than people to watch. Just a little game known as the Cow game pits the right side of the road against the left and provides points to the traveler who spots a cow. Spotting a cemetery on the opposite side from the road clears the points the cow side has earned. The victors most abundant in cow points select the next lunch place.

Keep sane by continuing to keep amused. The destination is only part of your trip. Don’t mark time by whining and wishing you were elsewhere. These games is really so invigorating you may just keep driving!

A Kaleidoscope Nation

The Philippine Culture and Filipino people, to begin with, really are a collection of different backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. It all begun using the migration of Malay and Austronesian people throughout the early centuries towards the colonization of Spain, the Americans, and so the Japanese. Increase that the continuous migration of Chinese, Indian and other nationalities, the Philippines is undoubtedly a diverse nation. With this diversity come the different cultures and traditions, which, after centuries of mixing and matching, define the very unique culture and tradition that makes the Filipino race.

The Fiesta

The very first thing foreigners notice concerning the Philippine Culture is our fondness on festivities, locally known as fiesta or “pista”. The Filipino fiesta list usually -and unusually- starts with Christmas. Christmas carols can be heard from radios, as soon as September, decorations pop up by October, then after a brief break for the Halloween (Pinoy fashion) on November, the actual Pinoy Christmas enters with style for 9 days (or nights, or dawn, or whatever) on December with the Simbang Gabi, that ends with the Christmas eve dinner “Noche Buena”. But wait, there’s more, the Christmas season doesn’t end until the January from the next year, coinciding using the New Year’s celebrations, and finally, the Feast from the Three Kings.

During the midsummer, there’s the Holy Week or Semana Santa, a Christian holiday that starts with the Palm Sunday, then Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday and lastly culminating with Easter Sunday.The Holy Week celebration is generally marked with a whole week of school and work off, that’s the reason why it is the best time for Filipinos to return to their provinces and spend more time with their relatives, as part of Philippine culture and tradition.

Then, by May comes the Flores de Mayo or the Santacruzan. The Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival, honouring the Virgin Mary. This feast culminates using the Santacruzan or Sagala, a parade that presents how Queen Helena and Constantine found Jesus’s true cross from Jerusalem. For that Philippine culture, the Sagala is held with such regard that it’s made sure that it only shows each Barangay’s most breathtaking ladies.

Besides the usual festivities, different regions all through the Philippines host various local fiestas that reflect its own history, religion, nature, people and wildlife. There’s the Ati-atihan of Aklan, the Pahiyas Festival of Quezon, the Pintados Festival of Leyte, Kadayawan Festival of Davao and Dinagyang Festival of Ilo-Ilo.

This season of festivities culminates using the All Saints Day and All Souls Day’s November. It’s a time where Filipino families pay tribute for their departed relative and friends by visiting cemeteries and saying prayers for that dead. It’s among the well-known traditions including in the Philippine Culture.

Religions

As being a nation of numerous ethnicities, it also follows the Philippines is a nation of various faith. Different religious beliefs were contained in Philippine Culture as well. The Anito-worshippers from the early pre-Spanish era are now replaced Catholic devotees. Increase the Islam from the south, and also the different Protestant religions through American occupation, along with Buddhism in the Chinese. The Filipinos are into religion to the point that we have our very own branch from the Christian faith, The Philippine Independent Church or the Aglipayan Church.

Food

Filipino cuisine includes foods and dishes with Hispanic, Chinese and American origin adapted to indigenous ingredients.One of the most popular Filipino dish is the lechon, whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal. Another popular and Filipino dishes include:

� Longganisa, Filipino version of a sausage

� Tapa, beef in thin slices, cured on salt and spices

� Torta, omelette with assorted ingredients

� Adobo, chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce

� Kaldereta, meat in tomato sauce stew

� Mechado, larded beef in soy sauce and tomato sauce

� Pochero, beef in bananas and tomato sauce

� Afritada, chicken and/or simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables

� Kare-kare, oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce

� Crispy-pata, deep-fried pig’s leg

� Hamonado, pork sweetened in pineapple sauce

� Sinigang, meat or seafood in sour brooth

� Tinola, chicken in tamarind broth

� Pansit, Filipino-style fried noodles

Gambling

Another part of Philippine culture is gambling. In the “Sabungan” of rural barrios towards the casinos from the urban cities, gambling is a pervasive social activity. The “sabong”, however, is the most ubiquitous of those gambling activities, making the Philippine the world centre for cockfighting. Filipinos both have legal and illegal “sabong”. The second, usually done in secluded areas away from police raids. Sabungeros use two kinds of knives or gaffs, which is attached around the left leg of the cock. Bets are collected by the Kristo, and the Sentesyador may be the one who deliberates the winning cock.

Sports

Philippine sport scene usually consists of basketball, boxing, billiards, football and volleyball. Filipinos athletes are rather competent during these fields, garnering multitudes of awards on almost every competition they enter. A few of the successful Filipino athletes are:

� Lydia de Vega (sprinting)

� Elma Muros (track and field)

� Eugene Torre (chess)

� MikeeCojuangco (equestrian)

� Philippine Dragon Boat team

� Onyok Velasco (Boxing)

� Efren “Bata” Reyes (Billiards)

� Manny Pacquiao (Boxing)

Music

Music can also be part of Philippine Culture. Music within the Philippines is composed of different genres and styles, with influences from across the world.From the get-go, Filipino folk music has already been a mixture of indigenous and European/Asian music, usually adapted to various dialect among regions. Some of popular Filipino folk songs are:

� Bahay Kubo

� Sitsiritsit

� Alibangbang

� Leron Leron Sinta

� Paruparong Bukid

� Magtanim ay Di Biro

The Harana, a courtship song, and Kundiman, a song that typically has romantic themes, are also popular within the Philippine culture dating back to the Spanish period. Some of it is adapted to modern style.

Popular music within the Philippines is generally branded as OPM or Original Philippine Music. Within the 70′s, the OPM scene was mostly dominated by the jukebox idols like Claire dela Fuente, Rico Puno, Ryan Cayabyab, Freddie Aguilar, Hajji Alejandro and Rey Valera.

By the 1980s and 1990s, OPM was led by artists such as Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta, APO Hiking Society, Jos� Mari Chan, Dingdong Avanzado, Rodel Naval, Janno Gibbs, Ogie Alcasid, Joey Albert, Lilet, Martin Nievera, Manilyn Reynes, Pops Fernandez, Lea Salonga, Vina Morales, Raymond Lauchengco, Francis Magalona, and Gary Valenciano.

Art

Pottery is probably the most popular craft early Filipinos have mastered. Evidence found in Sanga-sanga Cave, Sulu and Laurente Cave, Cagayan proves that pottery had been widespread as soon as 6000 BC.The products of the craft were popular among the neighbouring lands, with Filipinos enjoying trade relations with Japan and China.

Art can also be seen on traditional tattoo of early Filipinos as part of the Philippine Culture before, from which the word pinatados came into effect. Various designs referencing plants and creatures with heavenly bodies decorate their skin in a variety of coloured pigmentation.

Using the arrival of the Westerners came a new light on Filipino art. Filipinos began creating paintings that mostly cope with religion and politics. Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo are among those who enjoyed fame and prestige in the Philippines and abroad.

In Mindanao, there are tribes who’re famous for their intricate weaving production. Some tribe, for example B’laan, Mandaya, Mansaka and T’boli are skilled in dyeing abaca fibre. Others, like the Ilongot make jewellery from pearl, red hornbill beak, plants and metals.

The Filipino Character

Filipinos are sensitive with regards to social interaction. Filipinos possess the term “pakikisama” which means adjusting to the people you receive associated with, and it’s the centre of all Filipino values. Filipinos also know the importance of paying one’s debt, particularly when the Filipino trait “utang na loob” is available in play. Filipinos will also be known for being hospitable. They treat visitors with utmost care and diligence.

Filipinos are family-oriented. Most Filipino homes really are a tightly knit abode for extended family members like the Lolas, or Titas. Filipinos strongly think that blood is thicker than water.Filipinos are pleased people. Despite problems arising from poverty and the like, Filipinos never fail to flash a smile or flaunt laughter at jokes as well as misfortunes.Filipinos depend on their faith amongst others, thus the old saying “bahala na”, which attaches ones action to fate and God.

Filipinos know a great deal about respect. From childhood, Filipinos are taught to mano using their parents and older relatives. A typical Filipino child’s sentence usually ends with po and opo, and they’re taught to address elders with kuya or ate.

The Filipino Ethnicity

Philippine’s geography helped shape the Philippine culture. Filipinos are mainly split into various regional and ethnical groups. A few of these groups would be the Ilocano, Cebuano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano and Waray. Mindanao was, for that longest time, home for the Filipino Muslims, whom was called Moros throughout the Spanish regime.

Then, there is the Aeta or Negritoes: famously referred to as first people to settle into the islands. They mostly reside in isolated mountains or forest, which leaves them free to live away from Western and Islamic influences.

Apart from these regional groups, there’s also at most 100 highland, lowland and coastland tribal groups within the Philippines. To name a few:

� Badjao

� Igorot

� Ilongots

� Lumad

� Mangyan

� Batak

� Tagbanwa

� Tumandok.