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Philippines' Palawan named World’s Best Island for the second time
Gulf News Destinations ^ | July 18, 2016

Posted on 07/18/2016 6:20:00 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

An island province in the Philippines likened by Hollywood A-listers as "Emerald City" and "the most beautiful place" on the planet has been named the world's best island yet again.

Palawan first received the distinction in 2013 after being voted the "Best Island in the World" on international magazine Travel & Leisure. This year, Palawan topped the list with a score of 93.71. Voters described Palawan as “every beach lover’s dream destination.”

Palawan is known for its crystal blue waters, amazing dive spots, and a plethora of picturesque views. No wonder the island paradise has drawn a string of Hollywood titles to its shores, with Bourne Legacy, The Beach and The World is Not Enough from the James Bond series filming some scenes there....

(Excerpt) Read more at gulfnews.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Travel
KEYWORDS: island; palawan; philippines; travel; vacations; worldsbestisland

1 posted on 07/18/2016 6:20:00 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Would be interesting to get the opinions of some of the FReepers in the Philippines...
2 posted on 07/18/2016 6:22:08 PM PDT by BlessedBeGod (To restore all things in Christ ~~~~ Appeasing evil is cowardice.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Just wait till Al Sayeff gets there. Hope the island is well guarded.


3 posted on 07/18/2016 6:25:10 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; Army Air Corps
Hey! 2DV, Great to see you back around.

Thank You for posting. A very compelling Article.

4 posted on 07/18/2016 6:25:34 PM PDT by KC_Lion (Never Killary!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I somehow got on a site which changes my home screen every day. Just about all the scenes are landscapes.

It really is hard to believe how many gorgeous places exist on this earth. Some of the most beautiful are the Scottish Hebrides. Also a lot in the Mediterranean. Actually they are all over.


5 posted on 07/18/2016 6:28:09 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Anything endorsed by Hollywood types is questionable in my mind, beautiful or not.

Wait ‘til enough move in and Californicate the place.


6 posted on 07/18/2016 6:36:38 PM PDT by redfreedom
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To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

I believe the Muslims are concentrated in the Southernmost islands.


7 posted on 07/18/2016 6:44:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Planes, trains or cars (or small boats).


8 posted on 07/18/2016 6:47:08 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Now that it's made the pages of the Gulf Times (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) it's going to be a target. Pity. It does look like a paradise.


9 posted on 07/18/2016 6:51:43 PM PDT by katana
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To: BlessedBeGod

I think it was about 15 years ago Abu Sayyaf kidnapped and killed some Americans at a resort on Palawan.


10 posted on 07/18/2016 7:23:37 PM PDT by 03A3 (The reset is gonna be epic.)
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To: BlessedBeGod

I was there in Feb. Got sick on the plane from Manila and was in bed the whole time.


11 posted on 07/18/2016 7:51:04 PM PDT by philetus (Keep doing what you always do and you'll eventually get what you deserve)
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To: BlessedBeGod
My wife and I have property on the island of Palawan. It is a beautiful place, with lots of dive spots, interesting geological highlights (Karst cliffs, longest navigable underground river in the world), and if you just want to sight see in the capitol there is Baker's Hill, The Palawan Butterfly Gardens, and others.

The cost of living, even at USA standards, is low. Your money goes a long way.

12 posted on 07/18/2016 10:23:05 PM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: Just another Joe

Have you been to Samal Island? I spend a lot of time there. I have not been to Palawan yet, but hope to someday.


13 posted on 07/19/2016 2:05:35 AM PDT by Mark17 (The love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong. It shall forevermore endure.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The USS Pickaway APA 222 delivered a prefab school house to Tacloban in 1966 and the entire crew was treated like royalty by the locals. There were statues of WW2 American military in the town square and the locals would stop you on the street and thank America for saving them from a Japanese Hell. All in all a wonderful rural area that loved Americans and appreciated our sacrifice for them. Now the Muslims are spreading in that area ruining it as they will do here in America as time passes.


14 posted on 07/19/2016 4:51:00 AM PDT by BTCM (Death and destruction is the only treaty Muslims comprehend.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
It might be a beautiful place, but it has a grim history. Would that the "Beautiful People" would be aware of it. Some snippets from, American Prisoners of War: Massacre at Palawan.

Among the American prisoners remaining in the Philippines were 346 men who were sent 350 miles on August 1, 1942, from the Cabanatuan POW camps north of Manila, and from Bilibid Prison in Manila itself, to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. Palawan is on the western perimeter of the Sulu Sea, and the POWs were shipped there to build an airfield for their captors.

Although the prisoners’ numbers fluctuated throughout the war, the brutal treatment they received at the hands of their Japanese guards was always the same. The men were beaten with pick handles, and kickings and slappings were regular daily occurrences. Prisoners who attempted to escape were summarily executed.

On December 14, Japanese aircraft reported the presence of an American convoy, which was actually headed for Mindoro, but which the Japanese thought was destined for Palawan. All prisoner work details were recalled to the camp at noon. Two American Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft were sighted, and the POWs were ordered into the air raid shelters. After a short time the prisoners re-emerged from their shelters, but Japanese 1st Lt. Yoshikazu Sato, whom the prisoners called the Buzzard, ordered them to stay in the area. A second alarm at 2 p.m. sent the prisoners back into the shelters, where they remained, closely guarded.

Suddenly, in an orchestrated and obviously planned move, 50 to 60 Japanese soldiers under Sato’s leadership doused the wooden shelters with buckets of gasoline and set them afire with flaming torches, followed by hand grenades. The screams of the trapped and doomed prisoners mingled with the cheers of the Japanese soldiers and the laughter of their officer, Sato. As men engulfed in flames broke out of their fiery deathtraps, the Japanese guards machine gunned, bayoneted and clubbed them to death.

Most of the Americans never made it out of the trenches and the compound before they were barbarously murdered, but several closed with their tormentors in hand-to-hand combat and succeeded in killing a few of the Japanese attackers.

15 posted on 07/19/2016 11:58:58 AM PDT by Oatka (Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.)
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