See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.
Showing posts with label sea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sea. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Golden path
It wasn't until I tried taking pictures of a sunset from start to finish that I realized that the sun's reflection on the water lasts for only a few minutes. Taken at the Manila Bay looking towards the hills of the Bataan Peninsula.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Porcelain and artillery
The San Diego was a 16th century galleon, a three-masted trading ship built in 1590 in the province of Cebu by Spanish, Chinese and Filipino shipbuilders. It used different kinds of Asian woods and was about 35–40 meters (115–130 feet) long, 12 meters (39 feet) wide and 8 meters (26 feet) high. It had at least four decks and could hold about 700 tons of cargo.
In November of 1600, the San Diego was refitted by the Spanish colonial government to help fight Dutch corsairs who were preying on ships entering Manila harbor. The battle took place in December and resulted in a draw, with one Dutch ship, the Mauritius, catching fire, and the San Diego, which was still laden with cargo and overloaded with the added artillery and ammunition, sinking.
Antonio de Morga, who led the Spanish fleet and survived to write about the attack in his book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas in 1609, only mentioned that the San Diego sank somewhere south of Manila Bay.
It was not until 1991 that the San Diego wreck was discovered off the town of Nasugbu in the province of Batangas. In 1992, the galleon was excavated with the help of hundreds of people of different nationalities and the support of the Philippine, French, German, Spanish and American governments.
To date, the San Diego shipwreck is the Philippines' most important underwater archeological discovery. Of the more than 30,000 artifacts found in the shipwreck, 5,000 are now in the Museum of the Filipino People. The artifacts include Chinese porcelain, Japanese swords, European cannons, helmets and astrolabes, and Mexican coins. Understandably, the San Diego collection is one of the museum's most extensive and important exhibits.
In November of 1600, the San Diego was refitted by the Spanish colonial government to help fight Dutch corsairs who were preying on ships entering Manila harbor. The battle took place in December and resulted in a draw, with one Dutch ship, the Mauritius, catching fire, and the San Diego, which was still laden with cargo and overloaded with the added artillery and ammunition, sinking.
Antonio de Morga, who led the Spanish fleet and survived to write about the attack in his book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas in 1609, only mentioned that the San Diego sank somewhere south of Manila Bay.
It was not until 1991 that the San Diego wreck was discovered off the town of Nasugbu in the province of Batangas. In 1992, the galleon was excavated with the help of hundreds of people of different nationalities and the support of the Philippine, French, German, Spanish and American governments.
To date, the San Diego shipwreck is the Philippines' most important underwater archeological discovery. Of the more than 30,000 artifacts found in the shipwreck, 5,000 are now in the Museum of the Filipino People. The artifacts include Chinese porcelain, Japanese swords, European cannons, helmets and astrolabes, and Mexican coins. Understandably, the San Diego collection is one of the museum's most extensive and important exhibits.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Bellarocca: Body & soul
Aside from swimming and golf, what else is there to do at Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa? Aqua sports, of course. You've already seen the kayaks on the beach in my Water, earth & sky post the other day. You can also choose to go snorkeling or windsurfing, and the aqua sports center also has jet skis and aqua scooters.
Because of the unusual mix of clouds here, this photo is especially for Sky Watch Friday.
You can take the hobie cat out for a sail, like the three women out there in the distance. If you choose water skiing or a banana boat, you'll be towed by one of these boats in the marina.
If peace and quiet is what you crave, Bellarocca has a meditation sanctuary, which is also where wedding ceremonies at the resort are usually held.
The main spa of Bellarocca is still being constructed, but I think that it cannot beat the location of the remote spa. It is set on one of the highest points of the island and the view is magnificent. Of course, to appreciate the view you have to be able to stay awake during a relaxing massage. Can you?
One of the best experiences at Bellarocca: the dining. The food is excellent. As usual, we found the serving sizes too big for us, especially since we enjoy having more than just one course; the staff were kind enough to split all the dishes for us, which we really appreciated. I love these wooden arches at the entrance of the main dining room, though we didn't have all our meals here. Tomorrow, my last Bellarocca post, I will show you where some of our meals were served.
Of course, Bellarocca also has more sedate indoor activities; it has a library and a lovely billiard table, and every room is equipped with internet access and a home theater system. But who wants to stay indoors on an island resort this gorgeous? BELLAROCCA SERIES #5
Because of the unusual mix of clouds here, this photo is especially for Sky Watch Friday.You can take the hobie cat out for a sail, like the three women out there in the distance. If you choose water skiing or a banana boat, you'll be towed by one of these boats in the marina.
If peace and quiet is what you crave, Bellarocca has a meditation sanctuary, which is also where wedding ceremonies at the resort are usually held.
The main spa of Bellarocca is still being constructed, but I think that it cannot beat the location of the remote spa. It is set on one of the highest points of the island and the view is magnificent. Of course, to appreciate the view you have to be able to stay awake during a relaxing massage. Can you?
One of the best experiences at Bellarocca: the dining. The food is excellent. As usual, we found the serving sizes too big for us, especially since we enjoy having more than just one course; the staff were kind enough to split all the dishes for us, which we really appreciated. I love these wooden arches at the entrance of the main dining room, though we didn't have all our meals here. Tomorrow, my last Bellarocca post, I will show you where some of our meals were served.
Of course, Bellarocca also has more sedate indoor activities; it has a library and a lovely billiard table, and every room is equipped with internet access and a home theater system. But who wants to stay indoors on an island resort this gorgeous? BELLAROCCA SERIES #5
Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page and tour the skies of our beautiful world.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Bellarocca: Mediterranean dream
All the buildings of Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa are built in a distinctive Mediterranean style and guests have different options for their accommodations. The most luxurious are the garden and cliff villas, which have one and two bedroom versions. Each villa has a living room, kitchen and dining room, a veranda (for garden villas) or balcony (for cliff villas), and an outdoor deck with a private pool and jacuzzi. The villas are perfect for those who want a truly private vacation.
The two bedroom terrazas, built as duplexes, are all located on the ridges of the island and have the best views of Mt. Malindig. They have the same features as the villas, the only difference being that terrazas do not have private pools and spas.
I think that this particular cliffside terraza has the best location of them all, being on the northwestern tip of the island, with a magnificent view of the sun setting over the ocean while retaining its view of Mt. Malindig.
Currently being finished are the garden-view casas, which have one to three bedrooms. They are scheduled to be available to guests by the end of this year.
Last, but definitely not the least, are the hotel rooms. Adjoining the main clubhouse of the resort, the hotel offers standard rooms, junior suites and suites. I say "definitely not the least" for the hotel rooms are every bit as luxurious as the bedrooms of the villas, terrazas and casas; they just don't have living and dining rooms, though the suites do have sitting areas. There is also a lovely lap pool at the hotel if you don't feel like taking a golf cart down to the seaside pavilion and infinity pool.
I said at the beginning that the one and two bedroom villas are the most luxurious accommodations at Bellarocca. That is true only as of now. In a few more weeks, the three bedroom residential villa will be finished and that will be the most luxurious of them all: a wooden outdoor deck with patio furniture, pool and spa; three huge bedrooms with home theater systems and bathrooms with whirlpool baths; two large living rooms, one on each floor, with sleek modern couches and home theater systems; a full kitchen; and a roof deck with magnificent views on all sides.
Our accommodations at Bellarocca were for a standard hotel room, for which we had a gift certificate; it was part of my prize for winning second place in a contest last year, and I would like to thank JM Zozobrado for inviting me to join that contest. My husband and I were the only guests to arrive last Thursday (we purposely schedule our vacations for the middle of the week because there are always fewer people) and Bellarocca's general manager, Monsieur Jan Michel Gautier, upgraded our room to a junior suite, so I would also like to thank him—for the room and for many other things which I will still write about. I also owe a debt of gratitude to John Tanjangco, whom I have never met or even talked to; he knows what for. Thank you, John, and bless you. BELLAROCCA SERIES #4
The two bedroom terrazas, built as duplexes, are all located on the ridges of the island and have the best views of Mt. Malindig. They have the same features as the villas, the only difference being that terrazas do not have private pools and spas.
I think that this particular cliffside terraza has the best location of them all, being on the northwestern tip of the island, with a magnificent view of the sun setting over the ocean while retaining its view of Mt. Malindig.
Currently being finished are the garden-view casas, which have one to three bedrooms. They are scheduled to be available to guests by the end of this year.
Last, but definitely not the least, are the hotel rooms. Adjoining the main clubhouse of the resort, the hotel offers standard rooms, junior suites and suites. I say "definitely not the least" for the hotel rooms are every bit as luxurious as the bedrooms of the villas, terrazas and casas; they just don't have living and dining rooms, though the suites do have sitting areas. There is also a lovely lap pool at the hotel if you don't feel like taking a golf cart down to the seaside pavilion and infinity pool.
I said at the beginning that the one and two bedroom villas are the most luxurious accommodations at Bellarocca. That is true only as of now. In a few more weeks, the three bedroom residential villa will be finished and that will be the most luxurious of them all: a wooden outdoor deck with patio furniture, pool and spa; three huge bedrooms with home theater systems and bathrooms with whirlpool baths; two large living rooms, one on each floor, with sleek modern couches and home theater systems; a full kitchen; and a roof deck with magnificent views on all sides.
Our accommodations at Bellarocca were for a standard hotel room, for which we had a gift certificate; it was part of my prize for winning second place in a contest last year, and I would like to thank JM Zozobrado for inviting me to join that contest. My husband and I were the only guests to arrive last Thursday (we purposely schedule our vacations for the middle of the week because there are always fewer people) and Bellarocca's general manager, Monsieur Jan Michel Gautier, upgraded our room to a junior suite, so I would also like to thank him—for the room and for many other things which I will still write about. I also owe a debt of gratitude to John Tanjangco, whom I have never met or even talked to; he knows what for. Thank you, John, and bless you. BELLAROCCA SERIES #4
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Bellarocca: Water, earth & sky
Because Bellarocca Island is a rock, the beach is quite small and the shoreline's incline is steep. The rough coral and rocks which the beach is composed of make me suspect that the island is young too, geologically speaking; the water has not had time to grind the pieces into fine powder. It's not very comfortable for bare feet, but I commend the resort management for not importing fine sand from other islands, a practice quite common among more environmentally-insensitive beach resorts in the Philippines.
When the tide is high, which is most of the day, the sea flows onto the lower steps of the stone stairs which lead from the seaside pavilion to the beach.
I love the beach and I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I have to confess that I have a great fear of being bodily in deep ocean water (I'm perfectly fine in boats), which means that I spent most of our water time in Bellarocca's infinity pool. I love how its deep blue tiles match the color of the deep sea, though it did make my heart race the first time I saw it. Quite deceiving really, since the deepest part of the pool is only four feet (1.2 meters).
This was my favorite poolside deck chair. I love the canopy and the chair can be swiveled to face either the pool or the ocean.
Mount Malindig on the main island of Marinduque dominates the view both from the pool and the beach. It is a potentially active volcano and its last eruption, whenever that was, is evident throughout the land trip, with large boulders made of volcanic rock strewn by the roadside. Bellarocca Resort maintains a 9-hole golf course at Malindig's foot—that little white dot is the clubhouse. I think that the volcano's deep rifts and craggy top make for a fascinating study. BELLAROCCA SERIES #3
When the tide is high, which is most of the day, the sea flows onto the lower steps of the stone stairs which lead from the seaside pavilion to the beach.
I love the beach and I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I have to confess that I have a great fear of being bodily in deep ocean water (I'm perfectly fine in boats), which means that I spent most of our water time in Bellarocca's infinity pool. I love how its deep blue tiles match the color of the deep sea, though it did make my heart race the first time I saw it. Quite deceiving really, since the deepest part of the pool is only four feet (1.2 meters).
This was my favorite poolside deck chair. I love the canopy and the chair can be swiveled to face either the pool or the ocean.
Mount Malindig on the main island of Marinduque dominates the view both from the pool and the beach. It is a potentially active volcano and its last eruption, whenever that was, is evident throughout the land trip, with large boulders made of volcanic rock strewn by the roadside. Bellarocca Resort maintains a 9-hole golf course at Malindig's foot—that little white dot is the clubhouse. I think that the volcano's deep rifts and craggy top make for a fascinating study. BELLAROCCA SERIES #3
Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Beautiful rock
This is where my husband and I were 'marooned' during the past four days: the gorgeous Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa. The resort opened only in 2009 and is perched on a tiny, rocky island off the bigger island of Marinduque, a province south of Manila located between Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea. This photo hardly does Bellarocca justice but it is my only photo of the whole island. However, I did take lots of pictures at the resort, so we will be spending the next few days there. BELLAROCCA SERIES #1
Thank you to all those who still visited and left comments on my blog during the days that we were away. I also hope that all our blogger friends in Europe are home safe and sound. The resort had no newspapers and we do not watch TV, and though it has internet connection, we didn't bring a laptop so I only got to read about Eyjafjallajokull when we got back.
Thank you to all those who still visited and left comments on my blog during the days that we were away. I also hope that all our blogger friends in Europe are home safe and sound. The resort had no newspapers and we do not watch TV, and though it has internet connection, we didn't bring a laptop so I only got to read about Eyjafjallajokull when we got back.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Glory and praise
Another lovely sunset at Manila Bay. It would have been more fitting if this were a sunrise, but since that's next to impossible for me, I thought this would be a good enough choice for today. I've always wanted to get a photo of sunlight streaming through a break in the clouds, and now I have. Happiness.
A blessed and joyful Easter to everyone!
Urban or rural, natural or man-made, take a sightseeing tour of our world's diverse scenery!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Big cloud, small sailboat
Watching a most unusual sunset on Manila Bay. The orange color seems to be blocked by the big cloud and the rest of the sky remained blue even after the sun had completely set. I loved that the sailboat crossed the bay while I was taking photos, and I waited for it to get to the exact position—just so.
Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page and tour the skies of our beautiful world.
SEE IT SUNDAY: SUNSET
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Good afternoon. Good morning.
The Philippine Plaza's lagoon-shaped swimming pool has been famous in Metro Manila since the 1970s when National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin designed it for the Westin group. In 2005, Sofitel took over its operations and refurbished the entire hotel, including the pool which now has bright blue tiles.
Sofitel Manila has every right to boast that it is Metro Manila's only resort hotel. With twelve acres of landscaped gardens beside Manila Bay, it is easy to forget that the big, bustling metropolis is just a kilometer away.
Sofitel Manila has every right to boast that it is Metro Manila's only resort hotel. With twelve acres of landscaped gardens beside Manila Bay, it is easy to forget that the big, bustling metropolis is just a kilometer away.
Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Floating fish
We saw a new restaurant in Harbour Square during our last visit, but afloat on Manila Bay rather than being a part of the complex. Does it look like it can actually sail? Even if it doesn't, if the dining area overlooks the bay, it might still be worth trying out. Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is a large fish found in warm seas; its flesh is firm, white and very tasty.
See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Split hull
I do not know anything about this boat, even its name, which was just a string of numbers that my brain refused to remember. I just like how catamarans look. It was docked near Harbour Square last weekend when we went to the Cultural Center of the Philippines to watch The Nutcracker performed by Ballet Philippines and accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra.
Friday, September 18, 2009
For my soul
After spending almost the entire week indoors at the Ateneo Art Gallery looking at some very strange artwork, let's step outdoors for a breather, shall we? Just another beautiful day looking at the boats docked at the Manila Yacht Club. This photo is from the archives. After three weeks of almost constant rain, my soul is yearning for some bright blue skies.
Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page and tour the skies of our beautiful world.
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