Sports Events in Philippines

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Kiteboarding is a combination of many other sports like windsurfing, waterski, wakeboard, paragliding. It is considered as the natural evolution of windsurfing and the use of lighter equipment offers unlimitted possibilities to the rider. The kite gives the capability to soar to the sky and make wonderful loops while in the air. It's very powerful and dramatic !! I love it ! ..Well, I haven't tried it yet but I can feel the sense of it since I have tried a lot of the other sports.
The colours also make it a beautiful sight to watch.
In Boracay, Bulabog beach to the east is frequented by kiteboarders who are devoted to their favorite sport. This is a very suitable 2-mile long and shallow beach. There are lessons offered by schools starting at 60$US. The only bad thing I have noticed is that people litter the sea and all the wind gathers the litter in this bay . But anyway local people are trying their best to clean especially in front of the teaching side.
They say the best time is December through March.
It is also possible to kiteboard on the west beach, White beach, certain times of the year.
Prices start at 60$US.
Kiteboarding can prove to be dangerous if the safety rules are neglected. But to a sensible rider it can give moments of delight very soon. It takes no more than a week to become a...dolphin!
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Mount Pinatubo became world wide famous in 1991 when it erupted and caused the biggest vulcanic eruption in the world since 1912.
Today the 1700 meter high vulcano is a quiet spot though and it´s a very suitable one day trek to hike up to the crater lake.
I did it myself with a few people i met through this site and i had a really nice day there.
The trek can be done by everyone who is moderately fit and you will need to start the trek at the town called Capas, which is about 2 hours driving north of Manila.

Equipment: Good walking shoes and a pair of sandals can also be useful when crossing through water if you don´t want your hiking shoes/boots to get wet.

within 3 hours from manila, anilao in batangas offers many dive sites with good visibility. from batangas, you can take a ferry to puerto galera, mindoro. Apo Reef/Island off Mindoro has great dive sites too.

Further south on Luzon island, you can snorkel with whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon. Then, you can fly from Legaspi to Cebu (Moalboal in the south, approx. 2.5 hours drive; Malapascua to the north). from Cebu City, take a 1.5 hour ferry to Bohol, proceed to Panglao Island or Balicasag - check out www.bohol.ph/article22.html - then spend 2 whole days around Bohol before flying.

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It was a funfilled adventure somehow. I did not know what to expect. All I know is since I've never done it before so it must be fun and exciting. The trip was planned several months ahead due to friends in the Philippines we must meet and have time to play with us.

Equipment: As usual travel light, equipment, enough changing for attire and some give-aways (pasalubong)...

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Philippines is one of the best diving destinations although sea life has suffered a lot from pollution and overfishing. The worst of all is the trading of tropical fishes which greatly disturbs the ecosystem.
However, it's been several years that the international Community and the locals themselves have realized the cost of dead reefs and fish extinction. The destruction is still sadly obvious in some places while the reviving of some reefs gives hopes for a better future.
Dive centers have started as early as 1966 and by now there are hundreds of diving operations all over Philippines, seeing to anything the diver needs. It's a good place to learn how to dive.
The best remote places are Apo (east of Mindoro) and Tubuttaha (in the middle of ..nowhere, between Palawan and Mindanao).
For wreck fans the perfect place is Coron with many wrecks to explore and a lot of ...Nemos to play with.. Coron is not very convenient for snorkelers.
But you don't have to worry as there are diving opportunities almost on every island some of them being next to the beach, so if you don't mind carrying the basic equipment it's a good idea to do it as you can dive independently.
I have been to excellent spots such as El Nido, Palawan. You should book a boat to take you to the nearby islands. Go to El Nido beach to find the boaters.
Also Port Barton in Palawan.
Baligasag, a small island with an upmarket resort on it, near Panglao,Bohol.
Long Beach and other spots around north Mindoro.
Apo island near Dumaguette, Negros (not the one mentioned above) which is under protection by local people and is a perfect example of reef reviving. It can be reached from Siquijor, too. And you can stay in the resort and have your diving just a few steps away.
San Pedro in Romblon with the diving spot just in front.
Snorkeling is not good in Boracay but there are some good diving places.
Malapascua where you can see thresher sharks..
Just to mention a few..
Prices vary a lot . Shop around.

Equipment: Click on photo. This is just a disposable camera.

Mountain biking is really good in the Philippines because there are alot of village trails used for walking or biking, and they are all interconnected. Away from the main roads, the Philippines is a beautiful country. A few other attractive features:
1. The volcanic soil and tropical climate mean that you dont get flat tyres easily
2. The lack of obsession with property rights mean can bike overland without restriction.
I would however caution against riding without company, and know the risks in the areas where you go. There might be drug dealers, or communists in your area of interest. Tricyle drivers come in handy if you get a flat tyre.

Equipment: Well there are no special requirements. I bought my bike in the Paranaque area of Metro Manila where there are a great many bike shops. You need to take care that they give you desent components. Some guy attempted to sell me a bike with a 7-gear Taiwanese gearset with a spacer to fill the gap. Another good bike shop in the old precinct of Lipa City in Batangas.

Badminton is a very popular sport in the Philippines. A lot of people play, and it's not difficult to find courts for rent, at least in Metro Manila. This is not just exercise but a social event as well.

I like to stay in good physical condition even while on vacation. I know while you're on holiday you are suppose to kick back and relax, but I just feel better about myself when I know I'm not cheating on my workouts. Besides, it's so easy to get out of shape and it seems a hell of a lot harder to get back in it.

Whenever I visit the Philippines I like to pick up a one month membership at Gold's Gym in Makati. My one month pass cost me P3000 or $53 and change during my last visit which was in November 2004.

Equipment: Gold's has a extensive free-weight and machine area. There were two bench presses, several lat pull down machines and a dumb-bell area. Several trainers were in the weights area available for spots or advice.

For cardio vascular exercise the gym had more than twenty treadmills and about the same number of stationary bikes. They also offered aerobics and spinning classes.

A suana is located behind the showers in the locker room which was always kept nice and clean.