There are a great many cultural and religious festivals in the Philippines. Taong Putik, the Mud Festival, is one of the most widely known festivals in the Philippines. It is held annually by Catholics in the village of Biblicat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija Province, in the centre of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, on June 24^th.

Nobody knows exactly when the mud festival appeared, although it has been held in Aliaga for over a century. Many local people believe that an image of Saint John the Baptist brought to Biblicat long ago chased a poisonous snake out of the village. In the language of the first inhabitants of the village, “Biblicat” means snake.

Another legend tells of Saint John the Baptist protecting the men of the village from danger. The story recounts that once during World War II, Japanese soldiers captured some men of the village intending to execute them to avenge the deaths of 13 Japanese soldiers. On that day, there was a sudden, heavy rain which flooded the rice fields as the men were brought to a church. Japanese thought that it was an unlucky sign so they released the men. Local people believed that Saint John the Baptist saved these men. Local people mark the Feast of Saint John the Baptist on the 24^th of June to express their respect to him, according to Catholic tradition.

Taong Putik, which means ”people in mud”, is held to honour Saint John the Baptist of the early church, an ascetic who wore a camel fur coat and belt, and ate grasshoppers and honey. He regarded himself as “a precursor” to pave the way for Messiah. He baptized many people in the Jordan River. He announced, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John the Baptist was the Saint who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

At the Taong Putik Festival, everyone covers themselves in mud from their toes to their heads, and drapes themselves with banana leaves, grape vines or dried grass to represent Saint John and the crowds he attracted in the wilderness when he called for repentance and performed baptisms. These people go to others’ houses to ask for alms; candles or money to buy candles. When being refused, they apply mud on their faces and bodies. Then, they gather at the church to pray, give thanks and express their respect to the saints, hear the message and take part in sacred mass. After receiving the blessing, the march proceeds along the streets of Biblicat Village, led by parishioners bearing a statue of Saint John the Baptist on their shoulders, followed by the participants covered with mud and leaves.

Taong Putik Festival is an opportunity to renew an ancient custom of people repenting for their mistakes in life, and thanking God for his gifts and grace. It also involves prayers for a productive rice harvest, good jobs and happy life. It is a religious festival, but it is also a street festival that brings happiness for the community.

Dinagyang Festival is religious and cultural festival in Iloilo, the Philippines, held on the fourth Sunday of the month, after Sinulog in Cebu and Ati-atihan in Aklan. It is held to honour Santo Nino and to celebrate the historical arrival of Malay settlers on Panay Island.

Dinagyang Festival grew out of a feast celebrated by the local Roman Catholic Church in honour of Santo Nino de Cebu. In 1968, an image of Santo Nino de Cebu was brought to San Jose Parish, and the faithful put on a procession to welcome the image, marching through the streets of Iloilo.

Beginning in the 1960s, the feast was then strictly a parish event, but in 1977 the Marcos Government called for the promotion of regional festivals to develop tourism in the Philippines, and the indigenous festival of Ati-atihan was incorporated with the feast to create an inclusive, regional celebration.

Today, the Dinagyang Festival is divided into 3 major events: the Ati-Ati street festival, Kasadyanhan dances and the Miss Dinagyang pageant.

The dances are competitions between clubs, self-styled as “tribes”. Performers paint their skin brown, design their costumes using only local materials, and dance to the accompaniment of drums. Local high schools set up some tribes, while the festival organizers or private sponsors also support some tribes.

More and more tribes are set up and the competition is fierce. The tribes compete for prizes such as best costume and best music. Because of the competition, each tribe looks for unique costume designs, dances and music, which are strictly kept secret until the festival.

In the festival, some participants wear costumes of the local indigenous people, the Aeta, paint their faces black and sport tattoos and Aeta jewelry. There is an area for public dance at night.

Dinagyang was chosen as the best tourism event in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the Association of Tourism of the Philippines. It is also the world’s first festival to gain UN support for promoting the Millennium Development Goals, and was recognized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for best practice in private sector,  government and NGO cooperation.

Palawan Island in the western Philippines, with its capital city Puerto Princesa, is home to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, famous across South East Asia.

The Subterranean Puerto Princesa, part of the St. Paul Mountain Range of Palawan Island, was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage in 1999. It is home to one of the most important ‘mountain-to-sea’ ecosystems of the Philippines.

The limestone mountain landscape hides a long underground river and large caves. The underground river starts from St. Paul Mount at a height of 100 meters, and then runs 8.2 kilometres underground before flowing directly into the South China Sea.

In 2010, a group of scientists and Italian researchers for La Venta Discovery announced valuable information about the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River and limestone caves, which have been in existence for millions of years, after their exploration of it for the New7Wonders contest.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is rare among underground rivers in that it flows directly into the sea. This means that the tides influence water levels underground for more than 5 kilometres inland, creating a brackish water environment.

Local people in Palawan also entertain tourists with their many tales connecting the river to the religious history of this island.

A 2 kilometre trip in the cave takes about 45 minutes, and provides many wonderful images of nature. The formation of arches, columns, stone walls, and stalactites and stalagmites with natural colours creates many religious images, such as of Immaculate Conception Maria, the face of Jesus and angels.
The arched ceiling is like the dome of a cathedral, and some chambers in the caves measure 60 meters high and 120 meters wide. The huge stone columns look like forts from ancient civilizations, which are left protruding from underground or dangling from the ceiling. Amid the rocks, visitors can pick out the shapes of animals such as eagles, chickens, horses, cats or snakes, and images of banana flowers, mountains or a beautiful girl with sexy body, making the trip more fun.
Local people in Palawan are proud of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River as a natural wonder for the Philippines and for all people. This site is special among the few navigable underground rivers and should be protected by the Philippines government. It can provide a model for tourism strategies for the Philippines in the future.

Tourists may be familiar with the idiom “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Each country has its own special culture that visitors should follow to avoid misunderstandings. Before a trip to Cambodia, learn something about the greeting rituals used in the country and find out what to expect from transport, shopping and other customs.

The sampeah is a formal greeting in Cambodia, especially used to show respect to those of high position. For this greeting, Khmer people place their palms together in a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly. There are different ways of bowing when performing the sampeah. When praying to the Buddha, the person places his palms together close to his or her face and brings his or her hands toward the ground three times. It is also important to note that when greeting elders, the higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is shown. It is a sign of respect and politeness.

Today, Cambodians do shake hands in greeting, as in other countries around the world, or use the sampeah before shaking hands. You can kiss women’s cheeks if they are close friends, as the French greeting style or Beso-Beso in the Philippines.

You should not point your hands at someone or touch their heads, even children’s heads or hair, as those are considered as the most sacred parts of the body.

Tourists should be careful to never have the soles of your feet directly toward anyone. When in a Khmer house or temple, you should not sit cross-legged. Visitors must take off shoes and hat before entering a temple. It is not allowed for tourists to sit on a higher position than a monk. Women should never touch a monk.

It is never acceptable to show anger, which expresses a loss of control and is extremely impolite. In case you are unsatisfied, for example, a waiter brings you the wrong dish, a seller does not understand what you want, or someone jumps queue at the cinema, you should smile and keep calm.

We all know that Cambodia is developing after the war and service standards are often lower than tourists may expect. So keep calm with waiters, receptionists and others around you.

You should be aware of Cambodia’s disputes with neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, mainly concerning small land areas near the borders, which are the legacy of war. Be careful not to compare Cambodia with other countries in front of local people.

Clothes
Like in other South East Asian countries, Cambodians show great respect at Buddhist sites and temples. Visitors should be careful to have suitably formal, modest clothes when entering temples or the royal castle in Phnom Penh.

Krama is a popular scarf, helpful and easily taken along during a trip. The handmade scarf which can be wrapped around the head or neck is made of cotton, and is very useful for tourists to avoid the sun and dust in Cambodia. Krama is also used for many other purposes, such as carrying children, as a tablecloth or as a hammock.

Transport
Tourists must be careful with motorbike taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers and pedicab drivers. You should plan your transport carefully for each trip. Traffic is hectic and attention to safety is lax, some say this is because more than 90 percent of Cambodians believe in reincarnation!

In Cambodia, drivers sit on the left and drive on the right, but tourists must observe every direction because Cambodian traffic is chaotic.

Shopping
Many visitors love spending time in Cambodian traditional markets or jewelry shops, silk shops, decorative shops or clothes shops. The most famous markets are the Russian Market and Phsar Toul Tompong Market.

Remember that many items on sale are counterfeits, so you should ask your friends before making a purchase.

Currency
Cambodian currency is the Riel, but USD is accepted widely so tourists do not need to spend much time changing. Until now, the Cambodian economy and bank systems are controlled by USD.

You should carry cash with you; the Cambodian economy runs on a cash basis and at many shops you can only pay in cash.

Cambodian shops will not accept US currency notes that are torn or dirty, so be sure to have notes that are new and not damaged.

Security and Health care
Cambodian medical and emergency services are very poor, so purchasing travel health insurance is a must before you leave home. Tourists should not drink tap water and be wary of ice water in restaurants.

Pick-pocketing and robbing are common in Phnom Penh, so pay attention to your surroundings and keep your valuables close.

Public Toilets
Do not expect clean public toilets everywhere in Cambodia. Keep this in mind before leaving on a long trip, and if you do have to use a ‘bush toilet’ always look around for any signs warning of land not yet cleared from bombs and mines.

Tourism
To get a visa, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months. You should also make copies of your visa and passport, which are helpful in case it is lost.

Note that the checked luggage limit on most flights here is only 20 kg. For heavier bags you have to pay USD9 for each additional kilogram.

You will need USD25 for airport tax upon leaving Cambodia to travel to your next destination.

Cambodia is home to many festivals, which are great times to visit, but if you come to Cambodia on business, remember that most businesses, offices, shops, government offices and banks are closed during the festivals.

The Cardamom Mountains stretch over a vast swathe of southwest Cambodia and into eastern Thailand. Blanketed with largely intact prime forest, the Cardamoms can leave even the most intrepid of adventurers pausing to reconsider. So if you’re up for a real jungle experience, consider a visit to Chi Phat Village in the Cardamoms.

The first advice to keep in mind is that the Cardamoms are no a place for the weak of heart. It is a truly isolated area, so when in the forest, having a good stick and a basic first aid kit is essential.

Chi Phat is a small village along the Preak Piphot River. Once a hot spot of wildlife poaching and illegal logging, Chi Phat has now opened a community-based ecotourism programme supported by the Wildlife Alliance.

My first afternoon in Chi Phat was very peaceful. I ate lunch at a local home and went for a walk to a secluded waterfall. Twelve hours later, I was trekking through a sweltering, clammy forest. As if entering a scene from the film Apocalypse Now, we waded through a bog, complete with leeches. Eight hours of slogging through this dank forest was no treat, but thanks to the sharp eyes of my guide we caught sight of some gibbons swinging through the canopy, and saw signs of Malayan sun bears.

The prospect of sleeping overnight in the forest made me taut as a violin string with uncertainty and excitement. At every rustle of the undergrowth I pictured wild boars, or snakes creeping closer on dry leaves. However, the break of dawn brought new discoveries. With my guide’s wide knowledge of the forest animals, we went through a bamboo grove toward a water hole. From here, we could hear jungle birds singing and watch the creatures come to drink. Discomfort was soon forgotten and I was again eager to continue my adventure.

I returned faster, on a mountain bike, but I did hit the dirt once because of some tree roots which must have wanted to keep me and not let me leave! In truth, I myself realized that I did not want to leave this pristine area.

Tours to the Cardamoms include adventure sports such as mountain biking or climbing, along with trekking, boating, viewing ancient grave sites and, of course, discovering wild animals.