Star City has a variety of attractions including kiddie rides, a playground, Winter Funland, Dino Island, Star Theater, miniature train rides, a go-kart track, and four roller coasters. Snow World, with freezing temperatures, has carved ice slides for kids, carved ice statues, ice castles and igloos. Dino Island contains a small museum with prehistoric artifacts.
Star City is also the home of the Giant Star Wheel Ferris wheel. It has 32 air-conditioned gondolas, each able to seat up to six persons, and in 2012 was said to be the tallest Ferris wheel in the Philippines. Conflicting reports credit it as being 60 m (197 ft) and 62.5 m (205 ft) tall.
Zambales
Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region in the island of Luzon. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, Bataan to the south and the South China Sea to the west. With a land area of 3,830.83 km2, Zambales is the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon. The province is noted for its mangoes, which are abundant from January to April.
Zambales does not have a functional airport - the closest airport is Clark International airport. Subic Bay International Airport, which is located in Cubi Point in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is no longer functional for international or domestic flights.
The Freeport Zone (SBMA) is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos, beach resorts, parks, beachside huts and cottages and historical sites.
The area now occupied by Zambales was first explored by the Spanish in 1572, led by Juan de Salcedo. Among the earliest towns founded were Subic (1572), Botolan (1572), Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612). Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the last three towns above during its history before settling in Iba, due to its strategic location. Seven of the province's original northern towns, which included Bolinao, Infanta and Alaminos were later transferred under the jurisdiction of Pangasinan because of their distance from the capital. The first civil governor of Zambales during the American era was Potenciano Lesaca from 1901-1903.
Zambales Day is celebrated every August 30.
Enchanted Kingdom
Enchanted Kingdom abbreviated as EK is a theme park in the Philippines. It is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna, about 39 kilometers (24 mi) from Manila. It has a land area of 17 hectares (41 acres). The park is managed and operated by Enchanted Kingdom Inc.
Enchanted Kingdom is a member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
The park was conceptualized by the Landmark Entertainment Group and while the entrance is somewhat resemblant of Disneyland, the rest of the park is modeled afterUniversal Studios. It was built at a cost of ₱1.2 billion, or $27,069,600 USD (2013). The park first opened to the public on October 19, 1995.
Enchanted Kingdom celebrated their 20th Anniversary in 2015.
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte (Ilokano: Amianan nga Ilocos; Tagalog: Hilagang Ilokos) is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon Island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.
Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class hotel and beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.
Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region (consisting of the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union) renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to trade gold with beads, ceramics and silk. The inhabitants of the region, believed to be of Malay origin, called their place "samtoy", from "sao mi toy", which literally meant "our language here"
In 1591, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's grandson, Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with 8 armed boats and 45 men, the 22-year-old voyager headed north. On June 13, 1592, Salcedo and his men landed in present-day Vigan and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves ("looc") where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region "Ylocos" and its people "Ylocanos".
As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracts of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of "bajo las campanas". In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out.
The Spanish colonization of the region, however, was never completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many Augustinian friars, a number of Ilocanos revolted. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt (San Nicolas, 1660). In 1762, Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocano. When he died from an assassin's bullet, his widow Gabriela continued his cause. However, she too was captured and hanged. In 1807, the sugar cane ("basi") brewers of Piddig rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicated Gregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Unperturbed, he established the "Iglesia Filipina Independiente". Aglipay’s movement.
In an effort to gain more political control and because of the increasing population of the region, a Royal Decree was signed on February 2, 1818 splitting Ilocos into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Soon thereafter, the provinces of La Union and Abra likewise became independent.
Pagudpud
Pagudpud is a fourth class municipality and a coastal resort town of Ilocos Norte province, in the northern Ilocos Region of thePhilippines. According to the 2010 census, Pagudpud has a population of 21,877 people.[3] It is the northernmost settlement onLuzon Island and a popular tourist destination because of its resorts and beaches.
Pagudpud was made a municipality on July 5, 1954. Unlike Laoag City, the province's only autonomous city, Pagudpud derives its authority from the provincial government. It had previously been a part of the neighboring town of Bangui.
Palawan
Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island. The Calamianes Group of Islands to the Northeast consists of Busuanga Island, Coron Island and Culion Island. Durangan Island(Dulangan) almost touches the westernmost part of Palawan Island, while Balabac Island is located off the southern tip, separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait. In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometres to the west, are considered part of Palawan by the Philippines, and is locally called the "Kalayaan Group of Islands".
Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Bigan; Tagalog: Lungsod ng Vigan) is a fourth class city and capital of theprovince of Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. The city is located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea. According to the 2010 Philippines census, it has a population of 49,747 people.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in that it is one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines where its structures remained intact, and is well known for its cobblestone streets and a unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial European architecture. In May 2015, Vigan City was officially recognized as one of theNew7Wonders Cities together with Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and La Paz.
New7Wonders Foundation president and founding member Bernard Weber led a ceremony held at St. Paul Cathedral where he handed a bronze plaque to Vigan Mayor Eva Grace Singson-Medina, signifying the heritage city’s election as one of the world’s wonder cities.
Former Philippine president Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the Philippines, was born in Vigan, at the former location of the Provincial Jail (his father was a warden); and resided in the Syquia Mansion. The city is also one of the only two members, the other being the town of Miag-ao in Iloilo, of the UNESCO World Heritage Cities located in the Philippines.
