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You simply
must go to Zamboanga City, the third largest
city in the Philippines.
This awesome metropolis located at the tip
of the peninsula is one of the most unique
cities in the world. Its modern amenities
have sprung out of a matrix of blended
centuries.
Its scenery from all points of view is marvelous, with its 142,000
hectares of sloping terrain from a
surrounding shoreline of coral beaches to
mineral-rich mountains in the center of the
peninsula.
Besides, if you’re looking for a vacation
spot with perpetually fine weather,
Zamboanga City is where it’s at. This city
is located outside of the typhoon belt.
Latin-based Language
Zamboanga City has been aptly dubbed Asia’s Latin City not so much
because of its 17th century European
infrastructure but mainly due to its
population’s lingua franca, known as
Chabacano de Zamboanga. This language is
derived from the Castillian, in turn derived
from the Latin. In fact, Castillian or
Spanish words form a liberal part of the
vocabulary (about 60 percent) with the
remaining 40 percent prevalently Bisaya.
A standard welcome given by the citizens runs thus:
“Bienvenidos a Zamboanga, ciudad de las
flores, preciosa perlita, orgullo de
Mindanao.”
Now, all of the words in that Chabacano sentence happen to be
Spanish also, |
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meaning,
“Welcome to Zamboanga, city of flowers,
precious small pearl, pride of Mindanao.”
From Airport, to Hotel,
to History
By air, Zamboanga City is just one hour and a half away from
Manila. From the commodious Zamboanga
International Airport, I was whisked to the
Garden Orchid Hotel, an elegantly lovely
establishment not far from the airport. It
was late afternoon when I arrived, there was
a gentle drizzle, and I spent the onset of
twilight listening to my tour guide
familiarize me with the history and
landmarks of Zamboanga City. As the last
rays of the sun began to fade, I was able to
catch an ovewhelming panoramic view from my
suite’s balcony of the Zamboanga mountains
afar off and of the nearer environs bedecked
with various kinds of lush trees, vines,
flowers and other plants that almost
everywhere festoon the Latin city of Asia.
The next day was a journey across the corridors of Time and
History. But it would not do to give my
itinerary and impressions here, my purpose
being to present to the potential Zamboanga
City traveler an understanding of what
defining moments to expect when he sets foot
on the city that is fast becoming a trading
hub of Asia.
Since time out of mind, the present Zamboanga City was already a
trading center due to its strategic
location. The colorful sails of the vintas
were already an
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