Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Marinduque on my Mind-Marinduque Calling

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Marinduque on my Mind-Marinduque Calling

Last Saturday, the Marinduque First Saturday Movers, Inc. sponsored a seminar workshop on the Tourism Potential of Marinduque. This was specifically addressed to the private sector. The theme of the workshop was " Marinduque on My Mind". It was well attended by hotel or resort owners or their representatives, restaurant owners or their representatives, transportation services personnel , the academia, handicraft manufacturers, tour operators, the media and all private businesses with direct or indirect connections to tourism. Atty. Araceli Villanueva was the consultant and master of ceremonies was Dr. Roby Montellano. Atty Milton Mendoza and Gen Recaredo Sarmiento represented the Movers, Inc. Dr Romulo Malvar, President of MSC gave the main address with presentation of The Tourist Potential of the Province based on the research of Dr Labay, a professor of Tourism in the college.

The seminar was worth my time, very informative and inspiring. It reminded me of my first blog about Marinduque that I wrote sometime in 2008- Marinduque Calling as follows:

My wish and dream in the near future is to see Marinduque become a worldwide tourist destination not only on Easter week but also whole year round. Marinduque has unspoiled white beaches comparable to Boracay Island, Aklan. It has also caves, waterfalls, hot and sulfur springs, snorkeling/diving sites and mountains to explore. Moreover, its proximity to Manila compared to Boracay is a plus and advantage. Boracay is overcrowded and too commercialized for my taste. With the exception of Easter week, Marinduque has no traffic congestion. The skies and ocean waters are clear blue.

There are now modern hotels in Boac and Santa Cruz, as well as several beach resorts offering comfort (hot water and air conditioning) to foreign guests as well as balikbayan tourists from US, Canada and other parts of the world.

Last Easter, I have guests from France. They had a wonderful time not only enjoying the Moriones festivities but also the beaches, caves, waterfalls and cuisine of Marinduque. Next year, I had already reservations from guests in US and Canada.

I hope to see some of you soon in Marinduque-my island paradise.

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree