My Published Articles for ViewsHound: Philippines Ousted by Cambodia as the Friendliest Country in the World

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Philippines Ousted by Cambodia as the Friendliest Country in the World

According to the latest posting of Asean Urbanist in Face Book, Cambodia is now the most friendly country in the world. The Philippines has been demoted to number 2. During the past decade, I believe the Philippines has always been rated as the Number #1, I wonder why? If you know the reason let me know.

But according to the travel.com Australia is their number 1 friendliest country in the world.

Australia tops the list as the world's friendliest country due to locals' laid-back attitude and willingness to help tourists.
Taiwan stands out as another one of the friendliest nations in the world due to locals' eagerness to assist despite language barriers.
The Netherlands, Finland, Greece, and Portugal are also recognized for their friendliness, welcoming cultures, and high quality of life.

https://www.thetravel.com/friendliest-countries-in-the-world/

Who is correct? That Depends from Person to Person based on their personal experiences during their travel or temporary residence in the country they voted as number 1.

Another list by the travel.com listed South Africa in their #1 list, followed by Vietnam and the Philippines was not even in their top ten.

Friendliest Countries in the World

South Africa. First up on our list of the friendliest countries in the world is South Africa. ...
Vietnam. Vietnamese people are noted for being quite humble and welcoming to tourists and expats. ...
Colombia. ...
Hungary. ...
Netherlands. ...
France. ...
Saudi Arabia. ...
New Zealand.

On the other hand, the most unfriendly country in the world was Iraq.

Iraq. Even though Iraq has a rich cultural heritage, many foreigners do not visit the country due to constant political turmoil. Constant geopolitical tensions have caused locals to harbor suspicion with respect to Western tourists, making Iraq one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

The World Economic Forum ranked the world's unfriendliest and friendliest countries based on locals' perceptions of how welcoming they are to foreign visitors. Chad, Venezuela, and Russia were ranked as some of the unfriendliest countries, while Brazil, Iceland, and New Zealand were ranked as some of the friendliest.

Do you have a list of your top ten most friendly countries in the world, based on your travels or readings? I will be happy to hear from you. Meanwhile here some news about the Philippines.

President Bongbong Marcos has been included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2024. The annual list puts a spotlight on individuals from around the globe who have made a significant impact in various fields such as politics, business, entertainment, science, and more.

Author Charlie Campbell cited Marcos's initiatives to bring back technocrats into government positions, stabilize the Philippine economy post-pandemic, and elevate the nation's global standing, as reasons for the chief executive's inclusion on the list.

Campbell also highlighted Marcos's leadership strategy amid rising geopolitical tensions: "Bongbong has stood steadfast against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea and bolstered his nation’s alliance with the U.S. in the face of 'rising tensions in our region and the world,' as he said last May. Many problems persist, including extrajudicial killings and journalists routinely attacked. But by trying to repair his family name, Bongbong may reshape his country too."

More Facts about the Philippines: 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒  

Northern Luzon (Igorot, Gaddang and Ivatan), Mindanao (Non Muslim and Muslim tribes), Central Visayas (Cebuano), and NCR and Southern Luzon (Tagalog)

- The Islands of the Philippines are inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups. There are 134 ethnic groups in the Philippines, the majority of the population is composed of ethnolinguistic groups whose languages are Austronesian also known as Malayo-Polynesian in origin. Many of these groups converted to Christianity, particularly the lowland-coastal groups, and adopted many foreign elements of culture. The major( 8) ethnic groups of the Philippines are the Visayan, Tagalog, Ilocano, Bicolano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, the Igorot and the Moro. About 8% of all the Filipinos are tribal groups.

Note: There are 195 countries in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

https://www.worldatlas.com/features/countries-by-area.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR28hYWbJaXGEGGwlS_JFAd64FrApEIb0mrJbQGPVQ7xefHXtdts4EXIbh4_aem_ATo49IRBFagKiSD1Bdm9lneJRCtS1hagfyWuh0rG9eBV2Fj7WGbu1vBBB0lYvFaXdr0dapR0H0aRzGJg8hsISdIY

Lastly,  here are 5 of the must-visit destination in the Philippines for Tourists 
 | The Philippines is home to a multitude of breathtaking tourist spots that showcase the country's natural beauty and cultural richness. 
1. Palawan: Known for its stunning limestone cliffs, crystal-clear waters, and diverse marine life, Palawan is a paradise for beach lovers and nature enthusiasts. Highlights include the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Puerto Princesa Underground River and the idyllic beaches of El Nido and Coron.

2. Boracay: Famous for its powdery white sand beaches and vibrant nightlife, Boracay is a popular destination for those seeking sun, sea, and fun. The island offers a range of water sports activities, luxury resorts, and delicious dining options.

3. Banaue Rice Terraces: Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Banaue Rice Terraces are an awe-inspiring feat of ancient engineering, showcasing the intricate farming practices of the Ifugao people.

4. Cebu: A bustling province in the Visayas region, Cebu is a cultural and historical hub with attractions such as Magellan's Cross, Fort San Pedro, and the vibrant Carbon Market. The nearby island of Mactan is also a popular diving destination.

5. Bohol: Home to the iconic Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, and historic churches, Bohol offers a mix of natural wonders and cultural heritage. Visitors can also enjoy cruising along the Loboc River and exploring the vibrant underwater life in Panglao Island.
These are just a few of the many incredible tourist spots that the Philippines has to offer. Each destination provides a unique and memorable experience that showcases the beauty and diversity of this tropical paradise.

May I add Number 6: Marinduque- My Island Paradise and Location of Chateau Du Mer and Number 7- Iloilo-The Province of my Birth and Teenager Years.  Good Day to All and Have Good Weekend! 

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Guest Article from Susan Creamer Joy

In The Silence, by Susan Creamer Joy.

Today's guest article is from Susan Creamer Joy. Susan is one of my favorite authors in the ViewsHound community. Susan writes, draws, paints and cobbles together art from found objects making a variety of creations from jewelry to religious shrines. She frequently sports burns on her fingers from her soldering iron, paint on her palms and ink under her fingernails, but her hair is usually combed. When she is not losing time in the creative vortex of her studio, she is likely to be putting her knowledge of metaphysics and esoteric principles including Tarot, numerology, astrology and graphology to good use in consultations. Her children are grown, her husband still works and her four dogs believe she needs serious help. The title of her article is "A Matter Of Love And Death". Thank you Susan.

By the time they reached my bedroom door, I was already sitting up – my stomach ratcheted in the tense grip of an unnamed anxiety; my pillow, unburdened of my drowsy head.

To this day I cannot explain how I heard them coming up those stairs in their bare feet or how I knew that my father struggled to hold his composure as my mother unnaturally clutched at the folds of her dressing gown and followed him through the dark just a little too closely.

As the wooden groan of those old stairs tore into my bones that morning like a hacksaw, all I could see between the predawn shadows was the letter I’d written just hours earlier to my boyfriend, Chris, propped against the lamp on my desk across the room awaiting an envelope.

I had not slept well. It was late November and there had been so many changes since the middle of August when he left for the Air Force in Texas to begin basic training and I began my third new school in as many years.

The conspiracy between fate and the last surge of the Vietnam draft had broken apart the every-waking-minutes of our two-year union with unceremonious indifference. All that night my sleep had been infested by difficult dreams and by the illogical fear that truth and reality were merging into a darkness only a martyr could grasp; and at sixteen, martyrdom seemed reasonable only for the nuns among the poor in Bangladesh

I tried to remind myself that he would be home on leave for Thanksgiving in another few days. It was the only tether to calm I could find, but reviewing the facts offered little relief from my baseless fears.

Chris had been girding his pacifist sensibilities preparing to fight in an unpopular war that had not yet slaughtered its last innocent. I was hovering just over the line of inclusion at an exclusive girl’s school – missing him – and finding myself at odds with these young women and their attachment to propriety and with the prep-school veneer that blinded them to the fact that they were no better than anyone else.

Neither one of us was coping well with the worlds into which we were respectively summoned, and although we both knew that the best hope for any future together depended upon our individual successes apart, it was far from comforting most days.

But in spite of our discomfort, we each did our best; and, of course, there were the letters: Thin, plain-paper sheets with row after row after row of inky blue words penned with the intensity and awkward locutions of a love learned too soon. It had come down to just that little, but without them, I would have had nothing.

Chris was learning to fly. I was learning to drive, and both of us were aching to transport our souls to an earlier time through the hallowed intercourse of memories and dreams. Of course, as with all progress, there was the positive element: We were both clean and drug-free for the first time in years.

Now, without pretense, both healthy cognition and sincere motivation surfaced regularly in my psychology and prompted me to care about myself and to arbitrate against all temptation for a better standing in the world, in school and in my own eyes. I even did my homework.

No longer was I escaping today but, instead, living for my day of escape. Lying still in the dark of my room, I listened to the slow, padded footfall of my parents approaching and looked to the floor and to my history book half hidden beneath the nightstand where I’d tossed it the night before. Even in this early morning dark I could make out the swirls and stars in colored marker and the bubble-formed letters that spelled C H R I S in soft, juvenile curves on the torn book cover I’d fashioned out of a brown paper grocery bag.

I vaguely remembered throwing it there somewhat hastily. I had been doing my homework when a sense of urgency struck and I realized I had not written him as I promised I would and glancing at the clock, I noted it was nine-twenty-three. Why that mattered I had no way of knowing in that strange moment, but within hours, it would be one I would never forget; and although I was becoming drowsy and still needed to finish my work, I felt beyond reason that my letter to him could not wait.

So, I wrote. I would always write. I would always be there. He would always be there.“Suzi."It was my name spoken in the smooth and familiar voice of my mother, although weighted and slow, her head bowed to her chest almost as though she were speaking only to herself.

"Suzi.” She said it again, this time with sharp gravity, like a chisel against stone.

As if on cue, I leaned forward, flanked now by my parents who were sitting on either side of my bed.

I had been waiting for them. I don’t know how. I didn’t know why. The lights in my room remained off, but it seemed that the darkness clung more to them than to me, as though they were holding it there – away from me to give me enough light to see through the next moment. They were crying. My father was crying. My father. “Suzi. We have something very, very bad to tell you." Chris has been in a car accident." And he was killed."

If the world moved forward from that moment, I could not know it. f there were air around me worth breathing, I could not take it in. And if there were another sound beyond the leaden bellow of my own raw grief, I could not hear it.

"Who am I going to talk to? Who am I going to love?” I wailed. Who will love me? In that sodden moment violated by the intrusion of a predawn light that had no business rising, everything I ever believed about happiness, hoped for in life, trusted in or held as my own was annihilated.

After that – there was no after that. After that came months of hollow redundancies that would inform my way of being in the world for years to come. A serial commitment to waking up each morning, remembering he was gone and dedicating the remaining hours to forgetting. To that end I would try anything, drink anything, ingest anything, inject anything. It was a slow and arbitrary suicide by indifference.

Many years later, at 25 years-old and in the midst of a pharmaceutical free-fall leaning dangerously close to terminal, I discovered that I was expecting a child, and after a decade of forgetting, I remembered. I named him Griffin after the legendary winged lion, a symbol of the divine because what he inspired and the miracle that he was, were nothing less. I remembered and I loved again, and I went on to marry and to the gift of two beautiful daughters.

Today my son is struggling not to drown in the same well of drug abuse and apathy that almost swallowed me – his great, divine wings clipped by his own hand; and while it is up to him to restore his place in the sky, I will do my best to help provide an open runway.

In the meantime, I will continue soaring for both of us; bequeathed as I have been, with a determination to fly from a boy whose ragged fate precluded that dream.

Death took one young man from me once upon a dark time. If it has any intention of coming for this one, it will have to go through me. And trust me, it will be in for one hell of a fight.

Note: If you enjoy this article, please let me know.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Philippines Ousted by Cambodia as the Friendliest Country in the World

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