Zamboanga City is considered by many as one of the country's richest site for cultural value. Most of the buildings and houses in the city were built hundreds of years ago dating back to the time of Spanish occupation in the Philippines.
I saw houses that were built from capiz shells and woods from narra tree. The old houses were also accented by colorful curtains that reflects one of Zamboanga's most priced product, the Vinta boats. Although Zamboanga is like a travel-back-to-history city, it does not lack the luxuries and amenities you can find in the other metro cities of the country.
My friend's family owns a Eucheuma seaweed farming business. Eucheuma is considered as the most important seaweed in the world, and Philippines is the largest producer of it. More than 75% of the world's total production of Eucheuma seaweeds are from the Philippines and most of it are cultivated in Zamboanga. I was able to visit their seaweed plantation, one of the many in the region.
Aside from the gift of preserved culture, Zamboanga is also blessed with the beauty of its natural environment. The area is still rich in vegetation and you can really see how its people value the environment. In Zamboanga, you will never be out of things to do. I'll write of the activities I did during my stay in the Latin City of Asia in our next article.
