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Philippines

South Luzon / Tiwi

The road from Tabaco to Tiwi, about 30 min by jeepney, offers a nice rural vista of a deep blue sea behind extensive rice paddies. Tiwi is a small quiet town which used to be known for its hot springs and pottery. It has a supply of red clay which provides the raw material for the local pottery industry. However, the town has be-come dominated by the presence of an im-portant geothermal energy plant. The steam from the natural hot springs has been har-nessed and developed through some of the latest methods in modern technology, as a major electric source. Its geothermal field of over 100 wells supplies power to the Luzon grid. However, the plant has somewhat diminished the original natural attractions of the area.

Lake Naglagbong boils and fumes while at Banyo there are cool swimming pools and a few hot spring resorts operate where honeymooners from Legazpi frequently seek privacy and solitude but they are small and simple. One can take a tricycle to them from the Tiwi market.

At barangay Cale, on the other hand, atop a geothermal field the residents complain of the pollution and feel that they sit at the mouth of hell.

Hot Spring Resorts

Manantial de Tiwi Resort & Youth Hostel in Banyo Tiwi; rm 90-200
rest, swpl (entr P 7); simple, basic