the earth from above

Being insatiable tourists, the wonder | wander | women love taking pictures, but some of the best photo opportunities come at thousands of feet above ground level.

We're huge fans of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's Earth from Above series; our photos are not so ambitious, but they're a good way to keep a record of our trips.

I can see our house from up here!

Shallower seas of the ferry route between Iloilo and Bacolod.
The water is so clear you can see the ocean bottom.

Maybe we're biased, but we especially love taking pictures of the Philippines from the plane!

There's something about the blue seas and beautiful islands of home that is especially attractive to us.

Sometimes the scenery is not as scenic as it is sad. The forests of many of our native mountains are being denuded by heavy logging, much of it illegal. Here you can see the treeline being pushed back by large areas of deforestation.

The loss of the trees also means that large amounts of topsoil are continually being washed into the sea.

The UN has suggested environmental solutions like giving indigenous people rights to the forested land where they live, but so far the call of capitalism seems more powerful than the call for sustainability.

Still, some organisations are working to stop the damage: Greenpeace, Trees for the Future, The World Wildlife Fund.

We also take these pictures to remember how grateful we are for our beautiful country and the privilege of air travel.