The
Philippines has suffered
in the tourism stakes because of its
position on the map. Imelda Marcos
once said it was "hamburgered"
geographically. What she meant was
that the Philippines receives fewer
visitors than other Southeast Asian
countries - about two million a year
compared to Thailand's six million -
because it is not part of the
Southeast Asian mainland. Travellers
on the traditional Asian trails tend
to get as far as Thailand or Hong
Kong, but ignore the Philippines
because it involves an extra flight,
albeit it a short one, across the
South China Sea.
Perversely, it is this very lack
of mass tourism that makes the
Philippines such an appealing
destination. If you want to explore,
and if you are ready to cope with
some eccentric infrastructure and a
distinctly laid-back attitude
towards the passage of time, the
Philippines has more to offer than
many of its neighbors.
The Philippines is a big country
in a small package. It is the second
largest archipelago in the world,
with 7107 islands (sixty
percent of them uninhabited) and
58,390km of coastline, all in a land
mass no bigger than Arizona.
Filipinos refer to it as their
string of pearls. Your biggest
problem is likely to be deciding
which of the pearls to see first.
Most flights from outside the
country land in the capital, Manila
, which is choked with traffic and
dilapidated, but also has some of
the ritziest shopping malls and most
spectacular nightlife in Asia. JM
Nakpil Street in Malate on a Friday
night is a sight to behold. Beatnik
poets mingle with film stars,
models, swaggering transvestites and
a smattering of expats to create a
good-natured outdoor rave that makes
all other raves look tame by
comparison.
For connoisseurs of beaches, the
central Visayan region is an
island-hoppers' paradise, with white
sand everywhere and unspoiled
fishing barrios where there's
nothing to do at night except watch
the fireflies, listen to the geckos,
and perhaps share a bottle of local
Tanduay rum. Palawan , one
hour to the southwest of Manila by
plane or an overnight journey by
ferry, is an unforgettable
wilderness of diamond-blue lagoons,
volcanic lakes and first-rate scuba
diving. In the Cordillera
Mountains of the far north live
tribes who make propitiatory
offerings to rice gods and whose way
of life has barely changed since
they first settled there around
500BC. One of the few concessions
they have made to modernity is to
give up headhunting.
The Philippines will turn every
notion you ever had of Asia on its
head. Centuries of colonial rule
have resulted in a delightfully
schizophrenic country of potent but
conflicting influences. When
Magellan placed a sovereign hand on
the Philippines on behalf of King
Philip of Spain in 1521, he brought
with him Catholicism, European
architecture and the manana
ethic. When monsoon rains swamp the
streets, or when volcanoes erupt, a
Filipino's usual reaction is to
smile, throw up their hands, and say
bahala-na - "what will
be will be".
Three centuries after Magellan,
in 1898, there was another bizarre
twist in the country's colonial
history when America bought
the Philippines from Spain for US$20
million, part of the booty from a
war the two powers had fought over
Cuba. It was from America that the
Philippines got its town planning,
its constitution, and its passion
for basketball, beauty pageants and
pizza. Independence was finally
granted on July 4, 1946, making the
Philippines Asia's first real
democracy, a fact most Filipinos
remain fiercely proud of.
But it was the events of the
1980s that brought the Philippines
to the general attention of the rest
of the world. In 1972, President
Ferdinand Marcos decided to
overstay his welcome in Malacanang
Palace by declaring martial law.
When Marcos's lifelong political
rival, Ninoy Aquino , was
assassinated at Manila airport in
August 1983, patience with the
dictator ran out. What followed was
nothing short of momentous: a
"people power" revolution
to kick out Marcos and his ambitious
wife Imelda. In February 1986, they
fled to Hawaii, where Ferdinand died
in exile. Imelda's famous shoe
collection was turned into a museum
exhibit, but has since been boxed up
and put into storage.
Then, of course, there are the Filipinos
themselves. It has become hackneyed
to describe the Philippines as the
land where Asia wears a smile, but
there's no denying it's true.
Filipinos are a gregarious and
accommodating lot. Graciousness and
warmth seem to be built into their
genes. English is widely spoken,
even in the provinces, and
everywhere you go you will be
greeted with the honorific
"ma'am" or
"sir".
Filipinos are also passionate,
sometimes hot-headedly so. They love
food, they love life and they love
romance. The Philippines is a
passion play writ large and nowhere
is this more evident than in the
hundreds of fiestas and
religious ceremonies that are held
every year. Some are flamboyant and
theatrical, like the Ati-Atihan
in Kalibo and the Parade of Pigs
in Batangas. Others have their
origins in the Scriptures and are
solemn. One of the most famous
religious events, and one of the
most controversial, is the crucifixion
of flagellants held every Easter
at San Fernando in Pampanga. Holy
Week is a sacred holiday for
Filipinos and tens of thousands head
north from Manila to hill stations
like Baguio.
There are two distinct seasons
in the Philippines, the wet
(southwest monsoon) and the dry
(northeast monsoon). The wet
season runs from May to October
and the dry from November to April.
The wet season is best avoided, as
the country is hit by an average of
seven typhoons and affected by
fifteen. These cyclonic storms are
more of an inconvenience than an
outright threat, with flights
cancelled and roads made impassable
by floodwaters, even in the capital.
November and December are the
coolest months, with daytime
temperatures of around 28ฐC, while
March, April and May are very
hot: expect temperatures to peak at
35ฐC. Watch out for Christmas
and Easter when the whole of the
Philippines hits the road and
getting a seat on a bus or plane can
be difficult.
