THE VISAYAS OF Philippines

Six major islands and clusters of smaller islets together create a vista of idyllic images  the calm
waters, shimmering coves, rocky coasts and palm-fringed beaches that are the Visayas.
 
      Hanging like a necklace of uneven beads strung together by various geographic threads, the islands of the Visayas lend themselves to the sort of languid exploration that is perhaps more associated with the South Pacific. People from Luzon, when asked about these southern islands, generally point out the slower pace, the seductive lilt to the Visayan accent and, perhaps chauvinistically, the sensuousness of the women.

     The Visayas have been described by one poetically inclined visitor as ‘islands of now in a sea of yesteryear’. The six major islands and smaller islets – stretching for some 300km (200 miles) between Luzon and Mindanao  lend themselves readily to such wistful descriptions. They parade a series of idyllic images  calm waters, shimmering coves and palm-fringed beaches  while the carefree attitude of locals makes for an ideal holiday setting. On the other side of the coin, most of the
islands remain rather poor and undeveloped, and the more easterly – Samar and Leyte in particular – often bear the brunt of destructive typhoons sweeping in from the Pacific, as was the case when Typhoon Haiyan struck devastatingly in late 2013.

 Samar
 This large island, well removed from the tourist trail, lies opposite the southeastern tip of Luzon and can easily be reached from Manila via the National Highway. First landfall is at the town of Allen with its nearby hot springs. The main roads wind along the northern coast to Catarman, capital of Northern Samar Province. Several attractive waterfalls are found in the interior of this part of the island, although reaching them requires considerable hiking.

     In the southwest corner of the island is the San Juanico Bridge, the longest in the Philippines, linking Samar to the adjacent island of Leyte. Near the approach to the bridge is Basey , known for Sohotan Caves, Sohotan Natural Bridge, and Sohotan National Park. Basey is also the home of mat weavers whose designs have become popular items in the markets of Tacloban, on Leyte across the bridge.

Leyte

Tacloban , the capital of Leyte, was virtually obliterated by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck on 8 November 2013. Of the roughly 6,000 Filipinos known to have been killed in the storm, approximately 80 percent were from the Leyte towns of Tacloban, Tanauan and Palo. Little infrastructure remained intact after the typhoon, so it is important to confirm itineraries and
reservations before travelling to the area.

      The island has several fine beaches on its western coast, notably Agta Beach in Almeria and Banderrahan Beach in Naval. The town of Caibiran, on the eastern coast, has the spring-fed San Bernardo pool and the falls of Tumalistis, once claimed to have the sweetest water in the world.


      From Tacloban, the National Highway follows the eastern coastline southward past Palo and Tolosa, the hometown of Imelda Marcos, where a visit to her former grand residence has been a highlight. Past Abuyog, the road veers west and crosses Leyte’s Central Cordillera Mountains to the town of Baybay. The road then follows the western coastline to southern Leyte’s provincial capital of Maasin.

Cebu   

The oldest city in the Philippines, Cebu  is the commercial and education centre of the Visayas, and the hub of air and sea travel throughout the southern Philippines. It is second in commercial activity only to Manila. While the city itself suffered relatively minor damage compared with Leyte, mountainous areas just to the north were laid waste by Typhoon Haiyan’s winds.

    As the oldest Spanish settlement in the country, Cebu has a rich colonial heritage. The foremost example is the refurbished Fort San Pedro (daily 7am–10pm; charge), a Spanish fort built in the early 1700s to repel the attacks of Muslim raiders. Housed in a chapel on Magallanes Street, located in the heart of the downtown area, is a piece of a wooden crucifix left by Magellan in 1521. On Juan Luna Street is Santo Niño Basilica and Museum (Mon–Sun 8– 11.45am and 1.30–4.45pm, Wed closed; charge), built in 1565 to house the country’s oldest religious relic, the Image of the Holy Child Jesus, presented by Magellan to Queen Juana of Cebu.

    The Magellan Marker is out in Lapu Lapu City, some 20km (12 miles) from downtown Cebu en route to Mactan Island. Erected in 1886, it marks the spot where the peripatetic Spaniard was slain on Mactan’s shore. The Lapu Lapu Monument stands at the plaza fronting the Lapu Lapu City Hall.

    Cebu is well known for its attractive, sun-drenched white beaches and dive sites. Among them are Mactan Island, just offshore from Cebu city, the Olango Islands and Moalboal, all of which have good facilities and accommodation, though there may still be some typhoon damage. Moalboal, on the southwest coast, is a haven for scuba-diving enthusiasts as well as budget travellers. Many come here to obtain their PADI dive certificate  this being one of the cheapest places in Asia to take the dive course.

   Cebu is also known for its handcrafted guitars and ukuleles made of soft jackfruit wood. The guitar-making industry is centred in Maribago and Abuno on Mactan.

Bohol
A short flight or ferry ride southeast from Cebu is the island of Bohol @ [map]. One of the major coconut-growing areas of the country, its many historical and natural attractions are well linked by a good road system, while the coastline is marked by picturesque coves and clean, white-sand beaches.

    Most of the beaches are a short ride from Tagbilaran in the southwest, the provincial capital and Bohol’s main port of entry (1 hour 45 minutes by ferry from Cebu). Seven km (4 miles) from Tagbilaran is Baclayon Church, built by Jesuits in 1727. Also known as the Church of La Purisima Concepcion (Immaculate Conception), it has an interesting museum housing a rich collection of religious relics, ecclesiastical vestments, and old librettos of church music in Latin on animal skins.


   But what remains Bohol’s most famous attraction, with which in fact the island has become synonymous, is a unique panorama in the vicinity of Carmen, a town 55km (34 miles) northeast of Tagbilaran in Bohol’s central regions. Here, several hundred small-but-perfectly-formed hills rise some 30 metres (100ft) above the flat terrain. These are the Chocolate Hills, socalled for the confectionery-like spectacle they present at the height of the dry season (February–April), when their sparse grass cover turns dry and brown.

Negros
   
The large island of Negros lies west of Cebu. The capital of Negros Oriental (Eastern Negros) Province, Dumaguete £  is a small university town built around the Protestant-run Silliman University. Offshore is Siquijor Island, accessible by an hour’s fast ferry from Dumaguete. This small, entrancingly beautiful island, has long been considered the centre of sorcery
in the southern Philippines. There are some 50 mananambal, or folk healer-sorcerers, classified as ‘white’ or ‘black’ depending upon the nature of their abilities and intents. Siquijor’s scenery and beaches are outstanding, and there is plenty of accommodation here.

Dominating the northwest shore is Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental (Western Negros) Province. Its points of interest do not extend much beyond several fine antique collections, ceramic shops, and weaving centres producing principally hablon fabric – a textile originally developed in Bacolod and much in vogue in the 1960s.


A few minutes’ drive north is Silay, small and sleepy, but with several interesting old houses recalling the Castilian past. A bit further north is Victorias Milling Company, reputedly the largest sugar-cane mill and refinery in the world. Within the Vicmico compound is St Joseph the Worker’s chapel noted for its psychedelic mosaic made from pop bottles depicting an angry Jesus and saints as Filipinos in native dress. It is still sometimes referred to as the Chapel of the Angry Christ.

Panay

From Bacolod, it is a two-hour ferry ride west to Iloilo $ [map] on Panay Island. By the river’s mouth is (yet another) Fort San Pedro, originally built in 1616 with earthworks and wooden palisades, and transformed into a stone fort in 1738. In 1937 the fort became quarters for the Philippine Army, but it has since been turned into a promenade area, popular in the early evening. The Museo ng Iloilo (Iloilo Museum; Mon–Fri 9am noon and 1–5pm; charge) on Bonifacio Drive showcases
prehistoric artefacts from the many burial sites excavated on Panay, including gold-leaf masks for the dead, seashell jewellery, and other ornaments worn by pre-Spanish islanders.

The district of Molo, 3km (2 miles) from the city centre, has a Gothic-Renaissance church completed in the 1800s and the Asilo de Molo, an orphanage where little girls hand-embroider church vestments. Panaderia de Molo (Molo Bakery), the oldest bakery in the South is a favourite. Off the northwest tip of the island is Boracay , the Philippines’s premier resort.