From vibrant cities to jungle-clad countryside and Crusoe-like island retreats, the Philippines is a kaleidoscope of diverse history, welcoming communities and natural beauty
She smiles down at me, a vision of health with gleaming teeth and flawless skin. Her brown eyes look out through heavily-lashed eyelids, her gaze drawing me in, inviting me to share her beauty secret. She holds it like a trophy in her hand: chicken in a can.
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‘Chicken can be sexy’, barks the giant billboard sign for ‘Sexy Chix’ tinned chicken, one of the many adverts that spurt up along Manila’s teeming roads. And so begins my stay in the Philippines, in its capital, bringing the unexpected at every turn.
It’s a country that had always appealed to me – its history, influenced by years of Spanish and South American rule bestowing it with a unique, Catholic flavour compared with other South East Asian countries. I’d skimmed the guidebooks, but nothing could prepare me for my arrival in Manila, where the frenetic energy of the city seeped straight into my skin.
We’re greeted by our beaming guide, Angelo, who wears a pristine Tagalog; the country’s traditional, embroidered dress shirt. Weary after a 10-hour flight, he whisks us into our air-conditioned truck bound for our hotel, the lavish Shangri-La located in Makati, the capital’s buzzing business district.
I gawp from the window as hundreds of brightly-coloured, crowded Jeepnies surge through the city. The American jeeps left over from World War II are the country’s most popular form of transport, and come emblazoned with religious motifs such as ‘God shows the way’.
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It’s midnight on a Sunday, but this megacity shows no signs of sleep, so we drop off our bags and walk to Makati’s Greenbelt, a vast shopping mall where well-heeled Filipinos go to eat, drink, shop – and party.
We refuel at local restaurant Mesa, where we gorge on plates of duck basil fried rice, local tilapia fish, and turon – a dangerously moreish dessert made from sugary fried spring rolls filled with sliced bananas and served with ice-cream.
Keen to sample the nightlife, we file past the designer stores to bag ourselves an outdoor table at Club Havana, a South-American-style bar blasting out Latin music, where groups of pretty Filipino girls and boys sit smoking and checking each other out.
Manila By Day
We begin our cultural immersion the next day at Rizal Park, which sprawls 60 hectares and is dotted with imposing monuments that pay homage to the country’s history.
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The park’s main attraction is the eponymous monument, fronted by a towering flagpole and protected by uniformed guards who stand stoically under the midday sun, protecting the remains of Filipino nationalist José Rizal, who was executed here in 1896 by the Spanish for inciting revolution. His death wasn’t entirely in vain: the country gained independence from the Spanish in 1898, although it was later sold to the Americans.
Next, we saunter towards the old walled city of Intramuros, built by the Spanish to protect them from invaders. Most of the colonial city was heavily damaged during the battle to recapture it from the Japanese during World War II, and shrapnel scars still score the city walls, but the remaining crumbling buildings and cobbled plazas retain a cheerful Latin feel.
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We seek shade from the heat in San Augustin, the oldest stone church in the Philippines, which since being built in 1578 has survived numerous earthquakes and the destruction of most of Intramuros in World War II. The opulent Baroque interior has us all whipping out our cameras, while our eyes go blurry as we stare at the 3-D effect painted ceiling.
And By Night
That evening, we go for cocktails in Makati at the chi-chi 71 Gramercy, the capital’s highest club, which is filled with designer-clad Filipinos who look out at the sprawling city view. We get chatting to a Swiss guy who lives here; he tells us that wealthy locals have recently been snapping up tickets to see Madonna in concert later in the year, at $700 (£450) a pop. It’s clear that this city is determined to better its economy and attract a luxury market.
We leave Manila with our heads spinning from the bright lights and our hangovers, and jump on a short flight to Bohol, one of the country’s 7,107 islands, for some rural respite. We’re welcomed by a giant sign arching across the road: ‘Bohol – City of Friendship’ (not a ‘Sexy Chix’ ad in sight.)
Island Life
I fall in love with the place instantly: we’re treated with politeness and respect by everyone we meet, including Tessy, our patriotic and glamorous tour guide. On this beautiful island, Jeepnies are replaced by masses of tin-roofed tricycles, which drive alongside our car as we file past rice fields and mango trees, stopping at last to meet the island’s most famous inhabitants.
They’re hairy, wide-eyed and elusive, and they fit into the palm of your hand: the tarsier is one of the world’s smallest primates, and is found mainly on Bohol. Sanctuary owner Nong Lito has dedicated his life to protecting them in the Tarsier Research and Development Centre, and was commended for his work when he met Prince Charles in the 1990s. One of the tarsiers has even been named Charlie in his honour, and still lives in the sanctuary.
We’re told to follow one of the guides into the rainforest-like environs, and to keep quiet so as not to frighten the tarsiers, who could commit suicide by holding their breath if they get too stressed. That shuts us all up pretty quickly, and, soon enough, the guide pulls back a leaf to reveal the miniscule monkey.
The tarsier’s giant bug eyes are 150 times bigger than a human’s in relation to its body size, which makes it look slightly like it’s had one too many late nights at 71 Gramercy. Still, the crazy yet adorable-looking creatures are amazing to watch, and we all coo as one moves its ears endearingly in our direction.
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It’s tough to drag ourselves away without adopting one, but we manage it, and head for the island’s much-loved chocolate hills. There’s no actual chocolate involved (the hills earn their name as they turn from green to brown at the end of dry season), but I get over the disappointment as soon as I see them – more than 1,268 of these majestic mounds span out across fifty square kilometres, and, under a brooding, cloud-filled sky, the panorama is gasp-inducing.
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Active Island
A selfie or two later, and we’re off for yet more adventures – this time of the sporty kind. Normally, my idea of exercise involves raising a Martini glass to my lips and dancing around to Tay-Tay on a Friday night, so it’s with a fair degree of trepidation that I strap myself onto my SUP board, for the start of a four-hour tour of the eerily-beautiful, emerald-hued Loboc river, organised by Sup Tours Philippines.
I start off wobbly, yet an hour in, I’m actually moving (fairly) swiftly and confidently down the river – and I don’t fall in once.
A woman washes her clothes by the bank. A man makes a fire. A coconut falls from a tree and splashes into the water. The tranquillity is bliss, and then the rain starts to fall. It’s monsoon season, so this is no light shower.
Buckets of water seem to pour from the sky, and I paddle furiously past the dense mass of jungle-like terrain to get to the waterfalls. It’s worth it: the rain, and the waterfalls we finally reach, are feats of nature, and as I stand under the water’s spray, I feel one million miles away from life back home.
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Luxury
I’m sad to be leaving Bohol, but happy to be heading off to see a final slice of the Philippines – this time of the seriously easy-going variety, at Busuanga resort, Huma, on one of the famed Palawan islands.
Modernity has barely touched remote Busuanga, whose lush palms and grassy mountains remind me of Africa. We take a boat from the west side of the island and head for Huma, and as dusk falls, the sea turns to liquid mercury as we make towards our haven.
It doesn’t disappoint: on arrival, we’re greeted by ukelele-strumming staff and are adorned with palm necklaces. We spend the next two days lazing on the island’s private, white sandy beach, snorkelling amongst the clear, coral-lined waters – where we spot everything from starfish to Nemo – and enjoying massages in the overwater spa. Tough life, we know. In the evenings, we dine in one of the five restaurants, or sing along with Dennis and Arlie, a talented couple who serenade us at the bar as we digest. Then it’s off to our private hut for a Jacuzzi session and a glass of red as we watch the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen.
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Tipsy but content, we raise our glasses: “To the Philippines!” From manic Manila to rural Bohol and blissful Huma, we’ve loved every minute of it.
A seven night trip to the Philippines starts from £1,899 per person, including a two-night stay at Shangri-La Makati, Manila, followed by two nights at the four star Hennan Resort, Bohol and three nights at the five star Huma Island Resort, Palawan, all on a B&B basis. Offer includes a Manila city tour, full day Bohol tour, internal flights, airport transfers and return international flights from London Heathrow with Philippine Airlines. Based on departures 08 November 2015. For more info, visit hayesandjarvis.com
