Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands north of the equator. It is reputed to be the world's second largest archipelago after Indonesia. The country has a total land area of 300,439 squ...
The Philippines is about as un-Asian as an Asian country can get. A fusion of Indonesian and Malaysian cultures with a heavy dose of Spanish and Chinese, topped up with Japanese and garnished with a sprig of American and there you have it - the definitive proverbial point at which east meets west. The stew pot has since been enriched by the influx of tourists from various European countries producing a truly cosmopolitan facade to an essentially unsophisticated country. Made up of around 7,000 islands, the Philippine Archipelago is split into 3 main regions - Visayas in the middle and Mindanao to the south. A land of wonderful landscapes - rainforests, lakes, volcanoes, verdant plains, white sand beaches and coral islands - much of it is archetypal paradise. Settlements vary immensely from small isolated communities to sprawling metropolises, from idyllic beach resorts to Spanish colonial port towns. Whatever you choose to see, you will be in for a rich and immensely fulfilling treat.
The capital, Manila, is as different to the delicate white flower after which it was named as you can get. A sprawling metropolis, covering nearly 250,000sq miles and home to approximately 10 million people, it is almost the antithesis of the rest of this laid back, often breathtakingly beautiful country. If the Philippines are where east meets west, then Manila is also where old meets new. The city is a virtually unfathomable jigsaw of Spanish colonial architecture, dragon temples, vast basilicas, mosques, ancient, ruined fortresses, steel and glass skyscrapers, slums, plazas, wide boulevards, traffic jams, bustling market places, myriad cafes and pubs, streetwalkers, peddlers, horse and carriages, makeshift taxis, wonderful parks, rivers, beaches and ten million people from all walks of life and virtually every nationality. Southeast Asia's second largest city is not for the faint-hearted, it's relentless bustle and notorious nightlife are both enthralling and draining.
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