Holiday gold: There are 20,000 miles of shoreline in the Philippines
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Mention the Philippines to any Westerner and certain images spring to mind: former First Lady Imelda Marcos's shoes, young maids exploited by Arab employers and poverty so acute that shanty towns grow up on noxious rubbish dumps like some real-life version of Dickens' Our Mutual Friend.
There is, however, so much more to the Philippines than that; a rich history, vibrant culture and verdant landscape.
For a start, the country is not a single entity but consists of more than 7,000 islands, which can be broadly divided into three areas: Luzon in the north; the Visayas in the centre and Mindanao in the south.
I began my trip in Luzon and the capital, Manila. What had been a small town of 2,000 inhabitants when the conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in 1570 (or, as my guide pointed out, 'When we discovered the Spanish') has since grown into a sprawling metropolis of more than 15 million people.
With the exception of Warsaw, no city suffered more devastating bomb damage during World War II, and 21st-century Manila is a place of violent contrasts: old-style colonial architecture, soaring skyscrapers and tumbledown shacks in an urban wasteland.
In fact, Manila is not one city but a federation of 14, each with its own administration.
The essential areas of Manila for the tourist are the Intramuros, the walled city that made up the old Spanish capital; Makati, the business and financial centre, full of smart restaurants and designer shops; Ermita and Malate along Manila Bay, with their exuberant nightlife; and Binondo and Quiapo, home to both the city's Chinese community and some of its most historic
I stayed at the Traders Shangrila hotel in Manila Bay, a discreetly opulent establishment opposite the Cultural Centre of the Philippines, which, with the neighbouring Folk Arts Centre, Film Centre and Coconut Palace, forms a kind of Manila South Bank.
It was built by Imelda Marcos on reclaimed land at the height of what the locals describe as her mining activities: 'This is mine, and this is mine, and this is mine.'
From there it's a short drive (traffic permitting) to the Intramuros, the most impressive monuments of which are the ruined Fort Santiago, now a museum to national hero Jose Rizal; the squat Romanesque cathedral with its exquisite stained glass; and the San Augustin church and monastery, the oldest in the Philippines, with its magnificent baroque interior, stunning trompe l'oeil ceiling and collection of icons.
On the borders of the Intramuros stands the famous Manila Hotel, which General MacArthur made his headquarters from 1936 to 1941.
Those with long pockets and a sentimental disposition might like to stay in his suite, while the general traveller can slip back in time by sipping a cocktail in the wood-panelled lobby to the strains of a string quartet, or taking lunch in the lavishly ornate Champagne
Room, amid the festoons of yellow silk, wrought-iron mirrors and giant crystal trees.
Despite the stalling traffic, the city moves at a frenetic place, making visits to the American and Chinese cemeteries doubly welcome. Both are magnificent monuments and indispensable oases of calm.
From Manila, there's an interesting excursion to Tagatay, a small town with breathtaking views of Lake Taal, the country's third largest lake, which has at its heart an active volcano.
Manila is the Philippines' sky-scraping capital city
While hardier souls climbed the crater, I opted for a massage at the nearby Nurture Spa. Reclining in the tropical garden, lulled by the gentle sound of running water and the heady fragrance of frangipani, with a therapist gently kneading my neck and shoulders, I was transported to a more forgiving world.
I also took trips to Quezon province for the spectacular May festivals in Sariaya, Tayabas and Lucban.
The Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia, yet it retains much of its pagan heritage, and these festivals, with their splendid decorations, gaudy costumes, processions, dancing and feasting are a compelling mixture of Christian and animist traditions.
After ten days in Manila, I flew south to the Visayas, staying first outside Cebu, the second largest city, and on Boracay, a true island paradise.
Like many second cities, Cebu is fiercely independent and somewhat scornful of the capital. It proudly asserts its history, which includes San Carlos university, the oldest in Asia.
It has its own language, Cebuano, one of more than 150 spoken in the islands and quite distinct from Tagalog, the dominant language in Manila (thanks to the 50-year American occupation, everyone — except in the remotest areas — speaks some English).
Cebu boasts an array of historic monuments, including Fort San Pedro, a unique triangular citadel, and is home to the Casa Gorordo, a striking example of Spanish-era architecture. It is also home to the country's most precious icon, the
Santa Nino, a statue of the infant Christ, presented by the Portuguese explorer Magellan to the Queen of Cebu on her baptism.
You won't go far wrong by staying at the newly established Plantation Bay hotel, a compound of small colonial-style buildings set around a series of man-made lagoons, in which you can swim, dive, raft and, best of all, relax in the spa.
Boracay Island: 'the most celebrated of the resorts in the Philippines'
The Philippines possesses 20,000 miles of shoreline and is home to more than 40 per cent of the world's maritime life. It therefore seemed fitting to end my stay in the most celebrated of its resorts, Boracay island.
I took the hour-long flight from Cebu to the tiny Caticlan airport, followed by the 15-minute boat trip to the island, marvelling as the lush palm trees and white gold beach came closer into view.
Boracay derives from the local word for cotton and alludes to both the colour and texture of the sand.
Most of the island's activities centre on the four-kilometre White Beach. There you can sunbathe, swim, surf, buy a fake Rolex or genuine pearls, drink at the Hobbit bar staffed entirely by midgets, and enjoy all-you-can eat buffets from £3 a head.
The beach remains packed into the early hours, and more sedate visitors would do well to avoid the shore hotels in favour of one such as the Boracay Tropics, a few minutes' walk inland.
On a two-week trip, I was able only to get a taste of a country which offers not just a huge contrast to life in the West but a series of striking contrasts within itself.
On the other hand, having visited three of its 7,017 islands, I have 7,014 reasons to return.
I could not have said it better myself.
