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The Festival Islands
The Visayas:
The Visayas is a group of islands between Luzon and
Mindanao. The main islands are Samar, Panay, Negros, Cebu and Leyte, the latter famous as the island first
sighted by the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century and as the landing point for the American liberation
forces in 1944. Samar and Leyte are linked by the San Juanico Bridge, the longest in the country.
Cebu City:
is the main resort of the Visayas. Cebu is the most densely populated island, a commercial centre with
an international harbour, and the Philippines' second city. Sights include Magellan's Cross, a wooden cross planted by Magellan
himself over 450 years ago to commemorate the baptism into the Christian faith of Rajah Humabon and his wife Juana with 800
followers, and Fort San Pedro, the oldest and smallest Spanish fort in the country, which was built on the orders of Spanish
conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.
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Bohol Island:
, just across the straits from Cebu in Central Visayas, is the site of some of the country's
most fascinating natural wonders; hundreds of limestone hills, some 30m (100ft) high, that in summer look like oversized chocolate
drops, earning them the name 'Chocolate Hills'. Covered by thin grass that dries and turns brown in the summer sun, they are
a strange spectacle with mounds rising up from the flatlands, and are situated about 55km (34 miles) northeast of Tagbilaran
City, the island's capital. Bohol also offers handsome white sand beaches and pretty secluded coves, accessible via good roads.
The island is a coconut-growing area and its local handicrafts are mostly of woven materials: grass mats, hats and baskets.
Baclayon Church merits a visit, as it is probably the oldest stone church in the Philippines, dating back to 1595. The island
can be reached by plane or ferry. The air journey from Cebu to Tagbilaran takes 40 minutes. Ferries go from Cebu to Tagbilaran
or Tubigon, another port north of the capital
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THE YEAR IS 2003 !
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