I've visited Philippines only once and I fell in love with the country. I never had the opportunity to visit any place outside Manila but even then I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's amazing the number of cathedrals and worship places that the city has, all of them looking so ancient yet their architecture and beauty has been maintained so well. There was one church in particular, dedicated to the priest of childbirth, called Malate. And then there was another in the Quiapo district which had a life-sized figure of Christ called the Black Nazarene. These were both marvelous. I also enjoyed the ocean park, and since that was the first time I was seeing something like that, I was completely blown! I remember how beautiful the city looked from my hotel windows, the glittering skyscrapers, the glowing highways and roads.

My friend who stays in Manila often sends me pictures from her travel around the country. Some of the places are absolutely breathtaking! I really want to visit the underground river of Puerto Princesa. She went for a boat ride through the caves and I can only imagine how stunning that might have been! The beaches also look great. Hopefully I'll save enough for a holiday there soon.