Viva Visayas

Cebu, Philippines, October 2008 -- The Visayas region in central Philippines has always been one of my favorite holiday destinations in all of Asia. This time I had the pleasure of enjoying Cebu and Bohol, the region's topnotch attractions, with no less than my mom and my son Jay Harvey. In Cebu we visited the Basilica Menore de Santo Niño, Magellan's Cross, Fort San Pedro, Taoist Temple, the observation deck at Skyline Gardens, Mactan Island and the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue -- staying in turns at Bellavista Hotel and the Shangri-La Mactan.

In Bohol we visited the Loboc River, Chocolate Hills, Baclayon Church, Panglao Island and Tagbilaran City -- staying solely at Bohol Beach Club. The later half of the year, from June onwards, is generally considered to be the wet season, more pronouncedly so in this region. But our week-long visit gave us weather ranging from mild to sunny, the rains falling mostly in the wee hours of the morning. We sure did not complain!