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No-one seems entirely sure how many islands there are in the Visayas , but the number certainly runs into the thousands. What is clear is that everywhere you turn there seems to be another patch of tropical sand or coral reef awaiting your attention, usually with a ferry to take you there. There are nine major islands - Cebu, Bohol, Guimaras, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Negros, Romblon and Siquijor - but it's the hundreds of others in between that make this part of the archipelago so irresistible. Some are famous for their beaches, some for their mangoes, some for sugar and some for the alleged presence of witches and goblins. No-one can accuse the Visayas, and the Visayans who live here, of being a uniform lot. In some areas they speak Cebuana, while in others it's Ilonggo, Waray Waray or Aklan. Bigger islands have the kind of glitzy shopping malls and hotels that can do serious damage to the most liberal travel budget, while others are enchantingly rustic, the sort of places where even the grasshoppers are slow. A short journey by banca and you can go from air-conditioned ritz to bucolic nirvana. Rightly or wrongly, the Visayas are considered the cradle of the Philippines. It was here that Ferdinand Magellan laid a sovereign hand on the islands for Spain. The islands were also the scene of some of the bloodiest battles fought against the Japanese during World War ll and where General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore to liberate the country after his famous promise, "I shall return". Despite recent efforts to turn Cebu into a major international freeport, most of the islands remain lost in their own little world. Boracay , off the northern tip of Panay, is representative of the region in topography, but not in atmosphere. Nowhere else will you find the same kind of proliferation of bars and resorts. Vast areas of Panay , Samar and Leyte are still relatively undiscovered, while the "black magic" island of Siquijor is said to be home to witches and faith healers. For much of the time in the Visayas you are on your own, free to wander from barrio to barrio and beach to beach. A typical route through the islands would take you from the southern tip of mainland Bicol, across to Samar by ferry, down through Leyte and on to Cebu, Bohol, Negros and Panay, finally ending up on Boracay for R&R. But the beauty of the Visayas is that there's no need to make formal plans. There's always another island, another beach, another place to stay. Many of the larger Visayan islands have airports with flights daily or every few days to Manila Domestic Airport. Boracay, Cebu, Panay, Bohol, Negros, Leyte and Samar are all accessible by air. Island-hopping by plane within the Visayas is harder, with a limited number of flights, but the ferry network is so extensive it doesn't really matter. Ferries also ply major routes between Manila and the Visayas. Cebu has an international airport with flights to and from Japan, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan.
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