One of the advantages of living in Shenzhen is the availability of budget airline flights from the city airport and others in neighboring Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.(Photo: Shenzhen Daily) Photo Gallery>>>

    Keith Crane

    BEIJING, Jan. 5 -- One of the advantages of living in Shenzhen is the availability of budget airline flights from the city airport and others in neighboring Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.

    Within a matter of a few hours you can swap the high-rise cityscape for the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, or in my case, a tour of some of the Philippines' most historic cultural cities.

    I started in the capital Manila which was just two hours from Hong Kong with Cebu Pacific, one of the leading operators offering return flights for as little as 753 HK dollars, including taxes and fees (97 U.S. dollars).

    On arrival your first impression is the sharp contrast to modern Shenzhen.

    Aside from its sleek shopping malls, it seems caught in a time warp, as if no one has bothered to repair or build anything new since the 1970s. Although admittedly, a poorer country than China's eastern seaboard, don't let that put you off as the people show a resilience in their everyday lives.

    The hustle and bustle on the streets can be overwhelming at first but give way to some grand historic buildings such as the imposing post office and, sadly, the now decaying theater.

    The highlight though is undoubtedly the walled enclave of Intramuros, built by the invading Spanish more than 400 years ago. You can wander round the streets or take a pony and trap to admire the European-style architecture including the former Governor’s Palace, museums, churches and monasteries and San Agustin Cathedral. It is still very much a lively place, with schools, shops, offices and restaurants in the restored buildings.

    Nearby is Fort Santiago, the seat of Spanish and U.S. colonial governors and a notorious prison, while Rizal Park is a popular hangout with a number of attractions including museums and a planetarium.

    Traveling around the city, indeed the country, can be an adventure, particularly if you try the standard mode of public transport, the jeepney, basically a long-wheelbase jeep which can seat a dozen to 15 people and taxi you around for a handful of pesos, the local currency.

    Their routes are written on the sides, but be warned, the drawback can be suffocating traffic fumes, particularly during busy times. But once you get used to them it is a great way to do what the locals do to get from A to B.

    For longer distances, you catch the city's elevated light railway or regular taxis, but make sure they use the meter.

    Manila Bay offers a respite from the crowded streets and is particularly popular at sunset with some pleasant bars beside the Metropolitan Museum along the southern shore.

    If you tire of walking — and some of the streets are hard on the feet so wear good walking shoes — catch one of the tour buses that will drop you off at some of the key sites and pick you up again an hour later. Some, such as Wow Manila, Sakay Na!, will give you a 50 percent discount on the fare if you present your airline boarding pass.

    For cheap and friendly accommodation I found the Green Mango hostel on www.hostelz.com, tucked away in its own gardens on a private estate out near the airport it offers small but clean en-suite rooms, 24-hour food and drink and internet for around 17 U.S. dollars a night.

    After a few days in Manila, it was time to move on so I flew north to Laoag to reach the city of Vigan by bus two hours south.

    One of the country's oldest towns, it is modeled on Intramuros and the cobbled streets, with buildings in various stages of decay and repair, can again be explored on foot or carriage.

    Many have been turned into craft shops where you can buy souvenirs including hand-woven tablecloths, pottery and locally produced wines.

    It's not a big town for nightlife though. After the bright lights and 24-hour bustle of Manila you suddenly find yourself in a sleepy backwater where just about everything shuts at 8 p.m.

    For accommodation, try the Vigan Heritage Mansion, just outside overlooking the old town, built in 1885 by the provincial governor and now fully restored, where rooms start at around 20 U.S. dollars a night.

    Keen to see as much as the country as possible, my next destination was the southern city of Davao, described by the "Rough Guide" as having "more cultural diversity" than any other city in the Philipines.

    It is also the world's eighth largest city in terms of land area, and boasts the country's highest mountain, Mount Apo, as well as being the country's durian capital.

    Compared with Manila, it is also more laid back, although jeepneys still clog the main roads at busy times.

    Here, my hotel was actually one of the stars of the show, featuring in my airline's inflight magazine and a tourist attraction in its own right.

    Ponce Suites (www.poncesuites.net) is owned by the artist Kublai Millan and his works fill practically every space inside and outside the building — photographs, sculptures, paintings and other artworks. You can spend almost a day exploring each floor including the rooftop bar in what is a real feast for art lovers.

    There is also a shop where you can buy a wide range of what definitely are unique souvenirs and gifts to take home. Again en-suite rooms are reasonably priced starting at 15 U.S. dollars a night with wi-fi available but no stand alone computer for guest use.

    Kublai's artworks, mainly giant sculptures of children, also fill the People's Park and other sites on Mount Apo. Mount Apo is also a popular evening hangout with bars, restaurants, live music and evening swimming pools, where you relax and look out over the city lights.

    Beaches are not far away either with a short ferry ride taking you to Samal or Talikud islands and their resorts but staring at sand and water for too long is not really my scene. Instead, it was time to head to my final destination, the country's second largest city, Cebu in the central Visayas.

    The clogged city center and its busy streets full of hawkers can be overwhelming but the main attraction and a haven of peace and quiet is Fort San Pedro, a triangular fortification built in the 16th century by the invading Spanish.

    Nearby are other historical sites marking the explorer Ferdinand Magellan's arrival, including a crypt containing remains of the cross he planted, and the Basilica del Santo Nino.

    One thing you are reminded about everywhere you travel across the Philipines is the importance of religion to one of the world's largest Catholic populations.

    It's not just the presence of churches and cathedrals, which after three years of living in China now appear unexpected, but the religious associations given to everything from shop and business names including taxis and fast-food vendors. On Sundays, people cram into places of worship, spilling out onto pavements and even riding on a jeepney, people cross themselves when they pass a church.

    Away from the city center hotels, I again chose budget hostel accommodation (23 U.S. dollars per night) in the suburbs, this time the Palazzo Penzionne, down a quiet lane off Gen Maxilom Avenue, one of the main roads leading out of the city.

    But if the traffic and the lack of a culinary speciality are the country's drawbacks, don't be put off. With the availability of cheap flights linking major cities in around an hour or so, you can also see as much or as little as you want in a relatively short time.

    Explore carefully and you will find genuine historic and cultural sites with friendly people welcoming you to visit their often overlooked country.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily)