CAPITAL MANILA - POPULATION 92.7 MILLION - AREA 300,000 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGES FILIPINO, ENGLISH
You never know – Terminal 3 of Manila's international airport, on which work began in 1997, might finally be open by 2009. If this is the case, more flights than in recent years should start bringing visitors to this string of 7000 islands which, though they might not rank as highly on travellers' wishlists as Malaysia or Indonesia, have a lot to offer. Kayak the waters of the Hundred Islands National Park, hike in the sweet Chocolate Hills, or get away from it all amid the high rice-terraces of the Cordillera Mountains. At some point the crowds will come, but for now, the Philippines is still a cheap and welcoming departure from south Asia's backpacker circuit.
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