1. The people!

I traveled everywhere in South East Asia. People in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are really nice and extremely friendly. But the people in the Philippines are just simply amazing. Every time I thought people couldn’t get any friendlier they would exceed my expectations.

I was invited in to people’s houses for dinner; I did all night long karaoke sessions with locals (the national hobby in the Philippines) and I was playing with little kids on the beach for hours. This all with a never ending genuine smile!

 

2.  The Tarsier

If you visit the Philippines you can encounter one of the smallest primates in the world. This little animal is called a Tarsier and it is one of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen in my life. On the island of Bohol you will find a Tarsier sanctuary where you can come face to face with this amazing little creature. It takes a lot of effort not to melt when you look in to its eyes.

 

3.  The Chocolate Hills

This is one of the weirdest landscapes you will ever see. A landscape dotted with little green hills with hardly any vegetation growing on them. A local told me the legend of the two fighting giants. A long, long time ago there were two giants arguing about a girl. After a while they started fighting and throwing big rocks at each other. They didn’t bother to clean up after so the landscape was dotted with numerous rocks. You are probably wondering why they are called Chocolate Hills! In the dry season, the grass on the hills will turn brown and they will look like hills made of chocolate.

 

4. The diving

Most people who travel to South East Asia get their diving license at one point. I did mine, like many others, at the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. If you are into diving then the Philippines is the place to be. The country has some of the best diving spots in the world.

Very famous spots are Coron, Apo reef and Monad Shoal. The last one is the famous Thresher Shark dive. I did this dive on Malapascua Island and it’s absolutely stunning. It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling when numerous 4-5 meter long sharks surround you.

5. The beaches

Coming from Thailand and Malaysia I thought beaches couldn’t get any whiter. Well, I was so wrong. The Philippines has some of the best beaches I’ve ever seen. The water is so blue and makes a beautiful contrast with the white beaches. If you’re looking for postcard perfect places, just visit the Philippines.