South of the island of Luzon is the main island  group of the Philippines, the Visayas. The major islands in this group are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Negros, Panay, Romblon, Samar and Siquijor. The Visayas are bordered to the south by Mindanao and to the west by long, narrow Palawan. Bohol is the 10th largest· island of the Philippines. Another 72 small islands belong to the province of the same name. Its historical significance is due to the blood compact between the Spanish conqueror Legaspi and the Boholano chieftain Sikatuna. Today most visitors go to Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills. A few km north-east of Tagbilaran, near Corella, live the rare, shy tarsier monkeys, the smallest monkeys in the world, with large, round eyes and long tails. About 15 km north of Tagbilaran near Maribojoc stands the old Punta Cruz Watchtower, built in the time of the Spaniards in 1796 to look out for pirates. It gives a good view over other islands of the Visayas. CHOCOLATE HILLS Over a thousand in number, the Chocolate Hills are about 30 metres high and covered in grass. At the end of the dry season the grass is quite dry and chocolate colored, hence the name. There are Iwo legends about the origin of the Chocolate Hills and two geological explanations. The first legend tells of a fight between two giants who threw stones and sand at each other for days, until they were so tired and exhausted they made friends and left the island. They didn't, however, tidy up the battlefield, leaving the Chocolate Hills. The second legend is a lot more romantic. Arogo, a young and unusually strong giant, fell in love with an ordinary mortal, Aloya. After Aloyas death, Arogo cried bitterly. The Chocolate Hills are proof of his grief, for his tears turned into hills. According to some geologists, Bohol lay under water in prehistoric times. Volcanic eruptions caused unevenness on the bottom of the sea which was gradually smoothed and rounded by the movement of the water. Most serious geologists, however, regard such an explanation as nonsense. Even though the geological origin of the hills has not yet been explained beyond doubt, the consensus is that they are weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone lying on top of impermeable clay soils. Comparisons have been made with the Hundred Islands of North Luzon. CEBU  ISLAND, more than 200 km long and just 40 km across at its widest point, is at the centre of the Visayas, locked between Negros, Leyte and Bohol. It is the main island of Cebu Province and home to the capital, Cebu City. Of the smaller islands which are also part of the province, the most important are Mactan, Bantayan and Camotes When the Spaniards arrived in Cebu, it was called Sugbu and trade was already being carried on with China. Cebu has many expensive beach resorts which are always promoted in the island's tourist literature. The coral gardens at Pescador Island near Moalboal are worth seeing, as are the guitar factories on Mactan Island. Cebu City is the third largest city in the Philippines, with a population of about 650.000. Even so, the so-called ‘Queen City of the South’ is easy to get to know. Life  in this city is more leisurely than in Manila. There are, of course, many jeepneys and taxis and even a few Tartanillas ( horse drawn carriages ), but you can get almost anywhere in this city on foot. Magellan's Cross The first Catholic Mass on Cebu was celebrated on 14 April 1521, when Rajah Humabon, his wife, sons and daughters 800 islanders had themselves baptized by Father Pedro de Valderrama. Magellan marked this beginning of Christianity in the Philippines with the erection of a cross. The original cross is said to be inside the present cross, which stands in a pavilion near the Cebu City Hall. Basilica Minore del Santo Niño The present basilica - formerly San Agustine Church - was finished in 1740, three earlier wooden structures having been destroyed by fire. Undoubtedly, the focal point of slightly weathered stone church is Santo Nino, a statue of the infant Jesus, but if want to admire this valuable object on the left of the altar you either need a telescope or have to wait in a long queue. In 1565 this treasure, with its jeweled crown and gem-covered clothes, was found undamaged by Juan de Camus, one of Legaspi's soldiers, in a hut near the basilica. Since then Santo Niflo has been the patron saint of the Cebuano. Fort San Pedro Legaspi himself turned the first sod of earth on 8 May 1565 for this fort, which was built as a defense against marauding pirates. He gave it the name of the ship in which he crossed the Pacific. At the end of the Spanish era, in 1898, it was taken over by the freedom fighters of Cebu. Later, it served as a base and barracks for the Americans, and from 1937 to 1941 it was used for training purposes. In WW II the fort was used as a prison camp by the Japanese. The bitter liberation struggle towards the end of the war took its toll, and much of Fort San Pedro was destroyed. Restoration work began in the late l960s and a well-tended garden was laid out in the inner courtyard - a beautiful little place of refuge not too far from the hustle and bustle of the harbour.  LEYTE is one of the Visayan Islands and lies between Samar, Cebu, Bohol and Mindanao. San Juanico Bridge, which is over two km long and joins the islands of Leyte and Samar across the San Juanico Strait, is probably the most beautiful bridge in South-East Asia. Central and southern Leyte is somewhat mountainous with plains in the northern and western parts of the island. Administratively, it is divided into the province of Leyte, whose capital is Tacloban, Southern Leyte, whose capital is Maasin, and Biliran, whose capital is Naval. Leyte is particularly remembered as the place where General MacArthur fulfilled his ‘I shall return' pledge. In October 1944, US troops landed at Red Beach in Palo, a little south of Tacloban, and started pushing the Japanese Out of the Philippines. TACLOBAN The capital of Leyte is a port town with about 140,000 inhabitants. It has an excellent harbor with facilities for handling large ships and overseas trade. The colorful market at the western end of the wharf is full of life. A large relief on the wall of the Provincial Capitol Building depicts MacArthur's return to the Philippines. The museum in Tacloban's Divine Word University has rare and priceless artifacts from Leyte and Samar, which date from the early trade with China, and from the Sohoton Cave diggings. Another good museum is the colonial-style Santo Niño Shrine & Heritage Museum that also gives an impression of the state of luxury the Marcos clan lived in. If you are keen on history, you should visit MacArthur Park on Red Beach, where General MacArthur landed. Nature lovers will enjoy a day trip to Sohoton National Park near Basey on the island of Samar. Liloan is at the northern tip of Panaon Island in the south of Leyte. The waters there are good for diving and snorkelling. About 20 km west of Panaon Island you will find Limasawa Island, a somewhat remote island where motorized transport of any kind is banned and bicycles are the best means of getting around. On 29 March 1521 Ferdinand Magellan landed on Limasawa after setting foot for the first time on the Philippines on the island of Homonhon, to the east of Leyte. Negros  Consists of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, which are separated by mountain chains in the centre of the island. Kanlaon Volcano may, it is hoped, become an attraction similar to the famous Mayon Volcano in South Luzon. The east and southeast coasts offer Spanish-style charm - perhaps a reason why foreign tourists often spend a few days in the pleasant little town of Dumaguete. Pretty good beaches can be found around Hinoba-an in the southwest of the island; this is also where you will come across inveterate adventurers seeking their pot of gold by panning for it in the mountains. Among the main attractions of Negros are the old steam locomotives. There are only a few steam locomotives left today, but you can see them near the sugar mills. The aborigines of Negros are called the Negrito, hence the name of the island. Some tribes of this cultural minority still live in the mountain regions. The main dialect in Negros Occidental is Ilongo, whereas Cebuano is spoken in Negros Oriental. With its hot sulphur springs, Mambucal is the best known resort on Negros, yet it's not crowded. The Summer Resort has swimming pools, waterfalls and accommodation. You can't go from Mambucal across the island to the east coast as, in the central areas of Negros, all roads end at the Kanlaon massif. It’s about five km from the edge of town to Mt Kanlaon National Park. If you want to climb Kanlaon, you need to allow three to four days for the round trip. Bacolod The capital of Negros Occidental is the sugar capital of the Philippines. The name Bacolod is derived from the word 'Buklod' or hill, which refers to a rise on which the town's first church stood.  Dumaguete is a pleasant town with well tended little park areas and what must be the cleanest market in the Philippines. It's the capital of Negros Oriental Province and also a university town. Silliman University, extensive campus is on the northern edge of the town, is the only Protestant university in the Philippines and was named after its founder, Dr Horace B Silliman. It has a small anthropological museum.  Panay is the large triangular island in the west of the Visayas. It is subdivided into the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique. Iloilo City, with about 300,000 inhabitants is the biggest city on the island. The economy is predominantly agricultural, although there is also a textile industry in Iloilo City. Fabric made from piña, the fibers of the pineapple leaf, is used to make Filipino barong tagalog shirts. Among the main tourist attractions in Panay are the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo and the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo. There are also several beautiful old churches along the south coast. The little dream island of Boracay is extremely popular, not only with the international travel set but also with quite normal holidaymakers. It still remains to be seen what will come of plans to develop the island into a fully-fledged tourism centre. Before and after the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Boracay is full! Romblon Almost in the centre of the Philippine archipelago, Romblon Province is made up of about 20 islands and islets, the largest of which are Tablas, Sibuyan and Romblon. All three are hilly and Sibuyan is thickly forested. Because of its large marble deposits, Romblon is also called Marble Country'. Experts consider that Romblon marble is at least equal in quality to Italian marble. It is usually sold as large blocks, but several families make a few pesos by selling handmade ashtrays, chess pieces, vases and statues. When passenger ships visit, people set up stalls on the wharf of Romblon town to sell marble souvenirs. The small port town of Romblon is the capital of Romblon. The two forts of San Andres and Santiago Hill were built by the Spaniards in 1640 and are said to have underground passages leading to the coast. From the ports there is a good view of San Joseph’s Cathedral and the town with its Spanish style houses. Dating back to 1726, the cathedral houses a collection of antiques that you can see on request. A trip to one of the two lighthouses, Sabang and Apunan makes a good outing. The bay of Romblon is sheltered by small Lugbon island, which you can quickly reach by outrigger boat from the harbor. The island has a beautiful white beach and a few cottages. SAMAR the second biggest island in the Visayas, lies between South Luzon and Leyte and is connected with Leyte by the two-km long San Juanico Bridge, which spans the San Juanico Strait. The island is divided into the three provinces of Eastern, Northern and Western Samar and is surrounded by about 180 small islands. One of these is Homonhon, where Ferdinand Magellan is reputed to have set foot for the first time on Philippine soil on 16 March 1521. Samar's landscape is hilly and steep and the greater part of the island is thickly wooded. Plains exist only along the coast and in the north, around Catarman. Sohoton National Park, near Basey in Southern Samar, is Samar's outstanding natural attraction. The best way to reach it is from Tacloban on Leyte. Rather less exciting are the Blanca Aurora Falls near Gandara between Calbayog and Catbalogan. The inhabitants of Samar are Visayans who call themselves Waray and speak the Waray-Waray dialects. The island of SIQUIJOR is about 20 km east of southern Negros and is one of the smallest provinces in the Philippines, with 75,000 inhabitants. The main towns of this pleasant province are Siquijor, Larena, Maria and Lazi. Siquijor is the capital, and Larena and Lazi have ports with connections to other islands. A surfaced road encircles this hilly island, connecting its well-kept villages and small towns; jeepneys and tricycles are the main means of transport. The main industries are agriculture and fishing. When the Spaniards discovered the island, they called it Isla del Fuego, which means island of fire. This suggests that they saw a large fire as they sailed past. It is believed that what they saw were countless glowworms. There is a legend that millions of years ago Siquijor lay completely under water. It emerged from the sea amid crashing thunder and flashing lightning. Fossils of mussels, snails and other underwater creatures can stll be found in the mountainous interior and are quoted as evidence for this belief. You can sense that there is something mysterious about Siquijor when you tell Filipinos that you intend to travel there. They will warn you of witches and magicians and healers with wondrous powers. Many strange events take place on this singular island and are enhanced by the practice of voodoo and black magic. Filipinos will warn you that it is better to avoid it for your own safety's sake...