South to Zamboanga

A tour of the Philippines begins in the capital city, Manila, known as the pearl of the orient, which has the world's longest pier. It is pointed out that Manila is a combination of old and new, bearing markings of the Philippines' original natives, their Spanish conquerors, and the contemporary world. At the docks of Manila, the Dollar Steamship Lines' cruise ship Mayon prepares for its twelve-hundred-mile tour of the more than seven-thousand Philippine Islands, only three-thousand of which are named and inhabited. Passing the island of Corregidor, the ship makes its first stop at the city of Iloilo, the second biggest shipping center in the Philippines. In this city, more markings of the Spanish conquerors are seen in the architecture of the city, especially the three-hundred- year-old churches, though the natives still live in portable bamboo huts. The people of Iloilo are primarily farmers who depend upon water buffalo for transportation and cockfights for entertainment. Travelling farther south, the Mayon next stops in Zamboanga, called the melting pot of the Philippines, because of the many different cultures who live there together. Along with the Christian natives, Zamboanga is inhabited by the Moslem Moros, known as the sea pirates of the area until the colonization of the Philippines by the United States. Zamboanga is also home to Fort Pilar, founded by the Spanish in 1635, as well as the penal colony San Ramon. The ship's final destination is Cebu, noted as the oldest European town in the Philippines and the place where the Spanish explorer Magalhaes died in battle. Known as the cradle of Christianity for the Orient, Cebu is filled with churches made by the original Spanish explorers, such as St. Augustine, as well as those made by the natives with assorted materials, including oil cans. As the ship heads back for Manila, the natives peddle their wares at the pier and wave goodbye to their guests, hoping for their return.