All following texts and images are copyrighted and can only be used with my
written permission. Copyright 2002 by V. Heinrich
Some of the numbers are taken from Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 2000
The most important area is the large island in the north called Luzon. Here we find also the 12 mio capital Manila and the government.
In center of the Philippines we find a large number of medium and small sized islands, grouped together as the Visayas, with Cebu City as their most important city.
Mindanao is the large island in the south, with Davao City.
Palawan lies remotely west of the of the Philippines, touching almost Borneo on its southern tip.
North of the Philippines lies Taiwan, then west of it China with Hong Kong, Vietnam and in the south Malaysia and Indonesia. To the east there is basically a lot of pacific ocean, with some smaller islands.
The Philippines are islands consisting of coral
reefs or volcanic formations. Due to numerous active volcanoes, eruptions
and earthquakes are frequent, a few of them are devastating, like the famous
Mt. Pinatubo eruption or the Baguio earthquake.
There are many mountains, most of them volcanoes. The highest are found in
Mindanao and in northern Luzon, with several peaks over 2900 m. But also
some of the small islands have peaks over 2000m turning it into a dramatic
landscape.
The Philippines were discovered by Europeans in 1521, soon after it was claimed to be Spanish Territory. The Spanish converted large groups of the population to Christianity. In 1897 a major rebellion was subdued by the Spanish, but in 1898 the US fleet successfully removed the Spaniards from power and an independent Philippine republic was declared. The US was however keeping the authority in the country. In 1941 the Japanese invaded the Philippines, but surrendered in 1945 after US troops attacked them. The republic of the Philippines was declared in 1946 with a democracy after the American role model. The US troops had still large military bases in the country until 1991.
There is a wet season from May to November with even strong Taifuns in some regions. In the dry season from December to April it can become dusty and droughts occur in some regions. There are also exception like some islands in the central Visayas, which have year-round relatively balanced weather.
For traveling I recommend the dry season, because the sea is less rough, making it possible traveling with small boats to remote islands. Also the underwater visibility is better if there is less rain. Beside that the rain during the wet season is not really bothersome like in Sweden or Great Britain, were it can rain the whole day. This is rare in the Philippines. Mostly it will rain VERY strongly during 4-7 pm, so you just have to make sure you are at a dry place in the afternoon and not in a small boat or on a mountain hike, since the trail will become very slippery and dangerous. The other advantage of the dry season is a lower abundance of mosquitoes and leeches.
Coming from the northern hemisphere it is anyway pleasant to leave the home country during the worst of winter.
English is the official language used in most offices, hospitals, banks, news papers, books and generally written materials. This is good news for tourists, making it easy to communicate with locals. For Filipinos it is however a struggle with several languages, which can be felt in very rural areas, where public educations is not that developed yet. Therefore some people don't like to use English or even Tagalog and prefer their local dialect.
If you are planning to visit the Philippines, learn some Tagalog or Cebuano, and the locals will be very happy and you will feel closer to them, removing a little of that 'foreign stranger' barrier.
Generally it is surely cheaper than traveling in Europe or the US.
Make sure you break your 500 and 1000 Peso bills in bigger stores down, since in many places people don't have enough change. Try always to have plenty of coins and small bills, best outside of your wallet, so nobody will see the big notes.
Master- and especially Visa cards are common nationwide, but in smaller stores it can happen that you get extra charges as high as 5% for using a credit card. American Express is only useable in very high end malls, hotels and the airport.
You can bring traveler checks, or open a local bank account and wire from abroad. Local accounts have ATM cards that can be used nationwide, which I would recommend, when you plan to stay longer than a 'normal' vacation.
Don't demand or complain too directly. Not everything in the Philippines works as smoothly as you might be used to it. Relax and take it easy and if you want to criticize, do it as indirectly as possible. If you are too direct, people will first just block you off and if you are very annoying, people easily get aggressive in a way you might not have it experienced so far. Smile! People here do it a lot.
Don't make your sentences too complex, especially when you are in rural areas. Don't order everything in one sentence. Start with 'I'd like to eat' and wait for the waiter to ask you for every single item, otherwise you might not get everything. You have to get used being a little slower.
Wear proper attire. Most men in the Philippines wear long pants. It is ok to wear shorts and many 'modern' Filipinos are also fund of that, but beware that in some formal places you might look somewhat ridiculous. Women should definitely wear a bra. At the beach the attire doesn't matter that much. However, especially women should bring a proper swim suit for the rural beaches. When you are away from the mainstream beaches, T-Shirt and shorts are recommended for swimming. General guide-line: Watch the locals, how they are going to swim and don't show more than them.
Filipinos are swimming mostly in the late afternoon, since they try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Might not sound logically when you arrive in January from Norway, but when you are longer in the Philippines you get the idea.
When you are invited to join a family for dinner or lunch (this happens a lot), pay for the food, but do it discretely to make your host not ashamed. Or go to the market yourself and bring the most expensive components of the meal (the fish for example).
When people become too drunk and this is also very common, better stay away from those groups since they might turn unpredictable and dangerous.
If you want to stay longer you might be successful at the department of immigration close to Intramuros in downtown Manila, or you might consider buying a $200 return trip to Hong Kong or Taiwan and starting with a new visa again. I heard it is possible to stay as a tourist up to one year, but you have to go to the immigration in Manila every two months. There might be travel agents doing this for you automatically while keeping your passport. Double-check this information and let me know.
The next enemy is the sun. Protect your head, because otherwise you might fry your brain and become sick. Same goes for skin protection, especially during the first days after your arrival, when you are not yet used to this much sun. Wear a T-Shirt connected to your trunks while snorkeling, be careful when you travel on top of a boat. You won't feel it here when your skin becomes burned.
Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and results in hefty fever and in the worst case death and you generally want to avoid it by all means. Malaria is however mostly limited to swampy forested areas with lots of mosquitoes, in the Philippines Palawan is known to have some dangerous Malaria, in other parts it is rare. Try to protect yourself against mosquitoes, which is very difficult, since you can not seal your body completed into clothing in a tropical country. Most endangered are your feet, when you wear sandals or similar and you sit quietly at a wind protected table. The Malaria mosquito is most active during sunset and evening. Wear socks, and long sleeved clothing use repellant. Look for windy places when you take your dinner. If the soil around is wet, look for a dryer place. Sleep under a mosquito net.
You can take a prophylaxis against Malaria, which supposedly helps in most of the cases and is recommended by tropical institutes all over the world. The medicine is for example Resochin with Paludrine or Lariam. Especially the latter is known to have strong side effects, and you can not take any of them for a time exceeding 6 months. Consult with your doctor.
Dengue Fever is also transmitted through a mosquito but this time from Aedes and not Anopheles. Aedes is also called the Asian Tiger Mosquito because of its black and white striped legs. This one is active during day time. Dengue Fever is not as strong as Malaria, but can also be death threatening, especially the Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever that seems to specialize on kids. There is no vaccination, you can only try to prevent. Chances are very low that you get it, but it is not impossible.
AIDS and Hepatitis B are sexual transmitted diseases, which you might most likely encounter in one of the numerous red light districts. Don't go there, behave and enjoy the nature of the Philippines, don't support prostitution.
Hepatitis A is spread through dirty food. If you want to be safe, don't eat raw veggies, unless they are peeled or VERY thoroughly washed. That's why you don't see people eating salad in the Philippines. Get your vitamin needs from fruits in the meantime. Fruits and Veggies growing higher than one meter (no soil splashing up during rain) are most likely safe. There is a good but little expensive vaccine against Hepatitis A and B, which you have to take a few weeks before you travel.
Philippine hospitals are excellent and staff is very educated. Don't expect too much from smaller rural hospitals, if in doubt, look for the biggest city close by.
There are also people who get their dental work done in the Philippines, because it is a lot cheaper and same quality than at home.
A mosquito net and snorkeling gear might be useful, but can be usually rented for free or the latter for money. Don't bring too valuable things, since the climate (heat, water, dust) is tough and might destroy it, and you might also attract thieves. Be prepared that your baggage gets on the roof of the bus and sometimes people might even sit on it. Therefore have your valuables and breakables (shampoo bottle etc.) in a small day pack always with you.
Sandals are enough, and if you want to do night life, bring formal shoes. If you want to hike, bring heavy duty trekking boots. Rubber shoes or heavy Jeans don't dry once they become wet (which is likely), because in the Philippines you can only dry in sun light, the humidity is otherwise too high, it takes forever.
Don't forget sun protection, repellent and a first aid kit. Toilet paper is also important, since it is still common that many people use just water instead. Therefore you wont find it in rural rest rooms. You can buy it however everywhere. Tampons and condoms are also rare in rural areas, but common in the city. Napkins are available everywhere.
The Philippines has a minimal fare for Jeepneys and Tricycles, which is right now in 2002 4 Peso (8 cent). Whenever you take a transportation for a shorter ride than 2km (?) just pay the minimum fare.
Ok, here an overview what you can expect (All prices for your convenience in US-$):
Trisikad: A human powered BMX-bicycle that has a sidecar for two passengers. Costs between 10 cents and 1$ (in Manila) and you tell the driver where to go. Not too far though, about three blocks, uphill is not possible. This can help when you are not sure how to find a place, or when it is raining, because the side car has a roof. It is often more expensive than other means of transportation, consider its usage as a social act, since the driver is usually very poor. Anyway, negotiate the price before you start.
Tricycle: Same with motor, can take up to 6 passengers, depending on the model. Goes faster, further and is cheaper. You can also name your destination, but they are allowed to deny it, when the other passengers have a different route. As a foreigner (=money) the tricycle driver will most likely bring you to your destination without looking for further passengers. You pay for the empty seats and if you have bad luck some bonus. Bargain. Cost between 10cents and 2$ (far). Within the cities there are fixed rates.
Taxi: Larger cities have taxis. These have meters and you have to be sure that they are turned on to avoid overcharging. If not, refuse to ride. Especially in Manila make sure to remove your baggage before you pay. At the harbor and airport are many taxi drivers who will only bring you for a fixed rate. You either keep on walking until you reach a normal street with taxis that use their meters, or bargain hard. Don't get the first taxi driver that waits at the boat, these have the worst rates.
Jeepney: A locally produced jeep which is made longer so it can take about 25 passengers (without roof). These run on given routes, find them out by try and error, or ask the driver to help you. The fare is very cheap, just observe what the other passengers pay, it is usually the nationwide 'minimum fare' which was about 10 US-cents in 2002. If you don't know the fare give a not-too-big note and ask for change. Otherwise try to pay in exact amount.
Sitting on the roof is possible on rural routes and can be fun if you are daring. You might get slashed by banana leaves, so watch out! Plus you have to make sure there is no rain in near future. You will be rewarded with an excellent view and cheering crowds in the villages.
Bus: Either economy, or air-con. The basic buses without air-con are cheaper and more adventure. On unpaved roads you will get powdered with dust and if your window is stuck you will be washed with rain, everything is possible. The air-con bus has if you are lucky bigger seats, often showing some awful violent movies, less vendors passing through the bus (which is a plus or minus depending on your preference) and sometimes they are a lot faster, because some of them only stop at major terminals (check for diresto, non-stop, 3-stop signs in the bus window). Tickets are given after starting, pretty sophisticated, no problems. Less than $1 per hour trip. For very long distance busses with very high end features you might have to buy tickets in advance (Manila-Legaspi with 3 sleeping seats per row and on-board service for example).
Banka: Small wooden boats carrying 3-60 persons and commuting usually once a day between two islands. Make sure the water is calm and try to avoid afternoon trips, since these things sink from time to time. You can also hire the whole banka, paying for the empty seats, which can be quite expensive, so try to group with other travelers first. Don't rely on banka schedules, sometimes they don't leave at all, so you can get stuck on a small island during a Typhoon for a few days.
Ferry: The biggest and best company is WG&A, cheaper is Negros Navigation or MBRS and smaller ones. Nice way to travel, especially overnight, since even in the Economy you will get a bed. But there are also luxury cabins. Leave in the evening, arrive in the morning, well rested, with a breakfast in the on board restaurants. If bus is too tough, plane too expensive, then try to travel by boat. Almost every destination is reachable. An overnight trip, 16hrs Manila-Panay (close to Boracay) for example, is about $10 in tourist class (air con dormitory).
Plane: There are several airlines operating in the Philippines. More or less reliable. Philippine Airlines is supposedly the best and most expensive. Crossing the country north to south is about $150 return ticket, but you might get a promotional price for a lot cheaper. It is good to buy 3 or 5 days in advance for additional savings. Sometimes you will leave a day later than planed if the weather becomes hazardous. Especially afternoon trips during the wet season are prone to that.
Cities: Cities in the Philippines are usually not pretty, walking in the heat and diesel is stressful. There are however always some old Spanish style churches and sometimes Spanish houses. Close to the universities you might find museums. Some strategic locations like harbors, might have a Spanish fort or a Japanese bunker. There are a few but pretty Chinese temples and also some graveyards might be of interest.
The modern Filipinos goes to a mall, especially on Saturday and Sunday, when these huge shopping paradises are almost bursting. They are usually very high tech and elegant and sometimes you wonder which country should be exactly considered a "development country". The state of the art cinemas are also inside the malls, entrance is normally $1, or at most $2. For night life there are tons of nice pubs, many with life bands or even Karaoke or girls. In large cities you find also several discos and even ballroom dancing.
Hiking: Most mountains are climbable, although you might want to hire a guide to avoid getting lost. Some mountains are still rebel infested, so ask if it is safe to climb. Ask for waterfalls if you don't want to hike uphill, these make usually pretty hikes and have already established pathways and mostly the water of the falls is safe for a very refreshing swim. If you are close to a volcano, ask for hot springs, very relaxing.
Mountain biking: At some resorts you can rent mountain bikes and that can be very adventurous. The heat is however tough, especially uphill. You should definitely wear a helmet and be it against the sun. Drink tons of water. Make sure you use proper roads or pathway, don't run through someone's property without asking permission. Bigger cities have mountain bike clubs who might be happy to bring you along on a Sunday, ask in the bicycle stores.
Beach: Beaches are just everywhere. Close to the big cities the water is sometimes not very appealing, but otherwise you can have a huge beach with crystal clear water for yourself. Check the water (by snorkeling or asking) for urchins when you enter, or wear protective shoes. Don't swim too far, there are strong currents at some islands.
Snorkeling: Simply wonderful to move in a tropical aquarium. Try it definitely, even if you haven't done it before. Float also without moving to see some better camouflaged creatures. Some corals are sadly destroyed by dynamite fishing, or algae growth due to improper sewage treatment.
Diving: Same here. Diving is however the same expensive like everywhere else in the world you can only save because of cheaper accommodation and food. There are tons of dive sites, where you can also easily rent the equipment or learn to dive (Padi license).
Other water sports: Rarely you might find a wind surfing board, or you can even rent a sail boat. Please don't do motorized water sports, they are far too loud and disturb wild life (that includes me >:-) ).
The cleanliness is not always perfect, better don't try to move the bed from the wall :-). In simple places you might encounter cock roaches or even mice or rats. If you have food in your baggage put it on a string hanging down from the ceiling to protect it from these hungry creatures. Cover also the tooth brush, since roaches seem to be attracted by them. Never leave opened food outside of the fridge, tiny ants will find it immediately, even in good hotels.
If you don't like the Philippine cuisine you will find tons of American fast food restaurants, which are very popular with the locals. There are also other Asians restaurants, but many are strongly 'philippinized' and therefore not too different. Or let's say: We take a Philippine dish, put a ready made Teriyaki sauce on it and call it Japanese. Well, it depends where you go and happens also in the US.
There is good beer in big quantities and for cheap prices and also some cheap rum and gin, that's why you find so many drunk people at night.
Pick pocketing is very common and it is best to leave jewelry at home. A foreigner is usually attractive to thieves, because they know he is inexperienced (and might still wonder why Filipinos wear their backpack on the front) and very rich. Even if nowadays many Filipinos in Manila are richer than foreigners, the latter has still the image of indestructible money sources, no matter what age, profession or nationality. Everybody is considered to be a rich 'American'.
Kidnap for ransom also occurs frequently, although this usually doesn't affect short termed tourists, since these crimes are not spontaneous, but well planed. Usually there will be also a background check on your financial situation. So if you are not too rich, you should be safe :-)
If you get ever held up by a knife man, give him by all means (some of :-) ) your valuables, people in the Philippines don't hesitate to use their weapons.
My advice is also to try living here first for some time, to see how you can cope with your neighbors, relatives and life in general, some people get stressed by these factors on the long run.
If you are in the market for a house with lot, especially around Manila, or have other real estate questions, just contact us via the e-mail form on www.foto-cd.com. We can help out and know always about some good deals and can connect you to the right people.
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