Why go to the Philippines?

Why go to the Philippines?

The author has travelled many times to the Philippines, escpecially to Cebu, since 2008. In June 2016 he went for the first time to Mindanao, and this article will share some of the experiences from those travels.

The Philippines is a developping country, and has in recent years been called "The sick man of Asia", as development seems to have come to a halt compared to many other nations in the region.
Regulations, taxation and import restrictions paired with an extreme high level of corruption amid public service employees is probably one of the main reasons for this.
The most important resources of the Philippines are agricultural products, fish-products, and a young well educated workforce.

Wanna go GREEN? Welcome to the Philippines!

The history of the Philippines from 1521 to 1898, also known as the Spanish Colonial Era or period of time, begins with the arrival in 1521 of European explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailing for Spain, which heralded the period when the Philippines was a colony of the Spanish Empire, and ends with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898, which marked the beginning of the American Colonial Era of Philippine history.

Philippines is the only colony USA ever had, and it remained under their control until 1935, being partly liberated from then on, until Japan attacked and occupied the country from roughly 1942-45, then the Americans helped liberating the country again, and it could soon enjoy being an independent nation.

Because of this colorful history and back-ground, both European and American influence remains here in so many ways, from names of persons and areas having Spanish names, and nowadays people also use American names.

It seems that there is little resentment among the population torwards the former colonial powers, and if you are blond, so called Caucasian, you will be called Americano here, and most people are very happy to meet you.

Travelling in a country like the Philippines is not the most easy thing if you are a stranger to this part of the world. Luckily, most people you meet while on the road, may understand some English language, many speak it fluently, so that will be of a great help.

Why go to this country? 

They say it's more fun in the Philippines in the tourist commercials. I think they may be right if you are able to mingle with some local people, you can have a lot of fun here. But fun parks and nice Zoos, water jet and all kinds of fun stuff you can do in for example Thailand or Bali, is not necessarily available here. If you are in Manila and its surroundings, yes: you may find most of those things available, but the true soul of the Philippines is NOT found in Manila!

You go here maybe because you met with someone online, and want to see that person in real life. Or you feel that you want to explore an exotic destination with a lot of natural wonders, islands, diving sites etc.

If your idea of having fun is to drink a lot of cheap alcohol, and have sex with beautiful women, you came to the right place. There are special areas you should go to, like Angeles city in Luzon, not so far from Manila. There are also a lot of easy available girls there, as people have told me.

But that will not be the focus of this blog, at least not at this time. I will try to share the beauty of both nature and people with you.

Filipino food

Freshly caught yellow finned Tuna brought from the shore to the market in Lawa, Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental

Whole grilled pigs in different sizes are a popular choice for important family occasions. They call the fattiest grilled parts of those pigs Baboy lechon.

The food here is not top of the line to be honest, unless you are in a big city and have access to those typical Western eateries.

Filipinos love to eat grilled chicken, grilled pig (if they are not Muslims or Adventists), and that is according my taste also. They use a lot of rice of course, and then they usually add a lot of sweets into the sauce and whatever they make, so even if you buy some meat in a sauce in an eatery, or a locally produced pizza, you may be disappointed, as it all tastes very sweet.

Filipinos love to use vinegar in their cooking as well, or as a dip.

I would recommend the cow meat soup called Bulalo, as a salty alternative to all those sweet things.

There is a lot of fresh food available in markets, both vegetables, fruits, meat and sea foods. If you are in a smaller town in the province, probably much of that food comes from small scale production and may be healthier to eat than what is found in the large supermarkets inside shopping malls.

Filipino drinks

The Philippines is a Paradise for alcoholics! and those who enjoy beer and liquors. It is almost a neverending offer of all from the cheapest worst tasting beverages, to high class locally produced beers and liquors of world class quality.

One 330ml bottle of beer cost the same as one bottle of 330ml rhum!

San Miguel Corporation is one of the larger companies here. Yes, it is a Spanish company and their beers are world famous, and won the most prestigious prices for their quality and taste!

San Mig Light cost in 2017 29-33 pesos per 330ml bottle. This is one of my favourites in the beer world. 5% alchohol in the Philippines. In Indonesia only 3%, so there I do not drink much San Mig... A similar bottle with Tanduay 65 Rhum costs around 32 pesos, so it is indeed a very cheap country if you love alchohol!

"A truly satisfying beer with a refined, well-balanced flavor. Perfected and brewed for over a century. The only beer that nourishes true Filipino friendships."  Those words are found on the back side of that bottle.

There are so many nice products to select from at fantastic prices, so if you are a drinker with a low budget, you should come to the Philippines. But I worry you will never leave again...

Shopping Malls

You may find that the large shopping malls in the big cities like Manila, Cebu and Davao are as small oasises within otherwise ugly and poorly maintained environment and infrastructure. The upper level malls have basically costly shops with international brands of shoes and clothing. They offer a high class experience with nice airconditioning, some times plants and gardens, outdoor and indoor restaurants and some impressing cinemas with large screens and fantastic audio systems.

SM mall in Davao

Filipinos love to hang out in these malls, so it might be a good place to stay if you are bored, sweaty and tired of the hustle and bustle of city life.

Banking system and ATM:

Do not expect to have money anytime, anywhere, if in the Philippines. Here, cash is still KING! Be sure to carry extra money on you at any time, especially if in the provinces. Even in big cities, you may have to visit many ATM machines before your withdrawal is accepted.

The financial system of this country is terrible - so is the banking system. But the PEOPLE are so nice! However: so many girls that you meet ONLINE are just plain thieves! Please, NEVER NEVER give them one single dollar until you meet them in person, and at that time, do not have too much cash on you, and always keep your friends back in your country updated about your whereabouts. This is STILL the wild West, people here can actually rob you, kill you and torture you! It happens all the time, do not become their victim!

Getting around

Jeepnys and modern bus in Calamba, Luzon.

As in many countries that are not fully developped, traffic is potentially the most harmful place to be in. People drive many times very irresponsibly, escpecially truck and bus drivers. 

I am, however, impressed of the quality of the highways in those areas I have travelled. I have been several times in Mindanao, and I travelled first to Davao city, flying in from Manila. In Davao, taxis are plentiful.

If you are here for a shorter stay, and you have an international Drivers Licence, it may actually be a very good idea to rent a car!

I found some agencies in SM mall in Ecoland, where the 24 hours rent of the smallest car is 1100 pesos. I think that is a very good idea. Driving a car in the Philippines may however be very different from what you are used to. Especially in the night fall and dark, there are so many physical dangers, so please do NOT drive after sun-set!!
Also: make research before coming here, do NOT drive into those dangerous areas! Car-nappings are common. A car might bump into you from behind, and when you stop to discuss, you may be kidnapped!

Typical vehicles for public transportation in the Philippines are:

-Taxis with meter, often in bad condition, but drivers tend to be nice, talkative and honest, except for in Manila.

-Vans

These are minibuses going often to destinations far away, and are in direct competition with the typical larger buses. The advantage is that they arrive faster than the ordinary bus, IF they arrive that is. Driving like t

he devil may take u and others to hell.

-Buses

There are the standard Super Deluxe shitty buses with no aircon, loose seats, crazy drivers with suicidal tendencies, set on racing all and maybe kill u?! or somebody else along the road.

Aircon Bus, good quality

Super Deluxe Bus, shitty quality, carrying even live chicken inside amongst the passengers.

Then there is the more decent bus type, called Aircon Bus. It may actually be comfortable to ride, but do not expect much more from the drivers.

-Jeepnys. 

Many of them are old military vehicles left behind by the American armed forces after WW2. They were then, and until now, used for passenger transportation. There are many different kinds of these vehicles, but basically they are constructed for transporting small size people, and tend to be very crowded and unconfortable for big guys like myself. Also, the only time I was robbed in the Philippines, was in a short trip with a so-called multi-cab in Lapu-Lapu City, close to Cebu city. Jeepnies are found in the cities most of all, plying a certain route back and forth.

-Tricycles

Tricycle in Davao city

That is basically a small size motorcycle (100cc-175cc) with mounted side car and some kind of roof and often window for weather protection. It is very hard for a big person to ride those tricycles, but often they are the only transport available there and then. They may carry more than 10 persons at one time in rush hours, I saw up to 14 people on one vehicle!

-Trisikad

A small bicycle that is pedalled by a person. It comes with a side car, and is perfect for shorter trips. Most filipinos hate to walk, so there will be plenty of people riding the trisikads. A big problem with these and similar vehicles is that they have no lights, nor reflectors. So at dusk, at nightfall, when so many people need to go home from work and school etcs. there may be many of these small vehicles just in front of your motobike or car, and they are almost impossible to see.

Trisikad in Davao city

-Motorbike

Most of the motorbikes are for personal use, but in the rural areas they work as a useful taxi, called habal-habal, bringing people almost anywhere they need to go, often in areas with very bad road standard.

Motorbike rental is almost non-existing here. I found a company in Cebu city, but they demand a deposit that is larger than the value of the bike, so, if you are not too loaded with money, that is not an option.

However, in the provinces you can probably negociate with one of the habal-habal drivers to rent the bike for some hours, but it will not be very cheap.

That might be the best solution, but beware of bad roads, a lot of gravel and mud, and goats, dogs etc. running out in front of you. Accidents are very common, and so many people have large scars on their body due to being passengers on motorbikes, or drivers, and having basically  no protective gear.

Renting a habal-habal motorbike in Baganga, Davao Occindental

DAVAO OCCIDENTAL

The year is 2017, and I am visiting new friends in Davao. My new girlfriend is from the province of former Davao del Sur, now renamed Davao Occidental.

Staying for a long time in Davao City in some cheap hotel is just not what I want. I was already in Mindanao and those areas described here in January-February, now I am back from Bali since March 22, and writing this blog from Don Marcelino, in a nice house I have rented.

In my first trip to the province, in the end of January, we were victims of a stupid bus driver who opened a lid in the bus floor, close to where we were sitting, in a stop at Santa Maria town. He first poored some water over the engine to cool it down. Then he suddenly opened the radiator cap, and a hot steam burnt our legs badly. We had to go to treatment for a long time, and have ugly burning scars on our lower legs. What a bad surpise, destroying basically my trip for several weeks, including my ongoing trip to Bali.

Riding the bus from Davao to Malita, before we were injured by the steam from the radiator..

The road between Digos and Malita offers some very nice sceneries with several mountain crossings.

We just got burnt in the town of Santa Maria, did not look to bad at the time, but very painful!

In stead of getting us to a local clinic in Santa Maria, we were taken to Malita town by the bus, where we were admitted to the puclic hospital. Nothing to brag about, sitting for almost 40 minutes with painful burns before getting any kind of medical attention. And what we got was almost useless...

Malita Public Hospital, not exactly the Hospital of the Year...

After a couple of days, the burning injury got worse, and even more so for the next 2 weeks.

FINALLY IN DON MARCELINO, Lapuan village

Lawa, Don Marcelino. The end of the good road, so the buses and vans stop here.

Lapuan Beach

However, we spent 3 days or so in the small village she comes from, in a decent private house there. We visited a couple of local beaches, and I enjoyed the friendliness of the locals, and also the nice natural surroundings.

Calian White sand beach, not far from Lapuan.

Lapuan village: the barrangay Hall (town hall)

Spring near Lapuan beach

I came back to the Philippines in the last week of March, and we went straight to Lapuan, where my gf has her family. Here is a small river, and her mother helped us catching small shrimps in the local river. Just a couple of days later, while we were gone to another area, this river became the scene of a flash flood, and a child was taken by the water and drowned. The poor child was not even close to the river, but the water flooded into the road of the village and the 5 year old boy died...

Landslides, floods, typhoons, earthquakes and accidents are way too common in the Philippines. It seems as though most people do not have an adequate understanding of what is basic precautions to avoid such incidents.
Very few ACCIDENTS happens in this world, most of what people call accident, is just plain stupidity.

Well, that should be enough for now, I might add something later.