I'm thinking of spending a few weeks there. Seems a little bit cheaper and have more english speaking people. Been in Thailand for 18 months, need to change air a bit. I was wondering if any of you guys could share some experience and perhaps referring me to some forums, perhaps like Thaivisa, but for the Philippines?

There is no flipvisa.com
The hotels are more expensive. The tourist infrastructure is well behind Thailands.
The beaches are world class.
The food is underworld class.
They usually speak English.
The poverty of most of the people there is grinding.
Definitely worth a trip. Buy insurance.

Women are more beautiful.
Lots of guns around.
Very Americanised.

Hey Kudroz,

Being retired from the US Navy, I was stationed there for about 8 years (off and on) and I speak the national language still fairly fluently. English is a second language over there and it's taught in their high schools.

Are you planning to stay in Manila? If so, everyone speaks English there, and quite well I might add.

As far as a search for forums is concerned, google it and good luck. If you have any more questions regarding the Philippines, feel free to ask away!

Mike

Everybody speaks English in the Philippines. The language is taught in elementary, high school and university irregrdless if you're studying in a private school, public school, gov't schools or international schools. 60-80% of our textbooks are written in English.
^ ^

If you can find your way outside Manila, you will be heaps happier. Manila is very dirty and there are loads of dishonest people there. On the other hand, islands far from Manila are known to be a lot safer, heaps friendlier. Do not be scared if the local provincial folks ask you to eat and sleep in their homes. Filipinos are hospitable and can be way too nice.

Vaccinations + insurance are very important when traveling. Don't be disarmed by the smiles and nice people. There will always be bad and good apples, so keep your back up.

Hope you have a safe travel.

GracelessFawn

All pretty good advice so far. Hotels are surprisingly expensive but renting an apartment is a cheaper option but not good, obviously, if you intend touring around.

Get out of Manila to the islands or, depending on what you are looking for, Angeles City. Air Asia flies into Clarke Air Force Base which is a good few hours grinding bus/taxi ride from Manila. While it is true the PI is not a safe place I never felt threatened there but never really felt relaxed.

If you fly into and/or out of Ninoy Aquino, Manila, airport you will consider Suvarnabhumi pure heaven.

Contrary to popular belief there is good Filippino food but it's hard to come by and restricted mainly to home cooking.

The poverty and pollution, especially in Manila, is truly appalling.

just came back from the Phils 3 weeks ago. The country is beautiful, the people friendly, the food needs getting used to, but Manila is some kind of apocalypse.
If you really wanna know the truth about Manila, I recommend you to buy the local daily papers when u arrive, such as "Manila Bulletin" or "Philippine Star".
then judge urself if u wanna stay there a longer time or rather head to the nice beaches far away from Monster Manila....

A nation of music-loving people. Everyone and I mean everyone sings, plays guitar, or otherwise makes music. Get out of Manila.

My experience pretty much as above, in MNL on business for 4 months.

Beaches great, people generally friendly, food absolute carp!!

Manila is a shite hole, MacDonald's needs ARMED guards! Appalling poverty in the seedier parts.

English spoken when they want to, jeep and taxi drivers no way Jose.

Cool climate in the mountains: try Baguio.
Nice medium sized cities: Iloilo City, Davao, Bacolod.
Great beaches: Boracay, extremely touristy. Alternatives: Alona Beach on Bohol, Puerto Galera.
Wild nightlife: Manila, Angeles City, Cebu.
World class scenery: El Nido on Palawan, rice terraces of central Luzon.
The likelihood that beautiful Filipinas will be interested in you no matter where you go there: 100%.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

1. Manila is not a "shite hole", it's a great place to visit. It helps if you know where to go, and being single is a huge advantage.

2. Good food is easy to find in Manila. Just head to any mall (of which there are dozens) and you'll have a choice of many fine restaurants. In Makati there are cafes all over the place.

3. Almost all taxi drivers can understand and speak adequate English. Many are proficient. I can't believe you actually made this comment and it makes me wonder if you've ever actually been there.

The rip-offs are also alive and well on the islands. I went there with my (then) gf many years ago and they had an outrigger scam down pat. The difference in the islands (then, but probably still true) is that there are fewer villains - but they are definitely there. BTW, when you are in Manila, make a point of visiting a bank or a jewellers - you will see something very interesting that is a pointer to the way of life in Fil.

You can find good food in Manila, but it is generally not the native cuisine, which aside from a few dishes (adobo, bacolod chicken) does not appeal to many other than filipinos. Some of the dishes I saw looked something you would see on Fear Factor. The rice they use and the way they prepare it is a crime against humanity. Nice people on the whole, horrific cuisine.

PI is the only other alternative to Thailand. Like all places, it has goods and bads. Try it and judge for yourself.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the exchange rate .. the PI Peso is no nearly as strong as the baht against the greenback.
this would make the baht strong to the Peso.

for Americans all costs in Thailand have gone up over 1/3 this year .. maybe more.
the Peso seems to be more favorably priced to the $.

Sounds interesting. I was thinking of staying one night in Manila and then heading to Cebu for a few weeks. It sounds like a nice place, but many people have warned me or armed people in the streets and how dangerous it is - I guess I'll have to see for myself. Also I'm looking for investment opportunities, the fact that the Filipinos have a good english is interesting. Thanks everyone for all their great inputs!

Very beautiful woman who speak fluent english. You can actually have indepth conversations with them quite easily compared to thais. Reminds me of the dumpier parts of the usa. It can be refreshing to be able to read all the signs as u drive around(for those of us who can't read thai). Food sucks as they say, but if u are american u will love the american food that is easily available, such as open faced roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy...mmmm...

Pool is the national sport so if u enjoy that u will be in heaven. In my experience it was cheaper than thailand, but that depends on the person and what u spend money on. Hotels can be a little more, but in the last yr I think that has changed as the baht has taken off and thailand has become much more expensive for those of us spending american dollars.

All in all I like it quite a bit and feel quite comfortable there. Maybe cause I grew up around tons of filipinos in the US.

I would definitely recommend a trip to check it out. If u are into nightlife, gogo, etc. it is very much like thailand. lots of the gogos even have the same names as the ones in thailand.

As others have said, Manila is a cesspool although so is Bangkok if u ask me. If u are american u probably wont have such a problem with the presence of armed guards. Didnt bother me in the least.

You also might not miss the hordes of family tourists that one finds in Thailand.

Enjoy your trip.

When I was deciding where to retire, the PI's were near the top of my list. In fact it ended up in second spot. The main reasons Thailand came up on top was because the PI infrastructure is much weaker than Thailand. Electricity is more expensive when it is on. It is off a lot. The armed guards in fast food joints was quite unnerving too. Volcanoes, earthquakes and the VERY frequent typhoons also helped me make my decision. I have a phobia about earthquakes. I had never really thought about earthquakes until I lived in California. Bed rock is NOT supposed to move. The Thai visa system is also better and easier for me.

JR Texas to Gary A: Thailand has the occasional tidal wave/tsunami..........I lived through two earthquakes in Chiang Mai (very minor but scary)........lived in Jomtien for 5 years and the electricity was constantly going out........water shortages (polluted, fetid water).....crime is rising in Thailand..............armed guards? Well, the military is in control in Thailand and they have guns. I think Thailand is changing and losing its charm.......if it keeps going in the direction it is going it will make places like the Philippines and Vietnam and Cambodia look really nice.....time will tell.

The PI was my second or third choice, too, after Thailand, and for the same reasons. Thailand has a much better infrastructure, particularly in regards to the Internet and electricity. Thailand is also progressing, while the PI is regressing with the US presence there so diminished. Thailand is less humid, so more comfortable at the same latitude.

20 years ago English was NOT commonly spoken but it was being taught in schools. Perhaps that teaching is what led to the current English-speaking state. Back then you could often get by out in the provinces with Spanish. Is that still true, or has the Spanish finally died out?

Yeah, the Spanish language is slowly dying as a widely spoken language in the population. Only the older generation speaks Spanish. A sprinkling of Spanish language is still part of most dialects and Tagalog, and there are a few existing communities that speak broken Spanish. After all, we were colonized by the Spaniards for over 150 years.

Most Filipinos couldn't thank America enough for our much enjoyed freedom. America helped the Philippines in a lot of ways - the political system/structure, education system, health-care system, etc. In fact, if you read our constitution one can quickly rule that it is very simillar to the American one. This is the reason why 95% of the Filipino population can speak, read and write in English.

The old generation Filipinos wanted to be truly independent - the main reason why the American presence left the country. A lot of us, the younger generation Filipinos still think that it was a big blunder - a big blow in the country's economy, but then we were born a long long time after the horrors of the Spanish colonization in the country was long forgotten.

This post has been edited by GracelessFawn: 2007-07-08 16:59:01

Yes, I agree and have had this discussion with business people in Manila. Had the U.S. stayed, they believe it would be much more prosperous today and with a higher profile among ASEAN members.

Sorry, but the Philippines is the world capital for natural disasters of almost every type, and Thailand is not even close in that department. Not even close--even if you throw in the once every few hundred years or so Tsunami.

Both nations have militaries with guns, but the amount of guns on display (with a reason) in the PI is way, way beyond anything in Thailand. Even libraries in the PI have armed guards. When was the last time you saw seven guards standing outside a bank at night with shotguns in Thailand? That is what you will see in Makati, the safest part of Manila.

Crime in Thailand isn't even close to the level in Philippines. Petty thievery is rife. You would never see unattended stands and stalls along streets like you will in BKK. Kidnappings in the PI and violent hostage situations are a daily staple there. Not saying Thailand is crime free, but nothing close to the PI. Outside of the Makati area and the gated communities Manila is not a very safe place, especially at night.

Sure, Thailand could deteriorate to the level of the Philippines, but short of a long war I doubt we would see it in our lifetimes.

I lived and worked in the PI two years, enjoyed it, but it can't hold a candle to Thailand outside of being less of a jolt to farangs due to widespread English language abilities and the availability of western food.

Everyone has different tastes, and if anyone wants to check out the PI I wouldn't discourage them.

Did I mention the food?

Qualtrough, the Filipino culture is very simillar to the American outlook, especially about guns. We see guns as a form of crime deterrence, while some people like you see guns as a sign of violence. A gun is just a gun. Guns are guns. There are good guys and bad guys. I'd rather a good guy carry a gun than a bad one. Besides, most criminals carry a gun, so if the good guys aren't armed......... I bet, you know what would happen next.

This post has been edited by GracelessFawn: 2007-07-08 17:41:48

Hi

The forum is in Yahoo Groups and is called Living in the Philippines. It is very good. Mostly Americans who use it.
If you go to Cebu, Borrochay, Davao etc use should be safe. Do not go to the western part of Mindanao and Zulu Islands far south as
there is unrest there. The Philippines have many nice places and the people are extremely friendly.