Phillipines

[Prawn_86]

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of about 90 million people. Its national economy is the 45th largest in the world, with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$168.6 billion (nominal). There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, estimate about 11% of the population.

Philippines really seems to be an underestimated destination for australians. i just love the place. its cheap like a thailand, has beaches and climate like a bali, and the advantage that high school is taught in english. certainly makes communicting easier.

from my many travels there, i wouldnt recommend staying in manila more than you need to Ninoy airport is there, so you will probablly arrive in manila although some airlines can fly direct to clark.

manila is over crowded, polluted by cars, traffic i couldnt drive in without crashing. add this to the oppressive heat and unfamiliar surrounds, you will not enjoy it.

try going to boracay for the great beaches, a bit of a tourist spot but still pleasant and theres safety in numbers. beachfront hotels rang from about $20-$100 a night depending on style, size and location.

if you prefer a less tourist populated beach try palawan or peurta princesa, much cheaper too. or even la union. the beaches are almost untouched and pue beauty. many beaches have beach boxes available for rent and street vendors selling food, bbq and you can rent a videoake machine to sing.

even nights are hot in philippines, id say low 20deg overnight moving to high of mid 30s at day, this is all year round but during wet season it gets humid(not cooler). if thats to warm for you, try baguio. its much cooler there especially overnight.

hotels will have back up generators, otherwise you may find yourself without electricity. they have regular "brown-outs".

travelling is easy, atms abundant, many places to convert AU$ or US$ to peso too. things are cheap as you expect in most asian countries. they have mcdonalds, kfc and the local jollibee. a bigmac meal that would cost $8 here is about 60Peso(under $2) beer about 20c a bottle (san miguel branded).

transport is trike(a motorbike with wagon behind), jeepney(old USA jeeps converted to seat about 10 like a mini bus), ferry for inter island travel and domestic plane flights. you can ride about 20minute for $1 trike.

food is great, chinese/malay/spanish influence with western food available. fruits are cheap and comon. mango, banana, pineapple and watermelon.

despite what some people think, safety is not a concern. terrorism exists but only on a seperate muslim controlled island to the south(just dont go there). there are precautions to prevent crime everywhere. example you drive to a mall, you get given a parking ticket on entry. the car cant leave the mall without presenting the ticket(chance of car theft 0%). you enter the mall and walk through security gaurd who use metal detector to check for weapons(low chance of violent crime). houses have metal bars to prevent intruders. there are police and army bearing weapons on many street corners. it looks confronting but its effective.

if you are after nightlife, clubing/dance or girls(not that i am) then angeles city is for you.

enjoy your travels

[nhowelson]

Philippines is a nice place to travel to. It has a rich history and so many attractive places. Philippines, since it's am island have a lot of beautiful beaches. Boracay is the most common tourist attraction for beach love and Palawan is next in line. Historian would love to travel across the Philippines because there traces of history across the country.

Filipinos are known for their hospitality that will make your stay in Philippines fun and enjoyable. You will not feel that you are away from your home when get along and make a lot of friends from Philippines and you will keep coming back for more.

[nathanblack]

yes, agree, filipino are great people. i love the foods and the spanish reign has left some beautiful old curches. the nature like active volcano, beaches, philippines has it all in one place.

[buddinghealth]

While i was living in Thailand i met a few lovely fillipino travellers/english teachers - they were all lovely people and were proud of their heritage - they've given me a taste of the Phillipines and i'd be really keen to visit soon - there are just so many places in the world to get to!

[Prawn_86]

The Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement that 900 people had been rescued after the Superferry 9 vessel listed and then sank six nautical miles off the coast of Zamboanga peninsula on southern Mindanao island.
But it said the bodies of five people on board had been found, while 63 remained unaccounted for.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...44-401,00.html

[Prawn_86]

RESCUE workers pulled out more bodies from a small mountain village buried under mud in the northern Philippines today, as the death toll from landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains rose to 153, disaster officials said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...-23109,00.html

The weather has been extremely savage in the Phillipines lately with over 500 people dying in the last couple of months due to flooding and landslides.

I guess that as with any low lying country in the tropics there is always going to be these types of risks. And throw in a large population density and tragedies happen unfortunately.

Thoughts go out to all those affected.

[nhowelson]

Originally Posted by Prawn_86

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...-23109,00.html

The weather has been extremely savage in the Phillipines lately with over 500 people dying in the last couple of months due to flooding and landslides.

I guess that as with any low lying country in the tropics there is always going to be these types of risks. And throw in a large population density and tragedies happen unfortunately.

Thoughts go out to all those affected.

this was very bad.. you can see in the news how the country suffer from the typhoon... it nice to know that Philippines is now recovering from this calamity

[Prawn_86]

Originally Posted by nhowelson

this was very bad.. you can see in the news how the country suffer from the typhoon... it nice to know that Philippines is now recovering from this calamity

Have you been to any of the affected areas previously? Do you have any first-hand info about it?

[squidoo17]

Philippines is a nice place to travel to. It has a rich history and so many attractive places. Philippines, since it's am island have a lot of beautiful beaches. Boracay is the most common tourist attraction for beach love and Palawan is next in line. Historian would love to travel across the Philippines because there traces of history across the country.

Yeah, that's definitely true, Philippines is one great place to have a family vacation. It has many beautiful place to go like there are many beautiful beaches that you'll surely wants to spend your whole day in the beach.