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Flip goon here, and ReindeerF's description of Manila is p much accurate. I lived there for 6 years and it is pretty miserable. Don't take that to apply to the rest of the islands though. For some reason poor people from the provinces just flock to big cities in search of opportunities, with sadly little means of making a living. My family moved around a lot when I was young and I've kept up the tradition, so I've seen a lot of the islands. I'm in Cebu now, and it's ideal as a base for traveling to the surrounding islands and the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao. It's a beautiful country, and it's sad that not many locals have the perspective or economical freedom to get around and really appreciate it. Many foreign travelers I've met say the same. In any case, I'd be happy to answer questions from anyone curious about this nutty country. Edit: I can do a writeup if requested, but ask about a specific island or region -- there are simply too many. fartmanteau fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 04:26
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superwofl posted:Hey, nasoren. Any tips for what I should do with 26 days in the Philippines? These are the things I would like to do: trekking in the jungle, trekking in the mountains, snorkelling or maybe diving if there's anywhere really special, swim with those whale sharks at Donsol, look at pretty places, eat good food. These are the things I don't want to do: lie on a beach all day, be surrounded by tourists, try to see too much stuff in one trip. Palawan is one place I know I definitely want to see but there's so much else I don't know where to go. Palawan is definitely a good destination. Ecotourism is a major industry in Puerto Princesa and they take that poo poo seriously there (littering can get you fined or even confined). It's a lot of touristey stuff though, so if you want to get away from that though, I would suggest a trip north of Puerto, to El Nido. It's seven hours of rough road (unless you can afford to charter a plane), but it's totally worth it. The El Nido bay contains dozens of islands littered with limestone cliffs and beautiful rock formations, white sand beaches, centuries-old churches and structures. There's a secret beach surrounded on all sides by tall sharp volcanic rock, and the only way to get there is to dive and go through an underwater opening. Supposedly Alex Garland got the idea for his novel The Beach while living in El Nido. There's some areas with interesting marine life too - dugong are known to graze there.    I have more photos of El Nido here. You can also get to Coron by plane from Manila, but I would say El Nido is the better destination if you're in it for the journey and the raw experience of the place. If you're into diving, and find yourself in the Visayas area, I would suggest Apo Island off of Negros -- by far the best diving I've done.    More of Apo here and here. There's also Siquijor, Olango, Camotes and Moalboal in the Cebu area. There's so many to choose from.  Something to keep in mind though - some of these places have established travel routes, means of transport, schedules, and some don't. I've spent hours at a time waiting at some pier because the boat was waiting for passengers, and in some places the bus only comes early in the morning. If you want to see these places, figure in allowances for these events in your plans.superwofl posted:Oh yeah I'll be there during Easter, anything cool going on then? Don't a lot of people crucify themselves in the Philippines? Haha, yeah I think this is mostly a Tagalog (northern region) thing. I've seen the rituals in San Fernando in Pampanga, which is north of Manila. It's something to see I guess, if you're into that.
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Feb 18, 2010 06:11
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I actually have no idea how you can get tickets from outside. Maybe through a travel agency? Not sure if early reservation carries over to that. Usually I just travel by boat (to save, for the experience, meeting interesting people, and sometimes to save a night's hotel fee - some boats have bunks so you spend the night and wake up in time for arrival). If I fly, I take advantage of the regular early reservation promos - usually months ahead. They're cheap enough (as low as P699 round-trip sometimes - ~AU$17) that it doesn't hurt much if you do change schedules and miss the flight. You usually can't reschedule promo tickets or have them reimbursed, however. I've had to buy and fly on the same day in tight situations, and a one-way ticket can cost as much as P3500 - ~AU$85. The two major airlines are Cebu Pacific and Phil Airlines. You can check out the trips, schedules, and prices at http://book.cebupacificair.com/Search.aspx and http://www.philippineairlines.com respectively.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:48
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ReindeerF posted:Unless something has changed, don't even bother with the self-torture of trying to pay online at Cebu Pacific's web site. Just buy a ticket once you're there. Ah yes. I just meant check the flights online, but it's horribly difficult trying to pay through their site. You're better off calling their call centers somewhat, although that takes some waiting as well.
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Feb 19, 2010 05:27
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