Traveling to the Philippines

[HarmNone]

Shop, dammit! What are you, some kind of anti-capitalist, or something? Shop! Sheesh!

[Shalla]

I haven't been back to the Philippines for over 13 years now so I'm not sure what is the hottest spot in Manila right now. One thing I know bill is that filipinos are very hospitable and will go out of their way to make your stay there enjoyable. I wouldn't be surprised if you start a conversation with your co-workers and be invited to be shown around the city.

Contrary to alot of misconceptions. The country is very nice and filled with warm people. Some of the posters here obviously have alot of prejudice and assumptions and are quick to generalize from isolated occurancances that has been blown out of proportion.

Ask your co-workers in the philippines what is there to see and they will be more than happy to give you advice if not show you themselves.

As for terrorists. Manila could not be any more americanized. The whole terrorist thing is an isolated incident that happened in the southern part of the country that has been blown out of proportion just because it's a muslim region. Philippines after all is an archipelago. The Main island is Luzon, the capital city Manila and consisting mostly if not all catholics.

As for the whores. Another american misconception. Filipinos are very traditional and very religious. Most would not even have sex until they're married. Prostitution is illegal in the philippines due to their catholic religion which takes up almost 80% of the population. There are bars in American military and naval bases before, and would have waitresses that would succumb to foreign advances due to poverty. But my god. It is your people that go to the country and take advantage of the situation. What do you call yourselves?

Given poverty is a major problem in the Philippines. If you're going to look up the country's history.. Colonization and being raped by different countries, is it really a surprise they are struggling to shed off the shackles of colonial mentality?

Look up prostitution and especially Child molestation in the Philippines. One of the major reasons it exists is because predators in countries like the Great Britain, Australia and the United States will travel to my fucking country and give us your damn dollar to feed our families and to satisfy your sick urges.

I wish I could say I was not offended. But I am. I really am. and there is nothing I can do about it.


[Edited on 1-13-2006 by Shalla]

[Edaarin]

Well, that killed my urge to make a "don't-forget-to-say me so sally" joke.

[Skirmisher]

Ouch!

Shalla laying the smackdown.

[Tromp]

Well put Shalla

Man that was a big injection of "feeling like a jackass". Whew.

<digging hole and sticking head in now>

[Yuwen]

I have -just- come back from the Phillipines actually. Was there for a full 3 weeks, and maybe I can help you.

Theres plenty to do in Manila, as long as you keep an open mind about the things you see. Try to make an effort to look past the cultural barriers and just have a good time. You said Makati, I actually stayed there for a few days. It's probably the cleanest area of the entire city. Theres tons of high end malls, bars, shops, restaurants, etc. Check out this place called Greenbelt. It's a huge complex that has all the things I just listed.

I was worried I wouldn't have anything to do in the Phillipines either, but you just gotta give the place a chance. I don't know if you're travelling with other people, but it's alot more fun, and safe, if you aren't alone. It's just like any other big city around the world. So easy to get lost, but rewarding when you can find yourself a niche. For the most part Shalla is right. Filipino people are generally warm hearted with good intentions. But again, just like anywhere else there are exceptions. You just gotta keep an open mind about what you see and not let cultural barriers fog your perception of things. Your first impression might be that theres not much to do but shop, but try to explore the place. Theres actually alot to see in Manila itself.

Just to add to Shalla's statement a little. The Phillipines is a country that's always been under some other country's rule. You'll see alot of Spanish influences, and because of recent events, American influences as well. Spain occupied the Phillipines for centuries, until the Spanish-American war. Then America realized the strategic importance of the Islands during WW2. And a short time before America got there, Japanese people occupied the country. Only in the last 50 years or so has the Phillipines been it's own country, and not under military or political occupation by another nation. That being said, you might notice that the people are very warm and kind-hearted like Shalla said. They are very religious and traditional, and generally have good intentions. There will always be exceptions of course, even in the US that remains true.

As far as prostitution goes, that is a business that is as old as civilization. Shalla is right, the market for underage prostitution is strongly powered by European money. But I'll stop there cause that has nothing to do with activites you seem interested in. It's just like anywhere else in the world, people will go to great lengths, and even forego their own moral beliefs in order to survive. But if you keep an open mind, I'm sure you'll find plenty of things to do out there.

If you get a chance you might wanna travel outside of Manila and see the actual country.

All in all, just have a good time. I'll let you know that gemstones, pearls, exotic woods are in abundance over there and come dirt cheap. If you're a smoker, cigarettes are also dirt cheap (I'm talking like 50 cents a pack). Try to have an interpreter with you if you aren't familiar with the language/culture, because you will get ripped off. What a Filipino citizen pays 1000 pesos for, you might end up paying 3-4000 pesos. Unfortunately, it's true that money makes the world go round, and hustling is just a part of life.

This is long winded, but like I said I literally came back yesterday from the Phillipines and the jet lag and culture shock is just slowly wearing away. Have fun out there.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

I've been to the Philippines before, and then my work took me OUT of Manila and into the country. I'm really looking forward to seeing the city itself to be honest. I had a bodyguard/driver/cook assigned to me last time and he was freaking awesome, he'd tell me the places to go, not to go, etc... and when I wanted something he'd tell me to leave and he'd go back in and buy it at the "not American" price.

Loved the place, but I didn't get to do any sightseeing when I was there before, so this time I'm going to try to see that.