Going to the Philippines.

[bcbarman]

We did Taal, it was... OK.  Best to book with a day tour company and let them do the planning, the perception is that it will be more expensive, but the BS and nickel and diming that took place over there... wholy craaap!  The boat vendors will push you around, and once your on the boat, they may even charge you to get back.

The trip up to the volcano, you can walk or horseback ride.  We rode, and because it was the last day of the trip, 32 degrees C and humid as hell, well worth it.  If you're fit, walk it.  same experience, and get to stop on the way and look around. 

I think the tour company was called manila tours, one of the primary in the area that cater to the western groups.

 

[q_1966]

GAP and others:

The "old days" are, sadly, gone:
2. The cheap, good tailors are all in Shanghai but a good great suit, better than anything you will ever find in North America and cheaper than the equivalent on Saville Row, is still available but, just as sadly, out of my range. If you do want a really good suit get a Chinese visa (it's easy) and they, the Shanghai tailors on Nanjing Road, can do the job in three days and for less than $(Cdn) 700.00 you will get a suit that would easily cost $5,000.00 in Toronto or New York;

Posibly Seoul, South Korea as well. Buddy got a suit done there for cheap, looked good and I had a carpet made (about the size to go at the foot of your bed) for maybe $60, would be easily a couple hundred dollars at Ikea.

Any Wool products, Carpets, etc. seal them up in a plastic bag for 3 days or wash with hot water to kill any possible bed bugs, (same if you suspect yourself of carrying it, from a hostel etc.) seal up all your gear for 3 days and keep it seperate, to prevent contamination.

 

[Danjanou]

Bangkok is another alternative. A lot of the Indian and Nepalese tailors fled Hong Kong and settled in BKK prior to the Brits relinquishing control  because they were unsure if it would be business as usual. Both the D9er and I had some nice suits run up there. Suits ready with 48 hrs with a fitting or two in between sightseeing, and delivered to our hotel. Or one can spend the time between fitting at the "night market" grabbing a beer  and watching the "entertainment." A great place to grab a "good fake" Rolex to go with the suit.

 

[fixerdude]

One of my main questions was how do you use money there?  Do bank machines work outside of Manilla. Do they accept credit cards? ...

We have used both debit and VISA cards in and around Manila, not a problem. Transaction fees are a bit steep. So plan ahead. Be careful/discrete when you withdraw cash from outside ATMs. They have security guards guarding ATMs with M16 for a reason.

Also, be prepared before you fly out. They will ding you with a hefty "airport improvement fee" at the airport...they take cash only.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Nemo888]

How long does it take to get through customs in HK?  I was going to buy a newer camera for the trip but Mong Kok sounds ideal. When traveling back and forth how hard is it to pick up stuff during a stopover?

 

[Danjanou]

Mind my info is a couple of years out of date as last year I never left the airport., but not too long, about the same as any airport. Their is a high volume of traffic but they're quite efficient. Plenty of electronic shops in the duty free zones,  and while the deals may not be as good as in Kowloon, if you're just going into the city for a few hours as opposed to a couple of nights it may be an alternative.

 

[Nemo888]

I booked a few days in Honk Kong already. Are there any cheap places to stay? Any Commonwealth soldier discounts  anywhere. That sort of thing.

 

[q_1966]

Doubt it, the Chinese have taken back Hong Kong .

 

[Danjanou]

Doubt it, the Chinese have taken back Hong Kong .

Yeah but he was asking about Honk Kong, I think that's a Chinese Takeaway just outside the gate at Aldershot, so maybe there is a discount.

 

[Nemo888]

Do I need a security briefing to go to Hong Kong? I didn't think of that. The Philippines should be fine, but I already booked some time in HK late next month.

 

[aesop081]

Do I need a security briefing to go to Hong Kong? I didn't think of that. The Philippines should be fine, but I already booked some time in HK late next month.

Did you fill out an "intent to travel" form ?

 

[Nemo888]

After I got smashed up I went to work at a civvie hospital but technically I am still on the rolls(and under the code of conduct) till my release paperwork finishes. I didn't even think of it till today. Thank God I still have time. What's involved?

 

[aesop081]

Just a form you fill out indicating where you are going. If you need a briefing for that location, you get called to set up a time to do it.

 

[MedCorps]

D The Philippines should be fine, but I already booked some time in HK late next month.

You realize that the US has been conducting a full blown operation in the Philippines for the past decade right? 17 US soldiers have been killed in that operation since 2002, albeit "only" three to hostile actions. There are multiple insurgencies operating out of the Philippines including (but not limited to) the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf, and Jemaah Islamiyah.

From the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade:

---
Avoid all travel: 

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (consisting of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sharif Kabunsuan), as well as the Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga del Sur, Sarangani, Lanao del Norte, Davao del Sur (excluding urban areas of Davao City), North and South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat), due to the serious threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping. Canadians living in or visiting the region are advised to review their security situation and to take appropriate precautions, particularly when visiting places frequented by foreigners, such as resorts.

Bombings in (but not limited to) Cotabato, Kidapawan, Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Iligan City, Jolo, Isabela City, and Davao City have killed and injured dozens of people. The threat of terrorist attacks remains high in major centres in the region.

A state of emergency was declared in Cotabato City and the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat in November 2009 due to election-related violence. The state of emergency remains in effect.

---
Just something to think about.

Stay safe.

MC

 

[Nemo888]

I do love reading about MILF attacks in the Ph. Mindanao has resisted foreign influence for over 500 years. They were great allies when getting the Japanese out. Mindanao has always hated colonizers and perceived hegemons. Sadly Mindanao and points South have the best cuisine in the Philippines IMO.

Sent a memo. I'll go in tomorrow.

 

[q_1966]

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/menu-eng.asp
in addition check UK, Australia, US travel warnings etc.

If your hanging out in a hostel, you can usually get good intelligence from other travellers on where not to go, riots, roadblocks etc.

https://www.voyage2.gc.ca/Registration_inscription/Register_Inscrire/Login_ouvrir-une-session-eng.aspx?fwd=true&hash=p0V4sJhYtXNnDsAOImpW8w6161
Always a good idea, you maintain an account and it lets you fill in travellers insurance info, contact info etc. just in case.

http://www.iamat.org/index.cfm
When I applied for one, I was surprised to learn that they work on a donation principle, has a lot of great  info about Chaga's Disease, Malaria, travellers diarrhoea etc, worth checking out.

 

[Bearpaw]

I lived 10-11 months of the year(2004-2011) in Los Banos, Laguna---about 50 Km south of Manila

General Advice for Canadian Travellers:

1) When outside of Manila or Cebu, have a sufficient supply of pesos.
Money can get you out of almost any jam in the Philippines. As a rule
keep about 10,000P on you with lots of small bills (100P~=C$0.90).  Many places will profess to have no change if they see you are a foreigner and are trying to use 500P or 1000P bills.  1000P bill is the largest bill in Philippines---approximately C$22.00.
10000P = 10x500P + 15x200P + 15x100P + 10x50P + some change(10P, 5P)

Do not keep all your money in one place on your body/wallet.

2) Credit Cards----be sure to tell your bank you are travelling or they will be stopped(permanently) when you try to do withdrawals from the Philippines.  Take 2 or 3 different Credit Cards particularly ones with the PLUS logo.  The further you go from Manila or Cebu, the more fragile the credit card system becomes.  Always use them only in a bank and when the bank is open---if the credit card is captured be sure to get it back immediately.  NONE of the emergency numbers on the credit cards can be called from the philippines---the national telephone company does NOT allow 800-calls through.
I have had my cards stopped at least twice by the friendly Canadian banks---it is almost impossible to get them restarted from the Philippines.  Also note that almost no Canadian banks have branches in the Philippines.

3) the farther away from Manila the nicer the people become but the less english they speak.  Learn a few basic phrases in Tagalog---there are quite a few nice sites on the web for this.

4) Be wary of EVERYONE---to most Filipinos, you are an ATM on legs---there is a phrase in Tagalog that translates roughly as
"I have a _____ - pig, help me slice him up".

I had some of my in-laws trying to slice me up even when I was supplying a healthy subsidy for their kids!

5) A better place to travel than Borocay is Puerta Vallera on Mindoro.
Just travel to Batangas and take the ferry from there directly.
Avoid the road connection from Calipan,Mindoro to Puerta Vallera---it is a goat track.  Puerta Vallera is a much nicer place that Borocay which has become a tourist trap.
Bohol is another nice province to visit---some nice beaches and some of the best diving sites in the world.
Avoid Mindanao in general as this is where most of the insurgent activities are and where most of the tourist kidnapping take place.

6) Medicines----take a 3 month supply together with a couple of copies of the doctor prescriptions.  Many of the drugs in the Philippines are counterfeit----this is the reason I returned to Canada in 2011.  Even the doctors do not know which drugs are counterfeit or not.

Be careful with vitamins----it is ILLEGAL to import vitamins to the Philippines----it conflicts with a local cartel which charges 10x the Canadian rate for simple vitamins.

7) Avoid buying electronics in the Philippines----much of their electronics has been cannabalized----even NEW product sometimes have small parts changed over---DVD-RW replaced by DVD-R,  fans removed from computers,...anything to make a peso.  Best deals for electronics are in Singapore.

Humidity is the factor that will really affect you there---even worse in Singapore.  The lowest temperature I experienced in 7 years in the Philippines was about 21C with humidity over 70% all the time.  Best time to travel there is November to January(cool season)----worst time is April and May (first hot time) then August(second hot time).
Alway drink filtered water---do not let anyone else open the water for you---there are lots of scams on bottled water.

At the end of your trip---go into a Mercury drug store and buy a de-worming pill(about 100P)---these are hard to get in Canada---they may potentially save your liver!  If you are there for an extended period of time as I was, take one of these every 3 months.

Bearpaw

 

[q_1966]

So is a deworming pill necessary after you have been there 3 months or a shorter time frame, please elaborate about the liver.

 

[Nemo888]

Great advice Bearpaw. Thanks.

Is the 5$ "airport redevelopment" fee in your passport a good idea?

 

[Danjanou]

Great advice Bearpaw. Thanks.

Is the 5$ "airport redevelopment" fee in your passport a good idea?

yup.  8)
Trip last year  the D9er who's a filipina actually less than subtley pulled two fives out about 10 feet from the customs guys and inserted them in the Passports. They almost had a fist fight trying to wave us to their line.  8)

Bearpaws advice is pretty spot on. Mind I found no problems re English and/oror ATMS etc in Dumaguete a  larger city in the south ( Negros Oriental ). The language in the mid and southern parts of the country also tends to be more Cebuano or Vissayan  than Tagalog, although most speak both dialects.  These dialects are a little easier to learn as many more Spanish words in them at least in IMHO.

Dumey has a pretty good number of tourists  and expats so you don't stcik out as much, and there are a few small resorts opening up on the east and south coast there.

Abu Sayef and Milf are a bit active on the island although not as active as farther southg, and as long as you stay in towns cities etc should be GTG. Barang Captains would issue warnings to the town of any potential threat same as if a Tsumani or storm warning. I just checked the gun locker at teh Wife's family compound/house and wandered over to have a beer at the nearby resort from our  place to coordiante witht eh America Manager and his security  in case something did go down, but always a false alarm.