The Philippines

tarnok

The wife and I are planning a trip to the Philippines soon, primarily for the purpose of lying on the beach with a modest amount of natural and historical sight-seeing. Can anyone provide any general advice on visiting the Philippines or specific to Palawan which looks like the primary island we're going to visit?

In case the topic arises, neither of us have any scuba training.

tinwhiskers

A couple of our sales guys went there a couple months ago so I'll ask at work tomorrow. All I remember them saying was driving out of Manila was a shit show. And there are some serious no go areas there.

Inquisitor77

As with all international trips, you will likely want to register your stay with the State Department, just to be safe.

Beyond that, the situation on the ground changes somewhat regularly. As mentioned above, there are very serious no-go areas in the Philippines, as there are active rebels/terrorists operating in various regions. Palawan is one of those islands that is known as being a tourist destination, however, so you should be relatively safe. Just stay informed on the news as your trip gets closer, but I wouldn't worry too much.

If you plan on going anywhere else, including Manila, then you will likely want more specific advice, as that place is a whole different beast. =P

tarnok

Thanks. I didn't even know that registering with the state department was a thing.

I was considering a stop in Manila but the guide book I have (Lonely Planet) says it's not more dangerous than any other city and the only area it specifically mentions as being "rough" is Tondo. What are some places I definitely shouldn't go?

SatanIsMyMotor

The Philippines are rife with corruption in the airports also. A common tactic is for security people to slip live ammunition into your bags so that they can shake you down. Common practice for a lot of people now is to completely saran wrap your gear so nothing can get in.

Source: Work with many people from/that go to the Philippines.

krapst78

The Philippines is a lovely place to go for beaches and nature sightseeing. Although I only stayed for a couple days, I'm not a big fan of Manila. The traffic is terrible, even compared to most other Asian mega cities.

As for Palawan, I've only been to the El Nido region. El Nido is great for checking out the natural beauty of the Philippines. I was there 5 years ago staying at the Miniloc Resort, so my advice might be a little dated. The plane ride from Manila to El Nido was done on a small propeller plane, around 30-40 passengers total. You and your luggage will be weighed prior to taking off, and I seem to recall there being a fairly low weight limit before you started to incur a penalty fee. I think the limit might have been 90 or 100kg total for you and your luggage.

The plane ride took about an hour to El Nido airport and the highlight was seeing GIRAFFES running around on one of the islands you pass over during the trip. You then took another 20 or 30 minute ride from the airport to El Nido town in some monstrosity of a bus. We then took a boat from El Nido port into the resort, which lasted another hour.

The highlight of Palawan was kayaking the two lagoons, known as Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon near the resort. I've been on several similar kayaking tours in other parts of SE Asia, and I think the lagoons in Palawan are among the most beautiful natural sights in Asia. The low point of my trip was stepping on a stone fish while snorkeling near the shores of Dibuluan Island. Not sure if the link below works, but that was my foot 90 minutes after stepping on just 1 stinger on the stonefish. One piece of advice is DO NOT take off your flippers until you're completely out of the water.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/179376_10150089036077367_8387486_n.jpg?oh=1938ea503bd163ee14d423f646e1de7a&oe=5780E79E

If you want to just want to chill out on a beach and party, you might want to also consider Boracay instead of Palawan. Boracay has a much bigger party atmosphere, but can also accommodate a more intimate feel. If you want luxury, the Shangri La resort on Boracay has a much better pampering experience than the El Nido Resorts at a comparable price. The one thing Bocaray lacks is the proximity to natural sightseeing. Finally, avoid Cebu at all costs.

tarnok

SatanIsMyMotor wrote: »

The Philippines are rife with corruption in the airports also. A common tactic is for security people to slip live ammunition into your bags so that they can shake you down. Common practice for a lot of people now is to completely saran wrap your gear so nothing can get in.

Source: Work with many people from/that go to the Philippines.

That's very slightly terrifying.

Partying is definitely not our goal, neither of us enjoys loud music or large crowds. Kayaking is something we're both interested in, but have no experience with. Would we need to train beforehand in order to do something like that or are there guides/tours/whatever that provide training for novices?

Mrs. Tarnok wants to swim with stingrays but I am worried that'd end up like your encounter with the stonefish. How common are the stinging nasties in the ocean? Is there a particular time of year that jellyfish, for instance, are more likely?

wonderpug

The airport ammunition scam thing is a real thing, unfortunately. Don't judge the general Filipino population by it, though, they're also disgusted by the practice. Manny Pacquiao has publicly stated he'll pay for the legal fees for anyone caught by the scam. I'd definitely do the saran wrap thing if I were you.

Don't let that dissuade you from going, though. Most of the Philippines is lovely, and the people are amazing.

How well versed are you in Filipino cuisine? Need some food recommendations?

krapst78

Luckily I've never had that scam happened to me. You do need to prepare some extra cash to pay for a separate airport departure tax in most Philippine airports the last time I was there. This is NOT common for most other Asian airports. You pay the tax at a separate booth and receive a little stub that you need give when you go through the departure immigration check. Fortunately, I don't recall having to pay this tax at the El Nido airport.

The kayaks required no previous experience at El Nido. You get the hang of it in a few minutes of just paddling around as the surf is extremely calm around the islands. If you feel a little apprehensive or just want to relax, you can also have a guide take you out on the kayak while you and your wife just sit back and take in the sights.

I was unable to scuba dive in Palawan due to my gigantic paralyzed foot so I can't offer much advice there.

I don't think you have to actually worry too much about getting stung. I'm pretty sure I'm an outlier as my tour guide told me that in the nearly 10 years he'd been doing his job, I was the first person he saw that got stung. Getting stung in nature is just one of my agreements I have with Mother Nature as I have a history of bad luck with stingy creatures in the past. Just remember to shuffle your feet in shallow waters to give them enough warning to know you're coming. Better yet, get yourself some aqua shoes with some thick rubber soles.

Finally, remember to pack your sunscreen and mosquito repellent. I can't tell you how many fellow tourists that got burned raw from underestimating the sun. Mosquitoes are everywhere once the sun goes down and malaria and dengue fever are a little more prevalent in tropical Asia. Most of all, just relax and enjoy the beautiful paradise.

tarnok

I've read up on the cuisine on wikipedia a little but it was a lot to take in, I'd appreciate some tips.

How exactly does the saran wrap thing work? Just pack as normal then thoroughly wrap each item in plastic? If I wrap my luggage up before I leave the US won't the TSA guys just rip it open to search the bag? Or do I only need to wrap it on the way out of the Philippines.

I'll definitely look for a kayaking opportunity while we're there. I'm interested in the underground river at Sabang as well, but I get the impression that's purely guided tours which is probably for the best. Last thing I need is to get lost in a cave.

I like the idea of going off the beaten path but I think that may be more than Mrs. Tarnok is up for. It's sounding like El Nido and the surrounding area are our best bet. Do you think we'd be able to fly straight into Palawan and skip Manila entirely?

Thanks for all the information!

jungleroomx

The P.I is a wonderful but dangerous place. First, it seems like most of the wildlife there is geared to kill you or scare you, but really most of it is just supersized. Be aware of the monkeys, especially. As far as stinging beasties, the oceans will have jellyfish and a lot of the black sea urchins. It's not too difficult to avoid them if you're mindful. With the sea urchins, stay away from piers or docks and you should avoid 99% of them. The much more rare problem is the Man O War jellyfish, which have small bells and long tentacles.

Traffic there is insane. Someone else mentioned Manila and they aren't exaggerating. If I remember right, Manila is essentially the hub. I don't know if the Subic Freeport also has air traffic.

Don't go sightseeing without someone who lives there with you, and even then if you appear to be going too far off the beaten path, find a way to put the kibosh on it.

Stay away from the southern islands. Period. Go to Mindanao and you may as well have booked your vacation in Afghanistan.