Countries of the World
Manila Through My Eyes - Quick tips for tourists





As what the page title says, I'll try to make this quick.

1. Plan your trip well beforehand

It's a no brainer. You're going to a trip, of course you'd want your experience to be hassle free. That's why it's important to plan your trip beforehand. More so if you're traveling with kids/minors. A lot of areas in the Philippines aren't exactly child friendly (because of prostitution). Planning your trip can also help you maximize your time here. Research over the internet and ask people who have been to the Philippines to guide you.

2. What to wear? What to bring?

The climate here is very warm, so just bring light clothing. Even during the rainy season, though the temperature drops, it's still considerably warm. It's better to just really bring essentials as you can easily buy it here. Plus, you'd want room in your luggage to fit in stuff that you bought here.

3. Getting around

Your life would be so much easier if you can get someone who knows their way around on where you plan to visit. But you can always hire a car or get a taxi. Just make sure that it's a metered taxi, some taxi drivers will try to rip off unsuspecting tourists (even some locals) by declaring a fixed amount of fare. LRT and MRT are also a tourist friendly way to go around, but you still might encounter some problems, as well as get frustrated by the amount of passengers. If you can get someone to show you around, it's probably safe enough to try other modes of transportation such as jeepneys, pedicabs etc. Oh, and I have to warn you about the traffic. It can get ugly, especially in Manila where the traffic is really bad. Patience is a must. Don't let it spoil your trip.

4. Filipinos

Most Filipinos are late. If a party starts at 8pm, don't expect for people to show up at 8pm. While English is considered a national language, don't expect all people (especially those living in rural areas) to be fluent in English. Also, don't be intimidated when people (especially children) stare. In general, Filipinos are very helpful and would probably go out of their way just to help.

5. Food

Food isn't really a problem. There are lots of restaurants that would cater to your liking. About Filipino food, it's not as popular as other Asian countries but it's still worth a try (since you're here). Most meals are accompanied with rice. Also, if you're brave enough, you can try street food (which is definetely not for the faint of heart!). Although I strongly warn against eating food from street vendors. 'Street Foods' can be found on kiosks in some malls, though it defeats the word 'street', at least you're sure it's clean.

6. Shopping

There are a lot of malls here, and many of them are actually popular tourists destinations. Prices here are considerably cheaper than other countries, so it's a bit easy for tourists to go overboard when shopping. Aside from malls, there are a lot of other places to shop where the goods are probably even cheaper, so keep an eye out for them.


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Manila Through My Eyes - Quick tips for tourists (Countries of the World)    -    Author : Kaycee - Philippines


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last update : 2011-06-19

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