The Phillipines

Mr_Wang

Heaven on earth?

Or a haven for bums and perverts??

Incapuppy

If it's the latter you should fit in rather well!

Incapuppy

M'kayyyyyyyyyyyy - seeing as though no-one else wants to talk to you, if you are thinking of this summer won't you get a tad wet?

totallybored

I was thinking of possibly going this summer for a few days. Would anyone recommend it over Vietnam?

Voyager2002

I lived there for two unforgettable years.

Some quick impressions:

Manila (the capital) is a nightmare vision of the future: incredible pollution and traffic problems, extraordinary over-crowding, and lots of hi-tec security and entertainment devices. Everyone should see it (as a ghastly warning of what London could be like one day) but very few people would enjoy being there;

Some of the islands and beaches are very pretty, although nothing like as attractive as the Seychelles (where I have also lived);

The gap between the grotesque wealth of the fortunate and the desperate poverty of the many is obscene. Desperately poor people are willing to do virtually anything for a bit of money, and so many visitors enjoy the sensation of suddenly becoming super-rich.

English is widely spoken, and most people will smile and make conversation, so that visitors generally feel welcome.

Mr_Wang

The thing is I have heard it's beautiful, but full of overweight perverted British men all looking for a barely legal bride all looking to relax on a once slice of paradise now ruined by concrete and tourism.
On the other hand there are as many people that absolutely rave about the place.

I'd like to go, genuinely and would probably head to Boracay and take in a few Volcanoes with an Air Asia out to Brunei and maybe Borneo if I could be arsed.

Problem is, for the Philippines I have to trade either a week in Northern Pakistan (somewhere I have really wanted to go for a long time) or a week in China, which can be made up by swapping a few trains for flights etc... But all adding to the cost.

I guess the question is - And I suppose this is aimed at Voyager, is it that different from the rest of SE Asia?

Voyager2002

Mr_Wang wrote: »

The thing is I have heard it's beautiful, but full of overweight perverted British men all looking for a barely legal bride all looking to relax on a once slice of paradise now ruined by concrete and tourism.
On the other hand there are as many people that absolutely rave about the place.

I'd like to go, genuinely and would probably head to Boracay and take in a few Volcanoes with an Air Asia out to Brunei and maybe Borneo if I could be arsed.

Problem is, for the Philippines I have to trade either a week in Northern Pakistan (somewhere I have really wanted to go for a long time) or a week in China, which can be made up by swapping a few trains for flights etc... But all adding to the cost.

I guess the question is - And I suppose this is aimed at Voyager, is it that different from the rest of SE Asia?

More interesting than most of China, probably a good deal less interesting than northern Pakistan (you're brave!).

The sex tourists are concentrated in a few specific location where there are businesses that cater to them, and so can easily be avoided. Laws prohibiting prostitution, sex with minors and so forth are actually a good deal stricter than in the UK with tougher penalties: it's just that there are certain regions where the police get a share of the profits and so (usually) do not enforce those laws. Stay away from those regions and you will not see anything to offend you.

Boracay is a kind of "island paradise" theme park with the highest prices in the whole country. If you want somewhere "interesting" then stay well away.

For the country as a whole, there has been terrible environmental destruction. This is less the result of tourism than of uncontrolled industry, logging (leading to rivers and the sea silting up) and the general rush to make a buck. So if you just head for a beach, at first sight it will seem beautiful but then you will notice the damage and the filth, and perhaps regret your visit. Some unspoiled gems remain, such as the Palawan island group, particularly El Nido and Coron.

The difference from the rest of Southeast Asia is that the Philippines was colonised by Spain and the USA. English is very widely spoken; US culture is always present "in your face"; visitors with white skins are assumed to be American ('Hey Joe' is the universal greeting, apart from the lovely island of Camiguin where they say 'Hey friend'); traditional religion is more Catholic than anything else. Food tends to be bland and far from enjoyable: a real let-down to anyone used to the 'wonderful food everywhere at any price' that you find elsewhere in the region.

up2ualan

SE Asian countries are always bashed as sex tourism destinations, it is only there if you go looking for it, The Philippines is a great location for many activities especially diving, as stated above Manila is a real horror of a city, but their are dozens of other great locations on the 7000 islands

Mr_Wang

Voyager2002 wrote: »

More interesting than most of China, probably a good deal less interesting than northern Pakistan (you're brave!).

The sex tourists are concentrated in a few specific location where there are businesses that cater to them, and so can easily be avoided. Laws prohibiting prostitution, sex with minors and so forth are actually a good deal stricter than in the UK with tougher penalties: it's just that there are certain regions where the police get a share of the profits and so (usually) do not enforce those laws. Stay away from those regions and you will not see anything to offend you.

Boracay is a kind of "island paradise" theme park with the highest prices in the whole country. If you want somewhere "interesting" then stay well away.

For the country as a whole, there has been terrible environmental destruction. This is less the result of tourism than of uncontrolled industry, logging (leading to rivers and the sea silting up) and the general rush to make a buck. So if you just head for a beach, at first sight it will seem beautiful but then you will notice the damage and the filth, and perhaps regret your visit. Some unspoiled gems remain, such as the Palawan island group, particularly El Nido and Coron.

The difference from the rest of Southeast Asia is that the Philippines was colonised by Spain and the USA. English is very widely spoken; US culture is always present "in your face"; visitors with white skins are assumed to be American ('Hey Joe' is the universal greeting, apart from the lovely island of Camiguin where they say 'Hey friend'); traditional religion is more Catholic than anything else. Food tends to be bland and far from enjoyable: a real let-down to anyone used to the 'wonderful food everywhere at any price' that you find elsewhere in the region.

Thanks, your help is much appreciated