Philippines

The Best and the Worst
In my 2 weeks’ vacation, I’ve learned a lot about the Philippines. I’ve seen the best and the worst. The best includes the beautiful Boracay beach, Taal Lake, Tagaytay, shopping at Divisoria to stretch you bucks, helpful people amongst the poor who help one another, the Jeep driver gets a cigarette from the seller and driver gives him a free ride like a barter trade, Greenbelts night spots, nice beautiful shopping malls, tasty local food like Sinigang, Buco Pie and Ensaymada. The worst includes smelly squatters, kids running around without clothes, pollution, traffic jam in Manila.

Transport
Cabs are cheap and abundant in Manila, Jeeps are easily available, fare starts P40 and train is another great option to move around to beat the traffic jam during rush hours. Flights are very affordable using Cebu Pacific low cost carrier, besides the usual 30 min delay, the experience with the airline has been positive, no complaints for the low price that one pays. It has the youngest fleets of less than a year old and flies to most cities in the Philippines.

Shopping
If you have a few days in Manila and love shopping, be sure to go to 168 Mall at Divisoria for great bargains, it is a local bazaar (“tiangge”) from clothes to shoes to accessories to tools to home furnishings to pearls, you name it they have it! Prices are very good, haggling is a norm here and you will surely get a good price if you know how to do it right ;-) There are also many nice shopping malls where you can get signature goods like Mall of Asia, GreenHill, Eastwood, etc but of course prices are more expensive.

Food
There are many franchises in Manila where the food you get at one place tends to be the same as what you can get elsewhere. Popular food chains besides McD, KFC are Jollibee (serves Pinoy food), Chow King (Chinese take-aways), Greenwich (Pasta, sandwiches) and Kopi Roti (toast, coffee). Just one bite of Ensaymada got me smitten, the texture is between bread and cake with cheese, it is so soft and cheesy, yum yum!!! If you'd like some local Pinoy food, you can try their Sinigang (sour soup) and barbecue pork.

Tagaytay
If time permits, you can travel out of Manila to Tagaytay, a nice cooling place where Taal lake is situated. Tagaytay is about 2 hours from Manila. Buco (coconut) pie is a must-try delicacy. There is a popular local restaurant, Josephine’s that overlooks the volcano, the view is amazing while you savour the great food! Batangas beach is about 2 hours drive from Tagaytay, it is a great chill-out place if you need a get-away from the city’s hustle and bustle. The sunset on the beach is just so beautiful!

Boracay
It is in the south of Manila. One could either fly to Cataclan or Kalibu to get there. Kalibu is a 1.5 hour drive from Cataclan where one could take a 15-min motor boat ride to the famous Boracay beach. It has the whitest and finest sand that I’ve ever seen, the water is crystal clear. For those water sports lovers, Boracay is a paradise for them, from diving, surfing, parasailing, kayaking, and the like.

I stole some sand back in a water bottle, when I showed it to my mum, she told me “Don’t put this on the table”. So I asked, why. She said, “If not, people may mistaken it for pepper!” How true, I looked at again and I think she is not exaggerating at all, it is really as fine as pepper powder :-) For those beach lovers, this is the place to be. There are many shops and restaurants on the shores where you can walk from Station 1 to 2 to 3. If you want internet access, go to 168 Station at Station 2, price is 70 peso/hour.

Jony's restaurant at Station 1 is a must-go which serves excellent Mexican food. Challets and hotels are easily available along the beaches. Sunsets are lovely in Boracay, check out some shots!