My first trip to the Philippines

[JimOttley]

Thanks... Excellent advice Until today I never thought of letting Rizza do the haggling, but from now on I guess she is the boss

Don't try to haggle yourself mate, in general they won't take it all that well but hopefully Rizza will be good at haggling

Ana can be sometimes, she's better at it when it's something she wants though after a few seconds looking at something she says "discount" and laughs works remarkably often even when I'm there


Jim

[GaryFifer]

Don't try to haggle yourself mate, in general they won't take it all that well but hopefully Rizza will be good at haggling

Ana can be sometimes, she's better at it when it's something she wants though after a few seconds looking at something she says "discount" and laughs works remarkably often even when I'm there


Jim

Ah, will we tell him how much for a taxi.

[JimOttley]

Ah, will we tell him how much for a taxi.

I have GPS to check where they are taking me but I know the geography now

Rizza always pays for the taxi, that should be the rule

If they think they can get away with it the meter will not get switched on and they will be looking for 400-500 peso for even a short trip.

Short trip of a mile or two should only be 50 to 60 peso in Manila.

A six mile trip from Malate to Las Pinas is around 200 peso in Manila these days not sure about the other provinces.


Jim

[bornatbirth]

Cool idea... I will

I keep a tab on the moneysupermarket website to see who is offering the best deal, and yep.. Right now it is not looking too good.

But what if I turned up in Cebu with £1000 in sterling? Going into a local exchange place with that? From what I have read I might go away with a few light notes...

i have exchanged that much before,just count it at the counter and you can count what they give you,they dont mind i never got sort changed

Rizza always pays for the taxi, that should be the rule

If they think they can get away with it the meter will not get switched on and they will be looking for 400-500 peso for even a short trip.

Short trip of a mile or two should only be 50 to 60 peso in Manila.

always let your gf to pay for the taxi and let her get in first...and always get the meter to start.

[JimOttley]

i have exchanged that much before,just count it at the counter and you can count what they give you,they dont mind i never got sort changed



always let your gf to pay for the taxi and let her get in first...and always get the meter to start.

Yep, if they won't start the meter get out and get another taxi there will always be another along soon


Jim

[bornatbirth]

Yep, if they won't start the meter get out and get another taxi there will always be another along soon

all on the same short trip.

taxi 1.meter got started and cost 120 peso.

taxi 2.driver didnt start meter and said trip will cost 250,my wife cursed him and he got 100 peso.

taxi 3.driver didnt start meter but said give him what you think and said hes only been doing the job for 7 days and the taxi was falling to bits
he got 150 peso.

[JimOttley]

all on the same short trip.

taxi 1.meter got started and cost 120 peso.

taxi 2.driver didnt start meter and said trip will cost 250,my wife cursed him and he got 100 peso.

taxi 3.driver didnt start meter but said give him what you think and said hes only been doing the job for 7 days and the taxi was falling to bits
he got 150 peso.

Taxi story.

When I first went there I was rather overweight I got better for a couple of years but am going the other way again just now.

Ana has a terrible memory and was trying to get us to Intramuros but she gave the Taxi driver the wrong location and we ended up heading off in a really run down cab.

Anyway after a few minutes we started up a concrete ramp that had a bit of an incline, taxi gets slower and slower and finally stops right in the middle of a three lane highway on the wrong road as Ana has now remembered where we should be going the lad tries to get it in gear it stalls he tries again the clutch is burning I can smell it engine revving going nowhere. I realise that his clutch is stuffed and that nothing on earth is going to shift that taxi with my weight and Ana in it.

Another taxi pulls up behind us and stops on this three lane highway and beckons us over as I get out this lad car is suddenly free of my gravitational penalty and starts to move, Ana jumps out and I chuck 50 peso at the driver (we had only gone about 200 yards so he did alright )

Jumped into the next cab and were rescued

I always tip well if I am treated well and I tend to have sympathy for the nice guys driving the wrecks especially if they strike up a good conversation


Jim

[Northerner]

Don't try to haggle yourself mate, in general they won't take it all that well but hopefully Rizza will be good at haggling

Ana can be sometimes, she's better at it when it's something she wants though after a few seconds looking at something she says "discount" and laughs works remarkably often even when I'm there


Jim

I never had the heart to haggle too much. One of my friends whose family are from India once told me how he did it... And so I tried.

There in Bangkok, I was with some stall holder trying to sell me a *genuine* Rolex watch. With every price he offered I said "lower!", until at the end I felt so sorry trying to get this guy down like a hardcore haggler. And just said "ok, ok.. What price you want?".. I haggle a little, try and get a T-shirt thrown in after buying 2, but I know they are still making a nice profit from me. And good on them