advice on phils

[tuft249]

hello im new on this site,going to tacloban next month to meet a very special girl i met on the internet.any advice on what to expect in phils,food etc.any advice very welcome. tuft

[fred]

Hi.
Do you like rice?

[winner]

hi tuft welcome when i went to philpines to meet my girlfreind (now my wife) we chat for 2 years day and night and when the time came to meet her your not see her but she wil be looking at you when you come out the airport is sh going to meet you at airport ? the food is excellent so no worry try balot when you there peole are all nice your get called joe a lot but so many nice places to go and see if your going there to marry your be in ok to cos thay look after you there so nice the people there just injoy yourself there the only bad thing about it is when you have to come back home with out her on the plan back home your think alot good luck

[walesrob]

hello im new on this site,going to tacloban next month to meet a very special girl i met on the internet.any advice on what to expect in phils,food etc.any advice very welcome. tuft

Tuft, I've been to Tacloban many times, and I've posted some simple info about the place here:

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....light=tacloban

[LadyJ]

More travel advice can be found here

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?...=1013618386343

[aromulus]

2 things come to mind...

Cloroquinine & Proguanil

Imodium.............

but not necessarily in this order.......

Don't flash the cash.......

It might come to the point where you will be asked to help financially many causes..... Auntie Jean's piles op, mummy's roof, daddy's tyres, blah, blah, blah, blah....

[chino]

2 things come to mind...

Cloroquinine & Proguanil

Imodium.............

but not necessarily in this order.......

Don't flash the cash.......

It might come to the point where you will be asked to help financially many causes..... Auntie Jean's piles op, mummy's roof, daddy's tyres, blah, blah, blah, blah....

my mother's roof need's fixing etc etc

[tuft249]

thanks for advice everyone,yes WINNER my girl is meeting me @airport but only tacloban,not manila.im glad you said the food was good.my girl has been refused a visa twice now,did you have problems getting a visa for your girl,did she visit uk before you married?could i ask how much money people think i should take?my bank says i can use my debit card to withdraw cash there in local currency,visa debit card.WALESROB,do you just get your flight to tacloban on arrival @manila.many thanks tuft

[ginapeterb]

Tuft a few things come to mind when I am asked for advice for Newbies arriving for their first tour of duty "In country"

1. Make sure you have deep pockets and a big wallet

2. Just pray that your cute babae has a small family.

3. Don't go throwing your hard earned cash around like all the fresh faces who end up in RP for fist time.

4. Don't be persuaded to part with large amounts of capital for Beeezneeses involving jewellery, convenience stores, sari sari, chicken farms, broiler or cockfighting ! Bars, water coolers, jeepneys, tri-cycles, Pedicabs or Caribou's.

5. Don't agree to stay at extended family,s houses because it appears to "save money" it normally ends up costing you money.

6. Don't be a cash flashed or a wealth bragger or discuss your financial profile with anyone " you will make yourself an attractive target for holduppers and run the risk of being scammed.

7. Do be polite at all times with Filipino family of your girl, remember you are on show.

8. Do treat the girl well, be generous with her at all times but don't allow her to be Miss Bilmoko " buy me this, buy me that"

9. Take pasalubong (a nice gift from UK) for your girl, give it to her on arrival at airport.

10. Finally ! Have a great time and don't expect sex the minute you arrive in country.

[walesrob]

could i ask how much money people think i should take?my bank says i can use my debit card to withdraw cash there in local currency,visa debit card.WALESROB,do you just get your flight to tacloban on arrival @manila.many thanks tuft

Hi Tuft249,

I always take a little bit of peso currency to tide us over during the first hours in Manila - things like taxi from airport, terminal fees for domestic flights, etc, but the bank is right, take a debit card to withdraw cash, safer than carrying cash.

If Elsa and I are off to Tacloban, we normally spend a day in Manila first, then fly to Tacloban. After a long flight from the UK, the last thing you want is the chaos and disorder of the domestic airport to contend with, better to rest first.

Have you booked a hotel yet in Tacloban?

[Mrs.JMajor]

welcome tuft,

hmm all i can say is be smart enough ....wish u good luck both !!

[ginapeterb]

tuft regarding Tacloban Rob is the man who knows the area, his advice is invaluable ! Personally I don't use debit or credit cards when I am on tour, cash is King in phils, and that's good advice ! Travellers checks a white elephant, credit cards rarely get approved always seem to come up "transaction declined" ATM machines always offline and debit your balance without dispensing cash.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !

[kimmi]

hi tuft,

firstly welcome to the forum and to the philippines..expect for the worse and hope for the best..I am sure ur gf will help u during ur stay there and dont forget to listen to the warning of our mates here..

Goodluck..

[walesrob]

tuft regarding Tacloban Rob is the man who knows the area, his advice is invaluable ! Personally I don't use debit or credit cards when I am on tour, cash is King in phils, and that's good advice ! Travellers checks a white elephant, credit cards rarely get approved always seem to come up "transaction declined" ATM machines always offline and debit your balance without dispensing cash.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !

Pete, speaking from experience, it seems that ATM's do clam up sometimes, but I noticed on our last trip, most, if not all worked fine. The worst offenders for ATM's going offline are at the airport in Manila - plus some ATMS have a dislike of UK Mastercard or Maestro, this happened to me a few times, but my Visa card worked fine as a backup. I've never had any credit cards declined at shops or hotels, whether Visa or Mastercard.

I've opened a simple ATM savings account at HSBC Philippines, so I can use that rather than rack up ATM fees on the credit or debit card. I would normally advise against using your credit card to withdraw cash in Philippines (unless its an emergency!), it can turn out very expensive, not only exchange rate fees, but ATM fees, etc. Debit cards are cheaper, Nationwide accounts are free to withdraw cash abroad.

[tuft249]

thanks everyone. WALESROB, not booked hotel renting furnished apartment for the 3week stay,also staying one night in abuyog with my girls family.PETE i already got my girl a nice top from m&s .i also should buy gift for every family member?i hear about the humidity is it difficult to adapt?never been outside europe before. tuft

[ginapeterb]

Tuft,

Thats a nice thought mate getting your girl a nice top from M @ S could I suggest if your budget allows, take your girl a nice gift wrapped fragrance, such as Chanel No 5 or similar, gift wrapped by the store, John Lewis or House of Frazer do it nicely, it goes down really well with the girls.

They like the effort and attention, you can buy pasalubong for the girls family, something simple from London or rest of UK, for the Nanay a simple fragrance is nice, for the Tatay, maybe a bottle of something, find out from the girl what he drinks, chances are he likes Jack Daniels or some other form of Whiskey, he probably drinks Tanduay or Emperador, but something from UK is nice.

Don't go mad, but a simple gift for the parents is quite respectful, don't be surprised if the parents do not open your gift in front of you, its not polite to do so, they will put the gift to one side, this is normal.

Tuft, the humidity can be a killer, it does take some getting used to, try and stay in the A/C areas wherever possible, at first, do not spend too much time out in the heat of the day, your girl will be mindful of the heat, so she will probably keep you inside with air conditioned places, such as hotel, shopping mall.

Don't worry mate, we have all been through it, just remember when you are out in the Republic on tour, whatever you find or whatever you do, just remember, we have all been there and wore the t shirt.

Another tip, I often tell guys going out for the first time, don't forget the Republic is the 3rd world, try not to pick faults, and don't try to change the way things are done, or be heard to keep saying "This wouldnt happen back in UK" or "We would do it this way" or worst of all !

"WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN THIS WAY - ITS BACKWARD !"

one last tip for you - take immodium with you and start taking it on the flight out, or you might end up with a bad dose of the squirts after landing and settling at your furnished apartment, I don't know why we all seem to get it, although on the last few trips I don't seem to get it anymore, but generally, its hard to avoid first time in country, it could be a combination of the water that goes in food preparation, also drinking bottled water locally upsets your gut, and sanitary and health issues.

Try and make sure you don 't want the thunder box whilst out and about, there are no public toilets, (well not any that you would want to use) no paper, no hand cleaner, Kulang facilities para sa Pilipinas - (No facilities in the Philippines) use the WC at your apartment, carry a pack of moist toilet tissue around with you, and a tube of hand cleaner if you can, it might just prevent you from getting a bad dose also.

Just be careful of supermarket toilets, they are not to the standard you may be used to, again, find out for yourself, if you have to pay P10.00 to use them, they are generally of a high standard, but these are few and far between.



Filipino's are quite critical of their own country and infrastructure, the last thing they need is a fresh face telling them the bleeding obvious.

Other than that, Tuft I am sure you will do fine and have a great time with your girl.

[ginapeterb]

Hi Rob, thanks for the information about your experience,

Pete, speaking from experience, it seems that ATM's do clam up sometimes, but I noticed on our last trip, most, if not all worked fine. The worst offenders for ATM's going offline are at the airport in Manila - plus some ATMS have a dislike of UK Mastercard or Maestro, this happened to me a few times, but my Visa card worked fine as a backup. I've never had any credit cards declined at shops or hotels, whether Visa or Mastercard.

Sadly, my experience differs, my credit card was continuously declined, but the minute I landed in Hong Kong for the long hike home, it went through in seconds.

My debit card never seemed to work, and at one point, Miss Gina and I drove around Bacolod City for 2 hours looking for an ATM that worked, most were offline, and finally we managed to get P5000 at BPI, thank goodness for that, as we had no money.

[andypaul]

Pete wise words particulary about holding back with the fault picking.

Also get prepared to see poverty and people you think are really nice and caring i.e your lady her family and friends ignore it. Like pete says they cant change the world and just have to get on with their own lives and not worry about others.

Worry about food and water. Casually taking a sip or bite of something which has a bug can ruin your trip.

Also mossies if your prone to be bitten or don't know be prepared.
repellant, netting (depends on the season and what have you your girlfriend will know) and bite cream and one of those funky electronic zappers to stop the itching of any bites.

Like others say carry some pesos in small denomations useful for tipping and cabs and if you need a bottle of water.

Ask your girlfriend to bring a cold water, tissues and my fav, alchol in the little green bottles, if meeting you from the airport. These will help you keep cool and freshen up.

Read up about the airport so you know what to do when you get there as your be on remote control tirdness and nervouness will leave you a little dazed so best to have prepapred a little.

Try and learn a few phill words and sentces real helpful as it is anywhere where.

[nigel]

If you arrange to meet someone at a restaurant, don't be surprised if they bring 8 friends with them! Haha, I kind of like that about filipino's though!

[scott&ligaya]

One final thing,
if your girl is a church goer( of whatever flavour0, go with her, you will be treated as a dignitary, surounded by helpers, given your own personal enormous fan whilst thirty other people melt etc etc, I love going because of the energy they put into their faith but hate being made a fuss of, we try to arrive a bit late now but they still come running up and fussing

[Mrs.JMajor]

Hi.
Do you like rice?

[Mrs Daddy]

just be careful wherever you go specially with pickpocketers.

[baboyako]

I had many problems with ATM machines this last visit.

Basically my cards worked in shops/hotels/resturants fine, however ATMs just didn't want to know. These were the same machines and same cards that worked 12months ago.

I called halifax & they said they put anti fraud measures on the cards, they removed the restrictions, however 2 weeks later still not working. Of course on the way home in amsterdam airport they worked fine...

So try and take hard cash for the entire visit. Or perhaps transfer some cash into her account. Or have online xoom transactions set up, etc, etc..

[KeithD]

just be careful wherever you go specially with pickpocketers.

Just stay away from the Mancs and you'll be fine.

[tuft249]

hi everyone, thanks for all the advice.pete there wont be any alcohol on this trip my girl is a seventh day adventist,but i will get her parents presents.how often do you visit phils? i think i should be ok with food even if i dont eat rice.its good to hear about everyones experiences in phils,not knowing anyone thats ever been there.i think it will be difficult to get a visa for my girl heide to come to uk .tuft

[winner]

hi tuft how you doing not know how long you know your girlfreind when i went last march i marred over there and what i did about money i sent a lot to my girlsfreinds account (now my wife) and i carried 600 pounds in cash from england all in all i had around 2000 pounds that was for wedding and a nice honeymoon in boracay and that was for a 5 week stay over there you ging to meet and plan wedding all you not ready yet have a safe trip

[KeithD]

...so on the 8th day she can do what she likes?

Buy her the Dawkins book, 'The God Delusion'

[aromulus]

...so on the 8th day she can do what she likes?

Some Eyetie or the other, used to say, donkey's years ago that religions are like a dish of pasta with different sauces....

[KeithD]

Pass'da hammer 'n' nails

[tuft249]

hi everyone, winner im fine thanks &you? just waiting for the 19th feb when i leave for tacloban.we have talked about getting married but it it wont be this trip.i have known heide for almost a year.the trouble is heide is seperated in phils,so it will be a long process to marry if possible. tuft