Arriving in the Philippines
On arrival at the airport(Ninoy Aquino International Airport) Manila, the first thing you will notice is the stifling heat and humidity. After being on an air conditioned plane for a few hours you cant help but notice it. Make sure you have a bottle of water with you because getting through immigration is a long and boring process and you have to stand the whole time. It once took me 2 hours before i could even think about collecting my luggage. Although it is air conditioned it in no way compares to the aircraft you have just come in on.
After getting through immigration and customs you will find no one to meet you in the airport, you have to exit the airport and cross the road to get to the greeting area. Here you will have to get an airport taxi to your hotel and they are very expensive in comparison to a normal taxi. I normally nip around the back of the greeting area and hail a taxi, it is half the price. You still have to haggle the price down but it will save you a bit.
Manila
Welcome to Manila. Manila is a wonderful city and like any capital it has its good and bad points, the good by far outnumber the bad. Now you are out in the busy streets of the capital it is time to keep you hand on your wallet. Depending on where you are, your wallet is at risk. Anything you try to buy from a street trader will be doubled in price due to the fact you are a tourist and may even be up to 4 times the price. Unless you are with a local, just half the price they ask, if they say no walk away. The one thing you have to remember is the economy in the Philippines is a long way behind the west so every westerner they see is a millionaire to them, so they only really see $$ signs when they see you. You will more than likely earn in a week what these people earn in 3 months or more, in some of the places i have seen it will be more like a years salary to them. The poor economy means one thing for the tourist, SAVINGS. You can pick up top name brands at real bargain prices. Hotels are very reasonable and i recommend the CITY GARDEN HOTEL on Makati Ave. It is 4 star and has a wonderful rooftop pool and bar area with fantastic views across Manila. Eating out in Manila is a wonderful experience, the variety is amazing. You will be able to sample the local cuisine or get western takeaway food. Personally i would try all the local food as most of it is wonderful, fish is a major part of the diet as it is fairly cheap and as the Philippines is an archipelago is it surrounded by the sea. Beware the Filipino diet consists of rice 3 times a day. As far as they are concerned if a meal does not have rice with it, it is not a proper meal.
Where Next?
The Philippines has a multitude of fantastic places to visit once you leave Manila. You could head north and visit Baguio and the famous Banaue Rice Terraces( a wonderful sight indeed) or you could head south and see the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, considered one of the worlds 7 natural wonders. Personally i go to Saibalom in Antique. Sibalom is located in the south central portion of the elongated province of Antique, a 45 minute flight from Manila to Iloilo or about 24 hours on a Superferry and a 2 hour drive from Iloilo to sibalom.I have tried both ways and while the flight is more convenient the Superferry is a great way to travel. Sibalom is bounded by the municipalities of San Remegio and Patnongon on the north and northwest., Belison on the west, San Jose on the southwest, Hamtic on the south and the province of Iloilo on the east. Sibalom is characterized by extensive floodplain's generally to the central portion of the municipality and rolling hills on the outskirt of the floodplain's with high mountain ranges located on the eastern border with province of Iloilo.
7KM from the provincial capital, San Jose, Sibalom is a town that is still growing. It is a fairly affluent town but still seems slightly behind the bigger towns in the Philippines. The residents are among the most friendly people i have ever met and always willing to help in anyway possible. If you ever find yourself in Sibalom and need to know where the best places visit are just get a tricycle and ask the driver to take you to Western Gift store,on Fenete St, once there just ask For Malou ,Grace or Beth and they can tell you the best places in the Municipality to visit. They will tell you how to get to the secluded waterfalls that make you think you are the only people on the whole island or the way to the mountains for some of the best views in the world. To be honest the views on the mountain roads leading to Sibalom take your breath away let alone the views you will get from the mountains. Antique also has the worlds largest flower, The Rafflesia or locally known as Uroy.It can be found on Mt. Porras. The Sibalom national Park,SNP, has many tourist attractions and destinations. Tourists, students and adventure seekers come to the park to enjoy the beauty presented by it’s lakes and forests. There are also panoramic rice terraces, vast mountainous grasslands and towering rock formations. Semi-precious gemstones have been found along the Mau-it and Tipuluhan rivers. Be sure to have a spare memory card for your camera as the scenery here is magnificent.
After wondering around the wonderful mountains and searching for the secluded waterfalls you will need some place to eat and I would have to recommendthe Sibalom Inasal on the corner of Fenete St, run by Mila and Manny Hernandez. Here you will sample local food as it should be, and very nice it is too. Mila is not afraid to experiment and i must say she does it very well. As Sibalom is quite rural communication can be difficult at times so you could do worse than visit one of the Internet cafes in town. 2 to mention are Western Giftstore on Fenete St and JSV cyber cafe, Villavert St,owned and managed by Jonalyn Vagilidad, here you will be able to email and chat to friends and family back home.
After seeing what a wonderful place the Philippines is you will be planning your return trip next year before you have even got on the plane home. I come here around 3 times a year for 6 weeks at a time and it is still not enough.
The one thing you must do is try the local food as it is delicious and the other MUST is take a ride in a Jeepney. The jeepney is basically an elongated van with bench seats down each side. It was originally designed from WWII jeeps left behind by the USA with a long body was just welded on the back. There still some of this design around but there are also new custom made models now. The jeepney is one of the most popular modes of transport here and will be for years to come.
As you can see from the pictures below the Jeepneys are decorated in the most vivid and colourful designs
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