By: bulldoost
29/10/2009
11:59 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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i have invitation to teach in philippines, i am going for short stay few days after xmas (without knowledge of invitating institution), never been to philippines, albeit travel most of asia, northern africa and virtually all europe.
any advice? recommendations? and yes, i did read already most of propaganda drivel on the net... i want "real" peoples opinions and recommendations.
thanx! |
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By: larjorgan2001
30/10/2009
11:30 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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Hi bulldoost - I've been visiting the Philippines on a regular basis since 1981 & will attempt to answer a few of your questions. The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands which are divided into three areas - Luzon (the main island in which Manila is located & most likely where you may be teaching), Visayas (the central group of islands which has the idyllic island of Boracay - the country's no. 1 tourist destination) & Mindanao.
If you are interested in history there are many reminders of the era during which the Spaniards colonised the Philippines. The mountain provinces in northern Luzon have the rice terraces. 100 kms south of Manila are the Pagsanjan Falls where you can take a boatride up to magnificent waterfalls & shoot the rapids on your return.
Manila is home to some of the largest shopping malls in the world - there is Mall of Asia (which has an indoor ice skating rink), Robinsons, SM Mega Mall to name a few. There are many local markets such as Baclaran which are extremely cheap.
Accommodation in Manila will suit all budgets from pension houses to 5 star hotels. I generally stay at 3 star hotels which average $40 AUD p/n.
As it is your first trip to the Philippines, it would be preferable if you could travel with someone who has been there before. If this is not possible, get yourself the latest copy of Lonely Planet's "Philippines Travel Survival Kit". (the "bible" for those travellingg to the Philippines).
Good luck & if you have any further questions feel free to ask. |
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By: bulldoost
31/10/2009
12:00 am Yahoo! Profile:
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what i am interested as well, public communication? driving license? car rental? accomodation? two bedroom appartment? what prices? availability?
i am sure that if i sign the contract - i will be provided with most of it - but i want first to know beforehand... initial contract will be 2 weeks (they cannot really afford me longer) but if i like it - i will donate my time "pro publico bono" for say 3 months, i done that in colombo few years back, so in mumbai, but i need to know how much this will cost me... if i can afford it... |
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By: larjorgan2001
3/11/2009
9:01 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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My apologies for the tardy reply bulldoost - I've been having some issues with my computer.
You mentioned "public communication" - by that I guess you mean ease of communicating with the locals. Absolutely no problems in the
Philippines as English is taught as the second language in schools. As for a driving license in the Philippines - you can do so for short periods (up to 90 days) on your Australian Drivers License or you can obtain an International Drivers Permit before you go - usually from the motoring organisation in your state.
Car Rental - you will find internationally known car rental companies such as Avis & Hertz in Manila and larger towns - better to deal with them rather than smaller local companies. make sure you are have insurance - in the event of an accident involving a local & foreigner, it will almost always be the latter's fault! In all my trips there I have never been brave enough to drive - I am sure you will see what I mean. Traffic is chaotic.
Accommodation - is plentiful irrespective of your budget. All I can suggest you do is research the internet & recent travel guides. Obviously the longer your stay, the better the position you are in to negotiate a discount.
Cost of living is very cheap in the Philippines - moreso in the rural areas. Australian $ is getting a great exchange rate. By way of example, you should be able to live comfortably on $300 - $400 per week. |
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By: bulldoost
4/11/2009
12:50 am Yahoo! Profile:
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larjorgan2001 - thanx :-)
what i ask about travel, it is public communication, buses, taxi, train, tram, tuk-tuk?
another question, corruption? there is no real corruption problem in oz, austria, germany - but if you go to ceylon, iraq, italy, ukraine - that is another matter...
for example in bangkok i use a water taxi a lot as well as buses and trains! excellent! by the way, regardless what ppl say, thailand is one of least corrupted countries...
in colombo, local buses are fine if you are not more than 1.5m tall... but tuk-tuk for 20 to 30 rupee will take you from mt. lavinia to city (if you speak sinhala... if "ingriz" then pleasure cost you 150 rupee...) |
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By: pedrofromspain
4/11/2009
10:03 am Yahoo! Profile:
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Hi Bulldoost,
how have you been?
Seems even in far away places the english get treat as special ?
Not too many people don't have a dislike for them.
French gave the world style and fashion, developed it as an industry . Champagne, fine clothes, reasoning, ideas and cafe society.
And Larrey . |
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By: idontlikechookstheypeck
4/11/2009
10:33 am Yahoo! Profile:
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I spent two weeks in the Philippines last year and the best advice I can give you is don't go to Malate haha. It's the dodgy part of town and where I booked accomodation for not realising this.
Is the offer to work in Manila bulldoost or on another island/region?
I spent most of my time on a tiny island in the South of the Philippines where the best way to travel around were on hired motorbikes, but when we travelled in Manila it was always by taxi and was very cheap compared to Australia. |
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By: larjorgan2001
4/11/2009
10:13 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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Hi bulldoost - I'm with you now mate, you mean "public transport". For the newbie tourist, taxis are the easiest form of transport - just make sure you confirm with the driver that his meter is working and he charges in Philippine pesos. Taxis are cheap in comparison to Australia and you will be pleased to hear that the standard of taxis in the Philippines has much improved in recent years (the authorities are getting all the bombs off the roads).
Other forms of public transport include buses - crowded & you need to know where you are going especially for travel in the capital Jeepneys - elongated jeeps in which passengers sit on a long bench seat. You will need to know the various routes plied by jeepneys if you intend using same - the route details are painted along the sides of the vehicle. Fares are paid by passing the fare to the driver & telling him where your destination. (If you do travel by jeepney, exercise caution as there are quite often pickpockets present).
LRT - and elevated light rail transport system which has several lines covering Metro Manila - air-con, cheap & crowded however very fast.
Philippines does not have tuk-tuks like Thailand - they have tricycles in which the passenger sits in a sidecar next to driver. For short distace travel only - agree on price with driver beforehand.
Corruption is widespread in the Philippines - on occasions it can work to your advantage if you need paperwork expedited, etc. Filipinos refer to such considerations as "lagay".(bribery)
Occasionally there are reports of public officials (Poice) who maay try to shake down a motorist for some real/imagined traffic violation. |
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By: larjorgan2001
4/11/2009
10:23 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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idontlikechooks - sorry to hear you didn't like Malate. I have stayed there myself & found the area to be without problems. You may have been thinking of Ermita (right next-door to Malate) which used to be the red light area in Manila prior to its closure by Mayor Alfredo Lim. Ermita has turned into a real seedy place due to lack of development contrary to the grandiose plans of the mayor.
There are worse areas such as Tondo - the slum area where foreigners normally do not enter. Visited Tondo once out of sheer curiosity - taxi driver was hesitant & thought I was crazy.
Which island did you stay on in the southern Philippines? |
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