just booked to go next feb, flights only. and a rucksac each. has anyone been,
any places to visit that you could recommend. etc.
things to avoid
i got a rough guide book. but first hand experiences always help.
thanks ak
Been there a number of times. Don't spend long in Manila - maybe a couple of days max. Big, chaotic, noisy and dirty city. It's interesting enough, but it soon becomes "too much". It has a strong US background to the culture. A great day-trip is to go up to Mt Pinatubo, to get to it you have to go in some quite mental off-road 4x4's then a good trek up to the edge of the cone which is full of water. Stunning - and you go get some peace! (Noise is everywhere in the country!).
Carlos Celdran runs highly entertainign and interesting tours of Manila link below - thoroughly recommended.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/
What sort of thing are you looking for? Ther country is made up of literally thousands of islands, and they vary in "feel" hugely. You're probably advised to treat Mindanao (south) with great care, as there's a civil war going on and westerners do get kidnapped. In terms of "wow", my favourite is Bohol - very environmentally-aware (compared with the rest of the country which is not at all!), beautiful scenery, people are really laid back. It's got the chocolate hills which are spectacular. I'm not a great fan of Borocay, which has now become too touristy and is frankly a bit tacky.
I've not been, but I understand Palawan (long thin island to the west) is absolutely glorious.
Don't expect anything to happen quickly or even necessarily logically, just go with the flow otherwise it can get frustrating. People are unfailingly pleasant and polite, and tend to be exuberant. Enjoy - it's really worth making the effort to discover.
I went a few years ago. It's a great country with very friendly people. There weren't many westerners about outside of Manilla which was good. In some places there were a few middle-aged white chaps with young, attractive local "girls of negotiable affection" which seemed odd at first.
As said, Manilla is worth a look for a couple of days, but very polluted and a bit grotty. There are a lot of armed guards about, but no sign of trouble when I was there.
We ended up having to stay a night in Angeles, nr Pinatubo. The hotels are on the strip which is a basically a sex resort full of middle-aged Germans and Americans. Not good.
The north of Luzon is superb. Sagada, Banaue etc. are definitely worth a visit and the bus/truck/jeepney journey is an experience in itself.
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Palawan is tropical, with crocodiles and the like. It's very laid back and worth a visit.
[img] http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=yflqev&outx=772&quality=70 [/img]
Mindoro is a really nice island for diving and jungle walks. Plus a fair few of the inevitable German and American sex tourists... The very fast open outrigger ferry from the mainland is preferable to the modern catamaran.