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Pros appear to be..
Islands and beaches
World class diving
Hiking in forests 'n' stuff
Cons appear to be..
Lousy food
Lack of any really interesting culture
Difficult and/or expensive to get around
Manilla appears to be a bit of a hole
Did I mention the food?
Trying to convince myself to hit the buy button on a flight there for 3 weeks in Jan, but just can't quite convince myself its worth it.
Been around most of SE Asia now and love it, so been trying to find somewhere else in the world to head to.. Philippines seemed a reasonable option, but doesn't appear actually all that typically SE Asian
Was considering south America, Ecuador maybe... but Oh I dunno..!
Any ideas..? 🙂
From someone who is based in SEA, if the Philippines is all that is left then head to South America, 3 weeks traveling around Patagonia should dispel any doubts on your choice.
My wife and I spent a month back-packing around the Philippines about ten years ago. I think your lists pretty much nail it. We loved it as it was the first time in SE Asia for us, it was easy to find non-touristy places, and the diving is superb. But yes, the fact that garlic rice seems to be the #1 breakfast choice tells you much of what you need to know gastronomically. We did get hit by a typhoon while on Boracay, which was exciting 😯 Luckily I was being budget-conscious (read: tight) when we got there so insisted on the cheap concrete block hotel and not the charming but flimsy huts on the beach, which later vanished along with the beach itself...
Unless you have a specific destination or activity to do in the Philippines, it's not in the same league as the rest of SE Asia (except the diving, which is superb).
Other half and I spent a month there over Christmas and January a few years back. Travelled around backpack style. Loved it. Guess it depends what you want from your travels. I've travelled around South America and Asia (at least six month in each) and they all have their own characteristics and pros and cons so imo I wouldn't t say one was better than the other.
Edit: If I had to choose I'd say you'd get more from South America...bigger place, diverse culture and a massive variety of experiences to be had...
I lived there for 7 years and am still in SE Asia. I'm sure I've posted here before extolling its virtues. A good google search with m username will find it I'm sure.
So, the pros:
The people. Never met anyone like them. Friendly to a fault, fascinating and fascinated by foreigners in equal measure. There's an interesting statistic (can't find it) but The Phil. have more expats who stay until they die (of old age) than any other country.
Beaches.
Mountains.
Scenery in general.
Diving. World class is a little of an understatement.
Hotels. Should you be a little less budget conscious then the fancier hotels are some of the best I've been to.
Manila, whilst "a hole" is amazing. There are malls where you won't be able to afford to buy anything, rows and rows of watch shops with each piece worth more than your car. 5 mins down the road there is the red light district. 5 mins the other way are homeless people sleeping in graveyards. 5 minutes the other way is a gated community where minimum rent pcm is $7,000. It's a dirty smelly third world city to be sure but I loved every second of it.
Cheap. Very.
Some food. The chefs are fantastic and western food tends to be cooked amazingly. A handful of Pinoy dishes are superb. Most aren't.
Karaoke bars (not a euphemism for coke and hookers). Until you've been singing cheesy 80s ballads in a [s]shit hole[/s] local bar where a round of shots for every local in there was £5 at 3 in the morning you haven't lived.
Easy to travel around. Part of this is its cheapness as paying someone to drive you anywhere is realistic and easy.
It isn't typically SE Asia although it's a massive continent so lets not generalise here.
Safe. I never felt unsafe. Not once.
San Miguel Pale Pilsen
There is culture and history and when you find it it's fascinating.
Christmas lasts for at least 4 months. In the most cheesy, glittery and flashing multi-coloured-light way possible. Accept it and you'll love it!
Cons:
It can be Westernised. This has its benefits. [i]Thainess[/i] makes me want to bang my head through a wall most days. Amazing service in fancy hotels makes me smile.
A huge amount of culture has been lost in the urban areas. WWII was horrific in the Philippines and hugely unknown in Western society.
Most of the typical food isn't especially nice. Garlic rice and fish isn't a bad breakfast when you're used to it.
Travel can be a little more difficult than other places more on the beaten track. That means there are undscovered gems waiting for you.
Nothing prepares you for seeing children living in absolute poverty.
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Really it depends what you're after. It can be fantastic and I'd be happy to anser any questions and give any specific details. username ^^ @gmail.com
Burma last Christmas was amazing too. Different to a lot of Asia and somewhere we're glad we visited before it became more touristy. Again, glad to help with info there.
We left Makati (Manila) 4 years ago and my wife would be surprised to know (keep it quiet for family harmony) I'd move back there tomorrow! Rose-tinted specs perhaps but it holds a place in my heart.
Adobo, Pancit, grilled fish and red horse? what more could you want?
Travel can be a little more difficult than other places more on the beaten track. That means there are undscovered gems waiting for you.
That reminds me, we took a bus out to the Chocolate Hills on Bohol, got a taxi back to where we were staying on Panglao - a reasonable trip but as mcp says, cheap - anyway, the taxi driver was obviously keen for what was to him a big fare, but also obviously keen to be elsewhere. He asked if we'd heard of the legendary cock-fighting scene in the Philippines (no, we hadn't) and would we like to experience it? (yeah, why not). It was dusk by this point and as he headed off down some unlit back roads it did occur to us that no-one, at all, anywhere, knew even which part of the Philippines we were in, let alone where we'd been that day. And we were headed out to the wop wops in an unofficial taxi. Marvellous.
Turned out to be superb. The taxi driver was just keen to get his weekly fix of blood. It was a big shed in the middle of nowhere with about ten rows of rickety stands around the arena. Wiry blokes with dodgy 'taches (think a Philippino knock off of Brad Pitt in Snatch) paraded their cocks about (see what I did there?) with massive razors bound to their feet, then they set them at each other. Bets were done verbally or via nods and waves to the bookies who clambered about the place, seemingly keeping track of hundreds of bets in their heads, then everyone fessed up after the bout and paid/collected their cash. Our driver talked us through the process of handing over our cash to the bookies at regular intervals... 😕 Was only a few quid all in though, and worth every penny. We were the only pale faces at what was clearly a locals-only venue, and
Safe. I never felt unsafe. Not once.
despite seemingly being in the script of a bad B-movie at times, the uneasiness was purely down to our own biases, everyone was friendly to a fault.
It doesn't have to be blood sport related but that kind of immersion into how locals live with great hospitality and feeling totally at ease is typical of RP.
Thanks guys for some great responses - very insightful!
Still just as confused... I guess I'll have to flip a coin for it.. 😆
Put Burma on one of the sides No_eyed of SE Asia figures. I'm fairly well travelled and it was an amazing trip. Probably my favourite holiday ever.
Hmmmm... that's the second time someone's mentioned Burma to me today... will Google it 😉