[little sage]

Hi,

Although I don't have any significant vacation coming up soon, I am considering going to the Philippines the next time I have some time off. I've heard about kidnappings on some of the southern islands where separatists reside, and there was a bomb threat at the airport in Manila 1 day prior to my only visit there, which was 4 years ago. Does anyone have any recent info on the safety of travelling in the Philippines? I assume some places are safer than others. Any recommendations on where to go in the Philippines?


Thanks in advance.

[chocopie]

I've been to the Philippines 3 times, and I'm going again soon. My experience in travelling in general is that Western news tends to sensationalize everything - "citizens are reeling in shock", when really life pretty much continues as usual except that the tourists have been scared away by CNN and the economy of the country in question suffers.

This is not to say that you don't need to be careful or that you should ignore travel advisories, but often taking a few pre-cautions and doing some research is really all that's necessary. In regards to the Philippines, the areas where there have been kidnappings in the past and continued terrorist activity is in the southern regions, called Mindoros I believe. It's not somewhere you would end up accidentally. This is far from Manila, and even farther from Boracay, which is the main tourist destination in the Philippines. Personally I would be much more concerned with personal safety while in Manila in regards to being robbed or pickpocketed. The Philippines is quite poor and unfortunately corrupt, and the big "tourist" sign on your forehead can make you a target. I had my cell phone and some cash lifted from my purse while shopping in an elegant high-end shopping mall, and I had no idea. My Filippino friend told me it was probably done by a child or woman, as they tend to "work" the malls where they are less conspicuous than men. Taxi drivers will over charge you as well (compared to what they will charge a local), but it still isn't a lot for you and it's probably best not to argue.

So in short, be careful about hanging out in Manila, don't wander around on your own, and you might want to avoid public transportation (you can take a taxi or even hire a car with a driver). If you're heading to Boracay I believe it's quite safe and I've never heard of any bombing etc there. Sorry this has gone on so long, just let me know if you have any more questions.

[little sage]

Hi Chocopie,

Thanks for the long response, I appreciate it.

I agree with you that the fear-factor in the news media skews reality, but I admit I do let it affect me even though I should know better... What ifs are still there in the back of my mind. Good to hear the reality perspective to drown out the CNN newsflashes in my mind.

Anyway, I do have a few more questions. Since I've spent all of 5 hours in Manila, I was wondering what the highlights are. And what is tourism like in the Philippines in general? Is Manila comparable to Bangkok in terms of how many tourist innundate the streets? I spent 10 days on Boracay over Christmas in 2001 and it was mostly European tourists, and plenty of them. Are there other less touristed places to go?

Maybe I should just learn to accept that tourist placard that is always on my head while I am, yes, touristing.

[chocopie]

Quote little sage

Hi Chocopie,

Thanks for the long response, I appreciate it.

I agree with you that the fear-factor in the news media skews reality, but I admit I do let it affect me even though I should know better... What ifs are still there in the back of my mind. Good to hear the reality perspective to drown out the CNN newsflashes in my mind.

Anyway, I do have a few more questions. Since I've spent all of 5 hours in Manila, I was wondering what the highlights are. And what is tourism like in the Philippines in general? Is Manila comparable to Bangkok in terms of how many tourist innundate the streets? I spent 10 days on Boracay over Christmas in 2001 and it was mostly European tourists, and plenty of them. Are there other less touristed places to go?

Maybe I should just learn to accept that tourist placard that is always on my head while I am, yes, touristing.

Hard for me to compare as I spent I relatively short time in Bangkok, really just a stopover on my way out to Kosamui (sp? too lazy to check). I found Bangkok cleaner and nicer (I know some people will be amazed as I've heard people talk about Bangkok being polluted), but really it was. I felt quite comfortable in Bangkok, at least the few places I went (Kasan road, a few temples and other shops). I have good friends in Manila, as well as a godson, so my time there is not so much touristy as visiting friends. Manila is great in that you can get a lot of styles and brands that are hard to find if you're living in Korea. If you enjoy city life, Manila has lots of funky fashion, beautiful shopping malls, restaurants, cafes, spas, hotels, great clubs with live music etc etc. I like these kind of things - not much of a backpacker, like my comforts - so for me it's great. However, frankly Manila is filthy, at least large parts of it is. The air quality is bad, and crime is something to watch out for, as I've mentioned. If you're looking for more cultural things, I think there are better places in the Philippines to go. I've read that Chinatown in Manila is worth checking out, but my friends point-blank refused to let me go there because they said it wasn't a safe part of town. Intramuros is definitley worth checking out, it's the oldest part of Manila, dating back to colonial times, and some effort has been made to maintain/restore it. Lunetta park is nice, but frankly it's just a nice park, not really worth flying there for. I would check out the Lonely Planet guide for destinations outside of Manila, (unless you're a shopper/nightlifer like me) and also to suggest festivals and stuff that are worth attending. I've heard that there are some efforts made at building an eco-tourism industry in some other areas, but I don't know the details. HTH

[little sage]

Thanks, yes, that does help.

I don't actually go for nightlife at all -can't find the yawn smilie here-, and prefer temples/churches/galleries/historic buildings and that kind of thing. I'd choose an art gallery over a beach, too, on most days. I'll read more about the Philippines' colonial history and the Intramuros part of town you mentioned.

I do miss seeing live music, though. Korea is sorely lacking in the casual live music category as far as I've noticed.

If I think of any more questions after I read up I'll let you know. Going to bed now. Thanks again for the help.