Philippines Travel Tips
The Philippines, known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas, is a country blessed with nature’s abundance both in resources and unsurpassed beauty.
Surrounded by water, this archipelago is a distinct Pacific paradise that is a treasure trove for tourists. Millions of tourists are expected to visit the country every year making it one of the most visited destinations in the world.
This short guide serves as a useful reference to things that can make your visit to this paradise an unforgettable experience. Here are some tips to enjoy this Pacific Eden:
- Learning the greeting. “Kumusta ka?” (pronounced kuh-muh-stah kah) is one of the most common and most polite way of greeting a Filipino. A Filipino equivalent for Spanish “Como esta?” or English “How are you?”, learning this phrase can be a good way of initiating rapport to any Filipino people you meet. It shows that you know basic things about the country and Filipinos warmly reciprocates by offering anything within their capacity. This will easily initiate a warm friendship for a hospitable but shy Filipino.
- Travel cheap. Taking a tour in the Philippines is also very affordable even for low budget vacation trips. The entire country has an effective and reliable public transportation system so going anywhere the country is easy. Every island has an all weather network of roads serviced jeepneys. For big cities, taxi is common but normally in the provinces jeepneys and sidecars, a one-wheeled platform attached to the side of a motorcycle are favorite travel vehicles. Most of the popular destination spots can be reached by sea, air and land. Lodgings can also be found in any tourist site complete with any modern, if not first class, amenities and equipment.
- Buy at dawn. If eating fresh food is one of your favorite activities in visiting the country, one should go to the market at around 4 or 5 in the morning to ensure that you only buy the freshest of farm produce and fish and other products.
- Dress down. No need in bringing bulky bags and backpacks (unless you are going to stay in the mountains for days). The country is humid and most of the days are hot making you sweat more easily. T-shirts, shorts and slippers are more comfortable in this part of the world.
- Eat heartily. Try to eat in cheap but quality restaurants to enjoy the delicacy of that island. If you are in the right season on that island, you might even be invited to a fiesta. This is an annual celebration for all Filipinos featuring all kinds of food in honor of their respective patron saint. This one is awesome - you may be asked to eat delicious treats for hours straight so you better know what you are entering into. Filipinos are easily offended if you will refuse their offered food.
There, those are just the basic things you should be aware of. This country is easy to live and love as you go along.
