The best things to discover in the Philippines

The 2    4 year olds ours & the neighbors.  Who don't know what house they live in. But are together all day.   Monday shopping from the old market to the Mall in the afternoon.  I like to discount shop. 2 waterfalls near here. the beach, mountains behind us to drive in. expat meeting once a week.  Trips to her family out on the farms they have. There is always something to do even free shows at the Malls to see. & all is cheap to do here.

I think expats have to understand that every region here in the Philippines have different cultural traditions and traits that makes a certain place unique. For example, how Batangueños have this distinctive high tone voice that makes them sound angry but they really aren't which makes them so "Barako" that also means macho or strong. They are also known for their Kapeng Barako, and other signature dishes like Lomi and Goto. Some places are also influenced by each other because of the location.

For anyone with an interest in history, especially WWII, I would suggest taking the boat trip out of the Manila Yacht Club to Corregador island at the mouth of Manila Bay.  Back in 1994 it still looked like it was 1945.  You can stay overnight or take the boat back to the yacht club the same day.  There are original guns there made by Bethlehem Steel over 100 years ago.

I recommend hiking.

There is nothing to recommend in PHP other than wonderful people and that is what sets them apart from those more fortunate countries.  The beaches are disgusting, the cities are poverty ridden disgraces and no one seems to care. The Catholic Church should be so ashamed of what their religious and political influence has done to these people who are their most loyal followers. They are a disgrace. The only thing to do in PHP is go to the malls and avoid the heat. ....end of story.

Filipinos are resilient at the same can look forward to enjoy the day....

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crookers wrote:

There is nothing to recommend in PHP other than wonderful people and that is what sets them apart from those more fortunate countries.  The beaches are disgusting, the cities are poverty ridden disgraces and no one seems to care. The Catholic Church should be so ashamed of what their religious and political influence has done to these people who are their most loyal followers. They are a disgrace. The only thing to do in PHP is go to the malls and avoid the heat. ....end of story.

And yet you claim you want to move to the Philippines.   Australia must be wonderful.

The only way in which your comment can be interpreted is irony, but then the part about the catholic church would mean that they have done the people good and that is christ shit, to keep things in a religious terminology. So, to conclude, you either never been to the PP and have a weird scene of humor, or this was your experience "visiting" the PP in which case you can't say you've been to the PP. The PP has definitely the best beaches in Asia both by count and by qualify, they are trying their best to protect and preserve nature, the people are caring, nice and have dignity. The only minus can be the fact that they don't really have a food culture  and they have accepted the junk America has "presented" them as food, at least in the big cities.

Matei85,
I am perfectly willing to retract what I said if you can tell me where these beaches and natural wonders are. I have been unable to find during my stays other than Subic Bay which was average but at least reasonably clean. I want to find clean uncrowded beaches with good hotel accommodation, at least near bye. I am not being critical over this just telling what my experiences have been. As for the Church I fully standby my comments. Thanks for you input.

Dear Crookers,
I am in no position to make recommendations as I don't really know you and your preferences. I am sorry if my previous message seemed in any way critical or if I came on too strong. It just seemed pretty odd to me that you couldn't find nice beaches in the PP. As I told you in the beginning I don't want to make recommendations but I will tell you which were some of the places that I enjoyed the most. Palawan has tones of nice beaches like Nacpan or Duli in the north, "close" to El Nido. Half way between El Nido and Puerto Princesa you can find the small villages of Port Barton and San Vincente who have incredible beaches and sceneries. You can stay on the " main land" and go island hopping to numerous smaller island that are very close by and that have beautiful beaches. You can even stay here if you want to have everything very close by http://secretparadiseresort.com . Of course there are the very touristic beaches like Long Beach in Boracay or it's less touristic cosine Puka Beach. If you reach Bohol you can go to Pamilacan island. There are countless other places that you can go to, that have beautiful beaches so if you decide to give the PP another chance and return please tell me were are you planning to go to and I will try to give you some suggestions for that particular area.
Have a great day

Dear matei85,
Thank you so much for your nice reply. One of the most difficult things when one visits a new country is finding the "non-tourist" places. I avoid places that are "touristy" whenever possible , but that is not always possible. My research(so many hours) of PHP beaches/resorts/hotels has only come up with some private islands that are prohibitive to anyone but the richest and certainly not accessible to me or 99% of the PHP population. I know it is "how it is" but the contrast is so sad and distressing. Even if I had the money I would not feel comfortable while so many PHP people go without even food. I will certainly look into your suggestions and thank you for those. My situation is that, like many, I regularly visit my lovely partner and family, that I am happy to support, but I find living in PHP a strain when compared to my blessed life in Australia. Actually I suffer extreme allergic respiratory reactions to the air quality in PHP generally and have had to make many early flights home as a result. Distressing for us both and very very expensive. So I am trying to find somewhere with pure air and ocean water quality that I can spend the rest of my life in happiness with my partner without health problems. I would like to say that I have visited most Asian countries and have never expected to find what I am so lucky to have in Australia but I have been  shocked to see some of the terrible filth on so many beaches that I am certain were once idyllic locations. Very sad and the people continue to "rubbish" their country because of ignorance and lack of Government leadership. Again thanks for your suggestions. All the best. Graham (crookers)

Dear Crookers..
I too am Australian, but love the Philippines and its people.
From your postings, i am assuming you have mainly been on Luzon, and only in the metro or heavily populated areas. If that is correct, then some points you make are correct or close to.  Manila is not a favourite of mine.  But it does not represent the entire country. Get away from Manila and into the provinces and other islands.
Yes, poverty is everywhere. That cannot be denied. There is no need to go to the much promoted tourist areas.  Even the smaller, out of the way provinces have a wealth of beauty to offer.  I will not recommend any particular province, there is no need to, but give the Philippines another chance.  It is full of wonderful areas, with clean air 24 hours a day, and great people. If you really look, i am sure there is an area just right for you and your lady.

Thanks mate for that. I haven't given up ........
Regards,
crookers

Thanks for your reply. I hope one day you discover just what a wonderful place Australia is and maybe you will understand the difficulties in joining loved ones in less fortunate countries.