My son is traveling to the Philippines, any advice for him or words from the wise ???

Question

He will spend a week around Maasin. We have been told of corrupt police, thieves, and unhealthy drinking water...

Any of you have anything to add, that might prove helpful from your own experiences there ??

Answer 1

Hey, don't worry too much. Before I left our doctor told my mother he'd never let his son go to the Philippines. But I spent six months there and didn't have too many problems.

I assume your son's had all his shots: Hep A/Hep B, Typhoid, Tetanus, possibly Rabies if he'll be in rural areas?

Of course you oughtn't drink the water, but that goes for any third world country, so he drinks bottled water or brings a water purifier, purifier tablets, or purifier water bottle.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47792668&parent_category_rn=4500462
I didn't even think about it but I drank all sorts of ice cubes and mango shakes made from local ice and water and never got too sick. I had occasional bouts of diarrhea, which a couple of Imodium AD tablets cured in one dose. More likely a bottle of Purell would've prevented that than the water I was drinking.

I also walked around and rode taxis in Cebu City every day, sometimes alone, tall, blond, and white, with no problems. Kept my money in my wallet in my zippered back pocket and never had any problems with pick pockets. If you're worried about thieves then wear a money belt. I felt it was too uncomfortable. Never ran into any cops, scam artists, nor terrorists. It's really nice if you have a tour guide though, who speaks the language, but I got by OK alone.

Most important thing to realize is that the Philippines are hot. Hot, hot, hot! I can't stress this enough. You cannot understand it if you haven't experienced it for yourself. It's like a sauna all the time, 24/7! Thick air, hard to breathe, sweating constantly. Normally you get out of the sauna and take a cool shower, but imagine if you had to go right back into the sauna afterwards. There's no escaping it.

Despite what you may have heard there is no place for cotton in the Philippines. Your only hope is that your clothing will wick the sweat as fast as possible and stay as dry as possible. The solution is to wear all synthetic clothing, all the time. Nylon, polyester, CoolMax, rayon, &c. Your pants, shorts, shirt, hat, and even underwear must all be synthetic. Instead of bath towels I brought rayon sarongs.
http://www.rainbowhawaii.com/mulusesar.html

Sunscreen and hats are a must.

Of course you'll try not to bring anything flashy: jewelry, shoes, or expensive electronics. I rarely left my camera in my hotel room and I think next time I might get something like this steel mesh pack safe, just to feel confident leaving my gear behind in the room. http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47793866&parent_category_rn=4501756&vcat=REI_SEARCH

I managed to live for six months on what I could fit in a carry on travel backpack.

Most people there wear flip flops around the neighborhood, and take them off before entering anyone's home, but I only wore Teva Sandals, so I felt bad wearing them inside people's homes, but did anyway.

There's also the issue of gifts and beggars. If you're going to visit someone, they'll be expecting gifts from the rich Americans, but they won't die if you don't bring anything. If you do take people out to eat or throw a party you'll be expected the pay for the entire group. On the streets you can safely ignore the beggars, but good luck ignoring the little children that come out at night to sell little flower necklaces near the BBQ place.

Answer 2

Like most people have stated, the country is fairly safe. Many police are corrupt not in an evil way, but more in the sense that you can "take care" of a ticket at the time you are pulled over. If he gets into trouble, he can go to the police and file a report just like in the states.

Water is not really potable (but not as bad as Mexico). You do get used to it in small doses (i.e., I do not drink the water but I do use the ice which is made from the same water, I brush my teeth in it, etc). Do not buy water from a street vendor--these can often be fake. There are water stations everywhere where he can buy bottled water very inexpensively.

When he goes shopping, he can bargain WAY. WAY, WAY below the starting price. Assuming he appears foreign, he is already being quoted a higher price so he can usually get to about half or below half the starting price(or at least in my experience).

Food stands (bbq, fish balls, etc) are always warned against in travel books. I eat from them all the time and never get sick. Good food.....I would suggest if he sees something that looks good, go for it and eat it. It will not kill him nor get him sick.

Answer 3

Drink only bottled water. Yes, the police are corrupt but they generally don't bother Americans much. The density of thieves is much less than any US city. The people are very friendly and curious towards foreigners. Don't venture too far into the mountainous areas. There aren't many public restrooms available and those that are, are generally pretty rank. Wash your hands often and use anti-bacterial soap. Showers are all cold water only. Again, anti-bacterial soap is recommended. It's always hot and crowded wherever you go. Be patient with the lack of conveniences we take for granted in America. Don't be afraid to talk to people. They mostly all understand english even though they don't speak it very well. Relax and have a good time. Ok, now I'm done.

Answer 4

All good advice apart from that clown trying to sell his security escort service.

I've been to The Philippines lots of times on both business and pleasure. I've never had a problem. Just tell your son to use his street smarts and don't get drunk when he's on his own. If somewhere looks unsafe, then it probably is. Gut instinct is a great thing and usually right.

Drink bottled water but ice cubes are ok. Street vendor food is usally ok too. Like anywhere else, if there are lots of people eating it then it's ok. I'd recommend that he tries to eat a little bit of the food over the first few days to aclimatise his stomach to it. Bring some imodium tablets, he'll need them if it's his first time in Asia. After a couple of weeks he'll build up an immunity to the food and he can go and eat anything.

Most of all.....tell him to keep his sense of humour and try to have a good time. The people are great and really friendly.

Answer 5

Maasin town in Leyte Island is quite a small town. Health services in the town might be limited. He should get vaccinated as advised by one person here. He should drink only bottled water. Avoid drinks with ice. Most of these ice are not filtered.

He should be well aware that Leyte Island is within the typhoon belt zone. It basically the entry point of typhoons in the Philippines. Rainy season starts around June to November.

Corrupt Police? As long as he stays away from trouble he would not encounter these corrupt Police. In small towns Police are more accommodating and friendly.

Filipinos think of foreigners as "rich" people. Avoid wearing expensive watches, jewelries or clothes. Be as simple as he can be. A clean shirt or with collar, jeans, and shoes is acceptable in almost all occassions. Most people wear casual clothing (cotton).

He should also be aware of Filipino customs and ways to avoid getting in trouble. Visit my personal travel website at http://www.cdoguide.com and check Culture & Laws. Also check this website for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Culture

If he has questions about the Philippines, he can log in at http://www.thorntree.lonelyplanet.com

Answer 6

I had a conversation with my wife about the right advice to give you. Just for background, I am an American married to a Filipina and we regularly visit the Philippines.
I was once at a point where I was going to the Philippines for the first time to meet the lady who is now my wife. I did a lot of research about every aspect and angle of the trip in preparation for a successful trip and successful first physical meeting with my online girlfriend at that time (who is now my wife).

In an effort to give you more specific advice we would like to know if your son is going with anyone on his trip or if he is meeting someone there. Once we know the answer to that question we can fine tune our advice even better for you.

For instance if your son is meeting a Filipina that he is having an online relationship with or if he is meeting up with a guide of sorts, our advice is going to be quite different than if he is traveling alone and not meeting anyone. If he is going to the Philippines with a friend everything becomes even easier. If he has guide who speaks the language he will also be more confident.

As far as eating, the advice is really not complicated. He should eat at the better restaurants, which will still be dirt cheap for an American. Also he can eat at any of the fast food chains without any worry at all and there are many fast food chains in the cities and downtown in a smaller town.
Drinking water has been covered sufficiently in the other answers here. Sometimes a salad can be washed with the wrong water also causing diarrhea and or fever. Eating a salad in the better restaurants is safe. Your son should not drink the tap water by mistake. Only drink bottled water.
I have found the policemen to be polite, respectful and helpful to Americans. He won’t need a policeman’s help if he is careful.
The things to watch about thieves is the same in any big city and when traveling just about anywhere really. One needs to be educated on being street smart. In a hotel he should use safe deposits. He can ask the hotel desk where there is a safe and secure locker.
If he is keeping company with anyone he doesn’t know well, he should hide his money and not make it known where it is and to carry small amounts of money.
When he is in crowds or when he is in crowded city streets, he should not bring too much money and he should beware of getting too close in proximity to any strangers. He should not let anyone bunk into him and pick his pocket by creating diversions. Tight or secure zipper pockets are a good idea.
If he doesn’t know anyone there he should be careful and ask locals how much to pay for a cab.
The possibility for terrorism is higher here in America now than most cities, regions or towns in the Philippines.
If he is meeting a Filipina that he really does not know well (knowing someone online does not constitute knowing them well) he should be careful by not letting her know exactly how much money he has or where it is. If he will be in a hotel room with a Filipina he does not know well, he needs to bring his money, cell phone and valuables into the bathroom with him rather than leave it in the room with her while he is in the shower. This is not a negative statement against Filipinas because the same would be true anywhere in the world with anyone who he does not know well. This is just part of being careful until you know someone well enough to trust them.
I said something here that is so important that I am going to repeat it: knowing someone online does not mean that you know them well enough to trust them fully yet in the real world. Please be careful! AND, he should always be aware of his surroundings.
As always when traveling, use common sense and be street smart! If he is going to someplace with a totally new acquaintance he should be careful not to be cornered or surrounded by crooks. This is again true in any new place and especially in another country where one does not speak that language. Even though most Filipinos speak pretty good English, he does not speak the native Tagalog, Bicol or Visayan dialects.
If you want more specific advice, we are at your service; you are welcome to write to us or have him write to us.

Temogen
http://www.filipinoadvice.com

Answer 7

OK... Buy bottled water. Hang on to your wallet and cell phone, and don't flash them or too much money around. Most people here wear their shirt outside of the pants - the cell phone is fine under the shirt.

Learn one phrase... If he is surrounded by 20 people all trying to sell him the same thing, he should say "Ayo ko" which means I dont want any and probably half of the people will drift away.

He should find a friend to do shopping for him at the market. Reason is that "All foreigners are rich". My wife has me hide in the car so the price doesn't double.

That's basically it. Stay away from drugs and politics. I don't go to Mindanao or eastern Luzon... one is full of moslems, the other has communists. Otherwise, let him enjoy.

Answer 8

The stories are waaaay exagerated. The Philippines is much safer than the USA, with the exception of some remote areas.

I even tried to give a policeman a small bribe 2 weeks ago, and he said "sir, keep your money - just slow down please." in a way much much politer than any American cop ever talked to me.

The Philippines is a great place - with all of the small problems they have! I'm from New York, but live in Manila and want to stay here as long as they will let me stay!

Answer 9

Stories of corrupt cops are overly exaggerated. Policemen in the Philippines have also their good guys and are trying their best. I do know a lot of upstanding, brave and honest policemen in the country. Thieves are where there's a lot of crowds like in Manila or in downtown areas of major cities just like they are in New York or in any other bad parts of any major city in the world. In rural areas, he'll be safe from them. Just tell him to use his common sense. Nowadays, people in the Philippines usually drink bottled water just to be safe.
Tell him to act in a decent way and he'll get respect if he shows respect to others.

Answer 10

If your origanly from the USA and going to the Filipines, i suggest finding a way to get your own water. If your used to your own countrys water then switch to another, you can get sick.

Lots of mosquito repelent.

Dont really need warm clothing, its already pretty warm there.

Dont travel alone. Kinda scary and pretty risky