Going to the Philppines? Here are some tips

There are some things we compiled while travelling...some tips if you are going to the Philippines especially if you are Filipino American like us. Or in Michael's case, a white guy. No matter what, they can spot an American, asian or not.

1. Dress for the weather. It is really hot and humid. Maybe even bring a hanky or small towel if you sweat a lot. You will see a lot of people wearing towels around their necks.

2. Tsinelas (flip flops, slippers, etc) are acceptable pretty much anywhere. Construction workers, road crews, etc. wear them on duty too. Oh, and perfect for playing basketball, and even riding horses up a mountain.

3. Be prepared to take cold showers. Hot water is a commodity. Good point though, supposedly cold water is good for your hair.

4. Bring immodium and other things to help your tummy. Remember, their food is different even if you eat filipino food often here in the states. Their health regulations are different too. Joyce thinks "do they have any actual regs?"

5. Only drink bottled water. Sometimes you can get nicer restaurants to serve purified water from their "fountain" but you have to be very careful. It is advised even if you are brushing your teeth. Also, make sure the ice is purified or from a legitimate vendor. It can get tricky.

6. Wear a money belt, sling bag that is not easy to get into or a neck pouch to keep your passport and money on you when going out.

7. when you get your money exchanged try to get small bills like 20's and 50's. Cashiers like smaller bills and exact change.

8. If you take a taxi, make sure he will use the meter before riding with him. Sometimes they will have a flat fee to rip you off especially if you are a tourist. You could be paying 500 pesos for a ride that is really 120 pesos. Be careful. Locals are even skeptical of taxis in the Philppines especially in Manila.

9. With any public transportation know how much they are going to charge you before you hop in. (Tricycle, jeepney, taxi, etc.) Hire a driver during your stay if you can. It is so much more convenient and a lot safer.

10. Most restaurants already charge a 10% service charge to your total bill.

11. Bring toilet paper/tissues and hand sanitizer into any public restroom. You cannot guarantee that there is any supplies in there for you to use. Sometimes there is a toilet paper roll outside of the bathroom for everyone to share.

12. Restrooms are called Comfort Rooms or CR's. "Where is the CR?"

13. Mangoes are delicious, but they can cause severe tummy aches if you eat too many.

14. Prepare yourself for a mysterious smell that lingers from sewage

15. A small child asking for money, a little old lady guiding her blind husband while holding a cup asking for money... beware. it's a scam. and lock your doors. that's when they come out of the woodworks - at red lights!

16. The way they drive in traffic is completely normal and honking the horn and flashing your high beams at people is a source of communication, not road rage.

Where did we go for 4 days?

After checking out of A.Venue Suites in Makati we kicked it Filipino style for a little while. First, we took a day trip to Tagaytay and visited Lake Taal. There is a volcano there called Mt. Taal. On the drive there we took winding roads up and down the mountains. It was like Blue Ridge Parkway plus tricycle cabs, sharp turns and some areas sans guardrails. We even stopped at one point to drink coconut milk straight from coconut that a man on the side of the road was cracking open with a machete. Buko juice+spoon made from coconut shell+coconut+awesome view= PHp10. Niiice. There was definitely a lot of mmm's going on there. It was so freakin neat. we took lots of pictures.

When we got to the lake we took a boat to the mountain where we docked into what seemed like another world. There was black sand, a lot of small shacks, children running around barefoot or with flip flops on and a small boy bathing a cow in the water.

When we walked through the small "village" we were greeted by a group of people that inhabited the island. Behind them followed 5 small horses. This is where I had a slight panic. I hid it well because the rest of group seemed excited and I didn't want to be *that* person. The lady that guided me to my horse showed me a plastic chair that I was to climb up on and mount the small horse. I really thought to myself, this is really not going to happen. I had to keep paying attention to Joyce, Paul, Mario and Michael to reassure that I was going to be ok. I needed a guide because along with my fear came lack of balance on the horse and if we were going to ride up this steep trail then I was going to pay the extra PhP500 to get up to the top and down to the bottom in one piece. My thought during this whole climb--Big girl+donkey like horsey+guide in flip flops panting= NO GOOD.

So, skipping along to top of the mountain. I looked to the sky before looking at the beauty before me and said a small prayer of gratitude and patted my guide on the shoulder saying, "florence, thank you for helping me and thank you for the prayers." She like praying too to make me feel better when we got to the part of the mountain where I had to lean forward on the horse. The top of the volcano was gorgeous. The crater was full of a beautiful blue green water. I I was pretty excited about that part but knew I had to get back down the mountain as well. So, mind over matter I tried smiling in all of the pictures and prayed the ride back was going to be just fine.

The rest of the crew did just fine. They thought it would be funny to take pictures of me while I held up the back on the way up and down the mountain. At some points, Michael was even taking pictures without holding onto the caballo without a problem. Indiana Jones, he called himself. Paul also gave us a little comic relief too when he passed me and it looked like a scene from Brokeback Mountain. His guide mounted the horse with him. I will let Joyce tell you the rest of the story. She has pictures. All in all it was a great day and one of those, once in a lifetime experiences.

The day was wrapped up with dinner at Leslie's Restaurant- an open air venue overlooking the lake.