In my experience, from all the Asians I have met, Filipinos are the most kind and friendly people, extremely welcoming and curious, but also respectful. They always seem happy and smiling, and they love to sing and to dance whenever there is an occasion to celebrate.
I don't feel like a walking wallet in the Philippines and getting in touch with locals and becoming friends with them is much easier over there than in other countries.
If I look in my Facebook, I think by now I have more friends from Philippines than from my own country. I'm still in touch with many Filipinos I met during my trips, many of them I met again or even traveled together. They turned out as faithful, kind and caring friends. To sum it up, I love them!
Philippines islands and beaches are ... Heaven. Paradise. Amazing. No kidding. I hardly found better beaches in the world than there.
The queen of all the beaches is probably White Beach in
Boracay, constantly rated as one of the Top 10 beaches of the world. I wouldn't say it's the best one, but certainly the most famous one.
If you are into white sandy beaches and turquoise crystal-clear waters, you're in the right country. Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands. It's not hard to find your dream beach or a pristine island over there and having it all for yourself...
Here some more images, click to enlarge!
When I noticed all the giant shopping malls in Manila, I had a feeling that Filipinos must be crazy about shopping. Later I figured out that shopping is also a way of family gathering for them. Or as one of my Filipina friends says: "They come for the air conditioning."
Anyway, shopping in the Philippines can be quite a worthwhile experience. The country is known by many as a great handicraft center. Manila has fantastic shopping opportunities. There are a lot of places to go and it all depends on what you intend to buy, and how much is your budget.
SM City North EDSA, located in Quezon City is the biggest mall in South East Asia, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world.
Boutiques, supermarkets, fashion outlets, restaurants of all kinds, coffee shops, movie theaters and 3D cinemas, Internet cafes, Spas, you will find everything there to entertain yourself for a whole day.
If you look for something like a flea market, check out Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, loads of stalls with DVDs, antiques, jewelry and pearls and of course cheap fake branded clothes.
Philippines is home of a diverse range of birds, plants, animals and sea creatures. There are nearly 200 mammal species in the Philippines. The Philippine Tarsier is one of the smallest (and cutest!) species of monkeys in the world.
You will find more than 600 species of birds, over 300 species of reptiles and amphibians and at least 400 coral species. From the giant whale shark to the world's smallest fish (Pandaca pygmea), everything you can dream of is united in the beautiful islands of the Philippines.
You can climb one of the 37 volcanoes, for example the Mount Pinatubo, or see the world's smallest volcano of Taal. You can discover caves, lakes and waterfalls. If you love nature, you will love the Philippines.
Luckily, the weather in the Philippines does not reach a point of extreme hot or extreme cold temperatures, so you can easily adapt to the tropical weather. The best time to go is between November and May.
They also have a monsoon season over there and loads of rain between June and October. But honestly, I don't care, it wouldn't stop me from going there if I would have a chance. Nothing is more magical than swimming in the sea on a rainy day, the sun shines through the clouds and the water is 30°C...
Anyway, the weather is pretty much unpredictable since global warming.
Well, I know, Filipino cuisine is not that famous around the globe, and I have to admit, I've never seen a Filipino restaurant outside of the country. BUT that doesn't mean the food tastes bad, not at all!
Filipinos love their food and there are a lot of things worth trying! It probably describes it best to say, Filipino food is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and American cuisine. Check this out:
- Calamansi juice, made of a citrus fruit.
- Philippines has too many bananas, they invented a new type of ketchup: the Banana ketchup.
- Halo-Halo, a delicious dessert made of milk, kidney beans, fruits and ice cream. Too much for one, so please share (with someone nice)!
- Be brave and try Balut, a boiled egg with an underdeveloped duck (embryo) inside!
- Pancit, noodles with veggies and meat.
- Sinigang, a tamarind based sour soup.
- Barbecue sticks of chicken/pork intestines.
- Adobo, a dish with chicken, beef or pork cooked with vinegar and soy sauce.
All the fruits in Philippines are simply mouth-watering, you can have them everywhere fresh and cheap: pineapples, coconuts, mangoes, durians (smells like hell, but tastes like heaven), papayas and so much more...
If you love fresh seafood, from lobster to crabs, tiger prawns, octopus, you will find it all for very low prices. And if that all doesn't appeal to you, don't worry, you'll find almost any kind of food, from Thai-Food to Sushi, Indian Food, Pizza and Pasta, Burger, German Bakeries, you will find those places in Manila, Cebu and of course, in Boracay :)
One of the greatest things to do in Philippines is pampering your body with a good massage. Massage places and spas are all over the country, from luxury spas to massage ladies on the beach, you will find them almost everywhere. I can highly recommend trying a Swedish massage, it's a full body massage with oil.
You can get a massage for 350 Pesos/hour at most of the places (around 8 US Dollar).
