Tero Pikala

I came back to London 4 weeks ago and now it’s good time to review my time in Philippines.

First things first: I really liked Philippines and most Filippino people I had pleasure to meet. Most of the time I compared everything to Thailand where I’ve been many times - too many some could say.

In many ways Philippines is easier than Thailand in my opinion. Almost everyone can speak decent or good english thanks to history. Everything is written in “normal” letters - but to be honest I think Thai script is more beautiful.

Most important thing for me was honesty and fairness of Filippinos. It was just quite typical to be quoted “anything you like” for motorbike rides and one hotel manager changed room price from PHP1500 to 1300 for almost no reason. I did encourer some ridiculous prices but way less than in Thailand.

Other big difference was Filippinos attitude towards their country. It seemed that they don’t really like their own country too much and would rather move out. I can understand that Philippines is poor and opportunities are limited but compared to Thais they are from different planet.

Filippino food is challenging. I had some excellent meals but also some not so special experiences. Beefsteak Tagalog was good as was Adobo. Seafood was excellent. I didn’t try eating dog - I promise to do that next time though. (I’m dog lover but I see no difference eating pork and dog reared for meat)

I know I’ll be going back to Philippines. There are so many places to explore. So many dives to dive. Boracay is high on my list as is Palawan. And I will go back to Puerto Galera as well.

Tags: Travel //