Rules for the Road- Part 1
0, July 13, 2009
Rules for the Road- PART 1
Travelling in the Philippines can be so much fun. The places are varied and offer a lot of different things. You can see the differences of cultures from province to province and perhaps even from town to town. Each province has its own identity which, no matter how similar it is from the one next to it, would still be something worth experiencing.
Travelling all over the country is very much enjoyable because there are so many things that you can experience quickly. However, there are some things that you must know about to maximize your experience or at least avoid some pit falls during the trip. Here below are some tips for travelers, both foreigners and locals who want to travel all around the Philippines.
1) Your Credit is Good but We Need Cash
And when we say cash, I mean in Pesos. The Philippines is a developing nation but this does not mean that your credit card may be used everywhere you go. More frequently, unless you’re purchasing something from a big mall or restaurant, your credit card will be useless.
The cost of items and foodstuff here are very cheap and only a few pesos can get you a lot of things. A small bag of peanuts will cost you about ten pesos only and if you give your card to the vendor, you’ll hear something in the native tongue that you won’t ever find in a Filipino-English dictionary.
Cash speaks here. Credit card will get you nowhere. Not only will you not be able to buy anything with your credit card, you will also be looked at with utter disdain. Bargain hunting is very popular in the Philippines and you cannot use a credit card to do this.
Not to worry though, a lot of the hotels have credit cards especially if it’s a major credit card. In the bigger resorts, they would accept these as well but again some items sold surrounding these resorts may not allow you to do so.
2) Water Water Water
A lot of people, especially foreigners would warn you about the water in the Philippines. Some may have a real reason to believe it is dangerous but I believe some of the stories that you may have heard may potentially be overblown.
Unless you drink right out of the faucet or water pump, there shouldn’t be any problems when you drink water in the Philippines. Most places have bottled water and you can buy them from almost any store there is. There are a lot of brands of bottled water and for reference sake, check out which brands are available in a reputable store like 7-11 or a regular supermarket and stick to that brand as much as possible. You’ll best serve your body this way and you won’t fear of getting sick.
3) Try Out as Many Kinds of Food as You Can
Here’s the deal. There are so many different delicacies that this country has to offer that I don’t even know where to begin. There are different types of viands with different types of sauces and there are also delicious snacks and drinks that they have to offer.
What you should not do is ask what the thing is made of all the time. This could ruin everything as you may already have prejudices against a type of ingredient or food (or animal) that even if you could possibly like the kind of food given to you, your mind wouldn’t like it already. Don’t worry. The food is probably safe and clean so you shouldn’t worry about acquiring some sort of sickness.
What if I have an allergy? You ask. Sure, okay. Just ask if one of the ingredients is the type of food you are allergic to. If it is then avoid it. If it isn’t then you should try and taste it.
You may be surprised at some of the flavors you will taste. Filipinos are all about taste and it varies from Region to Region. For sure, the big restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Jollibee will bring you familiar food like spaghetti, hamburgers and fried chicken but you won’t experience culture this way. The food is part of the culture itself and one must not shy away from it if you’re serious about having an experience. You can always get that burger back home and it would taste just as good. There’s no adventure in it, there’s no fun. You would be doing yourself a favor by indulging in the country’s various delicacies.
4) Bring your Medicine
I’m not trying to scare you and I’m not saying that you will get sick in the trip. However, anyone whose body is unfamiliar with the climate and even the general surroundings of the place could likely feel some ill effects of the unfamiliarity. This could lead to some discomfort or real sickness. This is why one should always bring some basic vitamins and medicine such as paracetamol, antacids and anti-motilities.
You never know when you need them and you could find yourself in a very remote place and in need of such medication. While these may be available in some stores you will pass through, it is always better to have some already at the beginning of the trip because you might need it before you get the chance to buy some of them.
Also, for guys, if you have medicine, you could always offer it to girls who may be in need of them. That’s always a plus.
There are other types of medication that you should bring. I’m not saying that you need to bring along a first aid kit when you travel to the Philippines but you may need some of your personal medication when you go around the country. Insulin shots or anti-asthma medicine will not be too easy to find in the lesser populated towns and these towns are the best places to go to.
I’m pretty sure that if you have some special kind of medical problem that you know about this already but you may now that situation in the context of you can find the medicine right at the next drug store. This may be the case in the cities here in the Philippines but the same does not hold true in the provinces. You know how important your medicine is so make sure you have ample supply for your trip.
5) Never Get Drunk
This should be a rule anywhere you go to an unfamiliar place. Getting drunk is the worst possible scenario for someone who is travelling as even when you have full control of your faculties, one could get confused and get into trouble.
Social drinking is allowed but one should not go overboard with it. You need to know what types of drinks you are taking because even the bravest of the brave could get drunk if one is unfamiliar with the type of alcohol you’re taking. The local lambanog, a vodka-like alcohol, packs a lot of punch. Actually it packs a lot of kick. One could feel like that he was hit by a baseball bat after drinking one shot glass too much. You’ll be fine now but exceed by one and you’ll feel like you need a rope to keep your head from falling into the ground.
When one gets drunk, and anyone who has gotten drunk knows this, you may some things that you won’t normally say and do things you don’t have the guts to do when you’re sane. While this is dangerous anywhere else, this is downright stupid when you’re travelling in the remote places in the Philippines. You never know who you’ll be meeting and you may say something offensive and you will be in a whole lot of trouble.
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