Philippines Impressions

Alright, this post was supposed to come out WAY earlier. But after I got back from the Philippines, I got very busy with foosball, work, and other things. Here it is. Just some quick thoughts from my trip earlier in the year - many points specific to Boracay.

• Just like we speak Chinglish at home, Filipinos speak Tagalish. In fact, it's very common for Filipinos to mix lots of English into their speech.
  
  
• There's English everywhere. Kind of caught me off guard.
  
  
• 'F's sound like 'P's when pronounced by many Filipinos. As in, "You're a very good priend."
  
  
• There's a whole lot of "Yes sir" and "Yes ma'am" calling, and it takes some getting used to. It's just the service-oriented nature of people, but growing up in North America where you watch a lot of movies about Black history in the US, it sounds like the oppressed Blacks in the Southern states of America from slavery times.
  
  
• Around tourism areas, shop workers are always trying to gain the extra peso, but also always willing to give a discount "just for you". I guess it's nothing new.
  
  
• In Boracay, joining the Allan B. Fun Tour may cost 700 - 750 pesos for some, but the Filipino price should be 600 pesos.
  
  
• In Boracay, it's far easier to ask a hotel to arrange transportation from the Caticlan airport. A little more expensive (325 pesos) but less hassle and saves time. You're on vacation - so act like it.
  
  
• Massages in Boracay would run 300 - 350 pesos for 1 hour. But you better have a watch nearby and confirm the end time with your masseuse first. I doubt most of them go past 40 minutes.
  
  
• There's something romantic about having a massage on a towel right on the beach... but the romance escapes quickly when sand inevitably enters between hand and back for an exfoliating experience. If you have a choice, do it on a beach chair.
  
  
• Boracay has a Bat Cave. And little kids who try to rip you off, overcharging you for a tour and a flashlight. Do it if you really can't find anything better to do with your time.
  
  
• According to a white guy who's lived in the Philippines for 36 years, "macano" (means "how much") is the magic word. So is asking "last price?"
  
  
• You can get some really cheap and good Filipino booze. Emperador is a local brandy which is dirt cheap, and apparently very good. I bought some, but haven't tried it yet. Lambanog is a local coconut vodka, which is supposed to be pretty gnarly... like fire water. I bought some of that, but haven't cracked the seal.
  
  
• Balut, the hard-boiled duck/goose fetus, isn't that bad. Mine didn't have feathers, so I'm sure that made it more palatable. The taste is between a hard-boiled egg and chicken meat - which isn't all that surprising. Worth a go, and not as disgusting as it looks.
  
  
• Henna tattoos are really popular on Boracay. But keep you eye on the artist's work before you let him/her work on you. If your design has a lot of detail, remind the artist to make the lines nice and fine. And avoid the guy in front of La Carmela. He's an impatient one.
  
  
• While accidentally staying in the red-light district at Makati, it was common to see a fat white guy with two little Filipina by his side. Kind of gross.
  
  
• Boracay vendors and masseuses learn how to say "yi1 bai3" and "an4 mo2" to cater to Chinese tourists.
  
  
• Boracay is a beach heaven. You really don't need anything but swimwear and sandals. Fine sand and gorgeous clear water.
  
  
• We had some bogus flight delays to and from Caticlan <-> Manila. Some BS reasons stating "weather conditions". The weather was awesome. Get the plane going.
  
  
• La Carmela had an overwhelming number of staff. Had to hear "good afternoon, sir", "hello, ma'am" until my ears fell off.
  
  
• I got a waterproof camera case, and it was great. Still leaked, but reasonably good.
  
  
• If you're a decent swimmer, go swim out to a sailboat just for fun. I wanted to do this, and got half way before giving up. I feared getting water into my camera case.
  
  
• Nigi Nigi's self-proclaimed "best burgers on the beach" aren't really.