1. Beautiful beaches, mountains, resorts, landscapes, seascapes
Whether you love the cool breeze of the sea or the serenity of being up in the mountains, there is no shortage of places to go to in the Philippines. Depending on how much time you have, you can travel up north to the burial caves of Sagada or south to the sparkling beaches of the Bicol regions, Boracay or Puerto Galera.
2. The crazy shopping
Shopping malls are a dime a dozen, and there seems to be another sprouting every month. Just when you thought you can’t have enough of shopping, there comes another mall with yet another variety of goods and wares on sale! From bargain hunts in Divisoria to the latest in designer fashion in Boni High Street, at least half a day should be
dedicated to shopping for family and friends, and of course for yourself, too. And that’s just in the metropolis alone. Each region has its own unique product, many of which are being exported worldwide. It is not uncommon for tourists to ship home furniture, wooden carvings, paintings, house decors, from their short trip or vacation. The best thing is that most products will be available in the malls (though of varying prices, depending on where you are), and there is a wide range of products, from the very affordable to the pricey.
3. Affordable prices
Speaking of shopping, visitors are able to bring home a lot because of the relatively cheaper cost of products, food and services here. Just take a look at the Big Mac Index published by the Economist, July 2008.
Not just Big Mac, but many other (almost all) products are relatively cheaper in the Philippines than in other countries. For example, a Krispy Kreme in London will be about £1.15, while it is just Php 30 (£0.38) in the Philippines.
4. Great food
Yes, Krispy Kreme, McDonalds and Starbucks can be found in every corner here in the Philippines; alongside with many other international cuisine. I’m not sure if the tourists inspired the variety of food selection or the varied food selection attracted the tourists, but who cares? The important thing is that they’re all here! Many buffet restaurants and hotels will offer a good assortment of Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, American dishes at the least, for around USD 12-24. Eat-all-you-can not for you? Not to worry, there are a lot of specialty stores from fast food (around USD 3-5 per meal) to fine dining within your reach, and they deliver, too.
Of course, we also have our own selection of exotic food. Fear Factor contestants have tried eating the “balut” (USD 0.25), and Bizarre Foods of Discovery Channel Andrew Zimmern ate “uok” and “isaw” when he visited. Like he said “one man’s weird is another man’s wonderful”.5. Everybody speaks English
Very helpful when trying to haggle for prices, or when asking about what that hairy thing in “balut” is right? (By the way, it’s the chick).
But seriously, most Pinoys can speak the language very well. And if some of us can’t, we certainly try. In fact, in many provinces, English is the second language next to their native tongues, and Tagalog (as a dialect, which is almost like the national language, Filipino) is only a poor third. This is because English is taught as early as the pre-school years while Filipino is taught in the primary level. Though there are more than 150 dialects in the Philippines, it is not hard to find a guide who can switch from Ibaloi to English to Tagalog.
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