Best Part Of The Philippines To Visit.....Advice Needed

[Davis Knowlton]

This part of Luzon provides much of the produce for central Luzon/Manila, especially pork, chicken, vegetables and fruit. In addition to my business in Manila, I have a small farm here. The produce is excellent. Filipinos just screw up the cooking. My wife is a university trained chef, so no worries. Which is good, as there are no restaurants here other than fast food.

[cyrille]

My wife is a university trained chef, so no worries.

Handy.

[Davis Knowlton]

^Indeed.

[cyrille]

there are no restaurants here other than fast food.

They really do seem to love the stuff.

It's a shame - I've been to the islands twice, and by no means consider myself an authority, but my verdict is lovely people, nice place, and ...spam and rice.

[Bettyboo]

I live in Batangas. Actually a bit north of Batangas City. It's a quiet little place, close to good shopping in Alabang (50 minutes north) to Manila (about 90 minutes north). Within an hour or so of some decent beaches. If I leave my house at 10AM, I'm in Batangas Port and on the ferry by 11, and in Puerto Galera by noon. Good schools for the kids. Clean, good air, not much traffic....you could do worse.

Yes, that does sound very nice, Davis. I'd like to find a similar setup in Thailand if possible... Bangkok isn't it, but neither is Manilla...

Go on Gary, do a photo trip...

[Davis Knowlton]

^I lived in Manila due to work for six or seven years. Filthy, horrible traffic, choking pollution - I got out as soon as I retired and spent another few years there to get my new business up and running. I've been down here for over eleven years now; rented for six, then spent a year building my place, which I've now been in for over five years. Each year, my trips to Manila become less frequent, and shorter. I often have a hard time believing I actually lived in that cesspool for so long.

[Bettyboo]

^it's easy to be stuck in the city (I've had over 10 years in BKK, and never liked the place...), jobs, internet, western food, etc - but I reckon you made a great choice to set up your own business and have things on your own terms. I hope to follow your suit sometime in the future.

Your location sounds ideal. Nice lifestyle. Occasional black whisper ops...

[Davis Knowlton]

Sloth and lethargy probably would have kept me in Manila, had it not been for the twins. I moved when they were ready for pre-school - that was what drove me to the country, and a wise move it turned out to be. I just couldn't see them sucking in that brown air, sitting in a school service for two hours a day to go six blocks, etc, etc. Wife never pushes me to do anything, but I could hear her sigh of relief across town.

[Scottish Gary]

Should have mentioned, Gary, with the new highway, Subic is only 45 minutes or so from Angeles. You can drink, whore and stay in Angeles, and easily do day trips to Subic, Barrio Baretta, etc for beach, sun and a daytime change of pace before returning to Angeles as the neon lights come on. If you picked a winner the night before, take her with you. They love a day trip out of Angeles. In fact, you'll find most of them, wherever they're from, have never been out of Angeles since they started working there.

Sounds like a good option Davis, thanks

[Davis Knowlton]

Should have mentioned, Gary, with the new highway, Subic is only 45 minutes or so from Angeles. You can drink, whore and stay in Angeles, and easily do day trips to Subic, Barrio Baretta, etc for beach, sun and a daytime change of pace before returning to Angeles as the neon lights come on. If you picked a winner the night before, take her with you. They love a day trip out of Angeles. In fact, you'll find most of them, wherever they're from, have never been out of Angeles since they started working there.

Sounds like a good option Davis, thanks

Just took another look at the Angeles-Subic Highway. It's 50 miles, so probably a bit more than an hour, vice the 45 minutes I recalled.

[Attilla the Hen]

Palawan. Stunningly beautiful, great people and the only place I felt safe wandering around after midnight on my lonesome.

[nidhogg]

This part of Luzon provides much of the produce for central Luzon/Manila, especially pork, chicken, vegetables and fruit. In addition to my business in Manila, I have a small farm here. The produce is excellent. Filipinos just screw up the cooking. My wife is a university trained chef, so no worries. Which is good, as there are no restaurants here other than fast food.

Philippinos can be great cooks, but Philippino cuisine is a mystery to me. All those great influences, chinese, malay, spanish and most of the food simply tastes awful. can't even really put it down to the american influence.

Had great trips to philippines, mostly down at PG where the diving is awesome, PG has a reasonable night life (kinda touchingly naive for the most part) - reasonable accomadation and a fairly laid back feel.

[Bettyboo]

Philippinos can be great cooks

I'm sure this is true for any nation. I've had the worst ever green curry chicken, here in Oman, cooked by a Flippo. I asked them to make it as spicy as a Thai would eat it, just standard as you'd get in Thailand, did they know what that meant? Yes, he said... It came as a chicken steak with a light 'green curry' sauce...

mostly down at PG where the diving is awesome

Is it difficult diving or simple stuff? I'd kinda like to do some easy 15-20m reef type dives, maybe a 15 minute boat trip out (or even a walk from the shore in a little bay...).

[nidhogg]

mostly down at PG where the diving is awesome

Is it difficult diving or simple stuff? I'd kinda like to do some easy 15-20m reef type dives, maybe a 15 minute boat trip out (or even a walk from the shore in a little bay...).

Mostly easy. Great, really great muck diving. Can dive from the shore (used to do night dives from the shore), but most 10-15 minutes by boat (you can do longer day runs to other nearby places where it can be challenging).

Highly recommended dive trip - and take your (underwater) camera.

[Bettyboo]

^ sounds ideal, thanks.

[nidhogg]

^ Don't forget to wave to DK as you go past!

[Bettyboo]

^I won't be waving, I'm gonna sneak into his compound and leave a union jack on his breakfast table! Just to prove that the impossible is possible...

I'll be in Oman until July. I hope to be getting fitter and do a few dives here in preparation. Supposed to be some nice and easy diving from Muscat; I just wanna do some very easy refresher diving.

[wackyjacky]

Palawan. Stunningly beautiful, great people and the only place I felt safe wandering around after midnight on my lonesome.

Yup. Positives - mountains, waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, underground river, diving, kayaking, islands with the beach on the inside etc. Negatives - you will NOT get laid.

[Itchy]

I have very happy memories of the departure lounge at Manila Airport.

[harrybarracuda]

Angeles is great for 24/7 nightlife and casinos/poker.

But if you want beaches and nightlife, then Subic Bay might be a better bet. You can do a sort of two-centre holiday although Subic has a small collection of girlie bars as well. Subic is about 90 minutes from Angeles on the motorway.

For culture, well if you're a Catholic you can go to church, what else is there?

Or you can fly over the remains of Pinatubo, go to the Dolphin Park in the bay, or go and see a load of bored tigers in the tiger park.

What does make it different is the fact that every single girl speaks very good English, but stay away from discussing religion!

[MissTraveller]

but stay away from discussing religion!

Why's that?

Had great trips to philippines, mostly down at PG where the diving is awesome, PG has a reasonable night life (kinda touchingly naive for the most part) - reasonable accomadation and a fairly laid back feel.

What is pg? do you have any recommendations on dive centers/places that you went to?

I hope to visit next year or the year after.

[MissTraveller]

I'll be in Oman until July. I hope to be getting fitter and do a few dives here in preparation. Supposed to be some nice and easy diving from Muscat; I just wanna do some very easy refresher diving

I read that there are some decent dives in Oman. Have you been?

[Scottish Gary]

Should have mentioned, Gary, with the new highway, Subic is only 45 minutes or so from Angeles. You can drink, whore and stay in Angeles, and easily do day trips to Subic, Barrio Baretta, etc for beach, sun and a daytime change of pace before returning to Angeles as the neon lights come on. If you picked a winner the night before, take her with you. They love a day trip out of Angeles. In fact, you'll find most of them, wherever they're from, have never been out of Angeles since they started working there.

Sounds like a good option Davis, thanks

Just took another look at the Angeles-Subic Highway. It's 50 miles, so probably a bit more than an hour, vice the 45 minutes I recalled.

Is the public transport suitable or is it a taxi job?

[beerlaodrinker]

Theres a couple of bus services run from angeles (bar area) to subic and back daily, the swagman bus is one of them, large bus and beer available on board, you can reserve a seat from any hotel in angeles usually they will pick you up from the hotel that sold you the ticket , its called Fly the bus, Google swagman hotels philippines and you will find there schedule, they also do manila angeles /return bus runs daily as well . couple of hundred pesos from memory

[Davis Knowlton]

^I've used Swagman any number of times between Manila-Angeles. Cold beer, on time, good drivers.