While originally debating whether I was going to be able to afford a Spring trip or not, I ended up getting a fantastic deal on a plane ticket on United via Orbitz.com, flying from Texas to Manila for only $636 with all taxes/fees/surcharges included. This was easily several hundred dollars cheaper than ANY ticket to Asia I’ve had, since it usually costs me several hundred bucks just to make it to the West Coast for the trans-pac flight. Of course I still had to take a 10+ hour busride from my home in Mexico to Texas, so, like always, it was a pretty long, grueling journey for me.

The United flights were just fine, and I had really been expecting the WORST, having heard horror stories about grumpy old hags working U.S. domestic carriers for Trans-Pac flights. Plus, I was also SURE I wouldn’t be served free booze on the plane, like on U.S. domestic flights. But while the flight crew was indeed a good 20+ years older than the ones I was used to on China Air, the service was decent and the booze WAS free, so I was happy with choosing United when the fare was so cheap.

Laying over in Narita with no status wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, however. The ONLY thing that saved me from being inSANEly bored for nearly 3 hours there was finding the free yahoo internet place in Terminal 2. That killed the time better, but in Taipei with China Air lounge access, I can shower, eat, booze it up AND have plenty of internet time to catch up after seemingly traveling for DAYS. There are shower facilities at Narita, but I have no idea what the cost was. As I’m dyed in the wool CHEAP I surely wasn’t going to pay it anyway. My hotel room in Angeles City would be waiting when I got there, and there was no one to impress between Tokyo and AC.

I flew JAL from Tokyo to NAIA, and was bummed to find out that I couldn’t book the miles for that trip on United. I knew they weren’t partners, but figured it must have at least been a United code share, since I booked the itinerary jointly, but I guess I still have a lot to understand about the way Orbitz and Travelocity work… So I added 3500 miles to a piddling AAdvantage acct. instead of putting me within 500 miles of a free inter-Asia trip on Star Alliance. Oh, THAT made me HAPPY! But I bet the free magazine subscriptions I can get with those AA miles will be endlessly entertaining...

Of course getting my one checked bag took 35 minutes after clearing immigration (never a hassle on all my trips to the PI. That’s one thing they get RIGHT at an airport so many of us love to bitch and complain about) due to 160 kajillion balikbayan boxes loaded up with crap the Filipino travelers were planning to give as presents to the pamily relatibs.

One of THE most fucked up changes in the last few years since I have been going to AC is how the cost of a private car service from NAIA to your AC hotel has nearly DOUBLED, from ~ p1500 for a car in April 2004 to nearly 3,000 pesos now. With the exchange rate at the worst I have ever personally encountered of ~ 50.6-1 USD this trip, 2700 pesos (who in the HELL would tip when the price has been jacked up that high?) meant the ~80 KM ride was going to cost me more than FIFTY USD. Assuming I chose that option, of course.

But instead of just conveniently heading downstairs and hopping into a waiting air-conditioned car, I decided to save myself 50 bucks and take a public bus.

Thanks to guidance provided by a guy named Kabayo on the AC2 message board, I had done this on a couple of occasions previously, and besides being in a hurry and taking the last available seat on a NON-AIR-CON bus on a previous trip, it had been completely hassle free. Of course it helps to be traveling semi-light, as there ain’t no way I’m storing my stuff in the cargo containers under the bus!

Of course these buses don’t depart directly from the airport. No, no, that would REALLY piss off the taxi drivers and private car service guys! So, I had to find a taxi to take me to the bus station. Oh, how I love airport taxi services!

Using the time-honored way to TRY and beat the airport taxi mafia system that seems to exist in every foreign airport I have been to (except Singapore, to their IMMENSE credit), I exchanged some money (took a .2-.3 point hit by changing at the airport. All in all, no big deal, just don’t exchange a huge wad there) and then tried to head upstairs to the departure area to grab a taxi dropping someone off.

I had a security guard blocking an escalator who wasn’t too thrilled to allow me up there, but repeating the same story a couple of times (as rapidly as possible, of course! They speak English in the Phils, but they ain’t candidates for a debate team!) about needing to see a ticketing agent for an upcoming flight on an e-ticket got him to allow me to pass while promising that I would indeed be coming back down to that level when I was done… While this CAN be done at NAIA, it’s been a small hassle the several times I have tried this.

Oh, and of course, once I GOT upstairs, since it was nearly 11 PM at the time, there were hardly ANY taxis dropping anyone off at that time of night. I got lucky (I thought) and some guy passed up a small line of Filipinos trying to get his attention to come directly to ME, and when the guy immediately agreed to use his meter, I thought I was all set. Of course he was a lying piece of shit like most 3rd world taxi drivers I’ve encountered, and we had a VERY annoying conversation about ‘how much u pay’? until I finally cut a deal (100 pesos. Using the meter it would have been 60 or so. Using the taxi mafia at the arrival level may have been up to 300) and got out about ¾ of the way to my preferred destination (the Victory Liner bus terminal in Pasay City on EDSA blvd.) when I noticed we were passing right in front of the 5-Star (out of what, 20???) bus terminal, another of the lines that offers frequent service between Manila and Dagupan (Dau, as everyone calls it), as well as other points in Luzon.

I know there are many of you scratching your head and wondering why a couple of bucks here or there can be at ALL important to someone traveling so far, but for ME, YES, sometimes a couple bucks IS important to me, but I ESPECIALLY hate feeling like some piece of shit scumbag asshole is bending me over and taking advantage of me. I am very diligent about TRYING to avoid getting fucked by those vermin.

I wasn’t happy when I got to the ticket window at 11:40 or so and the guy told me that the next bus was at 12:30. But when I saw that the bus was ¾ full already and there was a guy waving me onboard, I figured it wouldn’t be TOO awfully wrong before we would leave for Dau. I had hoped for a place in the back where I could just throw my legs on top of my stuff and not worry about anyone tripping over it, but since all the other passengers had THEIR shit in the aisles, I ended up just doing the same thing.

We did end up hitting the road at midnight when every seat was filled. I quickly noticed the difference between an air-con bus and the NON air-con one I had ridden on the last time, as it soon became FREEZING ass cold on that bus! I mean people were trying to use the curtains that block out the sun as blankets!

Even with a couple of brief stops in Manila (to pick up standing room only passengers who only further crowded the already jammed up with luggage aisles. GRRRRR! Victory Liner MUCH more professional about that stuff, from what I’ve seen), the trip to Dau took less than 2 hours. And when agreeing to a p70 fare from a waiting trike to take me to Central Park hotel, I figure that DOOR to DOOR from NAIA money exchange window to my hotel room shower took me about 2 ½ hours. So by enduring some 3rd world travel hassles and passing on the relative luxury of a private car, I cost myself about an hour, all told, mostly waiting for the bus to finally leave from AC.

But when saving 2400 pesos in the process (bus ticket itself was about 125 pesos, or so), I can live with that. Of course this was also my own little political statement against the price gouging asswipes charging such outrageous amounts for 3rd world car service.

BTW, 2400 pesos (47.50 USD) was about what I came home with in my pocket at the very end of this trip…

So… what’s a hairy, sweaty, grime-covered monger to do when he FINALLY hits his hotel room in the middle of the night after nearly 2 full days of travel? Well, some of the people that share our planet would just throw on some cologne and then head straight for the bars! Oh, and believe ME, THAT idea crossed my mind! But me, I actually just decided to see how fast I could do the 3 SH’s and throw on some clean clothes before heading to the first bar of the night. I was out the door within 20 minutes of checking in, feeling refreshed and full of excitement.

“YEAH, motherFUCKER, all that travel hassle was WORTH IT because I AM FINALLY HERE!!! THE PROMISED LAND!!!”

Funny, funny commentary on the English spoken in the Phils!

I have no qulams whatsoever in traveling the way you do. A $50 USD one-way cab ride to AC??? That dog don't hunt, as they'd say in Texas.

I have not taken a taxi since the price increase and I also hate getting shitty value and being taken advantage of. No matter how much money I make, I will always think this way. I hate pissing away money on bullshit like this and will always fight it.

I am going to put the portion of my guide related to using the bus for newbies below as it does help.....it even talks about the freezing air con(note to Porker)

This is a form of transportation that would have been unheard of in the past but is now a viable option for getting to AC as the prices for taxi service have become ridiculous. It may seem intimidating for many of you but I believe it’s completely safe and fast. My total cost for taking the bus was 427 pisos vs. the taxi mafia average rate of 2,500 pisos. Round trip you will save yourself about 4,000 pisos. That’s 4 barfines on Perimeter Road.

Here is how you do it. Whether taking Terminal I or II, go upstairs to the departure point and flag down a taxi that just dropped off a passenger. You might get lucky and he will turn on the meter, if not ask him to do so. If he will only take a flat fee then do not pay more than 200 pisos and ask him to take you to Victory Liner in Pasay. It will take you about 10-15 minutes to get there. Go to the window that says Dagupan or just ask the information desk where you purchase the tickets to Dau. The other option is to get on the bus to Dau and purchase the ticket while on board. Make sure you relay to the driver that you are going to Dau. The ticket is 127 pisos. On my last trip, the driver was flying and it took 1 hour and 9 minutes. That’s a full 30-60 minutes faster than a taxi. Ask them to place your luggage in a locked container below but carry your valuable or carry on with you. Due note that the air con on these buses can be freezing so you might want to bring a jacket. The bus is as safe as a taxi as there have been more hijacks of taxis over the years than buses. Once you arrive at Dau, get a trike to take you to your hotel and the going rate is 100 pisos but you can bargain. On the way back to the airport, get on the Victory Liner bus that says “Pasay” and don’t get off until the driver yells Pasay. Then take a taxi to the airport.

Blazers, in my Navy days, when I traveled with nothing but a HK and a very few pesos in my pocket between Zambales and Manila, I always took the Victory Liner, as you suggest.

However, nowadays I regularly bring two LBC boxes loaded to the max (70 lbs each) with some pretty valuable stuff, and that is why I've always had a private car waiting for me and have never considered the bus/trike option. The 2 boxes fit nicely into the back seat of a private car.

I justify the expense (currently, P4800 round-trip) by the convenience of having a nearly-new car waiting near the exit to NAIA and by the fact that I usually stay for 3-4 weeks each visit.

You say you bring all your valuables on the bus with you, but just recently a member on another board said his 5-Star bus from Dau to Pasay was held up by 3 gunmen and he lost everything. He said he was the only foreigner on board, and one of the gunmen kept saying how much he would love to pop a foreigner.

My point is that if one is a foreigner traveling on a regular bus out of Manila, he could end up having a very short and hassled vacation, especially if, in addition to his cash, he is also robbed of his passport, credit cards and return ticket.

If you ever watch Wowowee or Eat Bulaga or have otherwise become aware of this, conditions are deteriorating rapidly in the RP in terms of the average joe's ability to earn a living. It would not at all surprise me if there are Filipinos waiting at the stations to see which buses have foreigners on board. As a matter of fact, the member who was robbed says the following exchange (or words similar to these) took place before he boarded the bus.

"Let me help you with your bags, sir."

"That's okay, I can handle them myself."

"Okay, sir, see you later on the bus."

Porker, I'm very curious about your situation. You say you reside in Mexico, and there are many mongers who allege that there are no hotter women anywhere than Latinas below the age of 25 who have not yet become, how shall we say, plump. Please comment.

(Message edited by great15 on May 13, 2006)

Great15, yes, you're right, crime is definitely a concern in the Philippines and IF there are gangs looking for foreigners riding the buses (wouldn't we have heard of more than once incident, though, if that was the case? I have personally heard of more than once incident where taxi drivers robbed and murdered foreign passengers too), that is definitely bad news. It would be an easy way to ruin one's trip -- though unless they strip searched me, the best they would get from ME is my laptop and I'd have the inconvenience of having to get a new ATM card and buy more of the designer clothes I'm always sporting! I am sure these robberies do happen from time to time, but they happen on the buses here in Mexico from time to time too.

Re: Mexican women, when they are young, kidless and skinny, they can indeed be amazingly attractive. Of course most of them aren't looking for boyfriends twice their age/weight for casual sex. If I wanted a serious girlfriend or wife, I'd have been married years ago.

I wish they'd charge people like you a pretty penny for taking those frickin' boxes onboard. It's a pain in the ASS waiting and waiting for luggage while literally HUNDREDS of those boxes always seems to be the first one off the belt.

If you know the cab driver or private vehicle and truly trust them then you are safe but I have heard MUCH MUCH MORE incidents of murder and robbery with a setup with a taxi driver as opposed to a bus driver. Think of it this way...an average Filipino never sees a poreigner on a bus and assumes the foreigner is not nearly as rich as poreigners taking taxis that charge rates that would rival Tokyo.

As for the prior post, I would definately be taking a private car if I had Balikbayan boxes and had a Filipina wife with me(Im assuming this is you as I have never heard of a foreigner bringing BK boxes unless he has a Filipina wife with him.

(Message edited by blazers on May 13, 2006)

After reading Blazer's guide (invaluable!) I too went upstairs and just like Porker, was stopped by the security guard. I told her straight that "I would be overcharged by the taxi mafia and wanted a metered cab." I even went so far as to ask how many pesos if would cost her, a filipina, to get to Makati. She laughed, said around 200. Found a cab with the pink METER TESTED AND VERIFIED sticker on the windshield and was off. (BTW these stickers seemed always accurate regardless of what they said, however, sometimes negotiating price ahead was actaully better if there was traffic.)

I do think the swagman is a piece of shit but used it both ways and felt more comfortable than riding the local buses.

Great stuff, Porker. As always even the boring stuff is entertaining and insightful.

Solid info. Thanks fellas...

Maybe I am being a dumb-ass - but why not just ask a fellow gringo "Hey, do you want to share a ride to AC" ? Or am I missing something? Anyway, reading all this and Blazers FAQ et all - I would just rather pay the $50 for a cab - but I see myself asking fellow Gringos if they would want to share the expense. (And maybe deter a robbery?)

Robberies more common with taxi drivers than bus transportation....plain and simple. If you have tons of luggage or its your first trip, then take a taxi. If it is your first trip make sure you reserve the taxi with a hotel from AC.

Just wanted to put in my 2Cents for Seair.

1250p for a 30 minute flight MNL - AC. They only fly 4 days, but if it fits your schedule it is a breeze. You do have an hour pre flight wait, but I took a lunch into the terminal and got a massage while I waited, which I prefer to sitting in traffic.

Give it a try.

But not 1 damned int'l flight that I know of that lands between NOON and 10 PM... I wholeheartedly agree that SEAir is the BEST bang for the buck for the trip from MNL-AC, BUT, IMO, only makes sense if you're already over-nighting in MN,L either coming or going.

Also, re: SEAir, there are departure/terminal fees at each airport, overweight luggage fees can be completely excessive, you're paying at least 6-10 bucks RT for taxis between airports/hotels, and with wait times added, you're not saving any time form hotel door to gate.

When I land at the airport after almost 24 hours of flight, I want to be able to get into a vehicle immediately and be transported to my destination. I dont want to be waiting around for busses. The main factor for myself is time and practicality. The buses may be just as safe, they may be cheaper, etc. However, I know that one is not waiting for me right at the airport when I arrive.

$50 may be a lot of money for some, but my income and savings level is at a point where I dont worry about it. In fact, spending $50 in my part of the United States is not that hard.

I dont feel these drivers are ripping anyone off. Most American taxi drivers would charge far more then $50 for a 2 hour drive(not certain of the exact mileage). Second, Im sure they are not making that much money off of driving you from the airport. They have to drive all the way from Angeles City (2 hours), wait for you at the airport as your plane arrives late (another few hours), and then drive all the way back (2 hours). Gas is very expensive nowadays ($3/gallon where I am). They also have to pay for the expense on their vehicles and parts are not that cheap over there. So in ways of time and money, they might just be making slightly more then what they are putting into it. . .maybe just breaking even.

The service I have received from all the drivers has always been outstanding. They have been very friendly and courteous towards me everytime. They have also been accomodating despite my plane routinely being 2 hours late.

I didnt pay 3000 pesos. I actually paid 2200 pesos (about $43) for the drive and this can be verified off of the hotel website http://www.hotelroyalamsterdam.com/transport.htm.

So I dont feel like I am getting bent over when I take the private vehicle. The cost may be more, but the convenience is more as well. Its like New York City. You can take the subway, bus or a taxi. The taxi is the most expensive option, but its always there when you need it and you ride in privacy versus having to huddle with a bunch of strangers on an uncomfortable bench seat.

If you go to destinations once a year or so and your trips are short then of course money is no object but dont compare NY taxi drivers with AC. They make plenty of money and are gouging customers now if you compare the prices just a year ago. It's the reason why flights are full on SEAir and why Swagman buses are always sold out now. $86RT for a place 62 miles away is nonsense in SEAsia. Put it this way, last year I was quoted 2,200 to go to Baguio from AC and thats a 5 hour drive.

And with regards to them driving from AC to the airport. That is usually not the case as many of them are run by agencies and the Manila drivers are contacted while in Manila.

Blazers, where did you get that 2,200 quote to Baguio? Did you get to see what the car was like?

The driver I've been using is from AC, charges 2,500 to come to MNL and pick me up in a comfortable, clean, late-model car. Come to think of it, I think he also charged 2,500 to Batangas (twice as far). Cost is the same booked through the Wild Orchid (how I met him) or directly--WO said they don't make a commission.

One benefit to the private car/driver--he brought my "gf" with him to meet me in MNL.

"They make plenty of money and are gouging customers"

Everyday I go to bed in a nice 4 bedroom house and drive around in a new car. I have hot-cold running water, all the food I can eat and no real concern about cash. I wake up each day knowing that the future is bright and face the day with a smile. Even if something were to go wrong, I have many different contigency plans in place that would assist me.

These men, in comparison, have no future. There is no Plan B for them. They are real people, they work hard and just trying to feed their families. They are not going to take your money and go out to buy the newest Cadillac Escalade.

When I go to bed at night, I want to sleep well knowing that I did the right thing. Nickle and diming poor folk is not my definition of the right thing.

IE, Think how much better you would sleep at night if you gave them $100 each way. But why don't you do that? Your little land grab on the higher ground seems to ignore the fact that one of the reasons "we" are so wealthy relative to them is because of the presence of strong competitive markets.

If this prices were set by supply and demand, lower prices would prevail. This would lead to many more filipinos employed driving that road between AC and NAIA, and less hungry bellies at night.

This isn't nickel and diming some poor laborer, these extra normal profits are going into the hands of relative well off owners the vehicles and agencies.

Frankly your holier than thou posts are tiresome. You, like most other AC travelers, go to AC because you can bang young thin girls LT for $25. Is that doing the right thing according to you personal ethics?

"These men, in comparison, have no future. There is no Plan B for them. They are real people, they work hard and just trying to feed their families. They are not going to take your money and go out to buy the newest Cadillac Escalade."

This is true - these men have no real future... but neither to 99.99% of the OTHER Filipinos out there selling wallets/ED meds/belts/porn/drivin' trikes/revamping bars/etc.

What these men have is a pretty good margin they live on. They make more then just about any other males in that country. Women working in the bars in Manila make more, but probably not too much more and that's only on the nights they spend on their backs.

You make money (probably far more then the US average) and invest your money. What investments do you think they have? Perhaps they've added a new corrugated steel roof to their shanty or bought a new television. That's it. The rest usually gets pissed away on broads and booze. More then a few have tried to sell me on a sob story, but the majority, once you know them, will tell the truth - they get paid GOOD.

An AC bar owner once commented that "saving" was not a part of most SEA cultures. I asked him to explain. "When you live in America or Europe, and you want to eat something in the dead of winter you go down to your cellar and gather all the grain/vegetables/meat you "saved" from the summer so you could have something to eat in the winter. In the Philippines, things grow year around. You are hungry you climb a tree and grab a piece of fruit. If this fruit is out of season then another will be in."

I can't think of any time I've been in SEA that I haven't been able to get fruit that's been off the tree less then 24 hours. Americans and Europeans think differently because their environments have conditioned them differently. These drivers, indeed MOST Filipinos, would piss away the extra P100 or P10000 made just because that's they way they were conditioned - hand-to-mouth.

Now, I am not saying that Filipinos can't save, but the majority sure seem to think like this. Then again, what do I know...

KS

"You, like most other AC travelers, go to AC because you can bang young thin girls LT for $25. Is that doing the right thing according to you personal ethics?"


LOL ;) Very true. However, they may be young, but THIN???

"Think how much better you would sleep at night if you gave them $100 each way."

I never said I gave them $100 each way. I pay the market rate and always tip the appropriate amount.

What I do not do is give the driver (or the hotel) a hard time about it. Nor do I gip the driver out of a tip. Thats simply not the right thing to do.

"If this prices were set by supply and demand, lower prices would prevail. This would lead to many more filipinos employed driving that road between AC and NAIA, and less hungry bellies at night."

Are they not set by supply and demand already?

I dont believe the prices have gone up because the drivers simply want to bend the mongers over. The price of gas has gone up at least 2.5 times in the last 3 years. There are tolls that the driver has to pay for. Arent these perfectly good reasons why the rate has gone up?

You cant accuse the drivers of being greedy when there are other factors that might have driven up the rate. As well, if demand has skyrocketed isnt it justified that prices rise? Thats how a normal business operates anywhere.

"Frankly your holier than thou posts are tiresome."

Get used to them. Im not going to stop because you are getting tired of them. Frankly, the fact that it annoys you makes me want to post more just so I feel like I am in a free country.

Every once in a while, someone needs to step up and do what is right. Thats something that I learned in the military. Unfortunately, those who usually step up are killed in action and then given a medal and a flag (in that order).

You dont learn to hold your own in the world by standing guard, but by attacking and getting well hammered yourself.

"You, like most other AC travelers, go to AC because you can bang young thin girls LT for $25. Is that doing the right thing according to you personal ethics?"

Yes.

Lets face it, whenever you have sex with a woman anywhere, there will most likely be a cost. Even if you have a lucky pickup at the local bar, you still had to spend your time dressing/getting there, paying for drinks, paying for gas to get there, etc.

In the Bible, prostitution is wrong. However, you have to look at it in context. There wasnt contraception or any methods of disease control at the time the Bible was written. Maybe there was, lambskins? I dont know, but it certainly wasnt the pill or a pack of Trojans.

When a single woman got pregnant in Biblical times, then she became useless. No guy would want to marry her and she simply couldnt go to college and get a job. As well, there was disease and the problem of married guys cheating. I believe these were the concerns of the people who wrote the Bible and so they concluded that prostitution was wrong.

So as long as I am practicing safe sex and non-married then I dont feel unethical about this enterprise. I am not passing judgement on those who dont practice safe sex and who are married that monger. Im just saying that I wouldnt do it without wearing a condom or if I was married. {However, I must add the disclaimer that condomless sex has happened on a rare occasion or two in regards to myself.}

I.E... what a load of biblical BS

So taking advantage of 3rd world poverty and screwing teenagers whose families are cash strapped fits into your christian values eh?

"So taking advantage of 3rd world poverty and screwing teenagers whose families are cash strapped fits into your christian values eh?"

Most everything around you is made in some impoverished country, even the shirts on most people's backs. You would be hard pressed to find anything that is actually made by American workers who are paid a real wage. Then you drive out to the country to some farms and who do you see in those fields? Those are not Americans combing through them.

Lets take a trip to Walmart and again we find all these goods that are made by workers in impoverished countries. Wait, lets go into the back of the store and who do we find? Some cleaning people who are obviously not American.

Lets then take a trip to look at a new home. There is a new home being built next door and who is there? Some construction guys who are obviously not American.

The guy next door is moving and who are those guys in that van helping him out. He hired a bunch of illegals that were out in front of the U-Haul place.

Time to bet some money down at the local track. Wow, who lives in these horrible looking buildings behind the stables. Those are for the illegal aliens that clean the stables.

Slavery and indentured servitude was officially abolished over 150 years ago, but its still very much alive in America through the use of illegal aliens. Its not truely slavery, but the wages being payed to the workers is next to nothing and the labor laws do not seem to apply to them.

If you live in America, you are taking undue advantage of impoverished countries whether you monger or not. In this case, I am not locking up a bunch of underpaid illegal aliens in a Walmart to the clean the store. Nor am I making a large group of Mexicans pick the fruit on a farm. I might add, these workers cant go to a state labor board to find relief. They cant collect unemployment or other benefits. Nor am I making them build my house or move my belongings. Nor am I paying them to sew clothing in a cramped dangerous chemical filled factory for 16 hours a day. Nor am I making a bunch of illegals pick up shit at a horse stable for a meager wage.

I am simply paying an honest wage to a grown adult for consensual safe behavior that some would find to be pleasurable. The wage being paid in this case is far greater then what the workers make in other occupations in the country.

As for the "screwing teenagers" comment, the vast majority of the women that I screw are in their 20s. In all cases, they are above 18. I am not taking advantage of teenagers. These are adults who have made an informed decision to engage in this type of conduct. They are fully aware of their actions.

Thanks Guys. I will be visiting PI for the 1st time very soon. I am under 35 and travelling with some mate who will be doing some scuba diving. I came onto this sight to get some valuable info from people who have been there and done that. Although some of this reading was humorous at first I don't need any lessons in morality or about the economies of countries. Each to their own about travel methods and what works for one may not work for another. What I appreciate reading about is travel tips, bargins, what to pay and what to watch out for and be aware of etc.

Siimon lots of reports/guides/info on this site about traveling to the Philippines and Angeles in particular. Read as much as you care to, and feel free to ask questions if you don't find the precise info you're looking for.

Simon, weather is becoming an issue for diving, as the rainy season is starting. I went to Puerto Galera in Dec, the diving was EXCELLENT (see my last PI TR), I couldn't get to Cebu/Moalboal in the previous trip because it rained EVERY day (well, and I was having too much fun in AC anyway). PM me if you have Q's.