Philippines - Philippinen

The over 7,000 islands of the republic Philippines lie in the Pacific Ocean in South East Asia.

Regions

The Philippines consist of three main islands or archipelagos:

• Luzón
• Mindanao
• Visayas consisting of several islands (with further smaller islands in front of them): Cebu, Negros, Siquijor Island, Bohol, Leyte, Panay, Samar

Some of the other well-known islands in the Philippines are for example:

• Mindoro
• Palawan

Administratively, the Philippines have been divided into 17 districts since 2002, which consist of a total of 81 provinces.

Cities

• Manila - Capital of the Philippines. The metro Manila metropolitan area comprises 17 cities and municipalities. The seat of government is in Quezon City (Cubao).

The "Malacanang Palace" presidential palace is located in the "Old Manila" area, in the San Miguel district, directly on the Pasig River

• Sights in the "Metro Manila"

Intramuros district, with the old Spanish fortress "Fort Santiago", some old Spanish houses and churches. Carriage rides through Intramuros are available, but are quite expensive. Like all of Manila, Intramuros suffered a lot from the Second World War. You can still find ruins there today, the old Spanish houses have only partially been rebuilt and restored. Nevertheless, this part of the city is well worth seeing: Rizal Park is located between Intramuros and Ermita. Well worth seeing, especially the "Chinese and Japanese gardens". At the east end there is a large children's playground with many dinosaur figures, at the west end the Rizal memorial. From the Rizal memorial one crosses the street "Roxas Blv." and comes to Ocean Park (dolphin show), and has a view of Manila Bay, in very good weather to the opposite side (Bataan). The sunset over Manila Bay brought some tourists wonderful photos. Further south, within walking distance of the Bay Walk, but still quite far, another Bay Walk behind the MOA (Mall of Asia) with a Ferris wheel and others Carousels, open-air restaurants, with live music on the weekends. Busy on weekends. Between Rizal-Park and MOA, always along Roxas Blv. in a southerly direction, you will find the landing stage for the ships to the island of Corregidor (old Spanish, later American fortress) and for about 1 hour round trips to Manila Bay. Currently close to Pedro Bukaneg Rd., Before the Convention Center (trade fairs, exhibitions). Once you've passed the yacht club, it's not far. The address of the jetty is incorrectly given in older travel guides. Evening trips to Manila Bay are particularly beautiful.

Quezon-City: well worth seeing, but hardly known, the ECO-Park or "Santa Mesa". Lots of barbecue areas, a pond with Koi's, a fishing pond, new swimming pool, orchid garden, small covered seating areas and huts. At the top of the dam, the view of the large water reservoir "La Mesa". The right thing for a family outing. Easily accessible, even by public transport, via Commonwealth Ave. (still marked as "Don Mariano Marcos Highway" on many maps).

• Cebu City
• Davao City

You can find a detailed list of places in the Philippines here.

Other goals

UNESCO World Heritage:

• Rice terraces from Banaue

Islands:

• Boracay. Heavenly island with dream beaches and good tourist infrastructure. Ideal for a little wellness.
• Bohol. Very beautiful island with the wonderful Chocolate Hills. The tourist infrastructure is good. Ideal for families and divers.
• Mindoro. Easily and quickly accessible from Manila. By bus to Batangas Pier, from there by ship to Mindoro. The Puerto Galera area in particular is ideal for a short swim, for people with limited time. There are currently only bangkas, low ships with 2 jibs, in uncertain weather (June-November typhoons are very likely), you should not take the risk with these ships.

Those who want to relax are in good hands in "White Beach" and the bays that follow it in a westerly direction. Those who have more nightlife in mind can go to the eastern districts, especially Sabang.

background

The Philippines have had an eventful history. In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines and died in a battle. In the second half of the 16th century, the Spaniards conquered the region. 330 years of Spanish rule have left deep marks in culture to this day: Spanish names, dishes and folklore can be found everywhere. Another consequence is that the Philippines are the only Christian country in Asia (about 85% Catholics, plus about 10% Protestants). At the end of the 19th century, the Americans took over the Philippines and formed the second major outside cultural influence. Cultural heritage is the good English skills of many Filipnos and the ubiquitous jeepneys (former military jeeps that have been converted into local transport) in Manila, for example. The Philippines was occupied by Japan during World War II, but later recaptured by the Americans.

In 1946 the Americans granted independence to the Philippines, subject to conditions. From 1965 to 1986 the Philippines are ruled by the dictator Fernando Marcos. In the recent past, the Philippines has penetrated the news through activities and attacks by Islamist groups, among other things. Some parts of the country should be avoided (security).

The Philippines has a tropical climate. Monsoon rainy season is June to October with heavy rains. The short summer from March to May is dry and very hot. The best time to travel is November to February, when temperatures are between 25 ° and 32 ° Celsius and heavy rainfalls are rare.

getting there

Entry requirements

To enter the Philippines, a valid passport is required, which should be valid for 6 months beyond the planned departure date. Visitors from the EU automatically receive a free tourist visa for 30 days (the day of arrival is not included). The visa can be extended on site up to 59 days, and then if necessary for a further 59 days, a 6-month visa is (recently) also possible. .... Or even better before departure in a local embassy, ​​as the fees and procedures on site can be very different.

By plane

Almost every tourist will arrive by plane. The most important airport in the Philippines is Ninoy Aquino International Airport a few kilometers from the gates of Manila. The airport has four terminals, one for Philippine Airlines ("NAIA 2"), one for overseas airlines ("NAIA 1"), one used by Cebu Pacific and Airphil Express ("NAIA 3"), and one used by Zest Air and Midsea Express (Domestic Passenger Terminal 4) is used. With the exception of NAIA 1 and NAIA 2, the walk between the individual terminals is too far. There is a shuttle bus between the terminals. The transfer times, e.g. from long-distance flights to domestic flights, should not be too tight, traffic jams are frequent and lead to abnormally long journey times.

You can get to the city from the airport either with the flat-rate taxis, which are a bit more expensive, but better with a yellow taxi that drives with a taximeter (you announce your destination at a counter, then the taxi number is noted, so the driver is there in the event of complaints registered). Inexperienced tourists in particular, who are in Manila for the first time, are strongly advised to use a regular metered taxi. When driving without a taximeter, attempts are often made to exploit the ignorance or lack of local knowledge of tourists in order to charge inflated flat rates. A question from the driver whether the "Skyway" should be used, on the other hand, can confidently be answered with yes. It is a toll road. The toll has to be paid by the passenger, but usually pays for itself in the mostly completely congested road network of Manila through massive time savings.

Tip: When you reserve your hotel room in Manila, ask about the (hotel's) airport shuttle. Their use is often included in the room rate and you will be picked up by a hotel employee at the airport exit.

Tip: If you don't want to go to the greater Manila area, but rather to the Visayas or Cebu region, for example, you should avoid the chaotic airport complex NAIA 1-4. Alternative 1: Destination airport Cebu and from there on with domestic flights. Alternative 2 for Visayas: Long haul to Hong Kong, from there with Cebu Pacific to Kalibo. Tip for the destination region Boracay: Caticlan Airport is being expanded for jets, so far only turbo-props have been operating there. Very little free baggage allowance (10 kg), additional kilograms quite expensive and no transport guarantee when the plane is full, also often weather-related flight cancellations or diversions to Kalibo, so book right there and definitely choose the door to door service from Southwest (at the airport exit) to Caticlan / Boracay, not the private providers with minibuses.

By boat

Some ferries arrive in Manila in the early hours of the morning. Anyone who disembarks by then (e.g. at the notorious Pier 8) and does not wait on board until 6 a.m. may expose themselves to danger.

mobility

If you want to travel back and forth between the different islands in the Philippines, ships and airplanes are the best means of transport. The Philippine airlines often offer discounted tickets and the normal price tickets are not too expensive either. The most famous airline is the Philippine Airlines which is also the cheap daughter Airphil Express operates. Largest private airline is Cebu Pacific, further offer Zest Air and Midsea Express numerous domestic flights. There are also flights from Clark Airport (Angeles City). If you want to go to the north of the main island of Luzon, Clark is cheaper than the NAIA International Airport in Manila. The 3 terminals of the NAIA are now connected by a shuttle. E.g. international arrival at Terminal 1, domestic onward flight from Terminal 2 or 3. You should choose the time to reach the other terminals sufficiently for the onward flight, at least 2.5 hours. Buses and jeepneys are used for the transport on the islands themselves. The jeepneys are the main means of transport in the individual cities, but also between cities. Local traffic is handled by tricycles (light motorcycles with sidecar) and pedicabs (bicycles with sidecar).

Bus traffic: declining within the city; Overland traffic sometimes very long distances, still dominating. Ordinary bus: not air-conditioned, tight and hard seats, stops at every palm tree, but very inexpensive. These buses run both in the city center and overland. Modern Aircon buses: definitely European standard. Inner-city as well as overland. Also stops on request, which means longer travel times. Example: Manila (Terminal in Cubao) to Gapan (Nueva Ecija). Distance about 90km. Driving time, depending on traffic conditions, 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Price: PHP 150. Long bus journeys can be problematic for Europeans. E.g. Manila / Tacloban (Leyte), approx. 24 hours, costs approx. 1,700 PHP. Flying better at such distances is not necessarily more expensive than the bus. But from the bus you can see a lot more, flying hardly educates.

language

Nearly 50 years of American rule have ensured that English is not only one of the official languages ​​of the Philippines, but is also spoken by many residents. Second official language is Filipinowhich is mainly based on the Tagalog (one of 80 local dialects). Tagalog contains a number of Spanish words.

Other common languages ​​in the Philippines are:

• Cebuano: approx. 18 million native speakers
• Hiligaynon (Ilonggo): approx. 7 million native speakers
• Ilokano: approx. 7 million native speakers
• Kapampangan: approx. 2.3 million native speakers
• pangasinan: approx. 1.5 million native speakers
• Maguindanao: approx. 1.1 million native speakers

Less common languages ​​are Chabacano (150,000 first speakers), Boholano (dialect of Cebuano, sometimes also described as a separate language), Bolinao (50,000 first speakers), Waray-Waray and Subanon.

to buy

A major shopping area is a neighborhood in Manila - Makati. Shopping malls can be found in Cubao and in the EDSA / North Ave. There, for example, very good architects worked for the new "Trinoma" mall, especially the design of the roof garden is hardly to be found anywhere else in this beauty.

Huge "black markets" - are located in Tondo "Divisoria" and Baclaran. You should leave Tondo before dark, absolutely. This also applies to Quiapo, Santa Cruz and parts of Binondo.

For authentic Filipino products you should move away from the capital, you will quickly find it on the islands and in rural areas. E.g. wood carvings in Asin Road in Baguio and shell jewelry in the Cebu area. But be careful: many mussels are under species protection, with considerable problems if customs find them on their return. The hand-made wickerwork of the Mangjan mountain people is a nice souvenir from Mindoro holidaymakers.

Most malls are open between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., smaller shops and the ubiquitous 7/11 convenience stores are often open around the clock.

kitchen

Compared to other Asian cuisines, Filipino does not have an outstanding reputation. The food is usually very fatty and often fried. The American influence has made for a huge number of fast food restaurants, and Spanish history has also left its influence on some dishes (e.g. in the form of empanadas, lecho flan, etc.).

Filipino Mangoes are considered the best in the world. The fruits are available all year round, the main season (for central Luzon) is April / May. The yellow mangoes are often served as a dessert, while the slightly bitter green mangoes are more likely to find their way into main dishes. Delicious juice is also made from both fruits.

Lechon is the local variant of the suckling pig. Traditionally, the dish was mainly prepared for larger celebrations. Today you can get small portions in many restaurants and food stalls. The skin is crispy, the inner meat usually juicy. Different variants are prepared in different parts of the country (in Cebu, for example, without any sauce).

The Bibingka is a rice cake that is made from duck eggs, cheese and carabao milk and is mainly served in the afternoon.

Rather exotic and not for everyone Balut, a duck egg with an almost developed bird in it. The peel must be carefully peeled off on one side without the inside leaking out. After sucking out the liquid, peel the egg to the end and remove the boiled egg yolk with the bird embryo. Enjoy with a little salt. Balut enjoys the reputation of the Filipino "Viagra".

Certainly it costs less overcoming power Halo halo Dessert. For this national dish, various ingredients such as banana, mango and coconut strips, coconut jelly, creme brulée, candied jackfruit and ice cream are mixed and poured with condensed milk and grated ice cream. Before you start to eat the whole thing, you should stir it well. Halo-Halo literally means something like "mix-mix".

The Filipino counterpart to the (similar) Mexican Ceviche is Kinilaw. Fish (monkfish or sea bass) diced in small cubes are marinated in garlic, lime juice and coconut vinegar, then coconut milk, chilli, sweet peppers and ginger are added later. Everything mixed up nicely and enjoyed sitting on the beach.

Arts and Culture

nightlife

Who is in Manila The Malate / Ermita district should not be missed, a place with many restaurants, pubs, clubs, etc. On the tourist islands going out is usually not a problem, there is always something going on. If you happen to be on the smaller islands (and in the off-season, too) you will find that the parties there will be less going on. Nightlife lovers head to Angeles City and / or Olongapo City (Barrio Baretto) - they will don't be disappointed.

accommodation

There are many ways to stay overnight in the Philippines. In the big cities you can find expensive ones Hotels with high comfort. But often the inexpensive hotels offer sufficient service.

In the tourist areas it is almost nicer instead of hotels Resort to visit. There you can often rent bungalows at low prices.

In the province there is also the possibility of small private ones pensions to spend the night, but where often little service is offered.

The cheapest option for vacationers staying a month or more is to get one flat to rent. There are unfurnished small apartments here, but furnished ones are also on offer.

There are even tourists who have ventured into the Philippines tent To explore, this requires a certain amount of camping experience, because it is not easy to buy the normal things in life in every place.

It is difficult to make the right decision and the relevant Philippines forums can certainly help you with the question of which hotel or resort currently offers good service.

Learn and study

Work

Working for foreigners in the Philippines is often only possible independently or through large corporations that send employees there.

Because most would not be able to live with the average wage of a Filipino worker or at least would not be able to pay the desired standard.

Employees are paid an average of 10,000 pesos per month, depending on the level of education more, but sometimes less.

Many call centers have recently been set up, some of them relocated from India. One or the other, bilingual or multilingual European, could also find work and relatively good earnings here.

It remains to be warned of advertisements on the Internet such as German workers wanted in Manila. Unfortunately, there are often only fraudsters at work who only want their money. So please be careful with job postings that are not from well-known corporations.

public holidays

For travelers to the Philippines, it is worthwhile to find out which public holidays are added in the province. If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is often declared a public holiday. The malls are only closed on "high" public holidays (Maundy Thursday from noon, Good Friday and December 25th). On the other public holidays, however, authorities, schools and banks are closed. The list here cannot be complete, there are also Muslim holidays, and that often changes.

When traveling to tourist areas, find out when it is Chinese New Year and avoid the days around this date: Very busy and special high-season prices in many accommodations.

security

Anyone visiting the Philippines should always pay some attention to safety. Islamist rebels from southern islands have recently drawn attention to themselves, including through attacks in Manila. In addition, the rate of capital crimes is also high, firearms are more widespread among the population than in Europe and kidnappings occur again and again. In everyday life, one is repeatedly reminded of the tense situation by the many armed protection forces who have set up checkpoints in tourist and business centers. Tourist centers such as Cebu or Boracay are considered to be relatively safe, while travel to the southern regions (e.g. Mindanao) is not recommended. There are also several no-go areas in Manila (especially after dark).

When taking a taxi in Manila with luggage, make sure that the trunk and doors are locked and the side windows are closed. The many traffic jams in particular are otherwise an invitation to the numerous petty criminals to access and immerse themselves in the crowd at lightning speed.

In addition to the threat of violence, there are also various dangerous diseases in the Philippines, including malaria (the metropolitan area of ​​Metro Manila is considered malaria-free) and dengue fever. It is best to seek advice from a doctor before departure. There is no prevention or therapy for dengue fever; Malaria prevention should be viewed critically and only practiced if (during the rainy season) you are traveling to regions that are particularly prone to malaria (parts of Palawan and Mindanao).

Detailed safety information can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office: Travel and safety advice Philippines

health

As in many other third world countries, common drugs are very inexpensive. Attention, if you suffer from a cold, you should under no circumstances take blood-thinning painkillers such as ACC Acute, as the symptoms of dengue are difficult to distinguish for the layman. Therefore, it is better to take medicines like ibuprofen with you, as well as contraceptives to be on the safe side. PS: Tampons are also difficult to obtain. Doctors in private practice are comparatively inexpensive. For foreigners, it becomes expensive for hospital stays that may be necessary, and even a university clinic often does not have the level of German clinics. International health insurance is essential, with a 24/7 medical hotline and an ambulance flight home or to Singapore if necessary. There are almost no direct billing agreements for clinic bills with German insurers, and when you are admitted to the clinic you have to provide your own credit card as security, which is then debited with the final invoice amount, and you cannot leave the clinic without a paid bill. There is a very good German private clinic in the Makati district of Manila.

Climate and travel time

month	J	F.	M.	A.	M.	J	J	A.	S.	O	N	D.
Daytime temperature	30	31	33	34	34	33	33	31	31	31	31	30
Night temperature	21	21	22	23	24	24	24	24	24	23	22	21
Hours of sunshine	6	7	7	9	7	5	4	4	4	5	5	5
Rainydays	2	1	1	4	7	15	22	20	20	11	9	7
Water temperature	26	26	27	28	28	29	29	28	28	28	27	27

It is important that they are mean values. There are different climatic zones in the Philippines, it would be too much to list them here. You can find additional climate information in the individual regional articles. Even in the rainy season there are moderate areas with little rain, in which you can then go on vacation without hesitation. The weather in the Visayas is often different than in Luzon. Previously Mindanao and Palawan were typhoon-free, but this has changed in the most recent Changed the past - with very significant consequences.

behaviour rules

Tourists who present expensive jewelry in public and also throw money around are particularly at risk. But that actually applies worldwide. Otherwise, you should try to appear confident. People who show insecurity to the outside world in tourist areas (e.g. Ermita / Malate) are approached by various people smugglers.

Change money: never on the street! In the malls, however, the courses are not good, but you are safe there. There are many money changers, even in the secondary centers. EDZEN and Nikkon can be recommended in Ermita / Malate.

Post and Telecommunications

Mobile phones

If you want to save a lot of money and don't want to sponsor the German mobile phone provider, you should definitely buy one for your mobile phone Filipino prepaid card. You get them, among other things. in the shopping malls in Manila. There are currently four mobile phone providers in the Philippines; the leading ones are SMART and Globe, with whom Vodafone Germany also works. An international outgoing call, for example with SMART or Globe, costs only US $ 0.40 per minute. And incoming calls from abroad cost nothing. For sending an SMS to Germany, SMART takes 15.00 PHP (approx. 0.24 €) and Globe only 0.50 PHP (approx. 0.008 €)

At Globe you can purchase a daily flat rate for abroad for PHP 149.00 (approx. € 3.00). (To do this, send the message 'SUPERIDD 149' to the number 8888 via SMS.) This allows you to call 3 different landline numbers in over 50 countries for 24 hours. (e.g. Germany, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland) With 'SUPERIDD 1999' (approx. € 40.00) even for 1 whole month.

Vodafone Germany charges "only" € 3.53 to € 3.064 for the first minute for a roaming call from the Philippines to Germany (for comparison purposes) (depending on the Philippine provider or the time of day). The second minute is then - but only if roaming is carried out via Globe - "considerably cheaper": It costs "only" € 2.663.

Incoming calls from abroad cost € 0.25 or € 250 per minute or part thereof (depending on the Philippine provider). € 0.343 plus. (Surcharge from Vodafone Germany) in the amount of € 1.49 or € 1.501 (for D2 old contracts).

Sending an SMS to Germany costs (depending on the provider) € 0.228 or € 0.331. The roaming prices of the other German providers should be correspondingly "cheap". The above prices fluctuate because the calculation is made on a US $ basis. - Current status: 03/01/2006

Internet

Free WiFi // WiFi is becoming more and more popular, especially in tourist areas, as an additional offer in hotels, restaurants and bars. Great caution is required in public internet cafes, it is not uncommon for a keylogger to be stuck in the PC unnoticed, so never do anything sensitive there such as internet banking or entering your credit card number.

literature

The standard work for the Philippines is the Philippines Travel Guide by Jens Peters Publications.

The Philippines magazine is the only German-language magazine with daily news from and about the Philippines. Topics include politics, business, sports, entertainment, international, national and local news, travel information and travel reports.