just got back from Boracay in the Phillippines... was the best man at my buddies wedding... freakin' incredible trip. definitely too short though



http://smackfu.net/images/Boracay-Ph...s/IMG_2411.jpg



my pics



last time I was in the Phillippines was '97... this trip made me wonder why it's been so long, good times https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/beerchug.gif

great pics drew..

my last visit was back in 88...

thanks amp... I just wish I had the underwater case for my camera... would have gotten some great pics snorkling



my buddy (the one that got married) has a plan in place to be living there (near Boracay) within a few years... it's a solid plan too... we are discussing quite a few things at the moment... who knows *shrug* I may be following him after a few years, only major downside is I'd have to give up the FD or store it somewhere like Manila as there's really nowhere to drive the darned thing on any of the smaller islands

Damn I thought Cancun had nice water/scenery. That place is great.



Whats airfare cost? How long is the trip? Is everything wicked cheap like mexico?

u guys pinoy? if so i never knew! next time hit up makati and visit pegasus. 50 bucks takes ya a long way

Isn't the Phillippines like a haven for terrorists etc...



I thought I read a lot of the Al Queda members bounce through Manila.



That is beautiful!! BTW

NEW BACKGROUND



http://smackfu.net/images/Boracay-Ph...s/IMG_2647.jpg

on the most southern island is where a lot of the terrorist train. they are called "abu sayif" not sure on the spelling. they are not al-quieda, but yes they are terrorists. my mom is from that island and moved away as soon as she could. its a very poor area. when i have been there, i was told not to talk in english and always stay with a family member. when u visit like manila, the capitol of the philippines, its completely different from the south.



btw, i have heard many stories of kidnapping americans and what nots in the south. its pretty ******* scary

very remote jim...

its as much a haven as it is any other places like london...

dollars takes ya a long way justin..

although plane trip is quite long...

if i recall correctly over 18 hours..

Nah Drew aint no pinoy, he's white as they come https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png



Sounds like a possible vacation destination in the not too distant future.

damn, i lived my first 8 years in the philippines and never seen that dammit. but never been there since 91 though.

BTW.... did you see any rotary powered cars there?

coach airfare from the DC metro area ranges anywhere from $800-$1800, all depending on the time of year (generally lower during monsoon season), demand due to holidays and such (Christmas and Easter are especially rough as about 90% or more of Filipinos are Catholic or some other Christian faith), how far in advance or how last minute you book it, etc... you can get good package deals alot of the time too



If you have the money (or miles in my case) I can definitely recommend flying business or 1st class)... I paid for my fiancee and I using miles from Northwest and we flew 1st/business the whole way... sure makes the trip feel alot shorter than the 18-22 hours that it takes... those fares are typically $3000-5000 though, not really in my range unless I use miles or are actually going there on business



Pretty much everything is much cheaper than just about anywhere and probably on par or better for somet hings than Mexico... it kind of depends on how you do it... when I was in the Air Force I was going there from Korea for 2 weeks at a time and I never went over $100 a day including airfare, hotel and everything... that might sound like a lot, but I was renting a dirt bike (250cc Yamaha) every day, drinking about 20-40 beers a day, eating stuff like steak, blue marlin, etc.... basically NEVER worrying about how much money I was spending and living like a king every day I was there.



This trip (7 days) only cost me about $1000 total including my hotel, food and drinks for me and the woman... a dinner and drinks for about 20 people one night, renting out a sailboat for the day, all other transportation and all the stuff we bought... The only reason it was that high was because we were staying in 3-4 star hotels and that was the majority of our expenses



You can easily have a great time for under $50 a day (excluding airfare) if you just want a clean air-con room



It's cheap enough that depending on where you live, you can live in a nice house, with a maid and stuff for under $20K



As far as the threat level for the ordinary traveler... of course, you have some Muslim extremests in the far southern parts (Mindanao, etc.), New People's Army (NPA) in some remote parts around the north and huslters/scam artists trying to take advantage of you pretty much anywhere there are foriegners... I personally don't feel it's any more dangerous than anywhere else as long as you have some common sense, don't pull stupid **** and remember that you are a GUEST there... in my opinion, the Filipino people as a whole are probably the friendliest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting... https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif and that's coming from someone that's travels quite a bit more than the average person and has actually lived in Asia for 4 years.



The messages from the US State Department haven't changed too much from when I first started going there in the early 90's... they add a new twist every now and then, but the message has stayed the same... USE COMMON SENSE



and I didn't see any rotary powered cars there... not this trip anyway... I tried to stay away from roads as much as possible https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png in '97 there was an expat guy that had an FB that I met as well as a Filipino guy that had a rotary (13B/NA) powered Jeep which was pretty cool



defeintely somewhere to check out if you are adventurous.... If not, somewhere like Jamaica would make a good substitute with much shorter flight times

yeah... I'm chez whitey... https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png



funny thing was that my fiancee is Korean/Black, but everyone thought she was from the Philippines... everyone was speaking Tagalog to her!!! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif



You'd think that her height (5'10") would tip them off that she wasn't... I should have had a shirt made up for her that said she wasn't a filipina and to please use english... https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png

Sweet man. Sounds like my kind of place.



Now I just need to steal some air miles from someone

y thank you!

I thank you as well

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif .... I only hear air-con from filipinos.... they're getting to you huh?

I had a blast when I went there in 98. Cebu was a fun place...I avoided the hell out of the southern part of mind.

what about "open the light"

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif how about frigidair

hahaha thats true, u pinoy?

how about "colgate"



I took the whole Family including the wife there in 2000 after migrating to Canada in 1990.



Being born and raise in tondo, manila. My defensive/protective instinct kicked in as soon as the plane landed. i.e. removing my watch, placing my wallet into my front pocket etc...



Phillipines is not a bad place as long as you stay near the capital city (manila). Makati is like a business city where you'll see americans etc..

walking down the streets.



Where ever we went it is always a full load for a Jeepney. Went to all of the malls in Manila, including megamall.



Trip took 21hrs to get there with stop overs and 19hrs to get back. One thing my wife learned pretty quick was that toilet paper is a luxury!

oh yea one more thing,



my wife ask one of the waiters at Max's where the washroom is, and he tells her



"sorry mam, we only have a CR".....lol



CR=comfort room

cool pics, my brother spends 5-6 months a year over there. he stays in sebu though. his wife is from manila. its funny she's 5' 1'' and 100lbs and he's 6' 2'' and 235 lbs. its like sticking a miata and a hummer next to each other. i might be going with him this year. We go over there to get all of our shells. Yes i said shells. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif hey its helping me put 13k into my Fc. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683329.gif



TurboSmoke

i wanna retire to the philippines. cant wait till i die so i can go back home

yep, me and fikserxseven (martin)