You will often pay considerably more (50%+) for a hotel when using a credit card, so I use cash only.

I take several large bandanas, hand towels would work fine.

I usually take granola bars, beef jerky, or something similar with me for the plane ride, many times this has been dinner. If nothing else, there is always some hungry child in the street who would love a granola bar, which may be their dinner for the day also.

I don't let ANYBODY carry my money, and have on many occasions gotten better deals on taxi's, etc. than the girls I was with. Most often, you have to dicker with them. When filipino sees american price doubles automatically, but if you negotiate with them they will usually give in and give you "good deal" at normal price. Filipinos are born barterers, and it is normal to find them in the checkout line at the grocery store or mall asking for "discount". You can't beat 'em, so join 'em.

When fighting my way through the vultures (taxis) at the airports, I always ask "How much to ***?", usually in front of several of them, and let them dicker it out between themselves. This way, they are competing against each other, and you will almost always get a decent fare. I always walk past the first 3 or 4 that greet me until I have a group of them around me before applying this method, and it works. Have a firm grip on your belongings until you decide which one you are going with.

When getting in any taxi, be sure the meter is running or price has been negotiated beforehand, and make them stick to it. Many of them will try to take advantage of you if you let them. When they stick to the normal fee, I almost always tip them well, if they try to screw me, I don't tip them at all.

Bottled water, bottled juice, and san miguel are good staples. When in doubt on food look for a mcdonalds (I NEVER eat at mcd's in the states, but over there it is sometimes a welcome sign) Jollibee, shakey's, or greenwich. I eat at greenwich a lot while there, you can get a small pizza and a drink for a buck. (Sometimes it takes two of them to fill the hole)

When asking directions from a filipino, best to ask three or four of them. They are so anxious to please, if they don't know where something is, they will just point some direction rather than appear unhelpful.

If you find yourself in a nightclub, watch yourself. A drink for you may only be 50 cents, but the ladies drinks are $4+. I have paid as much as $8 for a bottle of san miguel in nightclubs.

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry.

I know you have a "thing" against taxi drivers and porters in the Phils (LOL!). I happen to be one of those guys who don't like to travel too light. I like to be prepared and that 140 lb baggage allowance costs dearly when you buy your plane ticket. That's why courier fares are highly discounted, because they use all or part of your very valuable baggage allowance to ship their stuff by air without paying the higher air freight charges.

Buying your clothes over there may be a viable option for some guys, but I have to buy long shirts in a big & tall men's store here in the States. In the Phils, I could look for 10 years and probably never find my size. Same for shoes (size 13) and pants.

As far as the porters go, I never really have any trouble with them. These guys work their buns off and are very good at what they do. These are the guys that are working and supporting with families and not asking Bear for money to buy homes with swimming pools (sorry Bear :-) ). Sure, they can be a little pushy sometimes, but you have to know how to handle them. Take the first guy and negotiate a price. If you think it's too much, ask the next guy standing beside him. The price will come down quickly. Many of the official porters at the depots ask a fair price to start with and there is no need to haggle.

As an example, I had 3 bags (about 150 lbs) when I boarded the ferry in Cebu. I paid some old guy P35 to haul all that crap through the crowds of people, up the stairs and gangway, through the narrow corridors and up several flights of ladders, all in 100+ degree heat and 99+% humidity. That was possibly the best bargain I ever got in my lifetime. If I’m boarding a bus and only need to carry the bags a few yards, then of course I’ll do it myself, but overall I think the porters provide a very valuable service at a very reasonable price. You don’t have to feel intimidated by them.

Anyway, I just wanted to let the inexperienced people out there know that those porters in the Phils aren’t necessarily the devils you make them out to be (ROFL).

And no, I don’t carry all those bags down a dusty road in the jungle. I hire a trike for a few pesos to take me to the where I need to go. I really was not inconvenienced at all by having three bags of junk. And the pasalubong (small gifts & souvenirs) you bring means a lot more to them if you carried it across the Pacific ocean with you instead of buying the same thing down at the corner sari-sari store. It’s not the gift itself that impresses, but the fact that you went through all the trouble to bring it 10,000 miles with you to give to them. Believe me on that one!

Ray

I’m like you. I always cut my own grass, wash my own car, do all the repairs around the house, etc. And I used to feel like you about the pushy porters in the Phils. But over the years I grew to where I would rather go with the flow and pay them 50 cents or a buck to carry the dumb bags for me. It just got to where it wasn’t worth it to fight it so that it “gets in my guts and burns” (LOL). I go to the Phils to have fun and enjoy myself, so I have learned to just let some things go and not get all upset.

Some of the common practices in the Philippines seem darn right rude to me, like cutting in line, pushing and shoving to get a seat on a bus, pushing and shoving to board the plane first, trying to listen in on someone going to confession in church, pushing and shoving to get communion first, snooping over your shoulder when you are on the computer in the Cyber café, trying to grab your bags out of your hand, staring in public, etc., etc., …

But it is more of a cultural difference than anything else, so I try to overlook a lot of the stuff that I would never tolerate here at home. “When in Rome…” Try it on your next trip and see if you don’t enjoy yourself more.

You’re right about the bags too. It’s simply a personal preference thing. My original point was that it doesn’t need to be a hassle to bring 2 or 3 bags. It wasn’t for me. After I reached my destination and had the wedding, we traveled around on our honeymoon with one small and one medium bag between us. The other bags were back in the hotel secure storage room (no charge) until we returned to the city. If I had 3 bags to transport from the pier to the hotel, I would take a cab or hire a trike for P15-20. If I went to visit the folks on the island for a few days, I took one small tote bag.

Bottom line: I do what it takes to make my trip enjoyable and hassle free even if it means compromising on some of my pig-headed beliefs and habits (LOL). And if it costs me another $5.00 total for porters during my trip, it was well worth it.

Ray

I'm with Steve on this one.  I've always travelled with one bag and if I could convince them it was carry-on size then I had no baggage claim to deal with.  Once at LAX a friendly Filipino family asked me to check a balikbayan box for them because they were over limit.  I did it and later realized how dumb that was.  If there had been drugs in that box I would have been arrested.  People have been convicted for that even though they were totally innocent of the situation.

Travelling with Sally I've carried three bags and didn't really find it too troublesome - except one time.  On the bus from Balingoan to Butuan we had suitcases and I had no seat.  I sat on the suitcase, blocking the aisle, rocking and rolling, no air, getting climbed on and stepped on with every stop.  When I finally did get a seat the bag remained in the aisle.  As I start to relax I feel liquid pouring onto my sandaled feet.  I think it's from the water bottle of the lady in front of me.  But it's her kid who just let go right on the seat.  Later in Butuan the bus driver decides to gas up BEFORE stopping at the terminal so we bake in the bus for what seemed like eternity.

This was the worst bus ride of my life.  I couldn't even complain because Sally's mother was sitting behind us and Sally didn't want her to see me scowling.  Next time I'll pay the P1700 for a cab; the P40 for the bus (or P60?) didn't seem like such a bargain after all )

Jim