Originally Posted by
CCFCC3PO
It is a superb place. We went to the southern island, Mindanao. Like I say, the FCO advice is not to go there. Had some amazing experiences there, including riding in the back of a pickup truck to the top of a mountain on a dirt road - getting overtaken by a small bike (100cc maybe) with a plank of wood and 4 Korean girls sitting on there. Some of the most incredible food in a Chinese quarter of the main city there - including pineapple rice which cost about £2. It came in a massive pineapple.
It is a bit risky, but I have always struck up with locals in places I have been - usually complete strangers - and they are where you get some of your craziest situations. We were invited to a birthday party for one guy's mother, these guys know how to put on a good spread. We went in October/November and November 1st was spent in a cemetery (or memorial Park). That was completely crazy, a carnival atmosphere with kids eating candy floss at the graveside of a grandmother or uncle. I took some of my best pictures there but, sadly, my camera was stolen that day.
Riding a jeepney is also a great experience, and one I was on saw the driver pull into a petrol station. That's when we saw the petrol tank was a tank that was fixed to the floor right next to him, a padlock was duly opened and the petrol attendant filled it up.
Some things that aren't so great. Kids begging for money, that is a huge shock to the system. Also, be prepared to see lots of older Americans walking around hand in hand with a young woman. Sometimes the girls look like they are under 18 and maybe are. They always look disinterested, waiting for the day when he passes on so they can get his loot. We were talking to one guy on the flight home who had just spent a fortune building a house for him and his wife (Filipina) . He went there a week earlier to see his newly completed house. When he arrived, his wife basically told him to get out. He refused, the police were called. He was only allowed to own 40% of the house as a foreigner, which meant she had controlling interest. He eventually had to give in, or spend an unknown amount of time in a Philippine jail waiting for trial. His wife was 30, he showed us pictures and she looked really sleazy. He was in his late 50s I would say.
If you are going, just to sit at a beach and nothing else - then I recommend to stay closer to home because a beach is a beach. If the aim is to enjoy the local culture in addition, then I would recommend it, although not where I stayed because of the FCO warnings. Boracay is their "go-to" island and it looks beautiful.