Stuff you need backpacking around the Philippines

The Philippines has two official languages: English and Filipino. Filipino is mainly based on the Tagalog language (a relative of Malay), with heavy Tamil, Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and English influences. Tagalog is the language spoken in the Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog regions as well as the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila. In the Northern Luzon provinces, Ilocano is the most common language spoken. The provinces of Pangasinan and Pampanga also have their own languages. Further south of Metro Manila lies the Bicol Region where Bikolano is used. In the Southern Islands of Visayas and Mindanao, Cebuano is the most common language spoken. Other minor languages in the south include Hiligaynon and Waray. There are some other ethnic groups who reside in the country, particularly in more urbanized areas like Manila. The biggest group is the Chinese, many of whom have assimilated with Filipino society. Other groups include the Indians, Japanese, Arabs, Koreans and the Europeans/Americans. Communication wouldn't be too much of a hassle for the English-speaking traveler since the vast majority of the locals are English-speaking. The Philippines also has one of the highest percentages of truly bilingual and multilingual speakers in the world, surpassing other officially bilingual/multilingual nations and territories in Asia, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. English is widely used around the country, particularly in big cities. It is also widely used in government, the media, and in commerce. Street signs and billboards will likely be in English, but public service messages may be in Filipino. English is a compulsory subject in all schools (public and private) from elementary school to university. Practically everyone you meet will understand English, even if s/he may not be completely fluent. In fact, English is the official language of business. Many Spanish words survive in many of the local languages. Spanish is no longer widely understood. Nonetheless, Spanish is still spoken by a small Spanish ethnic minority, particularly older members who were educated when Spanish was used as the language of government and higher education. Younger Spanish-Filipinos tend to speak Filipino languages and/or English as their primary language.

Feast

The Philippines offers plenty of regional festivals, often linked to the feast of the patron saints of the town or city holding the festival. Parades and processions, marching bands, floats and dance displays are usual activities. A number of important festivals include the following:

• Black Nazarene - held in Quiapo Church Manila in January.
• Sinulog - held in Cebu City on the 3rd Sunday of January. Celebrating Sto. Nino, the Sinulog Festival includes a week of dancing, parades and celebration.
• Panagbenga - the flower festival held in Baguio every February
• Chinese New Year - celebrations coinciding with the coming of the Lunar new year, held in many urban areas, particularly in Chinatown in downtown Manila
• Ati-Atihan - also held to commemorate the feast of the Sto. Nino, but this time in Kalibo on the island of Panay. The Queen of Philippine Festivals and said to be the Filipino version of Mardi Gras.
• Moriones - held during the Lenten Season in Marinduque. These are passion plays meant to depict the crucifixion and eventual resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Pahiyas - held every May in Lucban, Quezon to celebrate the feast day of San Isidro Labrador. There is a town-wide house decorating contest held during the festival. The colors and designs used are a feast for the eyes.
• Flores de Mayo - flower festival held in every May. Many towns celebrate Flores De Mayo with the community congregating in the afternoons to pray the rosary, offer flowers to the Virgin Mary, and share homemade delicacies and snacks. Children and adults wearing their Sunday best sing and dance to welcome the rains that will water the new crops.
• Kadayawan - held in Davao every August, Kadayawan means a Thanksgiving celebration for the good harvest, were most flowers and fruits are available during the season.
• Bangus Festival - not as popular as the other festivals. It is held annually in Dagupan City, Pangasinan. The usual events are a parade and 101 Ways to Cook Bangus. A "Longest Barbeque" was also held during the festival one year.
• Kagay-an Festival - held every August 26 to 28 in Cagayan de Oro in celebration of the feast day of Saint Augustine. Festivity highlight includes the Miss Kagay-an Tourism beauty pagent, Sakay-Sakay sa Lambago fluvial parade, street dancing in native costumes and the Golden Float parade.

Sun

Puka Beach on Boracay Beaches can be found aplenty on this nation of 7,107 islands. These beaches come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and fineness of sand. Some are in well-secluded islands while others are just a short ride across a causeway from the city. Among the most notable are the following:

• Boracay - Boracay Island off the island of Panay has the White Beach. It is also one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It has fine, powdery white sand stretching on for several kilometers and is an excellent spot for sun-worshippers. Boracay also has several other lesser-known beaches. Outrigger boats to Boracay depart from Caticlan Port, just a short flight from Manila.

• Mactan Island - in Cebu, the Cebu airport is actually on Mactan Island

• Pagudpud - in Ilocos Norte, several hours north of Metro Manila

• Panglao - small island off the island of Bohol, a short ride from the capital of Tagbilaran, which in turn is a short fast ferry ride from Cebu City. From Panglao, you can easily schedule an excursion to the Chocolate Hills for which Bohol is most known.

• Puerto Galera - on the island of Mindoro. Ferries to Puerto Galera depart from Batangas Port, a couple of hours drive south of Metro Manila

• Samal Island - off the coast of Davao

• Camiguin Island - an island-province north of Mindanao. Also known as the Lanzones Capital of the Philippines, it can be reached directly by plane or ferry.

• Negros Island - Negros Occidental (north-western half of the island, in the Western Visayas region) offers fine white sand beaches, and nearby Danjugan Island Marine Reserve. Danjugan Island is bursting with thousands of species of marine life and home to the endangered White Breasted Eagle. Negros Oriental (south-eastern half of the island, in the Central Visayas region) is home to Dumaguete and numerous beach resorts in Dauin that can take you to Apo Island, one of the most magnificent diving spots in the Philippines.

Filipino cuisine has developed from the different cultures that shaped its history. As such it is a melange of Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, American, and Spanish influences. Though it is not as renowned as Thai and lately Vietnamese cuisine, Filipino cooking is nonetheless distinct in that it is possibly the least spicy of all South East Asian cuisines. Don't make the mistake to think of Filipino food as bland, though. It is just that instead of spices, Filipino food depends more on garlic, onions and ginger to add flavor to dishes. Painstaking preparation and prolonged cooking time is also a characteristic of most Filipino dishes, and this often is what brings out the flavor of the food as opposed to a healthy dose of spices. Filipinos usually eat with a spoon and fork, with the spoon held in the right hand and the fork used for pushing food onto the spoon but sometimes, Filipinos eat with their hands, usually on provinces and remote areas or when they are on a picnic and using banana leaves as their plates.

Rice

As with the rest of Southeast Asia, rice is the staple food of the Philippines. Some areas in the south prefer corn but elsewhere Filipinos would generally have rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Uncooked rice usually comes in 50kg sacks but can be bought by the kilogram at the wet market or at neighborhood rice dealers. Single servings of rice are readily available at fastfood restaurants or eateries.

Mains

Filipinos usually serve at least one main course accompanied by rice for lunch and dinner. At times you would have two with a vegetable dish accompanying a meat dish. On special occasions such as fiestas, several main dishes would be served. Soups are also often the main course apart from being a starter. It is not uncommon for Filipinos to douse their rice with the soup and eat the meat that came with the soup alongside. Here are a few typical Filipino dishes:

• Adobo - chicken, pork or both served in a garlicky stew with vinegar and soy sauce as a base.
• Sinigang - soup soured usually with tamarind (but can also be by guavas or kamias), can be served with pork, beef, chicken, fish or shrimps.
• Lengua - roasted beef tongue marinated in savory sauce
• Nilaga - literally means "boiled", can be beef which in certain places is served with its marrow (bulalo), pork or chicken.
• Calamares - fried shrimp/squid wrapped in breadings.
• Kare-kare - peanuty stew of vegetables and meat simmered for hours on end, usually beef with tripe and tail and eaten with a side of shrimp paste (bagoong). There is also a seafood version of kare-kare with crabs, squid and shrimp instead of beef.
• Camaron Rebusado - the Filipino version of tempura.
• Lechon de leche - slow-roasted baby pork, usually served during larger occasions. The crispy skin is delicious and is often the first part that is consumed.
• Daing na bangus - fried dried milkfish, usually served for breakfast with garlic fried rice and fried egg.
• Pakbet - a traditional meal of mixed vegetables usually containing cut tomatoes, minced pork, lady finger, eggplant, etc.
• Dinuguan - a dark stew of pig's blood mixed with its innards. Usually served with a big green chili and best eaten with puto.
• Bopis - pork innards, usually served spicy.

Snacks

Filipinos love to snack. Merienda is what Filipinos call their mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals. Some favorite snack time meals include:

• Bibingka - rice cake with cheese and salted egg.
• Halo-halo - literally means "mixed", fruit, sweets, crushed ice, milk, beans, and sometimes ice cream. Similar to the ice kachang served in Malaysia and Singapore.
• Balut - is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. Boiled and usually eaten with a sprinkle of salt and vinegar.
• Penoy - same as balut, but unfertilized, with just the yolk.
• Buko pie - pie made with fresh coconut flesh.
• Pandesal - small buns usually made fresh in the morning, usually an alternative to rice for breakfast. It is usually eaten with a cup of coffee.
• Banana cue - a popular street food made of saba bananas fried in very hot oil with caramelized sugar coating. The saba bananas can also be boiled instead of fried.
• Fishballs - more popularly known to Filipinos as "fishballan" they usually come in vendor stands and are sold deep-fried along with squidballs, chickenballs and kikiam. Some stands also sell "isaw" (chicken innard), siomai (steamed dumpling), "kwekkwek" (boiled quail egg in orange coating), and "betamax" (dried and cubed pig's blood). A stick may sell from P5 to P10. Isaw sticks usually sell for P2.
• Puto - a general term for rice cake, they usually come as soft white rice muffins or pie-shaped desserts. Other kinds include Biko, Cuchinta, Pichi-Pichi, Sapin-Sapin, etc. The town of Calasiao in Pangasinan is famous for its puto.
• Chicharon - crunchy snacks made from deep-fried pig parts.

Fruits & Desserts

Tropical fruits abound in the Philippines. Most of the countryside produce finds its way to the metro areas and can be easily bought in supermarkets.

• Green, ripe, and dried mangoes - Philippine mangoes are among the best in the world.
• Durian - smells like hell but supposedly tastes of heaven, most common in Davao but can usually also be bought in some supermarkets in Manila.
• Sampaloc candy - salted and sweetened tamarind fruit
• Mais con Hielo - corn mixed with crushed ice and milk
• Leche Flan - jelly made from butter, milk and honey

McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Shakey's, Pizza Hut, Kenny Roger's Roasters, Sbarro's, Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Subway and other multinational fast food chains have established themselves in the Philippines. The Philippine version of McDonald's, Jollibee, has a branch in almost every city and town in the country. Other popular Filipino food chains are Chow King, Goldilock's, and Greenwich.

Sunset during Happy Hour on Boracay Metro Manila is home to many bars, watering holes, and karaoke sites. Popular places include Makati (particularly the Glorietta and Greenbelt areas), Ortigas Metrowalk, and Eastwood in Libis. Other big cities such as Cebu City and Davao also have areas where the nightlife is centered. Establishments serve the usual hard and soft drinks typical of bars elsewhere. Note that Filipinos rarely consume alcohol by itself. They would normally have what is called as "pulutan" or bar chow alongside their drinks which is like the equivalent of tapas. At the least, this would consist of mixed nuts but selections of grilled meats and seafood are not uncommon food alongside the customary drinks. Beer is perhaps the most common form of alcohol consumed in bars. San Miguel Beer is the dominant local brand with several variants such as Light, Dry, Strong Ice and their flagship variant Pale Pilsen. Budweiser, Heineken and Corona can also be found in upscale bars. Rhum and "ginebra" which is the local form of gin are commonly available forms of hard liquor. Indigenous forms of liquor are lambanog and tuba which are both derived from coconut sap. Tuba is fermented from the coconut sap and though tuba itself can be drunk, it is also distilled to take the form of lambanog. Lambanog is now being marketed widely both locally and internationally in its base form as well as in several flavored variants such as mango, bubble gum and blueberry. Of course non-alcoholic drinks are also widely available in bars and other establishments. Don't miss:

• Calamansi juice (a fruit drink made from a small, round, green citrus fruit)
• Fresh Buko juice (young coconut)
• Sago at Gulaman (a sweet drink with tapioca pearls and seaweed gelatin)
• Green mango shake (one of the best native drinks in the Philippines)
• Taho (a sweet, warm soya snack usually served in the morning, with tapioca balls, soft tofu and caramelized syrup)

Money

The Philippine peso is the official currency. One US dollar is equivalent to P 40.33 PHP (28 February 2008). Peso bills come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000. One peso is equivalent to 100 centavos and coins come in 5, 10 and 25 centavo variants in addition to the 1, 5 and 10 peso coins. Money changers are not so common in the Philippines apart from some heavily touristed areas and most malls which usually have their own currency exchange stall. Banks on the other hand are widely available to exchange currency but have a limited time of operation, usually from 9 AM to 3 PM on weekdays. Visitors can also use the 6,000 ATMs nationwide to withdraw funds or ask for cash advances. The three major local ATM consortia are BancNet, MegaLink and Expressnet. International networks, like PLUS and Cirrus, are accessible with many ATMs, but Cirrus is more predominant than PLUS; however, withdrawals are often limited to 5,000 pesos. An exception is HSBC where up to 50,000 pesos is possible. Visitors who have a MasterCard/Maestro/Cirrus card can withdraw funds or ask for cash advances at ATMs that display their logos. The most prominent MasterCard ATMs are the Express Tellers by BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) and the Smartellers by Banco de Oro. PLUS ATMs are not available locally as a complement by itself, but instead it is available along with Cirrus. Prominent examples include the Fasteller by Equitable PCI Bank and the Electronic Teller (ET) by Metrobank. Most MegaLink ATMs are linked to PLUS and Cirrus. Credit card holders can use VISA, MasterCard, American Express and JCB cards in many locations in the Philippines but merchants would usually require a minimum purchase amount before you can use your card. Cardholders of China UnionPay credit cards can get cash advances at many BancNet ATMs (particularly of Metrobank) but cannot use their cards in point of sale transactions at the moment.

Costs

The Philippines is one of the least expensive places to visit in Asia and as well in the rest of the world. Here is a list of prices in Philippine pesos (P). Flight from London Heathrow to Manila £500 (off peak - Aug - Nov, Jan - April) - £800 peak, economy Flight from London Heathrow to Manila £1200 - £1800 (P120,000 - P180,000) Business and First Class One-way flight from Manila to Singapore (vice-versa) - US$75 One-way flight from Manila to Cebu (vice-versa) - US$35 Typical 4-star hotel single room in Manila - P3500/$66.00 Typical 3D/2N hotel suite accommodation in Boracay Island - P14,000/$264.00 Air-conditioned dormitory in Manila - P240/$4.50 Single air-con room with private cold shower and cable TV in Cebu - P500/$9.45 Movie - P100-P160/$2.00-$3.00 Budget Meal - P40 (includes a cup of rice, assorted selection of meat, side dish of vegetables, and a bowl of clear broth soup). Taxi - P30 for the first 2.5km and P2.50 for each succeeding 200m Jeepney - P7.00 (first 4km; P6.00 for Students/Elderly/Disabled) P1.25/KM after the first 4km. Elevated Train in Manila - P12-15 (LRT 1 and MRT 2), P10-P15 (MRT-3) Internet use (1 hour) - P20-P50; depending on the Internet Café 7-Eleven: can of Coke - P16, 1.5 liter Coke - P35, Hotdog - P20, Donut - P16, serving of Spaghetti - P32, serving of Pork Adobo with rice - P35 Buffet in Cebu - P130 Buffet in Davao - P99 Buffet in Manila - P350 International Herald Tribune - P70 Economist Magazine - P160