my month in phillipines - please read

[nigelbham698]

hi just thought id drop a note on my visit to the phillipines - i was there for just over three weeks - this is what i thought.

flight - via emirates - that was fine cos we went via dubai so it breaks up the journey very well

manila - stayed at the shangrila in makati - my girlfriend booked it while we were there - it was much cheaper to do it that way - visited manila bay - overall i liked manila - the only area where i felt remotely unsafe was malate - even then id say it was no worse than bangkok or any other major capital come 2 that

davao - thats where my girlfriens family live - now b4 i went i didnt really know what to expect - lots of people gave me advice - i e mailed bout 20 brits, americans either living there or visiting there - i only really had one negative reply - that was from the admin guy on this site i think - told me id be the only westerner, have to get out as quickly as possible etc etc - what complete and utter bullshit - i have to say that i felt extremely safe there far safer than manila - basically if you go to western mindanao, big problem 4 u - but why would you ever go there anyway - draw a line from iligan down to general santons and stay west of that line ull be fine. As for the no westerners thing has he been to Flanigans Irish bar, the euro cafe thats an expats meeting place !!!!!) etc etc. For anyway asking for some genuine advice re Davao I wouldnt trust that admin guy says - if anyone wants genuine advice I wouldnt post on this board - I can give lots of
advice and also lots of e mail addresses from other brits and americans travelling

Im not sure the reason for that admin guys post to me - maybe his girlfriend dumped him in DAVAO - he went to the nearest girlie bar and couldnt pull !!!!!!!

Have a nice day
NNN

[ivor&mel]

Oh dear... Guess it's going to be one of those weeks style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[walesrob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nigelbham698 @ May 29 2006, 06:18 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>

if anyone wants genuine advice I wouldnt post on this board - I can give lots of
advice and also lots of e mail addresses from other brits and americans travelling

Im not sure the reason for that admin guys post to me - maybe his girlfriend dumped him in DAVAO - he went to the nearest girlie bar and couldnt pull !!!!!!!

Have a nice day
NNN
[/b][/quote]

Listen mate if you've got anything useful to say, go ahead, but we WONT tolerate dissing on this forum style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif

[Eljohno]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nigelbham698 @ May 29 2006, 06:18 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
- if anyone wants genuine advice I wouldnt post on this board - I can give lots of
advice and also lots of e mail addresses from other brits and americans travelling

Have a nice day
NNN
[/b][/quote]

Hi Mr NNN,

i think you are being very unfair and if you can be bothered to take the time to read through this forum in reference to info given to people then as far as being from the UK there is no better forum than this. I arrived on this forum late last year and the advice that was given to both my wife and myself was priceless and helped us get through our visa process without any problems. If you disagree with Admin then thats up to you but there are many members here who give great advice and sometimes we get things wrong but hey we are not perfect. While people keep coming onto this forum for advice then we will be here to try and help.

Personally i have tried the other American site but had a bad experience with people there but i will not be dissing the site because i know it has helped many Americans get visas.

My wife lived in northern mindanao and at no stage have i felt unsafe but i guess like anywhere people need to have their wits about them

Take care,


john

[Admin]

I was there so I know what it was like in 2002 you pillock, and why would the British goverment tell people not to go? Because it is high risk. Why are you not insured by off the shelf insurance policies? Because it is high risk.

I did not say you'd be blown up, kidnapped, but the risk is much higher than most other countries. As for Westerners being there, the % to Manilla/Cebu is extremely low, and I seen no more than 3 in my 2 weeks there, but then that depends which part of the city you are in, and whether you are near the Western compound areas or not, I wasn't. I was not far from two shanty towns in a run down area.

Why do you think you're strip searched to just go shopping in the mall, why heavily armed troops on the streets? Same as Belfast during the IRA. You get on with your life, but the visible risk is there, and you do what you cna to ensure you don't become another victim number.

A number of Westerners HAVE been kidnapped in Davao this year. That is fact, and you should be glad it wasn't you, but the RISK is there. I was making you aware of it. You wouldn't wouldn't walk through Moss Side at midnight wearing openly gold jewellry, swinging your mobile phone while counting out cash in your hands would you....?? Although going by your attitude you probably would. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Grin.gif

It's called Risk Assessment. Even when I travel to any country, I take in every bit of advice I can get, especially England style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Grin.gif

Oh, and the wife lived in Davao for 40 YEARS, and agreed with everything I said, but then what would she know?? style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Erm.gif Wide eyes matey, not closed.

On another note, glad you enjoyed it with your girl. Maybe she's just after a passport style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugher.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugher.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugher.gif

[nigelbham698]

sorry admin - I dont know where you got your facts from re kidnappings in davao - if you read the foreign office website it says dont go to basilan tawi tawi jolo etc they are hundreds of miles away in WESTERN MINDANAO. The last tourist kidnapped from that area was in palawan - in an off shore dive site - he was an american and part of a group of 16 tourists. now thats not responsible travel. If youve got some articles on the westerners kidnapped and beheaded or whatever in Davao last year could you send me a caopy - or did it not make the press !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - ha ha

The foreign office says you should take care in davao thats all and davao by the way is a massive place - Davao city, Davao del norte, davao del sur etc - If you travel 100 miles into the remote countryside of Davao del sur then you may have a problem. Your advice re travel insurance is wrong too by the way - when I rang up to check mine lloyds tsb (it was part of a debit card) they wouldnt insure any contry if its in one of the two FCO lists - hence indonesia, thailand, brazil, india - etc etc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Any other insurance thet dosnt use that FCO ranking is fine. when I first asked u - u said I wouldnt be insured against a Terrorist attack - well can ue find me an insurance policy that does do that.

edited

[Admin]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bigcry.gif Talk about not reading things as they are written. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Wave.gif

If you haven't got any constructive help for the forum, off you go. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Hellooo.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Hellooo.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Hellooo.gif

[Admin]

I wonder which part of this you misread??? http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/se...d=1099136715745 (http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1099136715745)

It's called observation of your enviroment. You are in a different country that works to different rules, best to know all potential risks before you enter, rather than going blind like some old folk in Iraq who think everything is hinky just because they can't see it.

As for the insurance maybe you missed the bit here http://personalfinance.iii.co.uk/articles/...icle_id=3147886 (http://personalfinance.iii.co.uk/articles/articledisplay.jsp?section=Insurance&article_id=3147886) that states
"Some travel insurance policies include clauses that say they will not pay up in the event of an “act of God”, such as an earthquake or tsunami, or if there is a terrorist attack"

...and for what happens locally, you need to read http://www.philnews.com/ every day, so you know the general situation in the country. Kidnappings, theft, muggings, murder, all reported there.

Most policies are starting to change now, but they were not back in March.

So get YOUR facts straight before making yourself look like a prat.

[nigelbham698]

I am gay

[walesrob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nigelbham698 @ May 30 2006, 08:27 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
I am gay
[/b][/quote]


Really? Say hi to Mr Padlock!