The Philippines - First Impressions

As our trip to the Philippines is the first time we’ve ever been to South East Asia, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the new ‘go to’ destination for backpackers. The impression we had from seeing travel documentaries, friends Facebook photos and hearing other traveller’s stories is that landing in a major city, like Bangkok or Hanoi or even Manila can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. As we travelled directly from Manila to Palawan, we avoided some of the chaos and instead landed in Puerto Princesa, a much smaller city serving as the island’s provincial capital.

The main thing we have noticed from our short time here is how genuinely friendly people are. They are keen to know where you have come from and take genuine pleasure in welcoming you to their home. From the conversations we’ve had with locals, they are really keen for foreign travellers to come to the Philippines and enjoy all it has to offer. Combined with this welcoming attitude, Puerto Princesa is also considered the Philippines ‘cleanest and greenest’ city, and is much more of a family destination, making for lovely atmosphere where you can walk the streets day and night feeling safe (whilst obviously still remaining aware and alert!). This doesn’t however mean that “backpackers” can’t have a good time- there are plenty of restaurants, bars and live music venues open until around 4am for those so inclined.

The second most obvious thing about the Philippines for first timers to SE Asia is the fact that English is an official language of the state, and thus is taught in schools. Whilst obviously our accents manage to confuse people, on the whole communication is simple and makes getting around easy. As a destination, the Philippines is serving as a kind of ‘induction’ to the region and having the comfort of knowing what is going on around you definitely eases you in, and makes for a relaxing experience.

The same cannot be said for tuk-tuk travel. We are complete novices to SE Asia’s ubiquitous transport method, and though we’ve seen it a thousand times, nothing quite prepares you for your first squashed in, manic ride. Whilst our height can make even short journeys very uncomfortable, it does mean our drivers are unable to speed and dart through traffic as we weigh down the tricycle to the extent that it struggles up hill and sits very close to the floor; every cloud and all that…