The Philippines represent an amazing combination of two opposites. On the one hand – endless untouched beaches, azure coasts, beautiful nature, on the other hand – awful poverty involving all the people here. Not to speak of slums in the center of the capital, because there are people who live at the cemetery! And they are not few at all. Some people live on their relatives’ graves, some people rent vaults or tombs keeping them clean at the same time. Several generations have grown up at this cemetery. Though it can be a norm for the Filipinos, people from other countries consider it sacrilegeous. However, sometimes these people just do not have any other alternative. Both the wealthy and the middle-class can afford to have a vacation on the Philippines. You can go for a meal to expensive restaurants with crazy prices or you can buy ready-to-eat food in the street or even buy products and cook yourself – that will not cost you a pretty penny. However you should pay great attention to what you buy. The locals are fond of food that is exotic for us: chicken feet, pig ears, barbecue of chicken heads, embryonated duck eggs and so forth. However, local fruit are really tasty. Juicy pineapples and ripe mangos will indulge you both with their taste and their price. By the way, the national currency is Philippine peso (PHP). Recently not so many tourists come here, in contrast to Thailand, that is why the locals remain hospitable and friendly. In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the most popular means of transport is jeepney. Jeepneys are kitsch decorated vehicles resembling military jeeps. You will not find two similar jeepneys – there is a secret competition among the drivers whose jeepney is more noticeable. Entertainments on the Philippines are rather unusual too, for example, dwarf boxing and cockfighting (the latter is not for people with weak nerves). As night falls lots of prostitutes come out into the streets. Among them there are a lot of so called “ladyboys” – people who changed their gender and now make their living in such a way. Statistically, half of the tourists come to the Philippines for carnal pleasures at a low price.

There are 50 airports in the Philippines and 9 of them are international:

Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS)

Laoag International Airport (LAO)

Iloilo International Airport (ILO)

Kalibo International Airport (KLO)

General Santos International Airport (GES)

Francisco Bangoy International Airport (DVO)

Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM)

Clark International Airport (CRK)

The Philippines are a perfect place for diving. 488 coral species out of 500 known to man can be met on these islands. Moreover in 1934 near Palawan Island the biggest pearl was found. It was 24 cm in diameter and weighed 7 kg, which means that it was at least 600 years old.

The most popular places for diving in the Philippines:

Malapascua Island – meeting with fox-sharks, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, nurse-sharks and hammer-sharks.

Panglao Island – meeting with blue-ringed octopuses, cuttlefish, mandarin fish and sea slugs.

Busuanga Island – sunken ships.

Oslob, Sebu Island – diving with whale sharks.

Snake Island – the snakes are not dangerous for people.

Balicasag Island – diving with turtles.

The Subic Bay – a picturesque bay with sunken ships.

Dumaguete – “coral rain forest”

Tubbataha Reef

Basterra Reef

Jessie Beazley Reef

The Visayas – many good coral walls.