In General - negotiate the price before going onto a Calesa. Despite prior arrangements the driver of the Calesa tries to increase the price when you get off. It is also common to let you off only at the "Calesa Waiting points' because there are many of the drivers who would help them in a dispute to argue for a higher fare. Don't get irritated.
Get off a Calesa somewhere near to the place away from any of those waiting areas and pay only the agreed amount. Make sure you will have exact change as they will pretend not to be able to change your money if you pay with bigger bills.
Ride an airconditioned taxi with a meter. Insist of switching on the meter. It is definetely cheaper than a Calesa ride through the poluted city. If the driver says the meter doesn't work tell him to stop and leave without paying anything.
Rizal Park - Calesa Drivers
You gotta watch out for the Rizal Park Calesa drivers. They are friendly enough but they will hound you for more money! Even after you've both agreed to a price. My son wanted to ride on one so I agreed but I told him that I would have to negotiate a price first. So I approach one of the drivers and ask him how much a ride is and says something like 300 pesos for a ride around Rizal Park hhhhmmmmm...sounds expensive to me so I say "nah that's ok and we walk away a then the price drops to 50 pesos!! Ok So we hop in and I ask the guy if it's 50 pesos to go around Rizal Park without any added fees "Sure" he answers! Well we take off Clip Cloping down the road and my son is having a blast!! It was a nice little ride around the park. Then when we get to the end of the ride the guy wants 100 pesos and I said "I thought it was 50?" and he said "Yes 50 each" Hmmm...I'm being scammed!?! Then here comes his buddy from out of nowhere holding some sort or Calesa Regulations Sheet that stated that the fees were per person!! ahahaha I'm having fun so I say kind of loud "Come on Buddy?" And then I said "I'll tell you what, I'll give you 60 pesos total but my son gets to pose in your Calesa while I take a couple of photos" The other guy said no and then I said Well I'll give you 50 pesos then! Then the driver agreed to the 60! We took pictures but they didn't come out good as the sun was behind the Calesa. My son got a lesson in South East Asia bargaining and Bait and switch tactics!! When something like this happens don't get mad just keep smiling and having fun and everything should work out fine in the end!!
Pedicabs
Oh, what fun we had! We exited the Hobbit House (having had a great night, as there was an excellent blues band playing there, 'Huka') and decided, as we were slightly drunk (OK, a lot drunk) that we would take a pedicab for the three blocks back to our hotel. Ha! After 10 minutes or so of this young guy frantically pedalling his little bike, we eventually realised that we were in a completely unfamiliar district, and callled a halt to the proceedings. "Bianca's Garden!" we said! "You are going the wrong way!" .... "OK, sige", says the driver, "Bianca's" whereupon he proceeds to take us on another scenic tour of some of the less pleasant parts of the city. Finally, we gave up. "Stop!!!" we slurred "Do you actually know where you are going?" The answer, basically, was, "Er, no, not sure Ma'am". So dutifully we hopped out and paid (oh yes, you still have to pay, even if the person didn't manage to complete the task...) and found another pedicab driver who claimed to know where we were staying.. We were now hopelessly lost in a strange district of the city. We told him the name of our hotel, and off he set. Twenty minutes later, we were still circling around aimlessly, while the driver whistled a merry tune, and greeted a cheery hello to his drunken friends along the way. Finally, I lost my rag. "Do you actually know where Bianca's is?" I yelled - "It's on Adratico St, just off Remedios Circle!". So the guy turned and looked at me in mock surprise and said "Oh, Bianca's - I though you said Victorias!" Sigh... It was just around the corner, and he took us there. I won't even tell you how much money we wasted on this b0llocks, but I'll tell you this, they had a good laugh out of us I'm sure!
Manila Transport - Beware of pick-pocket thieves
In public transportation, particularly jeepneys and busses take good care of your valuables. Never keep your purse in the rear pockets of your trousers, always in front pockets. For ladies, hold your hand bags on your lap, never keep it on your side. Bags are snatched or slit open with sharp knifes and the thieves disappear just by jumping of the slow riding busses.
Don't pay with big bank notes. Always look to it that you have available some small change
Metered Taxis vs. Rental Cars
When you get to the airport, whether arriving on a domestic or international flight, you can either take a chauffeur driven airport taxi or a metered cab. Metered taxis are cheaper as long as you make it clear to the driver you know where you're going and make sure he turns the meter on. You'll end up paying 5 times more if you hire a car but you usually get newer more comfortable models than the metered ones. Regular metered cab fare to Makati is about $2US and airport taxis about $10 or $11.
General Safety:
BUY A LOCAL SIM CARD FOR YOUR CELL PHONE
When in Manila, it is advisable that you ditch your carrier's SIM card and buy a local one for your duration in the Philippines. Since most US and European providers overcharge on international roaming, you will be better off using a Philippine-based carrier when making calls or texting. Two big cell phone companies here are GLOBE and SMART. Since most, if not all, of the population here have cell phones, you can buy SIM cards almost anywhere. The amount of minutes or texts remaining in your phone is reffered to here as "load." So when you run out of "load", you can "reload" almost anywhere by buying a card with a bunch of numbers on it and inputting it in your phone for a fresh set of minutes and texts. Loads come in denominations of P100, P300 and P500. and can be bought at even convenience stores (called "sari-sari" stores) all throughout the city. Filipinos love text messaging and, in fact, is their main form of communication rather than talking on the phone. It's cheaper. So if you do befriend a local and want to communicate with him or her during your trip... better learn how to text!
Never and Never.....
When you are in Manila or anywhere in the Philippines, better to remember these NEVER & NEVER TIPS! 1. NEVER leave your things/valuables unattended, otherwise you will NEVER see it again! 2. NEVER wear gold/diamond accessories in public places because you will be definitely the main target of snatcher and hold-uppers, otherwise you will NEVER get a chance to wear it with glamour! 3. NEVER change your dollars or yen or any other acceptable foreign currencies to the black market, otherwise you will NEVER get a correct number of bills. 4. NEVER go to a crowded or dark places because this is usually the target of global terrorist group; otherwise you will NEVER see again your homeland! 5. NEVER drink water direct from the faucet; otherwise you will NEVER enjoy eating other tropical fruits since your stomach is aching day and night. 6. NEVER ride in a taxi without checking whether the taxi meter is on its flag-down-rate; otherwise you can NEVER pay the taxi driver cheaper since he will charge you higher! 7. NEVER eat street food; otherwise you can NEVER have a good appetite because you might suffer from a severe diarrhea. 8. NEVER let your taxi/car windows & doors open because nowadays, hold-uppers are targeting those who are inside the car/taxi during Stop Signal, otherwise you can NEVER say NO giving your wallet or even your valuables (such as laptop, watches, rings, etc.) to them for they have guns/knife to scare you! 9. NEVER use cell phone outside; otherwise you will NEVER have a chance to text your last message to your friend because cell phone snatchers are everywhere. 10. NEVER visit Philippines without proper guidance or without a Filipino buddy/friend with you on your first week of stay, otherwise you may NEVER enjoy staying here because of bad experiences and most probably you will NEVER visit Philippines again!!!
Beware Of Snatchers
When driving in an open vehicle (ie. jeepneys, tricycles, pedicabs etc), make sure your valuables are out of sight from potential snatchers. Problem areas are in an around Tondo, Divisoria, etc. Trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right, get out of there, and make sure you have everything in your pockets.
watch for your belongings
Pick pockets and boy they're good at it too! do not flash your jewelry , if possible dont wear them unless your in a secure area such as hotels. walking around the place can be dangerous too, especially if your are an american.. They tend to think white people has lots of money! try to arrange your visit with the travel agents for safety purposes..always put your wallet in your front pocket.
Changing Money
Do not attempt to change dollars on the black market (e.g. Santa Cruz) unless you are with another person, preferably someone who speaks Tagalog. It is dangerous because people know you are carrying large amounts of cash. The Shoe Mart department stores offer the best rate of exchange that is legal and safe
Hiring Taxis
When entering a taxi, tell the driver where you want to go and insist that he turn on the meter. If he says it is broken or for some other reason he won't turn it on, tell him to stop and get out of the cab. However, cabs hired at major hotels have a set fee schedule by zone, which they should show you upon demand. It is always more expensive to hire a cab from a hotel than a metered cab on the street.
Do not take candy (or anything) from strangers!
Remember those warnings you give your kids about taking candy from strangers? Tourists in Manila, please heed them. There have been countless cases of Western and Asian tourists waking up somehwere divested of all their possessions with their last memory being of a "friendly" person or group of people offering him/her a piece of candy or a juice box. I guess people come here really expecting Filipino hospitality and expect that someone smiling and bearing food can't be all that bad. Well, they are and it's happened too many times. Please beware of these friendly people who want to get close to you and feed you - chances are they just want your money.
Pedestrians in Manila!
If you're in Manila, always watch out of crossing streets, even there is Pedestrian lane, some Filipino driver do not consider that rule, they just drive right through....mostly it's a first come, first serve situation, rather than you have to run across the street. Making sign to stop the cars doesn't help sometimes, best way is to wait a good chance or cross with stop lights.
Going around Manila
A lot of people in Manila think foreigners especially Caucasians have lots of money. So most of the time they would overcharge you when you're in public market or taking the taxi
Philippines Travel Warning
From U.S. State Department ... March 23, 2005 This Travel Warning is being issued to recommend that Americans consider carefully the risks of travel to the Philippines. Terrorist groups, including Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf Group, and radical elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are planning multiple attacks throughout the Philippines. This information has been also released by Philippine government officials and is in the Philippine media. The Department urges Americans who choose to travel to the Philippines to observe vigilant personal security precautions; to remain aware of the continued potential for terrorist attacks against Americans, U.S. or other Western interests in the Philippines, and to register with the U.S. Embassy. The Department warns against all but essential travel throughout the country in light of a heightened threat to Westerners. There has recently been an increase in bombings by the terrorist groups in Manila, the region of Mindanao, and other areas where terrorist groups are active. Bombs have exploded in shopping malls, on public transportation, at airports and port facilities, in places of worship, and in other public areas resulting in numerous casualties, including several deaths. Bombs have also been found at places of worship. Travelers should be aware that since security has increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists could seek softer targets. Such targets could include but are not limited to places where Americans and other Westerners live, congregate, shop or visit, including hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, identifiably Western businesses, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools, or public recreation events. Americans who remain in the Philippines are strongly encouraged to register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Manila through the State Department's travel registration website.
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