The Philippines is located in the western Pacific Ocean. The country has a population of over 106 million people and the country has over 7,500 islands with a lot of them uninhabited. With that, the country is blessed with amazing beaches, amazing scenery, history, and more. Every country has its own little quirks but are they reasons not to visit the Philippines.
While the Philippines is a wonderful place to visit especially to enjoy the beaches and wonderful scenery but there are a number of reasons not to visit the Philippines. These reasons can range from the food not being great, poverty being very visible, safety can be a concern at the best of times and more.
In this post, we will go through the reason not to visit the Philippines. Let’s get started!
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Reasons Not To Visit The Philippines
Though the Philippines is a wonderful country to visit there are a number of reasons not to go to the Philippines. What I have listed below might seem cranky or over-critical but it is my option.
Now, this should not stop you from visiting the Philippines but it is nice to know. The reasons are as follows in no particular order.
- The food is not great.
- Poverty is visible.
- Taxi drivers.
- Pollution.
- Overpricing.
- Internet speed.
Food Is Not Great
You will very rarely see visitors to the Philippines talk highly of the food, especially if you compare it to its neighbors like Malaysia or Thailand. The food in the Philippines is unhygienic standards but there are also limited options so if you are vegan or vegetarian you will have a problem. Most of the dishes have meat in them but it can be oily and the presentation is not good.
The hygienic standards in the kitchens are not the best and at street food stalls where the food is been prepared, it is not uncommon to see rats in that general area. If the food gets contaminated they are unlikely to clean down the food area or throw the food out. They will more than likely serve it.
Particularly for westerners food poisoning is a common problem and there is a decent chance of getting food poisoning.
Poverty Is Visible
The Philippines is not a rich country, with that you will is poverty everywhere in the Philippines, it is very visible. You will see families living under a bridge or living in squatters’ areas.
This is simply because they have no choice as they cannot afford to rent as there are no job opportunities and have to live under a bridge or in a squatter area.
Taxi Drivers
Taxi drivers seem to be a problem in every country and they are angry that Uber and Grab are doing so well. The taxi driver in the Philippines will use the old school method of driving you around and around to keep the meter running and this results in you being charged more money.
Or they will not use a meter and try to arrange a fixed price. It also is known that the taxi drivers fix their meters, so the total cost is more than it should be.
Pollution
Pollution is a major problem in the Philippines and particularly in bigger cities. You will find that the air quality is generally not the best in the bigger cities and there is a lot of littering and trash everywhere. People just throw their trash away.
Overpricing
In the Philippines, there is a stereotype that tourists have money, particularly western tourists. This leads to them thinking they can increase the price of things for tourists. This occurs a lot in restaurants and markets.
As well as that it also opens tourists to be targeted by scammers and extreme efforts in trying to sell you something. To avoid overpricing in restaurants make sure they show you a menu with prices before going in.
At the markets, you can haggle but they won’t move on price much. Expect to pay 3 times the price that a local would pay.
Internet Speed
The internet speed in the Philippines is not good but actually is very slow. As well as it is very reliable. The Philippines government is trying to improve the WiFi infrastructure but this will take a lot of work and investment.
There Are Reasons To Visit The Philippines
I covered some of the negatives of going to the Philippines and want to briefly cover reasons to visit the Philippines. The reason to visit is as follows.
- Affordability.
- Beaches and islands.
- Filipino are friendly.
- Diving spots.
- Beautiful landscapes.
Affordability
The Philippines is an affordable place to visit. You will find that there is a good range of accommodation that is budget-friendly. Food and alcohol in the Philippines are nothing special but it is cheap, especially at the night markets.
Transportation is all so affordability but flights can be a little pricey but buses, taxis, and boats are cheap.
Beaches And Islands
The Philippines has over 7,500 islands over 2,000 of which are inhabited. This also means there is a lot of beaches that stretch from coast to coast. There is no shortage of islands that are unspoiled by development that you can visit and there is no shortage of amazing snorkeling sites.
Filipino Are Friendly
Generally, the Filipino people are friendly. They will welcome you with a smile and are interested in getting to know their foreign visitors.
Filipino is the main language spoken in the Philippines and is also known as Pilipino. English is also spoken but not everyone in the Philippines can speak English. Generally, the younger Filipino is more than likely to be able to speak English.
Diving Spots
The Philippines offers some amazing diving spots such as Coron, Apo reef, and Monad Shoal. It is also a good place to get your scuba diving license.
Beautiful Landscapes
The Philippines is blessed with beautiful landscapes and unique natural sites such as Chocolate Hills, Banaue rice fields, Mt. Pulag, and more. There are still so many hidden gems to discover and explore.
Wrapping Up
Finally, the reasons not to visit the Philippines range from visible poverty, the food quality, and options being limited, safety can be a concern at times, and more. Now, these should not stop you from going to the Philippines but you can use this as learning about what to expect going to the Philippines and what to plan for.
And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on the reasons not to visit the Philippines has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.
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