Life in the Philippines pt 3 | A Tourist's Perspective

For this final video in my series on life in the Philippines I talked about my experience as a tourist, both the beautiful scenery I saw, and visitor vs. local pricing. If you’re taking a vacation to the Philippines, I hope you’ll find my trip a tiny bit enlightening.

My previous videos on the Philippines are:

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[HexarRF]

Good to hear about the difficulties and issues. Don’t avoid that kind of content in the future.

[ignisinvictus]

Hi, Greg. I followed your series on the Philippines and I thought that you painted a fair picture of our country. It's not necessarily the most beautiful picture but you told stories that most foreigners do not really see nor understand. I really loved every piece. What makes the Philippines wonderful, aside from our beautiful islands, are the people who will show you how to be happy and resilient in the direst of times. Thank you for visiting us and I hope that you will have a much more fun experience next time. And yes, bring the family along. 🤗

[LifeWhereImFrom]

By the way, I wasn't planning on filming this portion of my trip. I was planning on chilling and enjoying everything. But I do like to fly my drone (I find it fun) and thought you all would like to see some of the images I captured, so here ya go. Have a good one!

[BrunoMaskulado]

Golden Rule: Ask 2-3 locals for pricing.. almost all filipino will answer you, so dont be shy to ask :D

[jhingbautista]

As much as you love transparency in pricing, know that there are people like me who also love transparent contents. I don't like it when foreigners paint us like we're the friendliest, nicest people around because from our experience, it's not always the case. Likewise, I don't like it when people generalize Filipinos as bad and scheming because not everyone is like that. Yours is the happy middle. You're not overly patronizing but you're also not condescending and you actually do your research.

I really appreciate that. Hope you can come back and explore more of the Philippines, maybe with your family, and see more of what we can offer. And always connect with a local first before making your trip so you're ensured that you'd be well taken care of when you get here.

More power to your channel! 😁

[snehabhattacharjee]

You have done a really wonderful job in showing the Philippines to the rest of the world, as you do for Japan and Canada.

[mikedfelix]

Grab is the most reliable mode of transportation for manila.

[j]

I'm a local & I constantly have to analyze if I'm being scammed haha.

[charcharmed]

Everything is true in this video. No sugar coating. You haven't been to Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, Siargao and Coron. You will experience the difference!

[cindymananzalamartinez]

Thank you for pointing out what's wrong with our country. I do hope filipinos would take it as a constructive criticism

[milakateris]

this happens in many tourists places in the world. just got back from European trip, in Prag taxis charge you 10x more if you´re a tourist. In Italy, if you sit to drink coffee than standing like most locals do, you pay 2-3x more. there´s people selling you tickets to see the Pope or to see St. Peter´s which is actually free admission. and so on and on...

[julespastor]

This vlog is so true and refreshing. I was not prepared for the emotions I faced while in the Philippines. Wish this vlog was available before I visited, I would have been more prepared. The people though are so kind and welcoming. I definitely would like to visit again with my children.

[Syn]

if it makes you feel better i grew up in the philippines and the tricycle drivers still scam students 😭😭

[poypoygerminal]

Dont let helpers in bus terminals touch your bag, the moment they help you load it in compartment, even a just a small hand bag, they will charge you for it, and the price might go high if you cannot speak their local dialect.

[natesmith]

Dont stop sharing all sides of the stories that you discover!!! You are doing us all such a wonderful and inspiring service with your ability to capture these stories authentically. It would become just another sensationalist commercial if you only show the pretty beaches and the post card aspects of a location. THANK YOU for diving deeper. It is a real pleasure to watch your presentations! Keep up the good work!

[landhausidyll]

I commend you for showing the good and the bad side of the Philippines. Like all countries Philippines have It's flaws. I just wish that like you said there should be transparency about the prices. Maybe put some laws and regulate such activities. I experiece this also whenever we are in the philippines. They charge my husband more because he's white then for me I get the local price. But when we're together, Ialways insist we get the local the price and then give them a tip instead.

[MillennialTravelConfessions]

I swear it seems like loads of people have been visiting the Philippines lately! We want a piece of the action too! 😁🇵🇭

[kmgonzales]

13k PhP is indeed an expensive price for a ticket. Filipino travellers usually book months in advance to get the cheapest tickets or wait for airlines to announce promo (discounted) fares. It woul be possible to book your trip for less than 2k PhP.

I wouldn't recommend that impromptu scuba dive, though. It can be dangerous.

You also don't have to take a pedicab ride to explore Intramuros. You can join free walking tours, or download an itinerary and explore it on your own.

Your experience is completely different from the way I travel, but you're a foreigner so I'm not surprised. I suggest joining travel groups in facebook so you can travel with locals and save money.

[mipal]

Great video. As a Filipino-American, it's nice to see how it REALLY is back in the Philippines. Plus, the way you documented and told the story of your trip there was elegantly done, and very respectful. Thank you for that! Thanks for the content - been enjoying your channel for some time now. Keep it up!

[EzekielDeLaCroix]

"No training at all. I was just dropped into the deep end."

More fun for the Filipinos.