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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:56 am Post subject: |
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Bohol will probably be it, considering they are building a new airport that may allow for direct international flights into Panglao. But it will ruin the nature of the island for sure.
If I had a lot of money to open a business, I'd open something in Bohol now before the land price really goes up. Boracay was a good investment years ago. Those people are raking it in. It has a limited future.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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| BoholDiver wrote: |
Bohol will probably be it, considering they are building a new airport that may allow for direct international flights into Panglao. But it will ruin the nature of the island for sure.
If I had a lot of money to open a business, I'd open something in Bohol now before the land price really goes up. Boracay was a good investment years ago. Those people are raking it in. It has a limited future.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
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I sure hope Boracay isn't ruined but its rate of development isn't helping any. Still, many feared for the future of Koh Samui in Thailand but for the most part, I hear, it's still beautiful there. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 5:23 am Post subject: |
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Boracay's destruction sounds like a matter of time. Even after the tourist numbers drop some, it will continue to be a travel spot for years to come, as slowly the number of hotels tapers off.
Koh Samui is a heck of a lot bigger than Boracay.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
Bohol will probably be it, considering they are building a new airport that may allow for direct international flights into Panglao. But it will ruin the nature of the island for sure.
If I had a lot of money to open a business, I'd open something in Bohol now before the land price really goes up. Boracay was a good investment years ago. Those people are raking it in. It has a limited future.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
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I sure hope Boracay isn't ruined but its rate of development isn't helping any. Still, many feared for the future of Koh Samui in Thailand but for the most part, I hear, it's still beautiful there. |
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qcat79
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Location: ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 2:26 am Post subject: |
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hey guys,
i went to my local Woori bank today and they didn't have philippine pesos, even though i believe there is a large filipino population around here. i thought it was weird they didn't carry them.
i leave in 3 days and i'm just now researching all this currency stuff. i would've thought Cebu would have more places to exchange Korean won given the amount of Koreans i hear that go there.
it also seems that it's hard to use traveller's checks and credit cards are charged high rates too.....hmmm....i wonder if my Korean credit card will work there??? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:03 am Post subject: |
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| qcat79 wrote: |
hey guys,
i went to my local Woori bank today and they didn't have philippine pesos, even though i believe there is a large filipino population around here. i thought it was weird they didn't carry them.
i leave in 3 days and i'm just now researching all this currency stuff. i would've thought Cebu would have more places to exchange Korean won given the amount of Koreans i hear that go there.
it also seems that it's hard to use traveller's checks and credit cards are charged high rates too.....hmmm....i wonder if my Korean credit card will work there??? |
Buy p10,000 at the exchange booth in ICN before you leave.
Get the rest of your vacation money in nice, new crisp US$100 notes.
As said many times before, "DO NOT TAKE WON OUT OF KOREA".
The booths at Ayala Mall (in Cebu city) or Marina Mall (on Mactan) give the best rates of exchange on US$. Nobody gives a decent rate when exchanging Won.
Do NOT change money at SM mall unless you are desperate.
Do not take Travelers checks unless you are taking thousands of dollars worth. They are harder to cash under most circumstances. Under US$1000 = 10 bank note or less and cash is king.
Your Korean Credit card should work fine as a credit card but you won't likely be able to get a cash advance on it (the BPI branch ATM at Ayala being the only exception - in my experience).
Do be aware that most places WILL charge you a premium to use your card (+2 to 3%) IF they even take credit cards. Most places outside the major retailers in the malls don't.
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AsiaESLbound
Joined: 07 Jan 2010
Location: Truck Stop Missouri
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
Bohol will probably be it, considering they are building a new airport that may allow for direct international flights into Panglao. But it will ruin the nature of the island for sure.
If I had a lot of money to open a business, I'd open something in Bohol now before the land price really goes up. Boracay was a good investment years ago. Those people are raking it in. It has a limited future.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
|
I sure hope Boracay isn't ruined but its rate of development isn't helping any. Still, many feared for the future of Koh Samui in Thailand but for the most part, I hear, it's still beautiful there. |
US dollar is the primary currency exchanged worldwide, you will pay more if converting Won to pesos in the Phils, because you will technically be buying dollars with a non-native currency before they hand you your pesos. Best to buy your US dollars with a currency in it's native country or you pay more so sell those won for dollars before leaving Korea. If you can get 43 Pesos right now in Korea for the amount of won $1 cost you to buy in Korea, then it's equal to buying Pesos in the Phils with dollars. I know it gets confusing, but it's much easier than it sounds and looks once you look at it on paper.
I've been on Boracay for the past week and will break the truth to you. It is indeed a ruined island paradise. Yes, the White Beach is still beautiful, but once you step off the White Beach it all goes downhill from there. They need infrastructure like new sewers, water treatment, and removal of waste off island instead of having a big dump on the North interior part of the island which stinks all the way down to Bulabog beach and throughout the villages. I actually walked out the entire island just see what exactly Boracay island is rather than driving it out on a guided ATV tour with tunnel vision like all the Korean tourists do. The island and it's inhabitants are living in a severely sorry state of condition. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes once you see for yourself why the local labor force are unhappy people unwilling to give you good customer service. Extreme blight, poverty, lack of fresh water, and disgusting 3rd world conditions are what the locals and immigrant labor force contend with every day. The local vibe isn't a happy one. Boracay pales in comparison to what you get from going to Bali and Thailand, but costs you 2X to 3X more in the end. It's my honest mistake of going to Boracay instead of Thailand's south islands.
Food poisoning is a common problem in the tourist restaurants on White Beach with huge numbers of tourists, including myself, moaning about their bouts of tummy aches and diarrhea. I was up for 2 nights and 2 days straight in agony with my tummy cramps and explosive diarrhea with it being my worst bout of salmonella ever leading me to think I was on my way to a dirty hospital in a land where locals just simply don't care, but I was able to get antibiotics to clear it up. Be sure to check the meat in your tacos as mine was spoiled with every dried out foul smelling thing on the Mexicon plate obviously being last nights left overs. Boracay tourist staff will brazenly serve you foul food that makes you sick to your stomach, because they just don't care like it ain't nobodies business and then admit it without apology when you tell them. If on Boracay, go to Talipapa market for food shopping and self cater or supervise a cook for 100 Pesos at the kitchen grill next to the center seafood's market. The fresh live extra large sized seafood is a bonus and not crazy expensive like on the beach. The German deli in D mall is the one top notch trust-able food source in the center White Beach area. Filipinos just can't do Western food and they bring in the most unskilled talent from rural islands who, oftentimes, can't speak English nor care what you think and how sick they can make you. It's when you have common simple questions or something goes badly wrong more than once you find out just how incompetent they are at doing their work due to a lack of support and enthusiasm. If traveling alone, don't expect much services such as boat trips, day trips, and freshly cooked food as they will instead question where your wife is and why you come alone. Instead of intelligently asking where you are from, they always ask what hotel you stay at to start the same boring stupid going nowhere conversation again and again in every situation. Rather than greeting you and delivering good service upon your entry, many will freeze up to become mute useless statues due to them being undereducated immigrant workers from isolated islands.
They will sell their services to you, but won't deliver most times as promised unless going as a group though I was able to get refunds in all my failed attempts to get on the boats for snorkeling, boating, and helmet diving. Out of ten attempts to go out on the waters after making payments, only one took me out which was the helmet dive at station 1. It's all mostly pitiful to non-existent customer service except that helmet dive is a good one. It was a huge head ache after stomach ache getting my 9 refunds for 9 commingled disorganized chaotic failed boat trips that failed to materialize, but I did just that. I strongly encourage solo backpackers to check out another country.
Last edited by AsiaESLbound on Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Caffeinated
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| It was troubling to see the amount of soil washing into the ocean from the plane on my trip to Boracay. The coral was impressive. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:25 am Post subject: |
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Wow, negative but it rings a lot of trut to wht I saw. Bohol people are so nice and sincereand I ound Boracay pople to be sury nd unfriendly.
I got a case of Boracay belly and got better, then it turned into an intenstinal infection that left me unable to absorb nutrition fom food for 3 days. I had to get an IV bag and meds. I just recovered a few days ago.
As I have said before too, I agree about the stae of the island. Beaches are 2nd to none but the rest of the island is a shootpit. I will not go back.
| AsiaESLbound wrote: |
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
Bohol will probably be it, considering they are building a new airport that may allow for direct international flights into Panglao. But it will ruin the nature of the island for sure.
If I had a lot of money to open a business, I'd open something in Bohol now before the land price really goes up. Boracay was a good investment years ago. Those people are raking it in. It has a limited future.
| Yaya wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I am going there at Xmas. I have also heard the island is in danger. It's simply too small for how many people go there and how much pollution they create.
I researched taxes for my budget. Last year in Bohol, the tax was only 550 peso when leaving Cebu.
What we're doing is booking all of our hotels in advance and paying for it all, so when we get there, we only need money for food, drink, and transportation. We're not exchanging twice, as common sense tells me that's not a good idea.
KEB or Woori bank have good exchange rates and a great selection of foreign currencies. Make sure to bring many 20, 50, and 100 peso bills. |
The search is on for the next Boracay. I've heard Port Barton, Carabao, Siquijor, Malapascua Island and a few others are candidates. |
|
I sure hope Boracay isn't ruined but its rate of development isn't helping any. Still, many feared for the future of Koh Samui in Thailand but for the most part, I hear, it's still beautiful there. |
US dollar is the primary currency exchanged worldwide, you will pay more if converting Won to pesos in the Phils, because you will technically be buying dollars with a non-native currency before they hand you your pesos. Best to buy your US dollars with a currency in it's native country or you pay more so sell those won for dollars before leaving Korea. If you can get 43 Pesos right now in Korea for the amount of won $1 cost you to buy in Korea, then it's equal to buying Pesos in the Phils with dollars. I know it gets confusing, but it's much easier than it sounds and looks once you look at it on paper.
I've been on Boracay for the past week and will break the truth to you. It is indeed a ruined island paradise. Yes, the White Beach is still beautiful, but once you step off the White Beach it all goes downhill from there. They need infrastructure like new sewers, water treatment, and removal of waste off island instead of having a big dump on the North interior part of the island which stinks all the way down to Bulabog beach and throughout the villages. I actually walked out the entire island just see what exactly Boracay island is rather than driving it out on a guided ATV tour with tunnel vision like all the Korean tourists do. The island and it's inhabitants are living in a severely sorry state of condition. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes once you see for yourself why the local labor force are unhappy people unwilling to give you good customer service. Extreme blight, poverty, lack of fresh water, and disgusting 3rd world conditions are what the locals and immigrant labor force contend with every day. The local vibe isn't a happy one. Boracay pales in comparison to what you get from going to Bali and Thailand, but costs you 2X to 3X more in the end. It's my honest mistake of going to Boracay instead of Thailand's south islands.
Food poisoning is a common problem in the tourist restaurants on White Beach with huge numbers of tourists, including myself, moaning about their bouts of tummy aches and diarrhea. I was up for 2 nights and 2 days straight in agony with my tummy cramps and explosive diarrhea with it being my worst bout of salmonella ever leading me to think I was on my way to a dirty hospital in a land where locals just simply don't care, but I was able to get antibiotics to clear it up. Be sure to check the meat in your tacos as mine was spoiled with every dried out foul smelling thing on the Mexicon plate obviously being last nights left overs. Boracay tourist staff will brazenly serve you foul food that makes you sick to your stomach, because they just don't care like it ain't nobodies business and then admit it without apology when you tell them. If on Boracay, go to Talipapa market for food shopping and self cater or supervise a cook for 100 Pesos at the kitchen grill next to the center seafood's market. The fresh live extra large sized seafood is a bonus and not crazy expensive like on the beach. The German deli in D mall is the one top notch trust-able food source in the center White Beach area. Filipinos just can't do Western food and they bring in the most unskilled talent from rural islands who, oftentimes, can't speak English nor care what you think and how sick they can make you. It's when you have common simple questions or something goes badly wrong more than once you find out just how incompetent they are at doing their work due to a lack of support and enthusiasm. If traveling alone, don't expect much services such as boat trips, day trips, and freshly cooked food as they will instead question where your wife is and why you come alone. Instead of intelligently asking where you are from, they always ask what hotel you stay at to start the same boring stupid going nowhere conversation again and again in every situation. Rather than greeting you and delivering good service upon your entry, many will freeze up to become mute useless statues due to them being undereducated immigrant workers from isolated islands.
They will sell their services to you, but won't deliver most times as promised unless going as a group though I was able to get refunds in all my failed attempts to get on the boats for snorkeling, boating, and helmet diving. Out of ten attempts to go out on the waters after making payments, only one took me out which was the helmet dive at station 1. It's all mostly pitiful to non-existent customer service except that helmet dive is a good one. It was a huge head ache after stomach ache getting my 9 refunds for 9 commingled disorganized chaotic failed boat trips that failed to materialize, but I did just that. I strongly encourage solo backpackers to check out another country. |
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qcat79
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Location: ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:03 am Post subject: |
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ttompatz and asiaeslbound,
i do thank you guys for the currency information. it's great help. i thought my girlfriend was bull$hitting me when she told me to get $$$ first, then exchange them to pesos.
that's a really sad situation to hear about Boracay. i would have never considered it.
it looks to me i'll be setting up in Malpascua. have you guys heard of that place?? it seems to be 2.5 hours from Cebu city. apparently, there's lovely snorkeling and diving there. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| qcat79 wrote: |
ttompatz and asiaeslbound,
i do thank you guys for the currency information. it's great help. i thought my girlfriend was bull$hitting me when she told me to get $$$ first, then exchange them to pesos.
that's a really sad situation to hear about Boracay. i would have never considered it.
it looks to me i'll be setting up in Malpascua. have you guys heard of that place?? it seems to be 2.5 hours from Cebu city. apparently, there's lovely snorkeling and diving there. |
Nice place, a bit quiet and a bit hard to get to. Diving and snorkeling are great.
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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Boracay is still great and I've been there four times (and about to embark on my fifth trip there). I've never had stomach problems because I avoid the dinky restaurants and such.
Still, the Phils has 7,107 islands and I have much to discover. Yet I've heard of plenty of people who've gone to Boracay dozens of times and some even moving there. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:37 pm Post subject: Boracay |
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| asiaeslbound, was this your first visit to a third world country (or lesser developed, for pc)? I spent 5 days at Boracay last year & loved it. Like Yaya I was wary of what I ate. Never had a problem getting sick. Additionally I spent 2 weeks in the Philippines this year. Again, no problem with food. But I have had food poisoning 3 times in China in 6 trips, so I know what to avoid. The most obvious source of salmonella I saw at White Beach were the shrimps out in the hot sun all day with almost no ice. I made sure the shrimp I bought was fresh (not limp) & well stacked in ice, & out of the sun. Be especially wary of meat & chicken. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Let's get back to the original topic. So you know that you shouldn't change won into pesos in the Phils but you can also withdraw up to 50,000 pesos at a CitiBank or HSBC branch in the Phils, unlike the 10,000 peso limit that most other banks there have. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:56 pm Post subject: Philippines |
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| The limit on US cards might be 20,000 pesos? I noticed that I had a "non US card", listed on my atm receipt for 10,000 pesos. |
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