Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

The islands of the Philippine archipelago are volcanic in origin and are mountainous. The islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Philippines have numerous rivers, volcanoes, streams, narrow coastal plains and beautiful sandy beaches which foreign and local tourist enjoy. The country has a total of 36,289 kilometres of coastline.

The symbols on the white triangle of the Philippine flag are an eight rayed sun and three stars in gold. The sun represents the dawning of a new era of self determination that was desired in 1897. The 8 rays on the sun stand for the 8 provinces that rose in revolt against Spanish rule in the late 19th century. The 3 stars stand for the 3 principal geographic areas of the country, Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The red stripe represents courage and bravery and the blue stripe is for noble ideals. The white triangle stands for the Katipunan, a revolutionary organization that led the revolt against Spain and the colour white represents peace and purity.

The joy of new experience is the most wonderful thing about travel, and new experiences are free. Walk the streets of a city. Stop and chat with a local. People watch in a public parks. Climb to the top of a hill and watch the sun set over the ocean. The simple joy of being in a new place is just a matter of going someplace new.

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There are four modes of public transport in Metro Manila and surprisingly, they are easy to use.

Buses: Both air-conditioned and regular buses travel most of the major routes in Metro Manila. On an air-con bus a short ride costs about PhP9.00, adding a few peso for every succeeding kilometre. The regular bus' minimum fare is PhP4.00. Just tell the conductor where you are going and he will tell you how much it costs. Keep your bus receipt as it is your proof of payment.

Jeepneys: Called "folk arton wheels," jeepneys ply most of Manila's secondary roads and even a few major thoroughfares. They're as much fun to ride on as they are to look at and you have to try one. Although there are regular stops, you can often just flag one down and hop on. Call out "bayad" (bah-yhad) and pay the driver. If you are too far back, pass your PhP4.00 (minimum fare for the first 4 kilometres, 1 peso additional for every succeeding 500 meters) down. When you are ready to get off, call out "para" (pah-rah), wait till he slows down and jump.

Taxis: Air-conditioned taxis cost PhP25.00 on the meter and an additional PhP 2.00 is added for every succeeding 200meters to the final cost. Non-air-conditioned taxis do not ply anymore. Taxis are always lined up at the major hotels and tourist restaurants and can be hailed on the street. If you take a taxi, make sure the driver turns on the meter. If he gives you a story that it is broken, get out and take another taxi. Unless you are taking a long trip or the traffic is unusually horrible, most taxi rides should be well under P100. At least a 10% tip is expected.

The LRT: It's a fast, cheap way to go to downtown Manila. A token can take you between Monumento (the northern end of Edsa) and Baclaran, travelling first along Rizal Avenue and then Taft Avenue. Many of the tourist maps have the route of the LRT marked.

The MRT: Is now enjoying a fair share of passengers plying EDSA. This is definitely the fastest mode of transport, this side of the metropolis. The MRT runs from the North Avenue Station in Quezon City up to Taft Avenue Station in Pasay City. Passengers would enjoy the traffic-less route, clean stations and coach, with a good view of Metro Manila's landscape. The only problem is that some stations have very high stairways. Although a number of elevators is operational, not all stations have one. Travel time is approximately 20 minutes end to end.

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