planning travel to south east asia and philippines, any information?

[cstebbs]

hi i am planning to travel to south east asia in 2009 also the phillipines, please could some body give me some information on:- best places and countrys to visit, how easy is it to travel round overland?,hows best to travel to phillippines, cost of accomodation food drink etc, and any other information that will be usefull. it will be my first time travelling.
thanks

[helloworldbea]

For Manila I always stay in the Ermita area. Ermita is just off Roxas Blvd. and not far from the US Embassy. In Ermita you have the big Robinson Mall, bars, restaurants, travel agencies for tours, restaurants, casinos and after a short walk you can access the MRT.

[cstebbs]

thanks for the info, any body else have any more info like is it worth goin to the ah atan festival in phillippines and where are the best places to visit apart from manilla thanks

[wershwie]

Hi!

It would help if you'd share your interests so we can sorta tailor-fit your destinations here. There are lots to choose from - beaches for water sports or diving, beaches for just lounging, nature trails, shopping, mountain treks, etc.

I'd be happy to help you out with details. Just lemme know what exactly you wanna see.

[cstebbs]

thanks i am interested in doin some treks and some beaches apart from that i am just looking for advise really on things to do and see i am interested and would try most things thanks.

[cstebbs]

also do you have an idea wot the nightlife is like thanks

[wershwie]

Religious festivals are always a come-on for most travellers here. There's a lot of street dancing and colorful costumes. You can check out the dept. of tourism website for schedules - www.wowphilippines.com

There are beaches everywhere, being an archipelago. The more famous ones are in Boracay, Palawan, in and around Cebu, Bohol, Puerto Galera, Nasugbu/Calatagan/San Juan Batangas, Pangasinan, Pagudpud, Camiguin, Siargao.

For the more tranquil areas with trekking and nature trails, there's Bulacan, Dumaguete, the mountain province (Sagada, Banawe, Baguio), also in Palawan.

For surfing, there's La Union in the North and Siargao in the South.

For diving there's Anilao, Puerto Galera, Bohol, Sogod Bay, Dumaguete, and Palawan.

Lots of options, really.

Nightlife is everywhere, especially around the urban parts. Mixing nightlife with beach life, you'll have to check out Boracay, Puerto Galera, Bohol, and Cebu.

HTH

[cstebbs]

thank you very much that information will be very usefull to me

[wershwie]

No problem Do holler when you're in town!