Flying to the Philippines! Need help badly!

Some tips my friend Stephanie sent me, meant more for some unfamiliar with going there:

· Only drink bottled water, you will get sick otherwise. Be careful at restaurants.
· Keep your money/ID/CC in your front pocket. Don’t carry anything unnecessary around.
· You could carry around a man purse, just make sure you don’t put anything in the outside pockets and you keep a hand on it. This would help if you decide to carry around a camera, hand sanitizer, etc.
· Carry hand sanitizer & bottles water around.
· Bring anti-itch cream for mosquito bites. Bring wet wipes.
· If you look worried/concerned/scared people will know you are a foreigner. Be cool!
· You can exchange money at banks (obviously), dept stores, money exchanges. Don’t worry. Also lots of the major retailers will take credit card—this may help you out, so you aren’t carrying a lot of cash.
· As heartbreaking as it is… don’t give money to the little kids begging in the streets. If you give 1 kid money, they will all want some and will literally mob you… it happened to me and my cousin.
· Since it’s your first time visiting, I would not recommend going anywhere alone. Try to bring a relative (someone who lives there, not visiting too) with you… someone who can speak tagalog.
· If you look “wealthy” they will target you.. I’m not saying look like a bum, but just be cautious how you portray yourself.
· Restaurants to check out:
o Jollibee
o Goldilocks
o Singing Cooks & Waiters
· Shopping to check out:
o Mall of Asia
o Greenbelt
· Nightlife to check out:
o Greenbelt
o The Fort
· Food to try:
o Chicharon bulaklak
o Taho
o Balut
o Pandesal
o Some of the above you probably tried already, but it’s so much yummier in Philippines!!
· Christmas is AWESOME in Philippines!!!!
· New Years is AWESOME in Philippines!!!!--- warning, EVERYONE will be using fireworks/firecrackers. Fireworks there are not necessarily “safe” like in the states. Be very cautious if you light some, and also be aware of your surroundings so you don’t get hit/burned!
· A camera is pretty safe to bring around... again,
· A lot of the warnings I gave you really comes down to 1 thing: be aware and cautious of what is on you and your surroundings. I don’t want you to be worried during your whole trip, still enjoy! Just be more cautious than normal.
· I don’t think you should carry your laptop around—there really is no use for you to do so. I would say bring it so you can surf the web, blog, transfer pics… but leave it wherever you will be staying, and make sure it’s locked up safely.
· Bring an unlocked phone that works internationally. If you don’t have one, I think my family has one you could maybe borrow. You can buy a SIM card in the Philippines, one of your relatives can help you out.
· If your family doesn’t have internet, there are lots of internet cafes there.
· You will go shopping J make sure you leave extra room in your luggage. Or.. what I normally do.. I end up leaving the clothes I brought and bringing back the ones I bought :p
· Phillipines runs on 220V, whereas the U.S. runs on 110V. Don’t just plug in things!! You will break your electronics if you do so!! Read the voltage of your electronics first. If you aren’t sure, don’t do it!!

I suppose it's only right that I add my own travel tips after soliciting everyone I know for them:

- Those surgical masks you can get from hospitals would probably be useful during long jeepney trips, but my family found them useful on New Year's Eve when the streets were filled with firecracker smoke
- For mosquito bites, Benadryl gel will numb the itch. For any serious bite that induces swelling and pain (beyond itchiness), get some ointment and apply hot compress to relieve the swelling.
- My family there didn't have a constant internet connection, but my uncle was able to purchase internet via SIM card (though it was kind of expensive – 60 pesos for three hours).
- Green Hills and Divisoria are a couple of good places to get some knockoff designer accessories/and clothes – just make sure to go with someone who can bargain the price down
- Keep your white people hidden! We seemed to be jinxed with getting pulled over when my uncle or my sister's boyfriend was sitting in the front seat of the car.
- Green mango for life. But damn...make sure you coat that thing in bagoong to tone down the intense sourness. Enough of that salty paste can make green mango downright sweet.
- No one ever warned me about the “stone” found inside balut – a hard white rubbery tasteless part of the egg. Remove before bravely biting in!
- Though it may seem touristy, a guided tour can be a great way to get a lot of history in. I mean, chances are you are a tourist even if it is your home country, right?
- Don't fear street food! Well, unless it's sitting out in the open next to a busy road or somewhere equally dusty. I'd fear that.
- All the malls have tons of restaurants, but they also each have a food court with authentic Pilipino food. I say don't bother with them – they may be cheap, but they probably lack in quality compared to what you or your family could make with all the fresh ingredients around.