Roads: 5

The quality of the roads varies, it seems, by the kilometer. The big issue is that some of the main roads can

Typical Church from 1800's

be in very bad repair. Repairs, here, take a long time and the funds for this can “disappear”. However, armed with good information (long distance bus drivers) you can frequently find good roads even if they are secondary roads. In the northern Luzon mountains, the roads continue to be rough dirt and they are being improved slowly. They told us the project is to be completed by 2012. As complex as the terrain (mountainous islands) is the road system is largely very good. Avoid the spider web of ill maintained and clogged roads around Manila. Generally speaking, stick to the good main roads around Luzon. Some of the grades in the interior are very tough. In the Visayas, the roads run along the coasts and usually reach around every island. Occasionally they are unpaved but fairly well maintained.

Traffic: 7

Most popular form of transportation

In 2008, the coastal highway on the northeast coast of Luzon has become clogged with traffic. When the road is the only main road north, it becomes treacherous. From Subic City to 100 Islands, and then from above San Fernando the traffic level is lower and manageable. Southern Luzon is better, often with good roads. Around the Visayas, the roads are generally quiet except around the big cities especially Cebu City and Bacolod. Have I mentioned the horrible conditions in Manila? Stay away.

Weather: 7

In 2008, it was the year of La Nina. The weather was very wet. For 90 days, the best weather we had was in the mountains of Northern Luzon. This was very atypical. We experienced days in January of all day rain. It’s a tropical climate. The dry season is generally from November to May but because of complex topography, there are variations in this pattern. It’s less predictable than on the main land of Asia. The hottest month in the Visayas is April.

Winds: 7
From November to May the winds are from the Northeast and mostly moderate and predictable. On the east

Aclaimed as the most perfect cone volcano, Lagaspi, S. Luzon

coasts (on the lee side of the mountains), the winds got knocked down and became variable. In the Visayas, the winds are frequently a non-factor. Even into the wind is not a difficult issue. In the northern most part of Luzon, the winds (and rain) made it impossible to ride for a few days. The locals said that it was not typical but it did happen. If it is windy in the Philippines, you will get the brunt of it since you are either in the mountains or along the coast.

Scenery: 9

Because the rains continued into the so called “dry season”, the country side remained green and lush. There are endless picturesque beaches that the roads run along. In the mountains, especially in Luzon, the mountain scenery is sensational. The rice fields of northern Luzon are spectacular (if you have good timing). Like in most of Asia, a beautiful view is not a value. In Culasi, on Panay Island, we were on a beach, with hundreds of full pig pens, watching an incredibly colorful sunset over a bay studded with small islands. Welcome to the Philippines.

Information: 3

Waterfall on route to Puerto Galara from Calapan -O Mindoro

Good information is hard to come by. Tourist information offices know close to nothing about roads that are out of their towns and never have local maps. There is, Cycling Philippines by Jens Funk and Martin Langewoord. This bike book is worth having, for the Visayas but isn’t completely reliable. There is a website by Jens Peters (lives in the Philippines and formally wrote for Lonely Planet) www.travelphil.com. His latest guide book is from 2005, Travel the Philippines. The Lonely Planet only updates Jens Peters original writing. Local Filippino’s information is very limited, they know their city but not much farther. We met two foreign cyclist and on week-ends we would see local cyclistss in groups. Local cyclists know only their area of an Island.

Road Safety: 7
The Filipinos are very forgiving and respectful drivers. It becomes a simple matter of avoiding the busy main highways. Around Manila, Cebu City, Bacolod the traffic is heavy. The quiet roads in the rest of the country, especially the Visayas, offer very safe conditions. The drivers are no more or less courteous than in any other Asian countries. But they are basically kind.

General Safety: 8
It was simply a pleasure to not live defensively. Crime is still only an urban happening. Even in the smaller cities, its very safe. In the countryside, crime is almost never an issue.

Value: 7

Northern Luzon, Bridge along the coast

50% higher for the same quality of room in as the rest of South East Asia. Other than that, everything else represents good value.

Fluids: 8
They now have clean water stations in almost every town where you can get your water bottles cleaned and fillled with filtered water for almost nothing. San Miguel beer is light and agreeable for the tropics. Gatorade, soda pop etc is usually available. They value cold but often don’t fire up the fridge. We used ice everywhere.

Food: 6
In 2008, we feel that Filiino food is underrated. Granted it’s not as distinctive as the other Asian foods, but they have great grilled chicken and pork. Specialty restaurants serving these are really good. We also liked the Filipino breakfast. I’ve never knowingly eaten dog. A nice thing about restaurants in the Philippines is that it’s expected that you look into their offerings that are put out in pots. In one place, I inquired about what I was looking at. “It’s the meat of the dog, sir.” Their menu consisted of dog meat, dog curry and a whole dog head. We left.

Accomodations: 6

Chocolate Hills, Bohol Island

In 2008, seldom were we forced into substandard rooms even in smaller towns. The cost of a room is now much higher. A big issue was the claustrophobic window-less tombs which gave us the willies. We’d make sure there was a window.

People: 10
The greatest resource of the Philippines is the people. They have a manner that is so becoming. If you’ve ever encountered a Filipino anywhere, you’ll remember their kind, gentle, easy going and fun loving manner. So often around the world, you encounter Filipinos in service businesses. Their naturally soft manner makes them supremely qualified in these “people to people” jobs. It is such a pleasure to be surrounded by these people.

Culture: 6
I could tell you about the swirl of these cultural crosscurrents but in reality, this is the pop culture capital of

Purified water stations in every town

Asia. There is karaoke, ballroom dancing and garishly decorated cars, buses and homes. All of them are delightful. It is the land of “Sappy songs and slogans.” They are unapologetically influenced by the current pop culture. They are renouned around Asia for their western pop music and their music groups who get top billing in all of Asia. It seems that there national sport is cock fighting. In the backcountry, if you can get there, there are still people who live as tribal units but they are hard to find.

History: 4
The surviving catherdrals are special. In fact, there is the same feel here as in Central American: Drab Cities with beautiful churches and they even have the central squares in the center of the towns (left over from 400 years under the Spanish). Other than Intramuras in Manila, you seldom encounter historical buildings. It’s the land of typhoons, earthquakes and volcanoes and they have taken a toll. Perhaps the most interesting historical aspect is the sites of the World War II battles.

TOTAL SCORE 100