Economy Class Review: Singapore Airlines

Economy Class Review: SINGAPORE AIRLINES, Executive Economy Class


Alright. Like the blog's heading suggests, I am an economy class traveller. I have ridden airlines numerous times and 99% of them are in economy class. In this blog, I will rate them according to MY satisfaction and experience. This does not serve as a general reference to the public since: (1) the only airlines I'll rate here are the ones I've been on, (2) I do not know Skytraxx standards, (3) ratings come from personal experiences and (4) the satisfaction of one person from the other differs variably.

Rating, by the way x/5 where x can be any number from 1 to 5. 5 is the highest and 1 is the lowest.



SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SIA/SQ)

A Little History

Way back when, SIA was known as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. It was at a certain point that Malaysia decided to put up its own airline (Malaysia Airlines), leaving Singapore with MSA. The management eventually changed its name, thus, Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines has constantly been nominated as one of the best airlines in the world. At a certain point, it had won three Best Airline of Year award in a row. Furthermore, according to Skytraxx Standards, SQ is one of the six (6) Five-Start carriers in the world. Alongside with SQ's victories, Changi airport (SQ's home/hub) has been gaining prestigious awards itself; among which is being the World's Best Airport award for a handsome number of years now.

Just to be clear, I'm not a frequent flier of any airline. I travel on whichever airline offers the lowest fare to my destination.

I've been on Singapore Airlines on our flight from Manila-Los Angeles (MNL-SIN-TPE-LAX), from San Francisco-Manila (SFO-ICN-SIN-MNL), and our recent flight from Manila-Kuala Lumpur and Singapore-Manila. Here's how I rate the airline company.


SQ INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

Since Singapore is a really small country (45km from East to West and 21km from North to South), I don't think SQ operates any domestic flights. SQ is one of, if not only, few airlines in the world that survives only on international routes. SQ flies to 61 cities in 34 countries across the globe (excluding 31 cities served by Silk Air, its subsidiary).


SEATS AND INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM (IFE)

The New Seats

SQ's new seats are found in their A330-300, B777-300ER and A380-800 aircrafts, as far as I know. On our way to Kuala Lumpur, just recently, we rode on their A330-300 (one of the newly added aircrafts in their fleet) and were pleased to find that we were going to use their new seats. The new seats were quite spacious with enough legroom to make a six-foot man sit comfortably and still have a breathing space.


Their new screens were a lot bigger than the old seats (10.6"), complete with a USB port, iPod connector and the armrest equipped with in-seat power supply (where you can plug your laptop). Charging of batteries is not allowed, though.


Aside from its work capabilities, Krisworld also let you enjoy a number (is 1,000 choices in the multimedia library enough for you?) of blockbuster films recently released around the world. I remember having seen Hollywood, Korean, Chinese, French and English movies in their pamphlet; yes, they have a separate pamphlet/booklet for their entertainment system. Further, Krisworld also offers episodes from popular series (Glee, 30 Rock, etc), cartoons for the young ones (movies and series), music (from oldies to techno to KPop to whatever pleases your ears), language crash courses and many more! The best part is... it's all ON-DEMAND*!!!

Too bad that the A330-300 leg of our trip only lasted about 40 minutes as a Singapore-Kuala Lumpur flight is very a short leg.

For this, I rate it a 5/5.

The Old Seats

SQ's old seats are, actually, not that old-looking. The old cabin makes you feel... "Asian" with is pink and purple motif.

As with the new seats, the old ones provide each passenger with his/her own entertainment system, also ON-DEMAND*. The legroom is almost, if not, exactly the same with the new ones as well as the seat pitch. The old seats, however, lack in-seat power, iPod connector, USB port and all other (new) things present in the new economy class seat.

By the way, not all B777-200/ERs are not fitted with On-Demand features. I think only the B777-200ERs have AVOD (Audio-video on-demand).

Even if all aircrafts don't have AVOD I'd still give it a 5/5 because of the choices of the shows/movies, etc...

For the B777-200 that didn't have AVOD a 4.9/5 for me. 5/5 for the rest.


*ON-DEMAND - meaning you watch/listen to whatever it is you want to watch/listen to when you want to. On-demand viewing gives you the power to fast-forward or rewind a clip without spoiling the viewing pleasure of other passengers. How cool is that?!



INFLIGHT SERVICES AND FLIGHT ATTENDANT COURTESY

Pre-flight/Post Boarding and After take-off, before meals

Ok, this you don't see too much in other economy class cabins in other airlines. Before the plane start taxiing to the runway, the cabin crew go about the cabin and give out hot--and I mean refreshingly hot--towels. (Insert your "No Way" here) Yes way!

After the take-off? They don't serve the meal just yet. They give off menu cards where the choices for drinks and main course are printed and where you can read what drinks you can abuse (haha.. kidding.. but really, you can [abuse]; just don't). After that, they give a bag of nuts you can munch on while you choose your media in their IFE. While they do that (serving of nuts), they start to hand out drinks--here's your first chance to ask them for something from the menu. I had Bailey's on the rocks. Then, they give out the headphones for you to hear what you're watching. Take note, these headphone produce much better sound quality (not to mention better durability) than the ones PR give our to their international economy class passengers or domestic business class passengers.

5/5 is and understatement but 5 is our limit so. 5/5 it is.

Food

SQ is a premier airline company (read 5 Star Airline) and it sees to it that its passengers get only the best; yes, even if they are in economy class. On the nine (9) flight legs that we had with them, no food offering was repeated. Everything on the menu was different and one of the selections was always themed after the country of destination.

The menu that I remembered most was on our San Francisco-Incheon (Korea) flight. The choices were: (1) Grilled Sea bass with ginger sauce on pasta or (2) Kimchi Beef on rice. The grilled fish was the USA side of the trip while the beef was, obviously, the Korean. I got to taste both 'cause one of my companions on the trip couldn't finish hers... So, there you go.

And on our recent Singapore trip, we had (1) Braised noodles with roasted pork with Chinese greens for the Singapore side and (2) Cardillo [Fish] for the Filipino one. Both were good, mind you.

Very well prepared, very delectable so 5/5 is very well deserved.

On SQ's Food

Singapore Airlines have this panel put up to inspect and prepare the dishes to be served during their flights. Might I say, they're doing an excellent job. One could tell that they really prepare for their flights and they pay attention to details.

The snacks? Man! Awesome! The Taipei-Los Angeles crew prepared Twix, sandwiches and apples (the yummy ones). They weren't prepared by the panel but it was great to chow on some classic snacks while viewing your movie/show/clip or playing on their Krisworld.

I give SQ a 5/5 on this one.


On SQ's Beverages

Is a choice of about 20 different cocktails, beers and spirits enough for you? From straight up alcohols to mixed cocktails or non-alcoholic margaritas to the world-famous Singapore Sling, take your pick; oh, that doesn't even include the juices and sodas available on board.

I had Bailey's on the rocks and Singapore Sling and both were awe-f^)
For putting a lot of choices--meaning they accomodate a lot of different preferrences--I think they deserve a 5/5, don't you?


On flight attendant (FA) courtesy and conduct

At some certain point in my life, I thought that Chinese-Singaporeans were very strict and had monsters for attitudes but boy, was I wrong. The FAs in SQ were the exact opposite. Come to think of it, they were more accommodating than do the PR FAs. They don't pout, they don't show ghetto attitude, they're very hospitable and they're very professional with their work.

Another 5/5 easily given to the crew who deserve more.



Overall rating? 4.99/5 but it can easily be made 5/5. It's no wonder why Singapore Airlines is included in the roster of 5 Star Airlines (there are only five airlines included worldwide: Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Malaysia Airlines). And even if they offer one of the more expensive airfares among other airlines, a lot of people still opt for SQ.

I think SQ has the most expensive first class roundtrip airfare from Manila to London. How much? It's around Php 750,000 for one guest. That's how expensive they can get.

On Airport Taxis

Just last May 29, 2010 me, my siblings, my uncle and his wife and 10 other people arrived in Manila (from a group tour in Singapore). Since we arrived in Manila at around 6PM--the evening rush hour--it was difficult for us to find a taxi to take us to our hotel in Makati.

We were, by the way, regrouped into mini groups which was composed of four (4) persons; maximum of four passengers only per taxi.

After waiting for a few minutes, our (big) group head told me and my mini group that we should go ahead and hire a metered airport taxi (the yellow one). So we did.

A regular taxi--the one that starts its rate a P 30 pesos--ride to our hotel would usually cost us between P 100-P 150, if the driver is honest enough not to take a longer route. A metered airport taxi starts its rate at P 70 (plus P 3 for every 300 meters) so we expected to pay at around P 150-P200.

As expected, we met the Manila traffic enroute to our hotel. The first thing I noticed about our taxi's meter was it mile counter (the one that counts down from 300 to 0 for P 3/300m additional cost) still ran, at a fast rate might I add, even if the vehicle was not moving.

By the time we arrived our hotel, the taxi meter indicated that our total bill was at P 268, as far as I can remember; that wasn't the worst part. The other mini-groups followed behind. Groups 2 and 3 arrived in our hotel a few minutes after we did. But the last group's taxi seemed to have taken his time to go to our hotel. The last group's taxi meter indicated that their total bill was at P 348!

Here's the worst part: group 2 and 3's taxi did not flag down the meter, saying that they would be basing the price they would charge on the last group's taxi. Talk about cheating.

To cut the story short, the group head (my uncle) spoke his mind to the taxi drivers. He told them that if they were not cheating, they should give us an official receipt to prove that that was really the bill we should pay. They didn't.

After everything calmed down, the hotel staff told us that we were not the first ones to complain. We learned that a lot of guests were also, in a way, "robbed" by these cheating drivers. I was a good thing, according to them, that someone finally stood up against them.


Here are a few tips to avoid being tricked by these a-holes:

1. DO NOT speak any language or dialect aside from Tagalog. Learn Manila twang before you go to Manila.

2. KNOW your route. Inform the driver which route you want to take. Google maps is a good tool to use.

3. KNOW the price range from point A to point B.

4. If you think you are being tricked, stay calm. DO NOT fight fire with fire. React only upon arrival to your destination (read Tips 2 and 3).

If you have been on that route before, you probably know the price range. If your past bill and the current had too large a discrepancy (P 100 and above), tell the driver that you were not pleased with what he did. Pay only the amount you paid in the past.

My aunt once went to Market! Market! from Makati and paid only P 50 for the taxi fare. Once done with her shopping, she took another taxi back to her hotel. She was surprised that the taxi meter read more than P 150. The driver took a long route to bloat the bill. My aunt was already suspicious then but only told the driver to hurry up because she another appointment in the following hour. Upon arriving in her hotel, within the sight of the security guard, she told the taxi driver she was displeased and that she would only pay P 50 as the first taxi she rode charged her such. Because the driver was guilty, there was nothing he could do.

Vacation 2010

For this year (2010) we decided to take a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore. It's our second time on both places so, we're pretty familiar with some things there.. :D

The best part of our trip? SINGAPORE AIRLINES!!! Wooohooo!

Be packing my things, getting a haircut and all the pre-travel etc's a day before the flight to Kuala Lumpur. How exciting is that?! Not to mention the pressure on me.. XD

I'm excited, nonetheless.

Economy Class Seat Review: Philippine Airlines

Alright. Like the blog's heading suggests, I am an economy class traveller. I have ridden airlines numerous times and 99% of them are in economy class. In this blog, I will rate them according to MY satisfaction and experience. This does not serve as a general reference to the public since: (1) the only airlines I'll rate here are the ones I've been on, (2) I do not know Skytraxx standards, (3) ratings come from personal experiences and (4) the satisfaction of one person from the other differs variably.

Rating, by the way x/5 where x can be any number from 1 to 5. 5 is the highest and 1 is the lowest.



PHILIPPINE AIRLINES (PAL/PR)

I've been riding PR constantly until Grand Air and Cebu Pacific entered the market. From what I can remember when I was a child, PR served decent meals which included rice, viand, dessert and drinks even in a DVO-MNL run. That was then.


PRESENT DVO-MNL RUN

The company might be cutting cost or increasing profit or both, I don't know the real reason but the service I used to like was now just a thing of the past. Instead of a decent meal in a modern aircraft, they now only serve a pack of biscuits and a cup of juice or coffee or tea or water. Talk about cheap.


PR's INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

Just last November 2009, we went to San Francisco, CA to visit some relatives and we took PR. I was pleasantly surprised when we boarded their B747-400 and find that we chanced upon their newly-refurbished cabin. Everything in the cabin now looks like PR is really ready to take on the international market.

SEATS AND INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM (IFE)

The New Seats
The old PR seats are now replaced with new ones (duh) from Recaro; each seat is equipped with a touch-screen monitor. Their IFE features current movies, music albums, games and some (recorded) TV shows. Their media library could use more selections, though. From what I remembered, there were only a few international flicks and music, a few Pinoy ones, a few games and a few music selection.

Seat pitch is quite generous for a coach cabin. I was able to recline (but not so much) and take a short nap during the 12-hour trip. If it matters, I really meant to take just a short nap* so that I could adjust to the new time zone in my destination faster.

Legroom for the refurbished aircraft is above-average; enough to give you "breathing" space but not to give you enough leeway when you're on the innermost seat and you need to go to the washroom.

For this I give it 3.7/5


The Old Seats
The old PR seats are still found in their fleet, specifically in PR's A330-300s, A340-300s and in one of the B747-400s. The old seats are as exciting as a cucumber and a snail. They (seats) have no IFEs, just headphone jacks to plug in the headphone they'll provide and listen to the audio of the movie on the big screen or the pre-compiled music playlists. Imagine the boredom I had to endure during the nine-hour flight from Manila to Honolulu.

The old seats, however, are more comfortable (again, IMO) than the new ones. The legroom is about the same as the new ones.

I rate the old seats as 2.9/5. +3.6 for comfort, -0.7 for not having IFE.


*Tip: If your destination has a difference of/more than (+/-) six hours and you know that your arrival time is sometime night time, try not to fall asleep. If you can't avoid it, a short nap should be enough.

If, however, your arrival time in your destination is sometime in the morning try to get as much sleep as you can.


INFLIGHT SERVICES AND FLIGHT ATTENDANT COURTESY

Food

On two separate instances that I rode on Philippine Airlines in its trips to the US (SFO and HNL), they served Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet or Chicken Adobo (somewhat similar to Soy Chicken) along with a few slices of fruits, a salad, a dessert and drinks.

On PR's Food

I found it amusing that PR serves traditional Filipino food (pertaining to adobo) to its passengers. At least, foreigners get to taste what we eat at home. I got the fish, by the way; I'm not so much into chicken adobo, not when the chicken is hormone-rich (broiler). My companion got the chicken--she didn't finish it.

I finished mine but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it; finishing my food is a habit of mine. First of all in its name, Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet, the only justfied part was Fish Fillet. The sauce used to glaze the food was neither sweet nor sour; it was salty. The rice? It was nothing short of *oh how do I describe it..* undelectable.

The rice was fried or I think it was. It was oily and had carrots and peas mixed with it so I figured that it must've been fried...insufficiently.

Good thing the breakfast meal was better. I had sausages and hashbrowns, kinda like the breakfast they serve in Mabuhay Class (Business Class) in their domestic flights.

Of the two long-haul PR flights I've been on and eight (8) meals they served the passengers, I was satisfied with only three (3).

Oh and if you look at their inflight magazine, you'd see that they would serve yummy-looking snacks from Goldilocks or Red Ribbon--they DON'T. On our return flight from Honolulu, I got hungry after the meal so I got up and went to the rear of the aircraft, to the galley (they didn't respond when I pressed the FA Call Button). I was expecting a fluffy mamon or something like that. I got what seemed to be a miniscule burger--it said "Asado Bun" on the label and a small cup of water. WTF?!

The snack was disgusting! The bread was hard and tasted really stale. There was hardly any asado taste in the filling. Then I realized:"Ohh! So that's why they gave me water; to soften the bread a bit."

For this, I rate PR's food service with 1.9/5 for the meals and 0/5 for the snack.


On PR's Beverages

The only choices we had during and after the meal were: water, orange/apple juice, red/white wine, two kinds of soda, coffee or tea. Somewhat limited for an international/intercontinental flight. I guess they were saving up so they could pay for the B777-300ERs they had coming.

If I remember correctly, the sodas were of the Virgin brand, the wines weren't seasoned/aged very well, and the coffee and tea were both diluted. At least the OJ/AJ were good.

Weak sauce, if you ask me. I give it 1/5.


On flight attendant (FA) courtesy and conduct

In all fairness, I stood erected err corrected about my bias when it comes to PR's FAs. They were really not that uptight while serving the passengers, at least most of them weren't. Most of them were actually warm while greeting the passengers who were boarding the aircraft, while handing out the meal tray and on some other occasions.

On one occasion, actually, two of the flight's FAs conversed with us like we were friends. They were very much like fish in the water or gays in the parlor.

Two cents. First: on our return flight from Honolulu, I got hungry after eating a late lunch. I went to the back of the aircraft, the galley, to ask for something chow on. I was expecting a smile that comes with the food but I got a mocking stare from that fat, gay cabin crew and the oger it was with! I think they were irritated at me for cutting their conversation. Well sorry. I forgot their job was to stand in the corner and gossip. (Hindi na raw biased, oh?! I said most of them, not all of them.)

Second: why does PR still keep those attendants that seem to have broken loose in the galley?! You don't see that in other airlines; you just don't.

I give it 3.9/5.




So there. Getting all ratings and averaging them, it all comes down to 2.68/5. It's above 50% (54% actually) and it's weak! Come on! Just because you're Asia's First Airline, doesn't mean your services/facilities have to be antique!

Manila Taxi Drivers Are Queens

Ok, so not all of them.

I was in Manila between March 5 to 8, 2010 and in one of those days, we watched the pyrotechnics competition in the biggest mall in the country (aka Mall of Asia). It started at around 7:45pm and ended at around 11:00pm. But that's not the point of this blog.

After the show, of course, we head to our hotel for a good night's rest but then taxi drivers in MOA won't take us because the price isn't right. My uncle even offered Php 200/$4.00 to a driver to take them (he and his wife) to a Php100-destination. The driver declined, saying he wanted Php 300/$6.00. My uncle may be rich but he isn't a fool--he declined. To cut the story short, the driver didn't pick up any passengers from that location.

My point? Drivers are saying how tough times are, complaining that life's too cruel to them. Well here's something to think about, mamang driver: it isn't! You're the ones who're being difficult. YOU make life hard on yourselves you lazy-ass, taking-advantage-of-the-situation drivers. HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY EARN A DECENT LIVING IF YOU DON'T EVEN WORK FOR IT? How could you attract more passengers (ergo, cash) if you keep on asking unreasonable rates??? HOW can you attract tourist (ergo, more cash) into the country if you take advantage of their lack of knowledge about our country??? HOW?

Can't you just stop for a while, and think: If you were more honest, wouldn't you attract more passengers? If you were more reasonable wouldn't you have more income? If you were to be less greedy wouldn't more blessings come to you? Think. Even just for a second, think.

Davao City, Philippines

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Here's destination 1: Davao City, Philippines.

Home to the smells-like-hell-but-tastes-like-heaven fruit, Davao City is located in the southern part of the southernmost Philippine island of Mindanao. Characterized by mountainous terrains on the northern part and beautiful beaches on the south, this city boasts of a good mixture of both flora and fauna, and urban and rural.


GETTING THERE (HERE)
The fastest way to travel to Davao is through air travel. From Manila, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Zest Air travel at least 4x daily (PR and 5J only) to Davao; the earliest flight from Manila, being 5J, is at 04:00am. The trip usually takes an hour and 45 minutes. From abroad, you can arrange a connecting flight with Silk Air/Singapore Airlines; Singapore-Davao route takes about two hours and 50 minutes.

Davao is also accessible by sea via ship lines. Suplicio Lines and Super Ferry are two of the most prominent ships seen at Sasa Wharf.

By land, from Manila, it would take tourists approximately three (3) days with layovers in different cities/towns and a few RORO (Roll on, roll off) ferry rides to reach Davao City.

WHERE TO STAY

City Center Hotels

These hotels are self explanatory. They can be found within the city limits and are accessible to malls, shopping areas and parks. They may cost more than the motels but you’re safer and more comfortable in these establishments. Usually, these hotels serve buffet breakfast that comes with your night’s stay.

Seaside Hotel-Resorts

Because Davao City has a sea-side, resort-hotels are also abundant. A night in a fairly good room’s cost would normally start from P 1,500 ($30). Seaside resort can be as near as a 20-minute drive from the city center and as far as a 45-minute drive. Do note, however, that some of these resorts do not offer white sand beaches.

If you prefer white sand beaches, a trip to the Island Garden City of Samal would be a good idea. They, too, offer hotel-resorts.

Mountain Resorts

High, up in Davao’s mountainside, hide humble but awesome highland resorts. An hour and half drive would let you experience a breath-taking view of the city area, especially at night. Rooms here are cabin-type; you know, the ones you usually see in the movies.. J. They average about Php 3,000 and up ($60 and up).

WHEN TO GO

It is good to visit Davao anytime of the year. If you want to experience a festival during your visit, though, try flying in during the months of March and August for the Araw ng Davao and Kadayawan, respectively.

WHAT TO DO

If you are a nature person, Davao is probably heaven to you. There are lots of activities to choose from; among other things are snorkeling, zip line(ing), white-water rafting, visiting conservation parks, trekking and don’t forget tasting the durian fruit (you’ve never been to Davao if you didn’t try)!

If you are more of the urban man, Davao also has dance clubs, coffee shops, malls, shopping areas and, yes, red light districts; but NEVER, never forget the durian fruit. :D

PLACES OF INTEREST/GOOD EATS

Crocodile Park/Tribu K’Mindanawon

Crocodile Park is one of the oldest parks in the city. In here, you’ll find, just as the name suggests, crocodiles of varying sizes. A mini zoo has also been put up to contain many a species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Check out their schedules so that you could come when they feed the crocodiles.

K’Mindanawon, on the other hand, is a newly-built park which is owned by the same owners of Croc Park. It is a cultural park which shows the traditional houses of native people in the Philippines. At certain times of the day, performances are held to showcase the traditional dances of tribes present in Mindanao.

The company that owns the two aforementioned parks also owns a butterfly sanctuary but I do not yet recommend it as it is less than underdeveloped. If you, however, want to see it, the park is just along the Croc Park and Tribu line.

Eden Nature Park

An hour’s drive from the city would take to one of the mountain resort of Davao—Eden. Here, one truly communes with nature as (s)he retreats from the hassles and bustles of city life. A visit to the park may prove to be a great weekender.

While you’re there, try their new offering: the Zip Line.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort

Okay, so Pearl Farm may be not in Davao City but that isn’t an excuse for me not to recommend it. In the words of one of our visitors from the States, “…walang sinabi ang Maui dito…” (Maui has got nothing compared to this). Don’t hate, I didn’t just make that up. Oh, and they were not the only ones who said so.

Coral Garden

Be sure to visit Samal Island’s coral garden in one of your visits. My cousin, after a scuba session, cried tears of joy for the beauty she saw underwater. There are offices along Sta. Ana Wharf that offer diving tours.

Penong’s Chicken

This is one of the more-famous-less-elegant restaurants in Davao. It offers barbeque chicken, and pork among other stuff. Its popularity is mainly because it offered unlimited rice servings first among other restaurants. J

Brother’s Burgers

Located in Damosa Gateway, this burger joint is fast gaining popularity not only because of its expensive products but also of their oh-so-yummy burgers!

Dusk Till Dawn

This restaurant is somewhat similar to Penong’s the only difference is that DTD offers a healthier serving of grilled chicken. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that despite its façade, the food offering is good-to-the-bones.

Bigby’s

If you’re a Westerner who wants to play it safe, Bigby’s may be your restaurant of choice. They offer a wide array of dishes originating from different parts of the world.

For a serving like theirs in the Philippines, you’ll be pleased with the price(s).

MYTHS ABOUT DAVAO

Davao City is a rebel-infested area. Thankfully, no. The area the media (curse media for over sensationalizing stuff) are pointing is approximately six hours away; Jolo is much farther—two days by boat.

There are no pick-pockets in Davao. Davao may be one of the safest cities in the Philippines but that doesn’t mean poverty does not exist in our city. Just be very, very careful of your belongings. When going out, bring just enough money. If possible, do not bring large bills.

TIPS

DO'S

Dress up like you're local. Not too skimpy nor too wrapped.

Learn even a few Filipino phrases/vernaculars. Locals like that.

Haggle before buying. Merchants tend jack up the prices when they know you're a tourist.

Ride a taxi that uses a taxi meter. Do not yield to fixed pricing.

Ask the concierge of you hotel for more info about Davao.

Eat only food from sidewalks if your stomach is accustomed to street food. Otherwise, go to McDonalds.

Pack light material clothes.

DONT'S

SMOKE IN PUBLIC. City ordinance forbid you to do so.

Light a firecracker/fireworks even during holidays.

Show your bills to beggars, especially children. A child-beggar stole a Php 500 from my friend. This is not to discriminate, just a warning.

*Pictures to follow. Internet so sloooooow...

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This is Leonard Betanio, btw.

As you can see, I am still in the process of fixing stuff here (I don't even know how to put a picture on the header!) so please be patient.

EXPECT

Expect that in a few days, I will be posting my first blog. What's it about? It depends on my mood.

Expect travel tips, places of interest, persons of interest or whatever it is that one needs before, during and after traveling the economy class. :)

Expect that despite the title of the blog, I will posting a lot of different things here aside from travel. FYI, I am also interested in culture, food and arts. So there you go.


DEMAND

If you want to see something posted here, just tell me. I might have the stuff you want to see (emphasize on might).


SKEDADDLE

Current time is 0753 and I have a job. So I have to make like a banana and split.