The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 590

time, buying a local SIM card (P40,
including a bundle of free texts) is well
worth it, being especially convenient for
texting reservations to hotels and dive
operators. Make sure that your phone is
unlocked before you travel, though
buying a handset is also pretty cheap.
Packages for the country's two largest
networks, Smart and Globe, are widely
available in malls, and even the tiniest
sari-sari store (small hut stores selling
everything from crackers to shampoo
sachets) sells phone credit - look out for
the ubiquitous “ Load na dito ” signs.
Prepaid cards come in units from P100 to
P1000 (“loads”), or more often you'll just
give your number to the stallowner, pay
the amount and then instantly receive a
load balance from the network supplier.
Many places listed in this topic only have
mobile phone contact numbers, and as
such are more likely to change.
Internet cafés are all over Manila, Cebu
and the provincial cities (about P15-60
an hour), and many establishments now
offer wi-fi. In rural areas internet access
is becoming more readily available all
the time.

COCKFIGHTING
Along with basketball, cockfighting
( sabong ), in its legal and illegal forms, is
probably the closest thing to a national
pastime in the Philippines. It's a bloody
business, with knives used and thousands
of pesos changing hands on larger fights.
If you insist on checking it out for yourself,
you're best off going with a Filipino friend.

you can dive at World War II Japanese
wrecks in the company of dolphins and
manta rays (see p.660). In short, you can
slip into a wet suit just about anywhere.
PADI organizes most scuba tuition in
the Philippines. Always pick a PADI dive
centre and ask to see their certification. If
you haven't been diving before, you can
start with a “Discovery Dive” to see if
you like it. he full PADI Open Water
Diver course takes around four days and
costs at least US$350. You might want to
consider doing a referral course with
PADI at home, which involves doing the
pool sessions and written tests before you
travel, then doing the final checkout dives
with a PADI resort in the Philippines.
You'll need to bring your PADI referral
documents with you, as your instructor
in the Philippines will want to see them.

8

CRIME AND SAFETY
he Philippines has something of an
unfair reputation as a dangerous place,
often reinforced by Filipinos themselves
who are sometimes overzealous in their
warnings to travellers. As long as you
exercise discretion and common sense,
it's no worse than anywhere else. here
are a number of insurgent groups in the
country fighting for causes that range
from an independent Muslim homeland

COMMUNICATIONS
Letters from the Philippines take at least
five days to reach other countries by air,
sometimes significantly longer. If you
have to post anything valuable, use a
courier or registered mail. Major post
o ces in Manila and elsewhere have a
counter for poste restante . International
phonecards are sold in convenient stores
such as 7-Eleven in P100, P200, P300
and P500 denominations, but when you
can find an internet café with headsets,
mainly in the larger towns, you can use
Skype ( W skype.com), a cheaper way to
call home.
Filipinos love their cellphones (sending
more than 500 million texts daily) and
cell networks provide coverage in areas
where landlines are limited. Using them
costs next to nothing. If you're planning
to be in the country even for a short

THE PHILIPPINES ONLINE
W divephil.com An online guide listing
the country's best dive spots.
W tourism.gov.ph The Department of

Tourism's o cial website.
W visitmyphilippines.com Latest news
and events from around the country.
W itsmorefuninthephilippines.com

The DOT's marketing domain showcases
the country's most sought-after activities
and destinations.