The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 607

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange Most major banks have 24hr
ATMs. If you need other services try BPI, 1792 Mabini St,
Malate; American Express, 1810 A Mabini St, Malate;
Citibank, 8741 Paseo de Roxas, Makati; HSBC, Ayala Ave,
Makati and 648 Remedios St, Malate.
Embassies and consulates Australia, Level 23, Tower
2, RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Ave, Makati ( T 02 757 8100,
W philippines.embassy.gov.au); Canada, Levels 6-8,
Tower 2, RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Ave, Makati ( T 02 857
9000, W philippines.gc.ca); China, 2nd & 3rd Floors,
World Center, 330 Sen Gil Puyat Ave, Makati ( T 02 844
3148); Indonesia, 185 Salcedo St, Makati ( T 02 892
5061); Ireland, 3/F, 70 Jupiter St, Bel-Air 1, Makati
( T 02 896 4668); Laos, 34 Lapu-Lapu St, Magallanes,
Makati ( T 02 852 5759); Malaysia, 10th & 11th Floors,
World Center, 330 Sen Gil Puyat Ave, Makati ( T 02 864
0761); New Zealand, 23/F, BPI Buendia Center, 360 Gil
Puyat Ave, Makati ( T 02 891 5358, W nzembassy
.com/philippines); Singapore, 505 Rizal Drive, Bonifacio
Global City, Taguig ( T 02 856 9922); South Africa,
29th Floor, Yuchengco Tower, RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala
Ave, Makati ( T 02 889 9383); Thailand, 107 Rada St,
Makati ( T 02 815 4220); UK, 120 Upper McKinley Rd,
McKinley Hill, Taguig City ( T 02 858 2200); US, 1201
Roxas Blvd ( T 02 301 2000, W manila.usembassy.gov);
Vietnam, 670 Pablo Ocampo, Malate ( T 02 525 2837).
Hospitals and clinics Makati Medical Center, 2
Amorsolo St, Makati ( T 02 888 8999, W makatimed
.net.ph), is the largest and one of the most modern
hospitals in Manila. In the Manila Bay area, there's
the Manila Doctor's Hospital, 667 United Nations Ave,
Ermita ( T 02 524 3011, W maniladoctors.com.ph). In
Ermita, there is the Philippines General Hospital on
Ta f t Ave ( T 02 554 8400, W stluke.com.ph), while St
Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr Blvd in
Quezon City ( T 02 723 0101, W stluke.com.ph), is also
highly regarded.
Immigration For visa extensions, head to the Immigra-
tion Building, Magellanes Dr, Intramuros (Mon-Fri 8am-
noon & 1-5pm; T 02 527 3257 or 3280).
Internet Internet access is very easy to find in all tourist
areas and there are internet cafés in all malls. Most malls
are free wi-fi zones, too. Busy Bee Internet Café at 1417
M.H. del Pilar St, Ermita, and 88 Internet Café, Durban St,
Makati, both charge P45/hr.
Laundry Let's Talk Dirty Laundry, 4877 Durban St, Makati
(daily 7am-10pm; T 02 899 0811; P45/kg).
Pharmacies You're never far from a Mercury Drug outlet.
There are 24hr stores at Taft Ave cnr. Apacible St, Ermita
and Makati Ave.
Police Tourist Police, Department of Tourism Compound,
TM Kalaw cnr. Maria Orosa streets, Ermita (daily 7am-
11pm; T 0908 894 2001). For emergencies, dial T 117.

Post o ce The main post o ce is in Intramuros, between
Jones Bridge and MacArthur Bridge. In Makati, there is a
post o ce at the junction of Malugay and Ayala avenues. In
Malate, there's one at the junction of Remedios and Hidalgo
streets. Opening hours are generally Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm.
Travel agents There are plenty of travel agents around
Malate and Ermita. The Filipino Travel Center, 1555 M
Adriatico St ( T 02 528 4507, W filipinotravel.com.ph), is
one of the best, and particularly strong on organizing
tours. There are branches on Boracay, Panglao, and in
Sabang, Puerto Galera.

Northern Luzon
he provinces of Luzon that lie
immediately northwest of Manila are so
diverse in geographical character that you
can go from the volcanic landscape of
Zambales to the tropical beaches and
islands of the Lingayen Gulf in a single
day. Major attractions of the region
include Mount Pinatubo , the island-
hopper's heaven of Hundred Islands
National Park , and the chance to surf the
breaks of San Fernando and San Juan on
the La Union coast. Further north, the
old Spanish-colonial outpost of Vigan is a
reminder of how much was lost elsewhere
in the bombs of World War II.

8

MOUNT PINATUBO
On April 2, 1991, people on the lower
slopes of Mount Pinatubo (1780m) saw
small explosions followed by steaming and
the smell of rotten eggs coming from the
upper slopes of the supposedly dormant
volcano, whose last known eruption was
six hundred years ago. Much worse was to
follow, and on June 12, the first of several
major explosions took place, an eruption
so violent that shock waves could be felt
in the Visayas. A giant ash cloud rose
35km into the sky, red-hot blasts seared
the countryside and nearly twenty million
tonnes of sulphur dioxide were blasted
into the atmosphere, causing red skies for
months afterwards. Ash paralysed Manila,
closing the airport for days and turning
the capital's streets into an eerie post-
apocalyptic landscape. More than 350
people were killed.