About Manila
I've been here for the past 4 months & as weird as it sounds, I'm starting to love it. Have not regretted my decision & in fact, I'm enjoying every moment of it despite being extremely busy at work.
After my decision was made up & before I shifted out here, I heard so many horrible stories about Manila. Having spent 4 months here, I have to say it isn't half as dangerous as how people have made it out to be. In fact, I've got to say Metro Manila is pretty much like Singapore just that it has worse traffic & air pollution, dirtier & the roads aren't as smooth as Singapore's. Apart from that, I don't see much of a difference.
Yes, food wise it isn't as yummy as back home because the food here has got much more flavour in a sense that it's saltier, oilier & sweeter. But, you're still able to find decent food & it's got quite a variety of cuisine. If you were to ask me, I'd say the standard of living is slightly lower than Singapore, but not much to be honest.
Of course, we've gotta be careful when it comes to safety. One just gotta be more alert & don't take it for granted that it's safe everywhere. Be street-wise. Remember to have your bag close to you & that you're able to see it.
Also, cabs here are cheap, but be careful of the "white man tax", which also applies to us Chinese. As long as they know you're not local, they'll tend to charge you more. Some of them don't turn on their meters, so just get them to do so. Don't expect change to be given to you if you take a taxi. It's very different from Singapore whereby cab drivers would usually have change for S$50. If you give them PHP200 or even PHP500, they'll tell you they've got no change & expect you to get out. Therefore, I always keep PHP20, PHP50 or PHP100 in my wallet so that I won't be in situations whereby I've got to "tip" them. Take for example, the cab fare's just PHP52.50 & you give him a PHP100 bill. Most of the time, the drivers would just pretend you're giving them a tip & not give you any change back. So, what I'll do is usually tell them "Just give me back PHP40 would do." Of course, the taxi drivers here are really picky when it comes to passengers & don't expect the cabs to be in good condition. Some of them seem like they're gonna break apart!
Generally, I prefer shopping here than in Singapore be it grocery or just plain window shopping. The people here are courteous & they give you the space you need when you shop. They don't follow you round the shop like some puppy dog. But, they'll always be nearby whenever you need assistance. Also, if you've got plenty of things that you've bought from the supermarket & they see that you're alone, they'll help you carry your grocery to the taxi stand & even wait in line for you. Don't expect international brands to come cheap here. The prices are comparable to those in Singapore.
In short, it's quite an experience be here for 2 years. You get to see the richest & the poorest here, which might just be a street or two away.
After my decision was made up & before I shifted out here, I heard so many horrible stories about Manila. Having spent 4 months here, I have to say it isn't half as dangerous as how people have made it out to be. In fact, I've got to say Metro Manila is pretty much like Singapore just that it has worse traffic & air pollution, dirtier & the roads aren't as smooth as Singapore's. Apart from that, I don't see much of a difference.
Yes, food wise it isn't as yummy as back home because the food here has got much more flavour in a sense that it's saltier, oilier & sweeter. But, you're still able to find decent food & it's got quite a variety of cuisine. If you were to ask me, I'd say the standard of living is slightly lower than Singapore, but not much to be honest.
Of course, we've gotta be careful when it comes to safety. One just gotta be more alert & don't take it for granted that it's safe everywhere. Be street-wise. Remember to have your bag close to you & that you're able to see it.
Also, cabs here are cheap, but be careful of the "white man tax", which also applies to us Chinese. As long as they know you're not local, they'll tend to charge you more. Some of them don't turn on their meters, so just get them to do so. Don't expect change to be given to you if you take a taxi. It's very different from Singapore whereby cab drivers would usually have change for S$50. If you give them PHP200 or even PHP500, they'll tell you they've got no change & expect you to get out. Therefore, I always keep PHP20, PHP50 or PHP100 in my wallet so that I won't be in situations whereby I've got to "tip" them. Take for example, the cab fare's just PHP52.50 & you give him a PHP100 bill. Most of the time, the drivers would just pretend you're giving them a tip & not give you any change back. So, what I'll do is usually tell them "Just give me back PHP40 would do." Of course, the taxi drivers here are really picky when it comes to passengers & don't expect the cabs to be in good condition. Some of them seem like they're gonna break apart!
Generally, I prefer shopping here than in Singapore be it grocery or just plain window shopping. The people here are courteous & they give you the space you need when you shop. They don't follow you round the shop like some puppy dog. But, they'll always be nearby whenever you need assistance. Also, if you've got plenty of things that you've bought from the supermarket & they see that you're alone, they'll help you carry your grocery to the taxi stand & even wait in line for you. Don't expect international brands to come cheap here. The prices are comparable to those in Singapore.
In short, it's quite an experience be here for 2 years. You get to see the richest & the poorest here, which might just be a street or two away.