Happier Abroad Forum Community

Hello all,

I have been reading this forum for a while and once had an account under a different name but couldn't figure out how to get back in to it. Anyways after a couple years of planning and talking I am finally leaving to head to the Philippines on Sunday March 17th. I will be leaving Charleston, WV to Detroit to Los Angeles to Taipei finally arriving in Manila on Tuesday March 19th. Whew!

I plan on spending one week in Manila, one week in Cebu and 6 weeks in Davao. I am going to meet a filipina I met online from Davao, and do a bit of traveling about the islands with her if it all goes well. I am worried about how sick I might get from the food or water in the Philippines... Also as far as I know none of my electronic items such as digital camera, cell phone and tablet pc will work on 240v.

Now to my questions!

Can you suggest anything I can buy and take when I arrive to help keep from getting sick?

Can I buy a converter pretty easy when I arrive?

Thanks in advance!

I may be wrong, but I believe that the Philippines does not have different voltage than our system.

Ahh I see. I was researching it online and the web site that I found said they operate on 240v. I will keep searching.

Dudevondudenstein wrote:Ahh I see. I was researching it online and the web site that I found said they operate on 240v. I will keep searching.

The plugs are different but most hotels I've been at have American style plugs. If not an adapter is cheap.

As to getting sick - I would not drink the water but hotels give you bottled water. Bringing along some anti-diarrheal medication is a good idea when traveling anywhere internationally.

I like Davao and hope to spend more time there someday. I would not spend a week in Manila; but that's me - some might like it - I think it's a shithole.

Flights in PI are cheap, so you can hop from Davao to places like Cagayan de Oro easily.

Well don't forget that the definite stop is not in Detroit but in Manila

You could post here your impression of Cebu,it's a place i was thinking to make a trip.

You really should be careful of tropical disease.
I got a serious taste of it by having Dengue fever and it's a very debilitating suffering.
Protect against mosquitoes seriously.

About food,i got one intoxication in Laos and in Thailand i'm getting more careful now.
I just decided to vermifugate myself and you can consider that at one moment you will get some types of parasitic infection by the food(mainly helminth).
It's almost impossible to avoid.

Many times they are no obvious symptoms but in any case it's better to kill them or they can weaken the organism in the long run.
If you know that ascariasis is infecting more than 1.5 billon people worldwide,you will undersand that you won't escape in the Phillipines

green1976 wrote: You really should be careful of tropical disease.
I got a serious taste of it by having Dengue fever and it's a very debilitating suffering.
Protect against mosquitoes seriously.

Yes, mosquito spray is pretty essential. No malaria in PI but there is lots of dengue.

I am assuming you have been to your doctor to get your basic shots updated - tetanus and such. If not definitely go!

zacb wrote:I may be wrong, but I believe tha tthe Philippines does not have different voltage than our system.

I blew out two power packs without a voltage converter....Philippines voltage is 240V, baby pa.

Dudevondudenstein wrote:Ahh I see. I was researching it online and the web site that I found said they operate on 240v. I will keep searching.

http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity.htm

Also, one thing about the water. Most of central Davao is covered by a company called Davao Water District. They provide arguably the best quality water in the entire country. It's not only safe to drink, but it tastes great too! If you're planning to rent a place in Davao, make sure it's served by DWD.

zacb wrote:I may be wrong, but I believe that the Philippines does not have different voltage than our system.

There are 220v and 110v outlets here. But this shouldn't be an issue because modern electronic items are able to charge from a 220 or 110 outlet. Look at your charger. It should say that it's compatible with both 110 and 220 or give a range that covers both voltages.

The only issue is that some outlets have round prongs rather than flat ones. A cheap adaptor can fix that, but in hotels, the outlets are usually all flat prongs.

Hi Dudevondudenstein,

Here are a few more things I would suggest that you buy for your trip:

1) Aleve or any good fever reducer
2) Pepto Bismol- For upset stomach
3) Ear plugs- Nothing is more annoying than hearing babies crying while you are trying to sleep on the plane.


I have been to the Philippines a number of times. I would advise you that since you are meeting this girl for the first time, have a backup plan. I have been in situations where I have set up a date with girls that I met on the internet and they either don't show up, don't bother answering their phone or they are not what you expected.

I had one lady that I met from Gingoog city, Mindanao. From the time I stepped off the plane in Cagayan de Oro(her family picked me up in CDO) she was asking me to buy things for her family. She told me that if I wanted to marry her, I would have to buy her papa a motorcycle first. I declined the offer of marriage and the "single motor". When it came time to eat dinner, she called all of her family and neighbors to join us for dinner without asking me first. There were about 15 people waiting outside the house to join us for dinner. I asked her why she didn't ask first, she could not answer me. I quickly realized that I had to get the heck out of there.

To make a long story short, things don't go as planned in the Philippines. Don't become a walking ATM for anyone.

Enjoy your trip and be sure to let us know how things went.

If your filipina starts asking you buy tons of stuff for her and her family you need to get rid of her. However, if she starts buying things for you no matter how trivial she's probably a keeper.

Winston wrote:

zacb wrote:I may be wrong, but I believe that the Philippines does not have different voltage than our system.

There are 220v and 110v outlets here. But this shouldn't be an issue because modern electronic items are able to charge from a 220 or 110 outlet. Look at your charger. It should say that it's compatible with both 110 and 220 or give a range that covers both voltages.

The only issue is that some outlets have round prongs rather than flat ones. A cheap adaptor can fix that, but in hotels, the outlets are usually all flat prongs.

+1

Earplugs? God yes. They're essential for Asia. Mack's Safesound series are really good. Given I live next to a pipe factory, they've proven invaluable.

Imodium is useful for minor stomach upsets but if you get something major then let nature take its course.

Actually I'm really sick now - some type of norovirus thing. I don't think I can blame the food as it's so infectious it could have come from anywhere. The main thing is to make sure you don't get dehydrated.

And mosquitos are a real nuisance. Stay in a hotel with aircon and you can close the window and kill them all before you sleep. I've found they're really aggressive.

davewe wrote: Yes, mosquito spray is pretty essential. No malaria in PI but there is lots of dengue.

I am assuming you have been to your doctor to get your basic shots updated - tetanus and such. If not definitely go!

Note to anyone who intends to travel to Palawan (which is an archipelago in itself), you're advised to protect yourself from malaria, especially if you're going to the southern part of it. I'm a local and a development worker at that --- and have been told such since 2002 when I first went there.