Mostly unknown or unrecognised, cuisine in the Philippines is a welcome delight for the traveller. Although the Philippines can be considered as ‘meat mad’, the combinations of flavours across the archipelago will tantalise the taste buds of any food lover.
If you live outside of the Philippines and you watch or read the news you may feel very justified in believing that the Philippines is a very dangerous country. Savaged by typhoons, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and terrorist attacks.
When in a new country with your pets, usually one of your first concerns is where to get all of the things you need to keep your pet happy, pampered, and healthy. In Manila there is a wide range of establishments to choose from. For food, toys, veterinary clinics, and finding a new four-legged family member you don’t have to search too hard. However, some of these businesses are better than others when it comes to the treatment of animals.
While moving pets to the Philippines is relatively easy and inexpensive, sending pets to Australia can be quite a difficult process. To quote former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating, Australia is at “the arse end of the world”. The result of this geographical isolation is that Australia has managed to remain free from many diseases. To maintain freedom from these diseases, Australian quarantine is very strict. However, a responsible pet owner can still bring their furry friends to the land down under if they prepare well in advance.
Importing dogs and cats into the Philippines is a relatively simple and inexpensive process, especially in comparison to countries such as Australia. So animal lovers and loyal pet owners do not need to be concerned about leaving their four-legged family members behind in their home countries.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding and confusion surrounding tourist visas in the Philippines. I have heard a lot of expats telling different stories about their experiences and the information they’ve been given regarding their visas. It’s actually quite a simple process, and not too expensive if you go to the right places.
The Philippines is quite a complicated country. Just try to figure out all of its history of colonizing powers, dictators, guerrilla movements, revolutions, etc. With that said, the Philippines is actually quite a gem and offers some of the most beautiful scenery and people I have ever encountered. Before I first travelled to the Philippines, the first thing that people said to me was usually along the lines of, “Isn’t it dangerous there?” or “You better be careful.”
