I'm going back to the Phil in just under two months time...I know I will get ripped off.. It seems I get charged double the going rate for almost everything. It's so obvious because a Filipino wouldn't be able to afford those prices... Sorry, rant over. The good news is I will meet some great people who make me so emotional that I get teary eyed haha
I got 2 pairs of jeans hemmed for 20 pesos each, bargain Normal price was 10 peso but it was a 'rush-job'
Yea I'm a short-a**e. £10 to get anything hemmed in our town. So PI does have it plus points. Though I can't disagree with the OP but there are ways to combat getting ripped off. Get the gf or asawa to pay whilst you lay low
I got a mega strong Gin and Tonic for about 50 peso in an expat run restaurant, So much Gin that I staggered back to my hotel after two.
'Get the gf or asawa to pay whilst you lay low ' Yes, that is what I do...it's hard to hide though as I am white and stand out haha
I got a pair of varifocal, photochromatic, ultra lightweight lens and fairly nice frame spectacles made many years ago in Manila, cost me about £140 including the eye test, the equivalent here would have been in the region of £500 -£600, I think I was treated quite well
That surprises me. I'm a slender six footer and have no trouble at all in finding clothes to fit at reasonable prices. Did you try a "Bench" store in a Mall - that's a local brand for men, women and children. If all else fails, there are branches of Debenhams and Marks and Spencer dotted around the country and they most assuredly do cater for the taller man - and at almost the same as in Britain (sometimes cheaper!). On the more general point, the Philippines is actually quite restrained with its "tourist taxes" - you can get charged a lot more to visit some European countries' tourist attractions and especially Russia than locals. Things are a little different here in Davao as everyone has to obey local ordinances as well as national laws. Here chiselling foreigners is frowned-upon by the city fathers and can result in the loss of liberty for a year or two - more if the offence is committed by a public official. So you won't get taxi drivers "forgetting" to use the meter, for example. But elsewhere in the country, it's open season for foreigners and they (Filipinos) follow good socialist principles - you are far richer than they will ever be and your cash should be spread around to benefit more people. That's an attitude that should be well familiar to many back home!
You'll find it much more difficult to find stuff that fits you in Ukay-Ukay nowadays as it's against the law to import second-hand clothing and Customs regularly seize and destroy such shipments. That's to protect local manufacturers such as Bench.
Exactly, Oss. Not only there but also SM stocks shoes up to size 12 (UK) for many makes/styles; I'm a size 10 and have had absolutely no trouble at all in finding clothes or shoes to fit me in Manila, Subic, Cebu, Cagayan De Oro or Davao. There's also the US "Payless" chain of shoe shops throughout the country which caters for larger feet also. I sometimes wonder if JohnAsh is talking about the same country!
In some cases, that's certainly true. Best to wait for the quarterly sale that SM holds Friday to Sunday where prices can drop by around half. I bought a pair of Rockport boat shoes just before I left Cebu and an American friend told me that I paid about 75% of the US price. That was 5 years ago and those Rockports have walked numerous miles and show no signs of falling apart. Now if only I could find some sand coloured lace-up desert boots ....
If you have complex lens requirements, try Asda Opticians in the UK as they don't charge any extra! I go every year now and get free NHS sight test (low income you see) and a voucher for my specs. With that voucher I get two pairs of specs (ultra thin lenses) and usually have to pay just £10-£20 to top up the voucher. If I went anywhere else, it would be £200+
