Retired in Philippines Traveler Pains
Retired in Philippines Traveler Pains
Retired in Philippines Traveler PainsTraveling in the Philippines to see the sights and visit historical locations is a common practice of foreign retirees. They talk about their adventures on my yahoo group retireinphilippines. Most don't have to many complaints about transportation comfort, but some do. Many don't complain even though they hurt like everyone else.
Foreigners are usually much bigger and taller than Filipinos for which the busses and boat seats and beds were built. Autos too, but there are many that are bigger now. If you can't fly most of your trip or take really nice a full sized reclining seat bus or transport your auto, then you will feel the pounding and uncomfortable accommodations of the boats or the uncontrolled driving antics of bus drivers here more because you are already uncomfortable to start with. Filipinos don't like bus drivers either and will come early and rush to get a front seat to avoid the whip lash effect of stop and go, whip out and pass and sudden breaking they do as it seems they all drive like their family home is on fire and they must get there as fast as possible. Filipinos, on the other hand, seem to be able to sleep through most anything and in the small seats as well. Foreigners need to plan ahead as carefully as they can and include research to find hotels with comfortable beds as well. A good night of sleep does wonders for aching muscles.
For a heavy tall foreigner the racks on the boats are to short, to close to the floor to get out of without help and are not designed to support 200 pounds. Cheap foam rubber is ok for a small Filipino, but it's hard on anyone heavier. To solve this problem one can buy a cot that folds out into a recliner. The price is high at P1200, but if you can fold it and take it with you, it is well worth the money.
The bus has different problems for the heavy tall foreigner. He can't sleep in the aisle on his cot, so he is stuck in a seat that is to small unless the nicer bigger busses are available for him to take. On the cheap bus he might even be joined by fighting roosters. It is quite funny to suddenly hear a rooster crow on a bus going somewhere.
After you get where you are going, what will the bed in the hotel be like? Often the beds aren't much more than wood platforms with foam rubber and a sheet on them. A call ahead with questions can sometimes help one find the more comfortable hotels. Higher prices is a pretty good sign though.
I am talking about uncomfortable traveling because seniors don't recover like a younger smaller person does. Seniors can take days to recover from the bus, the boat, the motor tricycle to small, the taxi, the cheap bed , the small plastic seats that pinch off blood flow, the air con turned way down, the nerve racking hold on tight bus rides, the small steps and flights of stairs to climb and the pain pills he takes so he can enjoy the trip. Maybe he would be better off seeing a video of the location from his very comfortable recliner to avoid a week of pain and discomfort during and after the trip.
One last comment about travel in the Philippines that affects everyone. It's the weather. You can barely predict it at home let alone 500 miles away. So, expect not to go when your plans say you want to. A typhoon is tracked, so that one is easy; but, high waves and sudden wind can make a boat ride scary and sickening. And, boats do break down and it is likely that you will be on it or waiting for it when it does. Usually they are late as well. This makes hotel accommodations and other planned and paid for events hard to set. So, if you do go, expect delays to happen and maybe that will help when they actually do.
This article hasn't been written to promote, persuade or dissuade anyone from traveling to see the beautiful landscape, historical landmarks and all the famous points of interest in the Philippines most people travel to see. It has been written mostly to remind senior foreigners that they are in fact seniors and with that comes those aches and pains associated with their age. Best thing to do if you are going anyway is to get out and walk a lot, stock up on your pain pills and do your research. Expect maybe a day of relaxation doing nothing before you attempt to return. Expect delays. Give yourself some time to recover and maybe when you get back home you won't keep feeling the results of the trip quite so long.
Join retireinphilippines yahoo group and ask the guys. They will tell you like it is, what it was like for them and what they did, or should have done, to make their trip better than it was.
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