7 Unusual Things Found on Our Vacation to the Philippines

I looked forward to my long awaited Philippine vacation. I've longingly dreamed about seeing the beaches of Boracay & the breathtaking views of Chocolate Hills in Bohol. I was prepared to relax surrounded by the tropical scenery, instead, I was immersed in a first-hand course of Filipino Culture.

Only in the Philippines have I seen the following seven items. Mind you, the only other countries I've ever visited include Mexico, Canada & the USA. Nonetheless, I learned more about my native country, the Philippines, on my three week vacation versus any information I could obtain from the pages of a regular book.

1. The traffic.
I used to think that the traffic on the 10 freeway to Los Angeles was bad in the morning until I visited Makati, Philippines. In the Philippines, although traffic lights and traffic lines are present on the streets, most drivers do not adhere to the signals. I found vehicles forming up to 6 lanes on a road built only for 2 lanes. It took us about half an hour to travel a distance that normally takes 10 minutes. We found ourselves getting out of the car and walking to our destination to save time.

In less urgent situations, Filipino drivers commonly honk their horns just to say, "Coming through!" or "I'm passing by!" which is opposite of what drivers do here in the U.S.A. In contrast, American drivers tend to reserve their honks for extreme instances like a child running into the street or if a car actually cuts through another car, etc. and are very anal about following traffic laws. During my 3 week vacation, I fondly missed the misunderstood 'crazy drivers' in the U.S.A.; at least stopped when the stoplight was red.

Also, pollution laws are also less strict in the Philippines so the car fumes were thicker & definitely more nauseating than our smog in the Inland Empire. Compared to the city air in the Philippines, our Inland Empire smog was a breath of fresh air.

2. The daring pedestrians.
Despite the bumper to bumper traffic and the clear disregard of traffic signs, there were still an overwhelming number of daring pedestrians weaving in and out between automobiles, trucks & motorcycles. The pedestrians had no fear at all jay-walking across the traffic congested streets. People were even touching hoods and trunks of cars for balance as they weaved through the traffic congested streets. Even the stray dogs, accustomed to the traffic, appeared to feel comfortable as they nonchalantly crossed the streets, occasionally pausing in the middle of the street to scratch their belly.

3. The daredevil motorcycle passengers.
To save time, many daredevil motorcycle passengers choose not to wait for the next transportation vehicle. We saw a maximum of 7 people riding one motorcycle plus bags of groceries dangling on the sides of the motorcycle. How is this possible? The motorcycle drivers, who make this a living, place 2 x 4 planks of wood on the motorcycle seat to increase the seating space, thus, increasing their capacity to earn fare for each passenger. The passengers simply hang on to dear life as they put all their trust with the motorcycle driver maneuvering the vehicle.

4. The billboards.
In America, it's common to see community announcements warning us against the hazards of smoking, drinking and drugs on roadside billboards. In the Philippines, we saw numerous billboards warning drivers to "Don't text and drive." Apparently, texting is more of a danger there than drunk driving is here.

5. The age limits on the coveted occupation of waitressing.
Jobs seem to be scarce in the Philippines, however, if you happen to take notice of an ad for employment, then you will begin to understand why there are so many unemployed people there. One ad said, "Waitress wanted. Must have pleasing personality. Weigh 90-115lbs. Age: 20-25 years." How many people could possibly qualify for that job here in the USA? It did not even specify the actual 'skills' needed for the job.

6. Minimum 3 clerks manning a cash register at most stores, even grocery stores.
It was commonplace to see a minimum of 3 clerks manning the cash register at most stores. One clerk would punch in the numbers, the second clerk would bag the items, and then the third clerk would staple the receipt onto the bag. Also, the clerks were very well dressed wearing pantyhose, heels, and matching suits (office wear) with up swept hair in a bun. Compare their attire to our American grocery clerks in local supermarkets.

7. No toilet paper in the public restrooms.
If you visit the Philippines, be prepared to discover that most public restrooms do not supply toilet paper(TP). I was advised by my relatives to always carry a roll of TP while out and about. Upon closer inspection, most public restrooms also lacked the TP holder itself. I also noticed that the local people carried cute portable toilet paper holders in fashion colors similar to a Kleenex holder but cylindrical in design -- obviously, an invention directly attributable to the lack of TP in Philippine restrooms.

I'll treasure that course in culture as long as I can remember. It helped me to remember to appreciate the simple luxuries here in the U.S.A. Not only can the readily available TP in restrooms, but even the safety issues and safeguards practiced here in the U.S.A. (i.e. equal opportunity, pollution laws, traffic legalities, etc.) can be easily taken for granted. It only takes one visit to another country to truly appreciate what we have here in America.