More than the Usual

Outline  About the Philippines and Philippine Tourism  Popular Places and Suggested Activities:  Metro Manila  Cebu  Bohol  Boracay  Palawan

Location An archipelago of 7,107 islands, the Philippines stretches from the South China Sea to the Northern part of Borneo on the edge of Pacific Ocean. Latitude N Longitude E

Accessibility International Gateways: Manila, Cebu Premier gateways: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila. This airport is served by more than 30 airlines flying to different cities. Roundtrip Economy airfare currently costs approximately INR 25, Airline Connections Flying Time Singapore to Manila 3 hrs Kuala Lumpur to Manila 3 hrs Bangkok to Manila 3 hrs Hong Kong to Manila 2 hrs Singapore to Cebu3.30 hrs Hong Kong to Cebu2.30 hrs Onward connections are available on various carriers :

Philippines Airlines Direct Flights Philippine Airlines (PAL) will be launching direct flights from Manila to Delhi in March 2011

Fast facts GEOGRAPHY A beautiful archipelago of 7107 tropical islands & stunning beaches. Land Area – 299,000 sq.km. Population -96,061,680 Capital – Manila Climate The weather in Philippines is primarily tropical. March to May –Warm June-October- Rainy November to February- Cool CURRENCY Philippines Pesos Currency Comparison 1 USD = PHP – 45 1 INR = 1 PHP (as on 05 th June 2009) TIME ZONE 8 Hrs + from GMT. (2.5 Hrs ahead of India) LANGUAGE Pilipino (National Language) and English Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. RELIGION 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Muslim.

More Than The Usual  Worlds Longest Underground river system accessible to man.  Mindanao Trench –World’s 2nd Deepest underwater Trench.  Palawan - has been declared the natural sanctuary of the world  Tarsier-Worlds Smallest Mammal is found in the mountains of BOHOL  Coastline twice the length of that of the United States, the Philippines can claim to be Asia's Beach Capital

More Than The Usual  Of the 500 known Coral Species in the world, 488 are found in Philippines.  Aside from the Eiffel Tower, the Basilica of San Sebastian is the only other Steel Building  20,000 km long stretch of Rice Terraces tagged as the 8th Wonder of the World.  Nearly 1268 perfect cone shaped hills better known as Chocolate Hills  MORE than the Usual 7107 islands

VISA  Indians need visa to visit the Philippines.  2- 3 working days are required to procure the temporary visitor’s visa for business and pleasure.  Visa can be applied from Philippines embassy in Delhi  Mumbai Chennai and Kolkata being the honorary offices and visa could be procured from any of these offices. Single Entry Visa INR 2320 Multiple Entry (6 months validity) INR 4640 Multiple Entry (1 yr validity) INR 6960 Same day Release INR 2900 (Additional) Next day Release INR 1450 (Additional)

Filipino Cuisine  Philippine Cuisine is a rich medley of Chinese, Malay, Spanish, Mexican, American, and Indian cooking with sea food topping the list.  Filipinos have a sweet tooth &even snacks are generally heavy on sugar. One can go crazy over the wide array of fresh fruits, caramel custard, ice creams & jelly.  The island will not disappoint the Indian travelers as Indian restaurants are spread all across Metro Manila, Makati & Boracay.  Philippines Mangoes are making their mark in the world in the form of sparkling Sweet Mango Wine & Green Mango Wine.

Indian Restaurants  Bollywood Restaurant  Hossein’s Persian Kebab  Kashmir Indian Cuisine  Queen’s Crystal Garden Restaurant  Spices Restaurant  Swagat Indian Cuisine  The New Bombay Canteen  Zigggurat Restaurant  Banana Leaf Curry House  Indian By Nature Restaurant and Bar  True Food  Crafts Indian Cuisine  The Persian Palate  Taj

Airport Facilities The Airport meets all the International standards and has many things to offer to its travelers  Duty Free Shopping  Eating and drinking  Facilities for specially physically challenged

Mode of Transport METRO RAIL TRIKES BUS JEEPNEY TAXI

Little Known Facts/Trivia  The exotic jeepney is the Filipino version of the jitney, the taxi/minibus that travels along a fixed route found in many countries.  The popular toy, the yoyo, was invented by 16th century hunters in the Philippines.  Halo-Halo! Halo-halo literally means, "mix-mix". And its is just that: a mixture of sweetened fruits and beans, lavished with pinipig (crisp flattened rice flakes), sugar and milk, topped by crushed ice and ice cream. Halo-Halo is uniquely, unforgettably Filipino! SORBETES This sweet treat was concocted in the early 1920's.  Waling Waling Orchids - With some 800 to 1,000 species of orchids, the Philippines has one of the richest orchid floras in the world.  Most grow only in old-growth forest, often on branches of huge trees dozens of meters above the forest floor.