I Lived in the Philippines for several years. Although I was born in Miami, Florida, you could say that I was raised in the Philippines. Although the country’s 3rd world there are great aspects about it (or at least from when I used to live there (‘91-2000). As you probably know, the Philippines is located in SouthEast Asia, South of Japan. It’s an archapelago- made up of thousands of different Islands- and its capital is Manila. The fact that its an archapelago gives people EXCELLENT beach locations, which were only starting to be discovered by the time I was leaving. Boracay was an Island that I enjoyed visiting. Although small it was perfect for a getaway vacation. Only an 6 hour trip from where I lived in the capital (2 hours by plane, 3 hours by bus/van, and 1 hour by ‘banca’ boat). Of course, I’m sure that now it’s been exposed to the public due to its numerouse claims as one of the top beaches in the world. Many Europeans and Australians, some Americans. Unfortuantely I haven’t been to the island in a few years so I’m sure a lot has changed. As well as beaches, the Philippines also has beautiful countryside. Towards the North, you’ll run into one of the ‘8 Wonders of the World’; the Banaue Rice Terraces. They’re truly amazing and make for a breathtaking experience. Further North is Sagada (a place I visited while doing an outreach program with my school). High cliffs and deep caves make this place great fun! The weather is exceptionally pleasant- especially for Philippine standards (it gets hot, trust me…). The Filipino people are like most in 3rd world countries. In some places pleasant, others not so much. The main reason we moved from the area was due to the fact that we were being targeted for terrorist activities (malls were being bombed, our community guard gates were being blown-up, etc.). Actually while I was vacationing in Boracay Island one Easter- perhaps around the 1999 timeframe, can’t remember- we’d heard that a Muslim terrorist faction had taken a beach resort (not much unlike the one we were staying in) and were holding foreign hostages… this is when all the terrorist shit started happening. All-in-all the Philippines should be more than safe enough to travel in, keep your guard, however. The malls are HUGE, the nightlife can get crazy, and the vacationing is more than worth the travel. You can get pampered at the Penninsula, the Shangri-La, Intercontinental, etc. or island-hopping, camping on your very own private beach.