Before this trip we had spent 6 months in SE Asia in 8 other countries so we have a pretty good taste of the region and we love it. The last 8 weeks have changed all that. It’s not so much the new levels of poverty that we have found on the islands as opposed to the mainland but the indifference to it. The people of both countries seem to have no pride in their land. We have heard multiple times from people in the Philippines, “why make an effort, the US will continue to bail us out of political problems and when an area loses value enough the Chinese will step in and invest”. The attitude is, if you want to improve your life go to America or Europe.
Neither country has been as welcoming to tourism as mainland SE Asia either. Indonesia was indifferent to outsiders if not annoyed by them and The Philippines are only slightly better. The only place we felt genuine enthusiasm for tourists was in Boracay and that was probably because they recently had a taste of life without tourism dollars during the shutdown. For the most part the people of the Philippines have been much nicer than those in Indonesia. In Indonesia the Hindu island of Bali was accepting of tourists and somewhat accommodating whereas the rest of the Muslim based country seemed annoyed by and unwelcoming to tourists yet willing to except their money and cheat them of it when possible.
The pollution, and damaged caused by it, in both countries is a shame as they both have some of the nicest beaches, pristine waters and lush jungles anywhere. I saw a lot of promise in the Philippines. Unlike in Indonesia the government in the Philippines is making an effort, from the cleanup of Borocay to the restoration of the historical Fort Santiago in Manila. Even Palawan is improving its infrastructure and protecting its underwater river with the help of Italian researchers and the UNESCO world heritage organization.
Unfortunately, I can’t give either country props for its treatment of its animals. Both countries exploit them to harm with little to no regulation. The overpopulation of unhealthy hungry dogs running the streets unaddressed is heartbreaking. Monkeys have been hand feed to the point that they get aggressive when ignored. In Ubud we were mugged by a monkey over a bag of groceries. Komodo dragons are becoming endangered as well as whale sharks that are being lured to boats with food so tourists can swim with them. The sharks then swim up to Chinese fishing boats looking for food and are killed with ease. Similar practices are being done to dolphins here as well. I’ve seen tourist return from tours in tears after seeing what is done to pods of dolphins so they could get there ever so precious selfie.
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta offers nothing for visitors other than shopping that doesn’t compete with Hong Kong or Manila. There is no food scene to get excited about. And the cost of lodging, eating and getting around is higher than most of SE Asia. Malaysia has done a better job conserving their side of Borneo. Komodo island is closing. The beaches of Bali are polluted and the smaller islands lack the proper infrastructure for tourism. Having been to 25 countries, 10 in SE Asia, I’ve never been to one that I wouldn’t want to return to until Indonesia.
Although the Philippines has some problems like the poverty in Manila, poor infrastructure on some of the islands and animal protection and overpopulation problems, the country has promise. The people are welcoming and the government seems to be making an effort. We really enjoyed the food and even had fun with the “delicacies“ such as Balot and Tamilok. The cost was more on par with SE Asia than Indonesia is. The beaches from Barocay to Palawan and Siargo are beautiful. The people of the Philippines made the difference though. They were welcoming, helpful and genuine. English is common most everywhere making it much easier. I’d love to return and probably will, just not during monsoon season next time. It was nice to avoid the crowds and for the most part the weather held out except in El Nido where the Typhoon past by.
Although that all might sound negative, overall we had a blast on this trip. We learned a lot, ate even more and got to make new friends. We checked off more bucket list items then we could have ever imagined from Komodo dragons to giant Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. We lounged on beautiful beaches, played in spectacular waterfalls and even got to meet up with a fellow traveler and good friend for a fantastic tropical escape. Traveling to me isn’t about finding places that are perfect. It’s about exploring and finding the real world for all it’s beauty as well as it’s flaws. Travel is as much about getting out of your comfort zone, learning and expanding your views as it is about relaxing in paradise. We appreciate everyone who followed our journey more than I can express and hope you enjoyed my first real attempt at blogging and our website. As soon as we get settled in back home we hope to get to editing some YouTube videos with all the footage we took. Leaving SE Asia this time is bittersweet. We have so many places we want to return to but it’s time to see new places. We have plans this year to hit Dubai for New Years, Tokyo for the Olympics and a few surprises. Machu Pichu, Mongolia, Tanzania and India are all on the to do soon list. Let us know what you think and why.
