In Reply to: BALI OR HONG KONG TO ANOTHER DESTINATION posted by LORRI on Monday, 16. August 1999 at 20:39 Bali Time:
Manila is worth visiting for the experience. There is plenty of history, beautiful countryside outside of the city, good restaurants, great nightlife and a goog range of hotels from pensions ( a little like losmens in Bali speak) through to all the first class hotel chains. The Filipino people are friendly and fun loving.
However, Manila is polluted and overcrowded. The traffic is horrendous. The airport is appalling. Taxi drivers will nearly always try to rip you off. Poverty is everwhere you look. Crime is a big problem. Nevertheless I would still recommend it as the positives out weigh the negatives. You should get as much information as you can before going particularly warnings about scams and rip offs (eg how to deal with the taxi drivers). I won't go into it here as this is a Bali forum after all. I recommend the Lonely Planet guide book or if you prefer you are welcome to email me and I will answer any queries if I can.