Metro Manila

Austria

Aside from pickpockets and cellphone-snatching, Manila is relatively safe for almost all tourists, especially Caucasian-looking people Koreans. Tourists are expected to receive warm welcome from locals especially if they are somewhat connected to the locals for example, you are married to a local or you have a boyfriend/girlfriend who is a local.

Violent crime is quite evident in some parts of the metro, but this usually happens among locals, and tourists should not worry a lot, since there are many police and frequent police patrol cars within Metro Manila, especially tourist areas.

Bag-snatching is also common, but, of course, common sense will reduce that threat. Most victims are locals.

Be also aware of stray dogs, but they are not a problem in financial districts such as Makati CBD and Taguig and can be seen only in residential outskirts and non-commercialized suburbs of Metro Manila.

shopping malls

Metro Manila is by-far the most expensive urbanized area in the Philippines, but cheaper compared to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Brunei. According to the Mercer Human Resource Consulting Cost of Living Survey of 2008, Manila is the cheapest to live in Southeast Asia for expatriates.

Ayala Center

You should allocate at least half a day for this shopping area as it is much larger than you think. It appears that the interconnected malls are much larger than SM Mall of Asia. Its malls include Glorietta, Greenbelt and the Landmark.

Shangri La Plaza Mall

The Podium

SM Mall of Asia

MOA - its facilities include an ice rink, convention center, a theme park and has over 1000 establishments; restaurants and shops as well as a Science center.

SM City Fairview

SM City Manila

SM Megamall

SM City North EDSA

SM City Southmall

SM Supercenter Pasig

SM City Sucat

Robinson's Place Manila

TriNoma

Market!Market!

Circle C

Ever Gotesco Mall

shop

There are generally two kinds of shopping destinations in Manila: the mall and the tiangge "chang-ghe". The Manila mall is more than just a shopping experience but a cultural destination as well. The largest malls in Metro Manila are practically their own cities within the city: complete with boutiques, supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, cinemas, medical facilities, hotels, schools, offices, gyms, serviced apartments, spas, convention centers, art galleries, bowling alleys, museums, ice skating rinks, and even a chapel for Sunday masses. In February 2006, Manila upped the ante on shopping malling with the opening of the gargantuan SM Mall of Asia exactly adjacent to Manila Bay, said to be the largest mall in the region. Simply put, shopping malls abound in Metro Manila, and the shopping experience is second to none, even by western standards. An entertainment city is planned by the government and has since broken ground in 2008 adjacent to the Mall of Asia which will feature 5-6 star hotels, casinos, high-end condominiums, shopping malls, theme park, an observation tower that is set to be one of the tallest in Southeast Asia and Manila's version of the London Eye. Already a Neochinatown has sprung nearby as well as the new Marriot Resort Community Newport is currently under different phases of development.

tiangge

However, if you wish to experience the "ultimate Manila shopping experience", one has to shop at a tiangge. Tiangges are small makeshift stalls clustered together that sell anything and everything you can imagine think bazaars). But at bargain basement prices. In these places, one has to haggle, particularly if you are buying wholesale defined as at least six pieces of the same item. The best tiangge complexes are in the Greenhills Shopping Center, Tiendesitas, Market! Market!, St. Francis Square, Tutuban Center Mall, Divisoria Mall, and 168 Mall. Go crazy buying quality clothes and shoes, pretty fashion jewelry and things for the house at very reasonable prices!

talk

Communication with the locals is easy because almost everyone is bilingual. While Filipino is the national language which is based on Tagalog, English is the primary language of trade, government, media and education not only in Metro Manila but in the whole Philippines as well. Spanish-speakers may recognize some words in Tagalog, since some of its vocabulary is Spanish-derived. A minority of Min Nan Hokkien, Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages, Korean, Japanese is spoken by Korean and Japanese immigrants, Filipino-Muslims residing in Manila or any other part of the country know how to read and communicate in Arabic, and other ethnicities/immigrants speak their native languages. Some Filipinos have knowledge of Spanish.