Arriving at the terminal on a tricycle, Uyen was taken aback when the driver demanded 500 pesos for two rides, even though she had only agreed to 150 pesos for a one-way trip.
Saigon girl unfairly loses money three times on her first day in the Philippines
Nguyen Lan Uyen, from Ho Chi Minh City, loves to travel to new places. Apart from Vietnam, she has visited Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, China, South Korea, Maldives... Here are her experiences during her trip to the Philippines in 2016.
During the 8-day journey, I chose the first 2 days in the Philippines to explore Taal volcano and Manila. It was in these two places that I encountered one surprise after another due to the commercialism of the tourism services here.
After landing with a budget flight at Ninoy Aquino airport, my two friends and I took a taxi to the hotel in Malate area. Taal volcano is located in Tagaytay, 60 km from the capital Manila. To reach the bus stop to Tagaytay, we walked 300 m to Malate church, changed two jeepney rides before reaching the stop.
After traversing a stretch of road, we bargained for lower horse rental prices but they insisted on 450 pesos per horse. We accepted, agreeing not to give a tip. The handlers seemed hesitant at first, but eventually relented. Just as we were mounting the horses, one went wild, neighing and kicking wildly, startling us.
After 10 minutes of riding, we reached a souvenir shop area, with several steps leading up to a viewpoint under construction. The guide said, 'We're here.' We pointed towards the distant volcano and were told, 'We're not going there, this is it. The viewpoint up those steps overlooks Taal Volcano Lake.' We groaned at the waste of money, thinking we had to rent horses for a longer journey.
On the way back, the tricycle driver sped at 90 km/h, but we didn't feel the need to shout as we did when turning earlier. Arriving at the bus station back to Manila, I handed over 300 pesos for the round trip, but the driver suddenly demanded 500 pesos (250,000 VND). He said, 'I charged 150 pesos for the outbound trip. Didn't I mention the return trip? The return trip is 350 pesos, totaling 500 pesos.'
It felt like being deceived within the first day in the Philippines. Back in Manila, we stopped at a fast food joint and vented our frustration over the day's 'stupid expenses.' Fortunately, dinner tonight was better than breakfast and lunch, and the local delicacy Halo-halo was delicious. I chalked it up to bad luck, resolving to be more cautious tomorrow.
When settling the bill, we were handed a 20-peso note (10,000 VND) with the staff jokingly saying, 'This is ancient money, nobody uses it anymore.' For me, the first day left a rather unpleasant impression.
Source: Nguyễn Lan Uyên/Vnexpress
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Reference: Travel guide from Minprice
MinpriceMay 1, 2018