VISAS

Westerners only need a passport to stay up to 21 days. No visa is required. To extend your stay by 59 days, get a Tourist Visa in Cebu.

GETTING THERE

If you're flying from western countries, you'll most likely have to land in Manila and connect on a domestic flight to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Philippine Airlines (PAL) and its domestic Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific Air and Zest Airways will get you from Manila to Cebu. From Asian Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific, from Singapore, Silk Air, from Korea, Korean Air, from Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways and Asiana Airlines fly to Cebu.

Departure Fee: In Manila, you have to pay P200 to reach Cebu. To leave Cebu, pony up P750.

Country Code: 63

Time Zone: GMT +8

Money: The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine peso, also called piso. PHP is the currency code and P is the official abbreviation. P150 for example.

Electricity: 220V 60 Hz. Two flat prongs are used.

SIM Cards: Globe sim cards at a kiosk called Tech - Mao Cellphones and Accessories Center at Robinson's Department Store and Supermarket are P100 and separate cards with minutes loading codes range from P100 to P500. It's P6.50 for Globe sim card to another Globe. It's P7 for other cards.

Process: in case you think that changing sim cards sounds complex, it's not. You simply purchase a sim card, which is the computer chip hardware that connects you to a network. The sim card will have your new cell number. Then, you turn on the phone and a prompt will tell you that your cell is connected to the Globe network. You then proceed to punch in two separate codes on the minutes loading card you're given. That's it!

Times to Go
Low Season: July - September, heavy rain and storms. Cebu has less rains than Manila
High Season: November - May, dry season

Language: Cebuano Tagalog is the official language. Some folks speak Spanish. English is widely spoken and below are some helpful terms.

Hello - Mahubay
Good Bye - Paalam
Thank you - Salamat
How much is it? - Magkano ito?