"Nervous" travellers and Phillipines and Indonesia

[BoundForElsewhere]

I wonder if any Rockefellers have ever gone back to PNG....

 

[Centrals]

If money is NOT an issue, give me PNG anytime for scuba diving!
I have backpacked the mainland once and never encountered any issue. The overland travelling was fun but not recommended for the faint-hearted!

 

[caydiver]

I totally applaud you. We are not nervous travelers and are getting long in the tooth. My other half lived all over the world. Have a dear friend who when she was a little one sat on a grand staircase in a dress she rememberers as a beautiful favorite. She was given a cocked pistol to shoot if someone came through the door and knew the house staff were instructed that if the home was breached she, her little sister and her mother were to be taken out by the “houseboys”. Life is a gift to be enjoyed every single day, death is a one day event. Go have fun, eat the food and trust your instincts. I think you are magical being a bit nervous and still open to exploring our world. Hope you have an awesome trip.

 

[CJS]

I love Indonesia and have never felt unsafe there. I am more relaxed there than on the Red Sea Coast with all the military check points, but I was pretty relaxed there too. Mind you, I was pretty relaxed travelling in Sri Lanka during the civil war, in the middle of an election campaign, so I may not be the best judge of these things.

 

[D_Fresh]

The thing that worries me most travelling in SE Asia is the risk on the roads. But whilst I’ve been very nervous with some drivers, and asked one driver to slow down, I’ve never actually been involved with or witnessed any accidents (touch wood) - try to pick your transport carefully though if you can.

Hahaha, That's actually a good point. I (an American resident in PH) actually drive all over Philippines, but as a newcomer or tourist, it might be best to close your eyes in the car sometimes. Yes, there is an "order" to the chaos, but it can be really unnerving to those unaccustomed. LOL

 

[Pearlman]

Usually the actual dive resorts are away from the crowded areas with little to worry about. You just have to take care not walk around with an expensive camera slung about in places like Manila ..

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[D_Fresh]

Usually the actual dive resorts are away from the crowded areas with little to worry about. You just have to take care not walk around with an expensive camera slung about in places like Manila ..

And if you do (I do) then walk around like you "own the place" and "know what you're doing"... ie, confidence. Majority of the time, those looking to Snatch-n-Grab are looking for the people who look clueless and distracted.

 

[WOODMAN]

And keep your wits about you when using taxis in Manila. If you look prosperous and "western", there are taxis who will try to cheat you. Many comments about this on the Philippines forum, but if you maintain control of the situation, you should have little trouble.