Australian cities an Irish impression
May 10th 2011, 5:22 am
#31
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,600
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
"Dat's Pert dat is"
May 10th 2011, 6:00 am
#32
...giving optimism a go?!
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Brisbane (leafy, hilly western suburbs)
Posts: 2,202
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
Manila... its a god-awful hell hole. I've only ever found one place on this earth that I couldnt see any redeeming qualities to - and that was Manila.
By far the worst traffic and polution I've seen in Asian/African or South American cities, a rudeness from strangers just never encountered anywhere else on the planet, public transport fit only for midgets (WTF? Jeeps [buses] with roofs barely 3ft above the floor) and far too many people.... .. and I was theived from by my wifes relatives (went through our bags while we were out and took about US$200 cash)!
I might be going back next xmas for a holiday!
- Hopefully we can skip Manila and head straight down to an island somewhere in the south - PLaenty of nice places around in Philippines - just got to avoid the capital.oh - and my Tagalog sucks big time - but I can do a convincing Philo accent
May 10th 2011, 7:42 am
#33
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,396
May 10th 2011, 7:48 am
#34
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Dec 2009
Location: Sydney
Posts: 4,565
May 10th 2011, 1:39 pm
#35
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 90
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
(Sorry I realise this is off-topic)
Manila... its a god-awful hell hole. I've only ever found one place on this earth that I couldnt see any redeeming qualities to - and that was Manila.
By far the worst traffic and polution I've seen in Asian/African or South American cities, a rudeness from strangers just never encountered anywhere else on the planet, public transport fit only for midgets (WTF? Jeeps [buses] with roofs barely 3ft above the floor) and far too many people.... .. and I was theived from by my wifes relatives (went through our bags while we were out and took about US$200 cash)!
I might be going back next xmas for a holiday! - Hopefully we can skip Manila and head straight down to an island somewhere in the south - PLaenty of nice places around in Philippines - just got to avoid the capital.
oh - and my Tagalog sucks big time - but I can do a convincing Philo accent
Manila... its a god-awful hell hole. I've only ever found one place on this earth that I couldnt see any redeeming qualities to - and that was Manila.
By far the worst traffic and polution I've seen in Asian/African or South American cities, a rudeness from strangers just never encountered anywhere else on the planet, public transport fit only for midgets (WTF? Jeeps [buses] with roofs barely 3ft above the floor) and far too many people.... .. and I was theived from by my wifes relatives (went through our bags while we were out and took about US$200 cash)!
I might be going back next xmas for a holiday!
- Hopefully we can skip Manila and head straight down to an island somewhere in the south - PLaenty of nice places around in Philippines - just got to avoid the capital.oh - and my Tagalog sucks big time - but I can do a convincing Philo accent
I agree, Manilla is horrible. I always tell people not to go there.
I lived on Cebu island, 50kms outside Cebu City, in a small quiet town called Sibonga, near Carcar city. They speak Visayas there, not the same as Tagalog. I speak a little Visayas, enough to get by. 80% of Filipinos speak Visayas, yet the national language is Tagalog.
Its the second largest city, and has similar problems to Manilla, but significantly less so. I dont mind the city too much, especially not to the degree that I dislike Manilla.
Manilla was destroyed during WW2 by the yanks killing Japs who occupied the city. Before that it was the pearl of the orient, comparable to Paris. Shame it was so badly re-built.
If anyone wants to know about my stay in Philippines, I did some blog entries on it http://alanpeters.blogspot.com/
Also, I drove around most of the Visayas area, so I know it quite well. I have a hugh amount of pics on Facebook, Australia too !
Last edited by smidsy; May 10th 2011 at 1:54 pm.
May 10th 2011, 2:00 pm
#36
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Dec 2009
Location: Sydney
Posts: 4,565
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
I do a lot of work in Manila, and really don’t mind it. Never been to Cebu though.
I have seen video footage of pre-war Manila and I agree, the city looked better in those days.
I have seen video footage of pre-war Manila and I agree, the city looked better in those days.
Hi,
I agree, Manilla is horrible. I always tell people not to go there.
I lived on Cebu island, 50kms outside Cebu City, in a small quiet town called Sibonga, near Carcar city. They speak Visayas there, not the same as Tagalog. I speak a little Visayas, enough to get by. 80% of Filipinos speak Visayas, yet the national language is Tagalog.
Its the second largest city, and has similar problems to Manilla, but significantly less so. I dont mind the city too much, especially not to the degree that I dislike Manilla.
Manilla was destroyed during WW2 by the yanks killing Japs who occupied the city. Before that it was the pearl of the orient, comparable to Paris. Shame it was so badly re-built.
If anyone wants to know about my stay in Philippines, I did some blog entries on it http://alanpeters.blogspot.com/
Also, I drove around most of the Visayas area, so I know it quite well. I have a hugh amount of pics on Facebook, Australia too !
I agree, Manilla is horrible. I always tell people not to go there.
I lived on Cebu island, 50kms outside Cebu City, in a small quiet town called Sibonga, near Carcar city. They speak Visayas there, not the same as Tagalog. I speak a little Visayas, enough to get by. 80% of Filipinos speak Visayas, yet the national language is Tagalog.
Its the second largest city, and has similar problems to Manilla, but significantly less so. I dont mind the city too much, especially not to the degree that I dislike Manilla.
Manilla was destroyed during WW2 by the yanks killing Japs who occupied the city. Before that it was the pearl of the orient, comparable to Paris. Shame it was so badly re-built.
If anyone wants to know about my stay in Philippines, I did some blog entries on it http://alanpeters.blogspot.com/
Also, I drove around most of the Visayas area, so I know it quite well. I have a hugh amount of pics on Facebook, Australia too !
May 27th 2011, 10:27 am
#38
Just Joined
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 13
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
Perth is still hamstrung by antiquated shopping hours laws. Trying to find anything open on a Sunday (or even Saturday afternoon) is like searching for the Holy Grail. The laws were changed slightly recently but they are still way behind the other states.
15 years ago you couldn't even buy fuel at weekends unless you could find the servo that was on roster!.
Which reminds me - if anyone in Adelaide has ever wondered why there is a strip of neighbouring servos at the bottom of South Road near Sturt Road, they date back to 30 years ago when filling stations were not allowed to open at weekends in the Adelaide metro area. The bottom of South Road was just outside the metro boundary and so all the servos did a roaring trade at weekends - there was a similar stretch north of the city.
15 years ago you couldn't even buy fuel at weekends unless you could find the servo that was on roster!.
Which reminds me - if anyone in Adelaide has ever wondered why there is a strip of neighbouring servos at the bottom of South Road near Sturt Road, they date back to 30 years ago when filling stations were not allowed to open at weekends in the Adelaide metro area. The bottom of South Road was just outside the metro boundary and so all the servos did a roaring trade at weekends - there was a similar stretch north of the city.
)
May 27th 2011, 12:49 pm
#39
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Canada->WA->Melbourne
Posts: 1,612
Re: Australian cities an Irish impression
Looks like I missed all the interesting bits...
Anyway, we've only lived in Perth, but this Sydney description reminded me of it:
So, I guess part of your Perth entry is done already...
Anyway, we've only lived in Perth, but this Sydney description reminded me of it:
Disadvantages...
Expensive, its the most expensive city in Australia. Houses cost a fortune. In the advantages, I said that I would earn the highest salary, however, Cheryl's salary would be almost the same, as elsewhere. So proportionally to cost of living, she would be earning less.
Commuting distance. Sydney suffers terribly from urban sprawl. This is the killer for Cheryl & I. Setting up, we cant afford to stay in expensive places. As such, we would be commuting large distances. Like 20 kilometers outside the city. It would involve waiting on a bus to the train station, waiting on a train, 45 minutes on the train, then bus, or walk to where we are going. Door to door, it could be 1.5 to 2 hours. Thats a nightmare! However, when we have money, and can afford a place closer to the city, we will reconsider Sydney.
Trafic - Same as commuting distance, it takes ages to get to the city.
Expensive, its the most expensive city in Australia. Houses cost a fortune. In the advantages, I said that I would earn the highest salary, however, Cheryl's salary would be almost the same, as elsewhere. So proportionally to cost of living, she would be earning less.
Commuting distance. Sydney suffers terribly from urban sprawl. This is the killer for Cheryl & I. Setting up, we cant afford to stay in expensive places. As such, we would be commuting large distances. Like 20 kilometers outside the city. It would involve waiting on a bus to the train station, waiting on a train, 45 minutes on the train, then bus, or walk to where we are going. Door to door, it could be 1.5 to 2 hours. Thats a nightmare! However, when we have money, and can afford a place closer to the city, we will reconsider Sydney.
Trafic - Same as commuting distance, it takes ages to get to the city.
