Bars and Restaurants
The bigger cities have bars and restaurants that foreigners will find acceptable and enough choice to find places they will enjoy.  Prices for food and drinks are very reasonable in most places.  A San Miguel beer is typically Php25-35 although in hotel bars it can rise to Php90 or more with the service charges.  Smaller towns tend to have Karaoke bars where the locals hang out.

Dancing & Disco’s
Ballroom dancing is very popular and Dance Instructors are available to help you brush up on your steps at reasonable prices.  With a few exceptions there are not really any clubs catering to a particular style of dancing such as Salsa etc.  The ‘ballrooms’ cover all types of dancing, not one style in particular  For those wanting less formal dancing, discos are available of many types, with prices to match.

Music is very popular in the Philippines.  It seems to get into their blood at an early age with kids singing along to Karaoke music.  Filipinos are very gifted and talented musicians and singers.  Unlike Western bands or groups where you have one guy who is rhythm, another is lead, another a bass guitarist and one on the drums.  Many Filipinas can play several, or all the instruments, and very capable of taking on the job as lead singer as well.  Western groups tend to have rigid ‘sets’ of pre-planned numbers whereas a Filipina band will improvise and adapt to suit the mood and wants of a particular audience as well as often performing any song on request.  If you have never tried singing – learn!  Joining in a Karaoke session is a good way of ‘bonding’ with the locals and if you attempt one in Tagalog, it will earn much respect (even if you don't get it right they appreciate you trying and have a damn good laugh at your pronunciation mistakes!).

Billiards/Pool/Darts
Often incorrectly referred to on signs as ‘Billiards’, the popular game they actually play  is ‘Pool’ and tables can be found in many places.   Efren “The Magician” Reyes is the champion of the world at this writing,  just having defeated Earl “The Pearl” Srickland. Darts however is less popular, and even when you can find a place with a Dart Board they might not have it spot lit and may not have darts for you to borrow so be sure to take your own.  The Filipinos who do play, often take it very seriously, and are potential world champions.

Chess is popular pastime and I am sure the Filipinos will willingly accept a challenge to play against you if you want to try.

10 Pin Bowling has been in the Philippines for a long while and there are bowling leagues, you can try and  join, if you want to play competitively.

Things To Do - Communication

Internet Access/e-mail

Internet or Cyber Cafe's are available for those that don't have their own PC with a Modem and a Telephone line.  These seem far more prolific in Cebu than in Manila where on-line Gaming seems more popular.

Those fortunate to live in areas of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and a few others, may be able to get DSL service connection.  For the rest of us Dial-Up is the only option.  Here you can choose between a signed contract with monthly fees for a prescribed number of hours (with cost penalties usually if you exceed these, and no rebate if you use less), or pre-paid access whereby there are no monthly fees and the flexibility to use the credited number of hours over several months.  These pre-paid cards give the flexibility of being able to switch between ISP's depending on price, performance and ability to get a free line.  Currently you can pay as little as Php3.85/hour (130 hours over 3 months for Php500).

IDD Telephone Calls

The Philippines is supposed to have deregulated Telecommunications.  So far this has not resulted in true competition, especially in the area of International Phone calls - the Philippines remains in the high price bracket compared to other truly deregulated countries.  Calls from a Globe mobile phone cost US$0.4 per minute to anywhere in the world.  VoIP is not legally allowed in the RP currently if it terminates on a telephone line and/or telephone handset.  This does not stop individuals using their PC's to initiate calls to other PC's and to telephones in countries where VoIP is permitted - this brings the cost down to US$0.04/min or less.

More Pages:

Things to Do - Activies
Things to Do - Visual and Tourist
Things to Do - Recreation and Communication