Manila Travel Forum

Greetings to all,

I will be studying med in manila and will be there for at least 4 years from May, have been trying to get as much info as possible and I have to say the more i read about philippines the more i get to like it.
Im not into clubing and cities much, i guess its a sign of getting ol-der, but i love NATURE and hiking and outdoor sports, would love to find out if there are any clubs around manila that you can join for hiking, climbing, biking, scuba etc....
thank you all and great site here.

Hi! Where will you study? I would suggest check out the school first if they have any clubs for that kind of activities. That way, you know it is recognized by the school, you dont have to look to far and you'll meet people from your school.

In University of Sto. Tomas where I'm studying, we have a mountaineering club which schedules about 2-3 hiking to different mountains during school vacations.

hello,
have three choices. East uni, fatima, aguinaldo, but as you said would like to arrive abit earlier and check them out first hand before making the plunge.
Uni clubs is defi on the list but just wanted to find out about some external options as well.
I also have to look for a place to stay when over there, is it easy to find share accomodation there, i rather not wonder on my own for the first few months. do you know of any sites i can visit for finding rental/sharing places?
thanks for replying, please feel free to drop a line again, im hungry for info about your country and city
take care

The schools you mentioned are on different locations.

East Uni (which I would assume is University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Campus) is in Cubao, Quezon City which is about 1hr from the airport.

Fatima is in Valenzuela, 2hrs from the airport,

The nearest one is Emilio Aguinaldo University which ia about 30-45mins away from the airport.

this would mean that you would have to check out 3 different locations for a place to live while studying.

here are some websites you maycheck out:
http://www.adpost.com/ph/manila_metropolitan_area/rooms_for_rent/
http://www.moveinthecity.com/accommodations/rooms/

whoa WHOA! hold your horses!

there is no need to rush the nature thing. those are really easy to find and within reach wherever you are in metro manila! you have four years, remember?

I am not a guidance counselor hehe :) but I suggest you first focus on the university and area where you are headed to so you can pick a place. once settled, everything will be easy and just fall into place without you even exerting much effort!

a month after you are settled wherever (do heed what Lensky said), if you still are out of info on clubs and destinations. come back just here and we all from VT won't let you down. i promise you that!

Relax dindo....
you are 100% correct, there are many other issues that take priority over this Nature thing that you mention, BUT there no harm in getting as much info as possible regarding the place. with housing i have assured that there will be dorms, or help regarding private housing, and once i choose the uni i will be asking for your help regarding the surrounding areas for living and hopefuly you will be as responsive to my question as you are now.
in the meantime i have heared that manila is very expensive to live in and i might even look into some unis outside manila, can you be kind and put a rough figuer besides the item below, it would help me alot:

approximate costs:

One bedroom or studio (medium size) in an OK place in manila: Furnished and unfurnished:
electricty per month:
Intert ADSL/cable (high speed):
Food per month (normal 3 meals, cooked at home, only local food not imported) i want to try your local food only:

again thank you for your help and time

hi..
for your accomodations, it really depends what kind of place you're renting and the location.
the prices really vary.. so let me just give you here an example.. i live in a 2-bedroom flat apt that i share with 2 housemates, and we pay 5k each month in total, which is relatively cheap. the moveinthecity website is really helpful in getting a price range.
we have a 5 cu ft refrigerator, 2 electric fans and a tv set, we pay around Php400/mo for electricity.

If you buy local food in the "carinderia" (that's like a street-canteen that sells cooked food, usually viand and rice) one meal would cost from 25 to 50 pesos.


hope that helps!

you can check out

http://www.sandugo.ph/news.htm

sandugo is a brand of outdoor sandals, they provide outdoor services for a minimal fee. You just need to provide the gears for yourself. they have climbs every now and then.