TOP 10 Tips for Vegatarians/Pescetarians traveling to The Philippines

Traveling in a country where most of the people are meat-eaters can pose challenges for vegetarians or pescetarians. Filipinos are carnivores or heavy meat-eaters. Many Filipino dishes has meat, even their vegetable dishes contain a bit of meat. The scene is changing today as some Filipinos are trying to eat healthier or either being socially conscious of animal rights.

Here are some tips if you are a vegetarian traveling in the Philippines.

1. Fast food chains and restaurants have now vegetarian/pescetarian options. You will more likely to find a wide variety of vegetarian friendly dishes in Chinese restaurants.
   
   Here is a list of local and western fast food chains in the Philippines
   
   
   • Jollibee - Yes, the Philippines is perhaps the only country in this world that McDonald's is not the No.1 fast food chain. Not vegetarian/pescetarian friendly. Once in a while there would be seasonal vegatarian friendly menu but they only last for a couple of months.
   • McDonalds - Salad is not a staple menu in the local McDonalds outlets.
   • Wendy's - A good selection of salads, fish and shrimp sandwiches. Some branches have salad bars.
     
   • KFC - Everything has chicken. LOL.
     
   • Chowking - A Chinese fast food restaurant owned by Jollibee. Has a few selection of seafood dishes. They have choices for some vegan friendly meals like tofu, stir-fried kangkong and other vegetables.
   • Kenny Roger's Roaster - Wide selection of dishes, salads and sandwiches.
   • Cabalen Buffet Restaurant - not a fast food chain but a local restaurant that offers buffet all day. Average cost is 300-400 pesos. Lots of local vegetarian cuisine options. Commonly found in major malls within the city of Metro Manila.
     
   
   
   
2. Fruits & vegetables can be easily found in local markets. Be delighted by the wide range of fresh and delicious tropical fruits like mango, avocado, lanzones, durian etc.
   
   
3. If you prefer to cook your food, you will be able to find meat substitutes from the following stores/markets: ( It is best to call them and check if they deliver within Metro Manila)
   
   
   • http://amosou.sulit.com.ph/
   • Salcedo Saturday Market (every Saturday in Salcedo Village park, Makati City)
   • Legazpi Sunday Market (every Sunday in Legazpi Village, Makati City)
     
   • http://veggieboutique.multiply.com/
   • Bodhi Restaurant
     
   
   
4. You can go to a restaurant and request if the meat ingredients could be left out. Most restaurants would happily comply with your request.
   
   
5. The higher you go up when traveling in the mountainous regions of the Philippines (e.g. Cordillera region) the less fish based dishes there will be and more meat-based food will be available. For the Cordillera region, you will be delighted to know that they are the largest producers of vegetables in the country, so expect an abundance of fresh vegetables.
   
   
6. If you prefer to travel the off-the-beaten bath it's recommended to bring your own food. A loaf of bread and a bottle of fruit jam would let you survive in a day.
   
   
7. Find local vegetarians and ask for more recent restaurants and tips, by posting in popular Philippine forums like: http://www.istorya.net and http://www.pinoyexchange.com
   
   
8. Thank god for tofu. Tofu is widely available in many groceries, restaurants and small eateries.
   
   
9. When being offered food that has meat, graciously decline. Say thank you for the kindness and explain that you don't eat meat. This is not being impolite, in fact your host will most likely cook something vegetarian for you ;)
   
   
10. Some helpful links for vegan friendly restaurants:
    
    
    • http://www.happycow.net/
    • http://www.clickthecity.com/
      

Weather in the Philippines | Best Time to Travel

The Philippines has a tropical climate, and is usually hot, and humid. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5°C (79.7°F). There are three recognized seasons: "Tag-init" or "Tag-araw" (the hot season or summer from March to May), "Tag-ulan" (the rainy season from June to November), and "Tag-lamig" (the cold season from December to February). The southwest monsoon (from May to October) is known as the "Habagat", and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (from November to April) as the "Amihan". The coolest month is December, and the warmest is May. Both temperature, and humidity levels reach the maximum in April and May. Manila, and most of the lowland areas are hot, and dusty from March to May. Even at this period, the temperatures rarely rise above 37°C., sea-level temperatures rarely fall below 27°C. Annual rainfall measures as much as 5,000 millimeters in the mountainous east coast section, but less than 1,000 millimeters in some of the sheltered valleys. Sitting astride the typhoon belt, most of the islands experiences annual torrential rains, and thunderstorms from June to October.

Best time to travel around the Philippines is January to early May. This is considered the summer season in the Philippines which means you won't be encountering heavy rains or typhoons that may cause delays in your scheduled trip. Summer is also the peak season for local travelers. If you are on a tight budget avoid traveling during important Philippines holidays as travel prices could go twice or thrice their original price.

During Christmas season, overseas Filipino workers arrive in huge numbers and return to their motherland to celebrate the most festive season of the Philippine culture. The following holidays are also suggested to avoid:

• Lenten Season- Arguably, the worst time to travel in the Philippines. Travel prices are twice as much. Delayed flights, traffic in major highways and the whole city of Metro Manila becomes a ghost town because the urban dwellers will spend their Lenten season vacation outside the city.
  
• Christmas/Holiday Season
• Long Weekends declared by the national government. We have a lot of those. Our current President (Arroyo, as of this writing) is fan of long weekends.
  

For a list of the holidays in the Philippines,click here

UPDATE: Alas, maybe it's the global warming. Weather in the Philippines this previous summer season is somehow erratic. Rainy season started early this 2009. The last weeks of April brought unexpected rain showers that destroyed beach- hopping plans of my friends.