I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would update you guys on the plans and share some Philippine culture with everyone. We booked our trip to Bohol, so we will be leaving next week for 4 days. We are staying at a really nice resort, and we will be going on a tour of the chocolate hills and have a tarsier encounter! After that, we are planning a trip to Hong Kong! Stay tuned for those blogs!
I thought I would start with the Philippine Peso. Right now, the exchange rate is every American $1 is worth P43 Philippine Pesos. That's a pretty good rate! So, here is what Philippine Pesos look like: (Most of these are the new designs. They are different than their former designs.)
This is the largest Philippine Peso bill, the P1,000 bill. On the front of the bill are the faces of Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda and a picture of the medal of honor. Santos is a former Philippine President and Lim and Escoda were important people in the Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines. Pictured on the back is the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and the South Sea Pearl.
This is the P500 bill. (This is the old design.) On the front is Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and the Philippine flag. It also reads "The Filipino is worth dying for." On the back is a collage of various images relating to Aquino.
This is actually my favorite bill. It isn't used as much as the other bills, and it has a cute animal on it. ;) It is the P200 bill. On the front is former President Diosdado Macapagal and the Barasoain Church. On the back are the chocolate hills and tarsier of Bohol. (Which were visiting next week!!)
This is the P100 bill. On the front is former President Manuel A. Roxas and Intramuros. On the back is the Mayon Volcano and a whale shark.
This is the P50 bill. (This is the old bill.) It has Sergio Osmena on the front. On the back is the Philippine National Museum. The new bill has a different back. It pictures the Taal Lake and Batangas.
This is the P20 bill. On the front is former President Manuel L. Quezon and the Malacanan Palace. On the back are the Banawe Rice Terraces and the Palm Civet. (like a ferret).
There used to be a P10 bill and a P5 bill, but it seems that the Philippines has pretty much done away with it. They use coins here now for those denominations. I think it is kind of like the $2 bill in U.S. money. It still exists, and you can use it, but you don't encounter it very often.
This is the P10 coin. It is the largest coin value of the Philippine Peso. It is also the only bimetallic coin they circulate. Pictured on the front are the profiles of Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini. The back is the logo for the Bank of the Philippines. All of the coins have the same back. (That I have noticed)
This is the P5 coin. On the front is the first Philippine President Emilio Aquinaldo.
This is the P1 coin. On the front is the Jose Rizal. He is considered a Philippine national hero because of his influence in the revolution against the Spanish in 1800's. It is believed that his wrongful death is what sparked the revolution.
These are two 25 centavos. Think of it like a quarter. 4 of these equal 1 Philippine peso.
These are two 10 centavos. Think of them like dimes. 10 of them equal 1 Philippine peso.
This is the smallest of Philippine currency. These are two 5 centavos. Think of them like nickels. 20 of them equal 1 Philippine peso.
The beauty of the Philippine currency is no pennies! Also, in the Philippines everything already has tax included. So, if you see something you want to buy, and the tag says P200, then it is actually 200 pesos! Same thing with the food. The price it says is actually what you pay. You see a lot of centavos here, but most of the time they aren't really necessary.
I just wanted to do a brief blog about the Philippine peso since I have talked about buying things, but never really explained the money. I like their money here because it's so colorful and has cute pictures! hehe.
These are some pics from the places we have eaten the past few days.
This is from Sbarro. It is a deep dish white pizza. It has ham, cheese, and pineapples.
This is the baked ziti with meatballs topped with white and red sauce.
This is shawarma rice from shawarma boy. Very good!
This is from Tokyo Cafe. It is a beef bento box with miso soup.
This is Yellow Cab. I love this place! The pizza was so good!
This is a very well known chain in the Philippines.
The set-up.
This is how Eyen drinks her tea.. Talented.
My chocolate ice cream for dessert.
Today we went to see Man of Steel! Such a great movie! We had VIP lazy boy seats.
Kuya and Lola. They had fun!
My snacks!
This is my new shirt that Eyen got me for my bday. If you read about the Philippine currency above, then you will remember Jose Rizal. That is who is on my shirt. :)
Folded and Hung is a brand here in the Philippines. I liked the bag. hehe
Today we took Lola Yna to one of her favorite restaurants, Classic Savory. She has been asking to go here for a while now. She loved it so much, she decided to have it for dinner also. haha. It has been a famous chain here in the Philippines since 1950. Lola talked about coming here when she was a girl in 1955. The funny thing is, Lola Yna doesn't even EAT chicken! (Unless it's from here haha)
Cream of corn soup.
She didn't want to take photos, but I took some anyways. >:)
Look at Eyen's face. haha
Top left: chicken leg with rice and sweet and sour pork. Top right: chicken breast with rice and chop suey. Bottom: chicken breast with rice and fish fillet.
Well, this is what we have been doing the past few days. Exploring the malls and eating. Tomorrow we are going to MALL OF ASIA! Think Mall of America (the biggest mall in America) but it's the Mall of Asia! (one of the biggest malls in all of Asia!) I'm excited. It will take at least 2 days to explore the whole thing. haha. I will take pics for everyone to enjoy. :)
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