We just added a free book to our site. It’s a condensed travel guide, written by Perry Gamsby, invaluable for anyone traveling to the Philippines for the first time.

For those visiting the Phils for the first time, you need to be aware that this is a “third world” country. It’s not like popping over to New Zealand. It’s crowded. Parts of it are quite polluted. Driving is erratic and generally scary to the uninitiated. And significantly, you ARE a “rich man” here, which means you are a target. So watch your valuables, and realise that you ARE a target. Watch out for scams, particularly. Filipinos are generally wonderfully kind people, but poverty pushes people to extremes.

So, enjoy the book. And consider a moderate investment into a few of the complete books, especially if you plan on marrying a local. To understand the culture is to understand HER better. And Perry knows how to explain things in a way the average Aussie understands.