As in any big city, crime is a part of life in Manila, with foreigners seen as easy prey by pickpockets and petty criminals. As much as possible, avoid walking around on your own at night and in deserted places.

While you’re there
Medical services
A charity hospital, the government-funded Philippine General Hospital (521 8450; Taft Ave, Ermita) tends to be overcrowded but it does offer full service.
Reliable private medical services are provided by the following large centers:
Makati Medical Center (815 9911; 2Amorsolo St, Makati)
Manila Doctors Hospital (524 3011; 667 United Nations Ave, Ermita)
Manila Medical Center (523 8131; 1122 General Luna St, Ermita)

Land

Bus
Getting out of Manila by bus is harder than you might expect, as there is no central bus terminal and no central source of information. Bus information seems to seep into the collective conscious by a weird osmosis. Ask around and you’ll find the right answer. Two good resources (besides your hotel) are taxi drivers and www.clickthecity.com. The former often have an amazing knowledge of the myriad of bus lines. Tell the driver the city you want to go to and you’ll be taken to the right bus station. The latter serves as a good online guide. You can search for ‘bus lines’ and add in the name of the city that’s your destination. Often the correct company will come up. Alternatively, search for ‘bus lines’ and ‘Manila’ and you’ll get a list of over 100 bus companies with services to and from Manila.

The myriad of private operators have their own terminals scattered around the city. Most are close to EDSA (Manila’s ring road), which connects the highways going north and south of the capital. All the terminals are accessible by public transport; the suggested routes (jeepney or LRT/MRT) to the terminals are from Ermita and Malate. From Makati, the companies are often just an MRT ride away. It should be noted that Filipino bus drivers are among the most maniacal on the face of the earth, although the number of accidents is surprisingly low. If you’re not used to traveling at breakneck speed, you may well be in for a white-knuckle ride.

What follows is a list of some of the more important bus companies. Note the headings below refer to the suburb from which your journey originates.

Boat
The port of Manila is divided into two sections, South Harbor and North Harbor. Unfortunately for the traveler, two of the shipping lines use the hard-to-reach North Harbor. It’s best to take a taxi to North Harbor, as the area isn’t a place for a foreigner to be wandering around with luggage.

Air
International
With the exception of Philippine Airlines (PAL), international flights to and from Manila Airport (MNL; 877 1109) use the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I (NAIA or NAIA I) in Parañaque. International and domestic PAL passengers use NAIA II (also known as the Centennial Terminal).

NAIA I am long in the tooth but functional. NAIA II is relatively new and gleaming white. Both have currency-exchange counters and ATMs after customs in the arrival areas. Passengers changing terminals can use shuttles inside the airports before they exit the terminals.