I found it simple yet effective and easier to promote. Many people do. It's been quite successful locally. No wonder there's now even an online More Fun in the Philippines meme generator, whereas the official campaign site hasn't yet gone live (now that's a fail. Tsk!).
Anyhow, I posted a photo I shot in Panglao Island with the meme via the morefunmaker website:
It's true. Some activities are indeed more fun in the Philippines. Now if only traffic/driving/and the commute isn't so stressful in Metro Manila (definitely not fun!), then I could have had more fun in the city. Lol.
Yes many things, activities and people are more fun in the Philippines but some of the customs people (on arrival in the country) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 -- the oldest NAIA terminal -- certainly aren't. And they're notorious for this.
You arrive tired from a trip, looking forward to getting past the airport gates and being home sweet home, but wait, customs person here is definitely sending feelers to get some "goody/ies" from me or whatever are in my/our bags...asking, staring at, and pointing at our huge bags "o, ang dami nyong bags.. ano mga nauwi nyo... ang lalaki ng bag nyo ah?" (translation... it's akin to saying: "Wow these bags you've brought back are rather big... what did you guys bring home?") or something to the effect which didn't sound quite right to our ears. It's almost like telling us, "If you get my meaning...." Red flag!
To which I would dearly have loved to have replied, "Sipa, gusto mo?" (loose translation: Want a kick in the butt?) hahahaha! :D And to think those bags were from a weeks-long trek we undertook in the Himalaya. Geez. Sige, iyo na lang my hiking sticks/trekking poles. Go take a hike won't you? And never return sana.. hahaha! *sighs*
Anyhow, of course I didn't quite think to reply that way (was too tired). Those are my "in hindsight" replies. I tried to be polite and made small talk in reply about the bags and our mountain trip (I don't think the customs officer even knows where the Himalaya is) to stave off anymore unpleasantness for me and my companions (who live in other countries and were kind of puzzled and getting rather defensive...kahiya talaga). Hence me taking charge in responding to the customs officer just as conversationally before one of my more hotheaded and tired companions start being bitchy. He is after all still the officer. It's really tons better at NAIA Terminal 2 though, the terminal for Philippine Airlines...less stressful and more professional.
Now enough of the less fun aspects of coming to the country via NAIA Terminal 1... Once you step out of it anyway, the locals make up for it by being really friendly, warm, and accommodating. Not to mention, fun! The guy who helped load our bags in the car chatted with us as he did so. He recognized instantly that we have come from a mountain/trekking trip, based on our bags. Turns out he did a bit of it himself in his school-age days, at a mountain in his hometown's backyard...Mt. Makulot.
The mountain's name itself is fun. "Makulot" means curly. Imagine naming a mountain that way. In other countries, mountains are named with people's last names in the West (Everest, Rainier, McKinley, etc) or after gods in the East (Chogori, Machapuchare, Annapurna, etc), but this particular Philippine mountain, is curly mountain. haha! What can I say, it's more fun in the Philippines, indeed. :D
In the meantime, check out these other witty More Fun in the Philippines contributions posted by other people.
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