Mary Jen Like 0

Two years ago when I was in the Philippines on a scuba diving trip, I was lucky enough to have Jen as a private tour guide for the days that I was in the Manila area. I was so impressed by her that I decided that if I were to return to the Philippines for more sightseeing I would definitely use her again.....and so I did.

This time I wanted to attend a festival as well as to see Palawan. I got suggestions from Jen by email of the various festivals and when they would be held. I decided that the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City on Negros Occidental seemed interesting. With that I decided on the days that I would stay in the Philippines as well as the number of days in Bacolod, Palawan, and Manila. With her help, I also decided on what I would do during my stay, where to stay as well as the domestic travel.

In the Manila area as well as in Luzon, Jen made the travel arrangements such as tour reservations along with car and driver and she was the tour guide. In Negros and Palawan, she was there more to advise me of options as we used the local guides.

All that I can say is that I am glad that Jen was with me the entire trip. I am sure that if I tried to do it myself, it would have been an entirely different trip. There would be things that I could just not do on my own....like take the jeepneys or the motortrikes. Just having her around made me feel safe about where I was going during the trip. That is a good feeling to have!

Here are the highlights:

I am glad to have attended the Masskara Festival. Very colorful. Lots of energy by the various dancing groups. Don't know how they could be dressed up all day and do a parade into the night! I remember being in the parade of dancers. Bacolod and the nearby cities on Negros is very different from Manila. Best traffic in the Philippines! Probably worth another visit one day.

I am probably not crazy about Palawan. Puerto Princesa is a very crowded city with lots of traffic. But there was a very nice resort there that was very nice, clean and very very inexpensive. I would go back just to stay there for a few days. The drive was to El Nido and back takes up so much of 2 days that I wonder if it was worth it. But it was the days that were spent island hopping and eating in town were nice. 

No way to avoid Manila even when visiting other islands because you have to fly back to Manila. I really enjoyed the tour of the Malacanang Palace and the Manila Cemetery. It was also good to drive out of Manila to Clark and Subic Bay. The driver Bernie was also great. But I really enjoyed the cockfighting. It was not what I expected...so fast and unpredictable.

But all of this would not have been possible without Jen. As before....she is such a professional. She is NEVER Late! When she gives you a time, she will be there early so that you will never wait for her. And after now understanding how horrible Manila traffic is, I know how much time she spends just coming and going through that traffic...so that is really impressive!

An example of how professional she is.... During our stay in Bacolod, I was in my hotel room watching TV in the evening when the power suddenly went out and the alarms sounded. I was in the dark but I was also wondering what to do. In just a few seconds, Jen knocked on door to see if I was okay....she had a flashlight as well. I was really impressed!

I could go on....but if you are coming to the Philippines...just contact Jen. I don't trust anyone to take me around the Philippines except her.

I originally contacted Mary Jen regarding a 4-hour tour of Manila’s most prominent historical sights. She  was very quick to reply to any questions I had regarding the tour, and we arranged a convenient morning for it.
Jen arrived punctually at my accommodation as planned and we set off on the first part of the tour, Rizal Park. It soon became apparent that Jen is a very knowledgeable tour guide. Not only does she know her history but she is able to communicate her knowledge in a clear and entertaining way. She adds little asides that put a ‘human face’ on what times were like for ordinary people during the times of events in the past. Jen is a fluent speaker of English. Communicating with her is effortless.
Because of Jen’s depth of knowledge and enthusiasm it soon became clear that this 4-hr tour would take a little bit longer, especially as I always like to linger in places in order to take a proper look. In fact the tour lasted 10 hours which included a lunch break.
After Rizal Park and the execution site, came Intramuros, the Cathedral, St Agustin church and museum, Casa Manila museum and a tour of Fort Santiago. We also went to the Philippine’s oldest hotel, the Manila Hotel and looked around its most expensive suite - The General Douglas McArthur.
Finally we went to Taguig City to visit the USAFFE cemetery. Each section has large mosaic maps depicting troop movements and battle strategies in the Pacific. Jen did an excellent job of explaining what it all meant.
When the tour had finished I asked Jen about a visit to Corregidor Island. She said that she would be leading a tour there and would make sure she would be the guide on my bus on the island. Again, she showed an amazing knowledge of the island fortifications, the armaments used and so much more besides.
It was a great pleasure meeting Jen. I learned so much, not only about the Philippine’s history but about the culture and day-to-day lives of Filipino people.
I thoroughly recommend Jen to anyone who needs a top class tour guide. Next time I’m back in the Philippines I won’t hesitate to call her up and arrange another tour.

Jen is an outstanding tour guide. Not only is she knowledgeable but she has a very engaging personality and a good sense of humor.

Jen was the guide on my trolley bus tour of Corregidor Island. As a WW II history buff and retired army officer the tour was the highlight of my stay in Manila.  I was impressed by Jen’s knowledge of the island, the Japanese taking of Corregidor in May 1942 and the American / Filipino defeat of the Japanese garrison in February 1945. At the stopping points on the tour, Jen mixed with the people in the group to learn of particular interest a person may have and ensuring that all questions were answered.  She did all she could to ensure that everyone on the tour had a great experience.

On my next trip back to the Philippines when I tour Bataan, I will definitely engage Jen as my tour guide.

I had a wonderful time on the two tours that I had in the Manila area with Mary Jen.

First of all, she is indeed licensed by the Department of Tourism. Some countries take their tourism seriously and do this to have a level of proficiency. It is probably helpful to have someone who is licensed by the government in case something comes up.

Anyway, I contacted Jen by email about a month before my visit to the Philippines. She is very good about responding to email. It did not take too long to get get some ideas that interested me and fit into my schedule after other tours I had arranged. I was interested in attending a walking tour of Intramuros that was scheduled on one afternoon and had already reserved a day trip to Corregidor Island. It turns out that she was familiar with the walking tour and that she is also one of the tour guides on Corregidor.

I was interested visiting in the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonafacio as well as Bataan Peninsula, keeping with a WWII theme.

The first tour was a half day afternoon tour after I changed to a hotel in Makati. Jen showed up right on time and we took a taxi to a mall in Fort Bonifacio where we had a short lunch before going to the cemetery. After the visit there, we took a bus to the malls in Makati where we had dinner before walking back to the hotel. I learned a lot about the Filipino culture and history with our conversations.

The next morning, a 6:30am trip to Bataan. She was right on time again with a nice SUV and driver despite the horrible traffic in Manila. We had made stops at an old church affected by the Pinatubo eruption, some of the Death March markers, a resort that showcases historical houses and a couple of memorials. Bataan is very pretty and other than the history associated with the name, you would see nothing from the war. Because of heavy traffic, we got back to the hotel after 7pm. A long day but it very enjoyable.

Jen was proud to show and teach me about her country. I learned so much from our conversations together. It was more like speaking with a friend than just touring around. Of course, she knows a lot about WWII being on the Corregidor tours so it gave me insight that I never had before on the war.

Jen also gave me ideas on places to go on my off days and the price of the taxi ride back to the airport. That allowed me to get a cheaper fare.

I would like to return to visit other places in the Philippines and will certainly contact Jen to make the arrangements and/or be my guide again. I would highly recommend Jen for any trip to the Philippines.