Am I overthinking this?

[Masalic]

As soon as you enter you will be apprehended. What will you do with this information now?

...I'll take my chances abroad. Time to save up i guess.

 

[Anonajohn]

...I'll take my chances abroad. Time to save up i guess.

whoa. all this fancy technology in the world, and we still can't get A Sarcasm Detector for the internet.

 

[PorterD]

Why are you so scared of LE?

My biggest fear walking into an amp is performance. Either not getting it going or the opposite where things are over too quickly. So far the places I’ve gone I’ve done okay but I got to be honest some reviews here are intimidating from that side of things….

 

[Masalic]

Why are you so scared of LE?

My biggest fear walking into an amp is performance. Either not getting it going or the opposite where things are over too quickly. So far the places I’ve gone I’ve done okay but I got to be honest some reviews here are intimidating from that side of things….

Well if I had a clearer idea of how much LE cares about this stuff in my home city of chicago, that would give me some courage, but i can't find any thing definitive.

 

[Funrise]

Al Qaida largely controls the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, and also has cells in the mainland Southeast Asian countries.

FACT CHECK
Former Philippines President Duterte was the Mayor of Davao, the biggest city in Mindanao and the safest in the Philippines.
The radicals are in a “no go” section of southwest Mindanao.
The Philippines is over 7,000 islands. Mindanao is mostly fine, but you have no need to go there. Many other options are also fine.

 

[Anonajohn]

FACT CHECK
Former Philippines President Duterte was the Mayor of Davao, the biggest city in Mindanao and the safest in the Philippines.
The radicals are in a “no go” section of southwest Mindanao.
The Philippines is over 7,000 islands. Mindanao is mostly fine, but you have no need to go there. Many other options are also fine.

My visit to the Philippines was about 10 years ago. I traveled/ toured the country with natives and even they wouldn't go to Mindanao for fear of the rebels and terrorists. Also, you're talking about one city. It's a third-world country. The cities are modernized and made safe for tourism, but once you are outside the borders, villages with no running water and no electricity, dirt/mud roads/ paths through the jungle, and so on. These are things I saw not 10 miles outside Manila, the capital city of the country and the largest city on the biggest island. Googling some "facts" is not the same as having been there and witnessed it with my own eyes.

 

[Funrise]

My visit to the Philippines was about 10 years ago. I traveled/ toured the country with natives and even they wouldn't go to Mindanao for fear of the rebels and terrorists. Also, you're talking about one city. It's a third-world country. The cities are modernized and made safe for tourism, but once you are outside the borders, villages with no running water and no electricity, dirt/mud roads/ paths through the jungle, and so on. These are things I saw not 10 miles outside Manila, the capital city of the country and the largest city on the biggest island. Googling some "facts" is not the same as having been there and witnessed it with my own eyes.

I was in the Philippines for a few months this year and spent a lot of time in the provinces outside of Manila. I speak as a traveler with friends that are from there, not a keyword warrior.
It is third world outside of developed areas, but not the radical shithole you referenced.

 

[Anonajohn]

I was in the Philippines for a few months this year and spent a lot of time in the provinces outside of Manila. I speak as a traveler, not a keyword warrior.
It is third world outside of developed areas, but not the radical shithole you referenced.

The four main spots I toured were Manila, Baguio, Bohol, and Ta'al. Other than Bohol, which is on a different island, we reached the locations mostly by road trip. I got to see a lot of the countryside this way, and see first-hand where the infrastructure of civilization pretty much ended. Also, as I said, I toured with native Phillipinos, and I learned much about the country from conversations with them as well.

At present day, a large portion of the island of Mindanao has been surrounded/ hemmed in by Phillipino military, and the rebel sect Abu Sayef, a splinter group of Al Qaida, has been left to rule the hemmed in area as an autonomous region. The military no longer sends troops into the area due to public sentiment against all the casualties that were being suffered as a result. Currently, they only keep them contained

 

[Anonajohn]

Anyway, going way off topic here. Apologies to the OP

 

[Funrise]

The four main spots I toured were Manila, Baguio, Bohol, and Ta'al. Other than Bohol, which is on a different island, we reached the locations mostly by road trip. I got to see a lot of the countryside this way, and see first-hand where the infrastructure of civilization pretty much ended. Also, as I said, I toured with native Phillipinos, and I learned much about the country from conversations with them as well.

At present day, a large portion of the island of Mindanao has been surrounded/ hemmed in by Phillipino military, and the rebel sect Abu Sayef, a splinter group of Al Qaida, has been left to rule the hemmed in area as an autonomous region. The military no longer sends troops into the area due to public sentiment against all the casualties that were being suffered as a result. Currently, they only keep them contained

The area of southwest Mindanao is unsafe to develop and there are other areas without basic necessities or utilities, but there is no need for most travelers to visit those places.
I enjoyed my visit and will return.

 

[Anonajohn]

The area of southwest Mindanao is unsafe to develop and there are other areas without basic necessities or utilities, but there is no need for most travelers to visit those places.
I enjoyed my visit and will return.

I can agree with you enough that we can put the topic to bed and stop hi-jacking the OP's thread.

If you do return, Baguio was once the site of a U.S. military base, now closed, and the Phillipinos have made the city into an artsy resort town with art galleries and cafe's. It is in the mountains, and, with the higher elevation, the tropical weather is much more tolerable. Ta'al is the site of a now-extinct volcano. What once was the crater from which the lava flowed is now a freshwater lake. The views at this place are superb.

 

[Camaro13]

Biggest risk is that you’ll get hooked on it.

@Masalic this is the best advice you'll get.
Don't say we didn't warn ya...