Public Holidays in Philipines !!

Posted by gmygotravel

If the date falls on the weekend the public holiday will be observed on the next working day. Also note that Easter is a major holiday in the Philippines and travel may be disrupted.

January 1

New Year's Day Araw ng Bagong Taon

Thursday before Easter

Maundy Thursday Huwebes Santo

Friday before Easter

Good Friday  Biyernes Santo

Easter Sunday, date varies

Easter Sunday Linggo ng Pagkabuhay

April 9

Bataan and Corregidor Day ("Day of Valour")  Araw ng Kagitingan

May 1

Labor Day  Araw ng Manggagawa

June 12

Independence Day Araw ng Kasaringlan

June 30

Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day  

July 27

Iglesia Ni Cristo Day Kaarawan ng pagkakatatag ng Iglesia Ni Cristo

August 21

Ninoy Aquino Day Araw ng Kabayanihan ni Ninoy Aquino

Last Monday of August

National Heroes' Day Araw ng mga Bayani

November 1

All Saints Day Undas/Todos los Santos 

November 30

Bonifacio Day Kaarawan ni Bonifacio 

December 25

Christmas Day Araw ng Pasko 

December 30

Rizal Day Araw ng Kabayanihan ni Dr. José Rizal 

December 31

Last Day of the Year Bisperas ng Bagong Taon 

Electricity in Philipines!! General Information !!

Posted by gmygotravel

Electricity in Philippines is 220 Volts, alternating at 60 cycles per second. If you travel to Philippines with a device that does not accept 220 Volts at 60 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter. 

There are three main types of voltage converter. Resistor-network converters will usually be advertised as supporting something like 50-1600 Watts. They are light-weight and support high-wattage electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons. However, they can only be used for short periods of time and are not ideal for digital devices.

Transformers will have a much lower maximum Watt rating, usually 50 or 100. Transformers can often be used continuously and provide better electricity for low wattage appliances like battery chargers, radios, laptop computers, cameras, mp3 players and camcorders. However, they are heavy because they contain large iron rods and lots of copper wire.

Outlets in Philippines generally accept 2 types of plug:
Flat blade plug
Two round pins

If your appliances plug has a different shape, you may need a plug adapter. 

Currency of Philipines !! US-Philippines Coins !!

Posted by gmygotravel

After the Spanish-American war, Spain ceded the Philippines to the Unites States for a amount of 20 million dollars in the 1898 Treaty of Paris.  

The currency situation was in a state of disarray. The colony needed a new working coinage system which showed the colony's new identity. 

In 1903, all Spanish-Philippines issues were withdrawn from circulation and melted, replaced by the new series of coins. 

The minor coins (the half centavo, one centavo, and five centavos) were made of bronze and featured the figure of an adolescent male seated at an anvil and holding a hammer in his right hand. In the distance is seen the smoking volcano of Mt. Mayon. The statement of value appears in English, while the name of the colony is written below in Spanish (FILIPINAS). 

Silver was used for the larger denominated coins (10, 20 and 50 centavos and then the 1 peso). The obverses of these showed a standing figure of a female wearing a long gown and holding a hammer resting atop an anvil. Behind her is again Mt. Mayon. 

Until the Philippine Commonwealth was founded in 1935, all coins bore a single reverse design: the federal shield with by an American eagle on top. The words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and the date the coin was struck are also found on this side. 

The obverses remained unchanged until the last US-Philippine coins were struck in 1945.The designs are credited to Filipino sculptor Melecio Figueroa.Several US mints struck coins for this series, namely Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver and the Manila mint. 

A vivid relation about the introduction of the US-Philippine currency can be found in chapter XII of Mary Helen Fee's book, A Woman's Impression of the Philippines. She was a teacher who was send to the Philippines in the early years of the US era. 

The silver coins consisted of pesos, medio-pesos, pesetas (twenty-cent pieces), media-pesetas (ten-cent pieces), and it seems to me that I have a hazy recollection of a silver five-cent piece, though I cannot be certain. The copper coins were as mongrel as the silver. 

Currency of Philipines !! Spanish-Philippines Coins !!

Posted by gmygotravel

There are few specifically Philippine coins from the Spanish era. This is so, because during most of the Spanish rule of the islands, the Philippines, like all Spanish colonies, used the same Spanish coins as legal tender. The world-famous "peice of eight" (8 reales) was one of the world's leading currencies during most of this time. It was accepted nearly anywhere, from North and South America to many parts of Asia and Europe, even outside the Spanish realm.  

Counterstamps

The first Philippine coins came into existance around 1830. At that time many South American Spanish colonies became independent republics. King Ferdinand VII and Queen Isabella II (hence, F7 and YII). These counterstamps were used to legitimize the coins that arrived (as Spain did not recognize those country's independence until several years after).

Silver & Gold Series

In 1857, Queen Isabella II issued a degree, ordering the founding of the Casa de Moneda de Manila in the Philippines with the sole purpose of coining gold. It was established in 1861. Issues here ran from 1861 to 1868 in the denominations of 1, 2, and 4 pesos (rare years are 1867 and 1866). These are the very first coins that ever bore the name of the colony: FILIPINAS. In 1864 the operations of the mint were expanded to cover silver. All silver coins with the exception of the 1897 Un Peso were struck here (the latter was struck at the Madrid mint).

Silver coins bearing Isabella's image were struck from 1864 to 1868, and then again from a few years after using the 1868 dies (hence the reason 1868 is the most common year for this series). Coins in this issue are very similar to their Spanish counterparts. The only difference was the denomination they had: centimos de peso instead of pesetas. 

Silver coins bearing the image of King Alfonso XII (who succeeded Isabella) were struck from 1880 to 1885 and are similar to their earlier Isabella counterparts. Here too, minting continued for a few years using the 1885 die. Coins of this issue differ from their Spanish counterparts in the denomination and the fact that King Alfonso faces in the other direction. 

A very small number of gold coins bearing Alfonso's image were minted. Many mintage years are reported, but only 1882 and 1885 are confirmed. All of these issues from any year are rare.

A new one peso coin was struck in 1897 with the profile of the boy King Alfonso XIII. This coin was only minted for 1 year, and is, at the same time, the first silver coin to bear the name of the Philippines (Islas Filipinas) and the very last coin issued by Spain in the Philippines. 

Currency of Philipines !! Philipines Coins !!

Posted by gmygotravel

In the Philippines, coins of 1, 5, 10, and 25 centavos (officially called sentimo), and 1, 5 and 10 pesos (officially piso) are in use. All older coins have been demonetized, and cannot be used anymore. 

You will probably never see the one centavo coin for real, as they are very difficult to find (slightly over 18 million have been made, that is less than one for every four Filipinos), and also pretty useless, due to their low value. The five-centavo coin is exactly the same size as the one-centavo coin, but actually has less metal, due to the hole. 

This coin is also not very useful, and sometimes seen as decoration on key-rings, or used as emergency washers. The the smallest coin you'll actually find in common use is the twenty-five centavo coin. The one peso coin, most common of all, depicts the national hero José Rizal, and the five peso coin freedom fighter Emilio Aguinaldo. 

The bimetallic ten peso coin was introduced in 2000, and is not yet (in 2005) in wide circulation, although it is getting more common, and I have seen the first vending machines accepting it. This coin shows the freedom fighters Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio. 

Note that the same heroes also appeared on the (former) bank notes of the same value.

Currency of Philipines !! Philipines Peso !!

Posted by gmygotravel

The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine peso (or piso), divided into 100 centavos (or centimo). Currently (January 2002), the U.S. dollar is worth about 52 pesos, and the euro about 46 pesos. Current are coins of 1, 5, 10, and 25 centavos and 1 and 5 pesos, and bank notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 pesos. The 5 peso note is no longer printed, but still legal tender. 

Banknotes

5 Peso - The 5 peso note depicts Emilio Aguinaldo, a Philippine resistance hero who first fought the Spanish, and later the American occupiers of the country. The first president of the Philippines. On the reverse you can see the proclamation of Philippine independence, from the balcony of Aguinaldo's house. You won't find this note much in circulation today, as it has been replaced by a 5 peso coin. 

10 Peso - The 10 peso note depicts Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio. You can also get across an older version with only Mabini. On the reverse is the church of Barasoain. 

20 Peso - The 20 peso note depicts Manuel L. Quezon. On the reverse you can see the Presidential Palace, the Malakañang. 

50 Peso - The 50 peso note depicts Sergio Osmeña. On the reverse you can see the Executive House. Be careful not to confuse it with the 20 peso note, as the color is nearly the same. 

100 Peso - The 100 peso note depicts Manuel A. Roxas. On the reverse you can see the buildings of the Philippine National Bank. 

200 Peso - Introduced in 2002, the 200 peso note commemorates the the June 12 Independence Day, and the EDSA II uprising. It depicts president Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is also depicted on the back of the note. 

500 Peso - The 500 peso note depicts Beningno S. Aquino Jr. 

1000 Peso - The 1000 peso note depicts Jose Abad Santos, Vincent Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda. On the reverse you can see the rice terasses in Banawe, and some tribal artifacts. You won't come across this note very often, and you shouldn't expect your taxi driver to have change from it. 

Currency of North Korea !!

Posted by gmygotravel

The North Korean won, denoted by KPW, is the official currency used in North Korea. Since December 2001, the North Korean government has abandoned the rate of 2.16 won to the dollar (of which the root is Kim Jong-il's birthday, February 16). 

Instead, banks in the country now issue at exchange rates that are closer to those of the black market. However, unchecked inflation has been eating into the value of the won to such an extent that it is currently worth about the same as the won of South Korea. 

An interesting note on bill design: Unusually, the 100, 1000 and 5000 won bills are of essentially the same basic design, portraying the exact same subjects (although they are colored differently). North Korea has in the past issued whole series of notes in which the designs are exactly the same, right down to color, only the denomination being different. 

Currency of Hong Kong !!

Posted by gmygotravel

The legal tender is the Hong Kong dollar (HK$), which is linked to the US dollar at a rate of about 7.80 HKD to 1 USD, although exchange rates may fluctuate slightly. 

Interestingly, Hong Kong banknotes are issued by three banks (HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of China), and vary in design and colour for each denomination. 

Banknotes

$10 - green or purple (The purple note is issued by the government)
$20 - dark blue or light blue (old or new)
$50 - purple or green (old or new)
$100 - red
$500 - brown
$1000 - yellow 
 
Coins (issued by the government)
10c - in bronze, circular, smaller
20c - in bronze, wavy-circular
50c - in bronze, circular, larger
$1 - in silver, circular, thinner
$2 - in silver, wavy-circular
$5 - in silver, circular, thicker
$10 - in bronze/silver, circular

Electricity in Hong Kong!! General Information !!

Posted by gmygotravel

Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
Primary Socket Types: British BS-1363, Indian

Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc.): Plug adapter
Click socket type links to view adapter for that type

110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter

Public Holidays in Hong Kong !!

Posted by gmygotravel

Public holidays in Hong Kong are holidays designated by the Government of Hong Kong. They allow workers rest from work, usually in conjunction with special occasions.

The 17 public holidays (公眾假期), also called Bank Holidays (銀行假期), are set by the General Holidays Ordinance.

Every Sunday

Sunday 星期日

January 1

New Year's Day 元旦新年

First day of the first moon (Chinese calendar)

Chinese New Year  農曆年初一

Second day of the first moon (Chinese calendar)

Second day of Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year) 農曆年初二

Third day of the first moon (Chinese calendar)

Third day of Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year)  農曆年初三

April 5 (April 4 in leap years)

Ching Ming Festival 清明節

Good Friday 耶穌受難節

Day following Good Friday (Holy Saturday) 耶穌受難節翌日

Easter Monday 復活節星期一

May 1

Labour Day  勞動節

Eighth day of the fourth moon (Chinese calendar)

Buddha's Birthday 佛誕

Fifth day of the fifth moon (Chinese calendar)

Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng Festival) 端午節

July 1

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day 香港特別行政區成立紀念日

Sixteenth day of the eighth moon (Chinese calendar)

Day following the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節翌日

October 1

National Day 中華人民共和國國慶日

Ninth day of the ninth moon (Chinese calendar)

Chung Yeung Festival 重陽節

December 25

Christmas Day 聖誕節

December 26

Day following Christmas (Boxing Day)  聖誕節翌日

Electricity in North Korea!! General Information !!

Posted by gmygotravel

Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
Primary Socket Types: Europlug, Schuko

Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc.): Plug adapter
Click socket type links to view adapter for that type

110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter

Public Holidays in North Korea !!

Posted by gmygotravel

This is a list of Public holidays in North Korea.

1 January

New Year's Day

8 January

Kim Jong-un's Birthday

16 February

Kim Jong-il's Birthday

1st day of 1st lunar month

Seollal /  Korean Lunar New Year

15 April

Kim Il-sung's Birthday / Day of the Sun

25 April

Military Foundation Day

1 May

Labour Day

 5th day of 5th lunar month

Surinal

27 July

Victory Day

15 August

Liberation Day

9 September

Independence Day / Republic Day

15th day of 8th lunar month

Hangawi 

10 October

Party Foundation Day

27 December

Constitution Day

Public Holidays in South Korea !!

Posted by gmygotravel

Public holidays in South Korea each belong to one or more of three categories:

National Celebration Day
National Flag Raising Day
Public Day Off

Each category has a different legal basis. All National Celebration Days are also Flag Raising Days.

January 1

New Year's Day 신정(新正) (Sinjeong)

1st day of 1st lunar month

Korean New Year's Day 설날 (Seollal)

March 1

Independence(Declaration) Day 3.1절(三一節) (Samiljeol)

May 5

Children's Day 어린이날 (Eorininal)

8th day of 4th lunar month

Buddha's Birthday 석가탄신일(釋迦誕辰日) (Seokgatansinil)

June 6

Memorial Day 현충일(顯忠日) (Hyeonchung-il)

July 17

Constitution Day 제헌절(制憲節) (Jeheonjeol)

August 15

Liberation Day 광복절(光復節) (Gwangbokjeol)

15th day of 8th lunar month

Midautumn Festival 추석(秋夕) (Chuseok)

October 1

Armed Forces Day 국군(國軍)의 날 (Gukgunuinal)

October 3

National Foundation Day 개천절(開天節) (Gaecheonjeol)

October 9

Hangul Day 한글날 (Hangeullal)

December 25

Christmas Day 기독탄신일(基督誕辰日) (Gidoktansinil)

Public Holidays in Japan !!

Posted by gmygotravel

With the exception of New Year Bank Holidays, if a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following day is treated as a holiday instead.

When there is a single day between two national holidays, it is also taken as a holiday. 

Between 29 December and 3 January government offices and many shops and offices are closed.

January 1

New Year's Day (元日, Ganjitsu)

Second Monday of January

Coming of Age Day (成人の日, Seijin no Hi)

February 11

National Foundation Day (建国記念の日, Kenkoku Kinen no Hi)

Around March 20

Vernal Equinox Day (春分の日, Shunbun no Hi)

April 29

Shōwa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi) 

May 3

Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日, Kenpō Kinenbi)

  

May 4 

Greenery Day (みどりの日, Midori no Hi) 

May 5

Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no Hi) 

Third Monday of July

Marine Day (海の日, Umi no Hi) 

Third Monday of September

Respect-for-the-Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no Hi) 

Around September 23

Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日, Shūbun no Hi) 

Second Monday of October

Health and Sports Day (体育の日, Taiiku no Hi) 

November 3

 Culture Day (文化の日, Bunka no Hi)

November 23

Labour Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō Kansha no Hi) 

December 23

The Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日, Tennō Tanjōbi)