[Enigma]

You don't have to do visa runs in the Philippines unless you're there for over a year. You just extend it through immigrations.

[Beyond Borders]

@VP Right on. I will be in touch soon. Still pulling my plans together but hoping to get out of SR this coming week and get moving again. I've been hesitant to share my plans with anybody because every time I do I end up changing them anyways. LOL

If I start making mileage in that direction, I will definitely hit you and Enigma up pronto.

You arrive in April?

[Belize King]

Buy a buddy pass. Cheap and you get a return ticket. Problem solved.

[Scott Free]

(01-24-2014 01:36 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

ScottFree,
Thanks for the referrals in Manila and Davao, I will def take you up on that! When you return to the Phils, let me know as I owe you a ton of drinks for all the tips and gems you've been giving me both here and on Skype!!! Much appreciated brother!

Not in my town, bro! I'm buying us some San Miguel Beer! But perhaps in Brazil or EE!

(01-24-2014 01:51 PM)Enigma Wrote:  

@ScottFree: Great info, as usual. Any idea on the monthly rates at The Penthouse?

My friend quoted me 2500 Php per night... Which without any bias, I think is a great deal for it's value. Penthouse with skyline view, access to a wicked swimming pool, comfy bed, automatic get-her-pussy-wet-and-ready...

[Scott Free]

(01-24-2014 09:42 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-ne...ies-297317

In case anyone was wondering about it, I took the liberty of translating the latter portion of the article. My notes in { }.

Netizens happy

Netizens all over the country lauded the result posted online.

Chris Ryl said: "Akalain mo ba naman nasa Mindanao yun pa ang mas least of crime rate sa Pilipinas! at tumatak pa sa buong mundo... GO DAVAO!!!"

Chris Ryl said: "And to think, of all places, that it was in [the island of] Mindanao that has the least crime rate in the Philippines. And made a mark in the whole world... Go DAVAO!!!"

{Mindanao is the second largest island of the country and is at the southern most region. West of Mindanao, far away from Davao, is known for having radical Islamic rebels, especially on the islands of Sulu and Jolo.}

"Wow congrats. Ipahiram nyo po ang DDS sa Maynila pra maubos mga kriminal dun," netizen Kenneth G. Taningco said.

"Wow congrats. Please lend the DDS to Manila so that the criminals are finished." netizen Kenneth G. Taningco said.

{Back about a decade ago, DDS or Davao Death Squad, was an active vigilante group that was notorious for 'extra-judicial' executions targeting criminals and drug traffickers. Rumor had it that this was supported by various local politicians. Some Wild West shit was goin' on. Haven't heard about them in a while.}

Some netizens also attributed the result to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the city’s executive chief for an unprecedented seventh term.

"Kung ganyan katapang ni mayor ng Davao ang nag papatakbo ng Pinas at pinapairal ang disiplina at batas, talagang my takot ang mga mokong gumawa ng kalokohan. Mabuhay ka mayor Doterte. Lagi mo akong kasangga sa ganyang prinsipyo," netizen Al Dallu said.

"If the people who run the Philippines were as brave as the mayor of Davao and they let discipline and law take hold, then the good-for-nothings who cause the trouble will truly be fearful. May you live long mayor [Duterte]. I will always be your ally with that kind of principle." netizen Al Dallu said.

Edmund Moonraker said, "Thumbs up!! po ako kay Mayor Rudy R. Duterte. Maganda po ang kanyang pagdala ng Davao City. Mabuhay po kayo Mayor Duterte puwedi na po kayong tumakbo ng presidente sa 2016."

Edmund Moonraker said, "Thumbs up!! from me for Mayor Rudy R. Duterte. His shouldering of Davao City is quite well. Long live Mayor Duterte you can now run for president in 2016."

"Duterte for president!" Jevy Carretero Ramos said. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)

EDIT: Color coded to make it easy on the eyes.

[bacon]

only negative to davao in my opinion is that i am almost certain i contracted dengue fever there.

[MongolianAbroad]

(01-21-2014 09:31 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

So I have been wanting to return to Asia for over 2 years and that for me, is an eternity! Today, at work, I spent the majority of the day not doing any work, pretending to be working but while looking and searching on my phone for tickets to Asia. Didn't find anything satisfactorily until I came home tonight. Went on Expedia and for the sake of it, searched for a 1 way just for the heck to it. I'd always dreamed of buying a one way to Asia or South America or Eastern Europe but never had the guts to actually doing it despite having travelled extensively. So I entered the dates for early April and what happened next was simply to hard to refuse: A one way ticket from Boretown to Manila for only 648 bucks for early April! I had to double check to make sure it was not a typo, and when I got the confirmation, booked it 2 minutes later.

Now, I have 2.5 months to make it happen. By that, I mean, rebuilding another biz online that would allow me to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. This time, not making the same mistakes of last time around in BKK, which was over partying and little to no work whatsoever. I'll simply have to stop goofing around and just put in the hours at night and weekends to start from almost scratch and get rolling.

Some questions:
- how is Philippines Airlines for international trans Pacific flights? I only flew with them on my initial trip from BKK to Cebu via MNL and they were decent, but that was a relatively short trip compared to almost 19 hours in the air with them.
- should I buy a cheap outgoing flight from MNL on say Air Asia to cover my ass in case they give me any hard time before embarking on the plane or upon landing in MNL?
- How's the weather there from April on? I realize it's their summer, when is the rainy/typhoon season and which areas are best to avoid during the typhoon season?

I want to spend a good chunk of my time in Davao and explore there for biz and lifestyle and use it as a base for the next few months. Am I making a mistake in choosing Davao as opposed to Manila? Or even Cebu? I wasn't impressed with Cebu in my 3 weeks there 3 years ago.

I'll use that thread to document my time there. Needless to say, anyone who will be there, let me know and we'll go have drinks and hunting together.

Pilipinas, Here I come!!!!

Way to go, man! I've been planning my escape as well for a couple of months now. Finally booked my flight yesterday, one way, leaving Austin, TX on March 4th. I have no idea when I'll return, I'm thinking a 6 month stay will be fun, but it's open-ended...I might travel around East Asia, or I might stay in one spot. Probably, I will spend a week or so at various locations until I find a spot that meshes well with me.

Onward ticket: I bought an onward ticket to Guangzhou, in case I feel like checking China out after a couple of weeks in the Philippines, why not. If not, I can just throw it away, it was like 74 bucks, but if I like China, maybe I will stay there, or head onward to Vietnam, who knows.

Destination: I scheduled my flight so as to avoid Manila completely. I'll be in Manila's airport for 4 hours, and that's it, flying straight to Iloilo City after arriving in Manila. I picked Iloilo City over Davao because:

1. The city's condensed, so that all the major spots are within walking distance (I don't want to take a taxi/jeepney every day, and Davao seems large enough that that could be a requirement). I don't want to drive either, I like walking.
2. There are universities everywhere, apparently the city's main industry is education. If you stay in the center of town, you're walking distance to many universities, including one of the best nursing schools in the Philippines, which would have some high quality, relationship-type girls.
3. There are very few foreigners in Iloilo (the lack of a good beach limits the city for tourism purposes) but that's ok, I'm not going for beaches, I'm going for girls, and being a rare foreigner there could be a plus.

However, it's come to my attention that Iloilo could be boring to live in for anything more than a couple of days. So, if I get bored after being there a week or so, I'll definitely pack up and check out Dumaguete, as recommended by Scotian, and Davao is a possibility as well. I'll be occupying my time with working on a novel.

When my boots hit the ground, I'll update everyone on Iloilo! Many thanks to Scotian for the initial Iloilo report!

[iknowexactly]

(01-25-2014 05:02 AM)bacon Wrote:  

only negative to davao in my opinion is that i am almost certain i contracted dengue fever there.

found this on dengue. no vaccine, so best to learn some mosquito hygiene.
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/rpts10/...071001.pdf

[Afarang]

awesome! I remember my first time of doing this to Thailand. Best. Feeling. Ever.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Delighted to see there's a churrascaria in Davao!!!! That will give my fill of Brazil at least food wise. And at only 450 pesos/person that's a freaking steal! I am sure I will be eating there almost everyday!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Juno-Chur...6691980863

[Mentavious]

This time last year it was 40 pesos to a dollar.

Now it's around 45.

Nice little increase.

[Scott Free]

(01-31-2014 03:19 AM)Spaniard88 Wrote:  

Destination: I scheduled my flight so as to avoid Manila completely. I'll be in Manila's airport for 4 hours, and that's it, flying straight to Iloilo City after arriving in Manila.

Hahaha, you're in for it now. I've never been to Iloilo, but the Ilongo women have a reputation for being malambing. Hmm, how best to translate that? Malambing means to be very affectionate, sometimes through words, but generally touchy-feely, sweet and warm in caressing, shows fondness and tenderness and to always act in a loving way. Their English is top notch, and they have the best potential among Filipinos to 1) neutralize their accents and 2) speak in a more American accented English. If you are open-minded enough to forego the conveniences most Westerners have gotten used to, are observant and sensitive to local culture and can adapt to life in a Third World country, then I believe you'll have a positive experience in Iloilo. Good luck.

PS Besides, there's a reason Spaniards first decided to settle in the Philippines and it ain't the fuckin rice.

[MongolianAbroad]

(01-31-2014 10:43 PM)Scott Free Wrote:  

Hahaha, you're in for it now. I've never been to Iloilo, but the Ilongo women have a reputation for being malambing. Hmm, how best to translate that? Malambing means to be very affectionate, sometimes through words, but generally touchy-feely, sweet and warm in caressing, shows fondness and tenderness and to always act in a loving way. Their English is top notch, and they have the best potential among Filipinos to 1) neutralize their accents and 2) speak in a more American accented English. If you are open-minded enough to forego the conveniences most Westerners have gotten used to, are observant and sensitive to local culture and can adapt to life in a Third World country, then I believe you'll have a positive experience in Iloilo. Good luck.

PS Besides, there's a reason Spaniards first decided to settle in the Philippines and it ain't the fuckin rice.

You made my day, man, that's exactly the environment I'm looking for, and exactly the kind of girl I'm into. 18 work days left for me until my flight leaves (I'm only counting work days to make it seem shorter, lol)!

[Global Entry]

Just some insights, on my third brief tour of the Philippines, travel-wise. Philippine Airways is a solid choice, and from LA, has been price commensurate (and service commensurate in coach, though not in business, which is why its much cheaper than true business class tickets (same as Malaysia, another perhaps even more ghetto-biz class airline). Flights through LA to Manila often refuel in Guam, which adds perhaps 90 minutes. Expect some small inconveniences, like them forgetting if you ordered a special meal, or fucking up frequent flier credit, or a poorly operating video system in your seat. I've encountered all of these on PAL.

Biz class on the airline can be as little as 1350 one way on the Manila - LA or SF leg, if thats doable. Again, its a bit ghetto compared to a proper business class, and somehow the better looking flight attendants DO NOT work in biz class, but in coach, it seems. If that makes any difference to you…

Check in at LAX at Bradley terminal for PAL is fairly a nightmare for coach. All Biz class gets expedited first and it seems every Philippino headed home carries two enormous suitcases, many of which have to be repacked for weight when checking in. On the positive side, when I once tried to fly without a return ticket, they actually took me behind the counter and luggage area (in a US airport no less) into the PAL office, where I got online on their desktop computer, created a fake itinerary on Expedia, emailed it to myself, and was given my boarding pass.

If the prices are similar, I'd go by convenience, layover, flight time. If the prices are vastly different, then I'd go by cost. Mabuhay

[Vacancier Permanent]

G_global,
Great feedback man. My flight is via Vancouver. I always ensure to avoid going through the US and flying a US carrier as they are piss poor and have no intention of facing the TSA goons. Even if that means paying extra for airfare I do not mind. Its a pity cause the best airline in the world, Singapore Airlines flies from San Fran and I would love to fly with them.

I hear you about the biz and first class with PAL being sub standard tough. I hope they wont be offering only filipino food on the long flight from YVR to MNL.

The best food and service Ive had so far were with Etihad on my first flight to Thailand. Gourmet like delicious real food ( couscous royal with Haegan Daaz ice cream), they also present you with a menu, not for show but for you to choose from and instead of plastic the cuttlery are in freaking silver! And that was in Economy so I can only imagine what it would be in their first class... But it was a very long flight to BKK via Abu Dhabi.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Regarding the onward ticket I will simply
buy a one way from MNL or Clark to HKG on Air Asia for like 20-30 bucks. Which I may very well use for a short escapade to one of the finest cities on Earth. If not, whats 30 bucks?

You can barely get a pizza for that nowadays here in NA. While in Asia it takes you to freaking Hong Kong!!! God Bless Asia!!!

[Enigma]

(01-21-2014 11:50 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  

Don't actually purchase a return ticket out of the Phil. Sure the airline asks and sometimes immigration in the Phil does too but that doesn't mean you need to really buy one. Just go on Expedia, create an account, save a planned itinerary from say MNL to BKK and then email that to yourself. Cut and paste it into Word and remove the place where it says "NOT BOOKED YET" with "CONFIRMED"

Bam. You now have a return ticket with your name and flight number. I've done this at least a half dozen times all over the world. Always works. If you really want to make it legit add a fake booking number after "CONFIRMED".

This worked like a charm. I was nervous as hell though because my check-in took way longer than the other people in line. The chick kept going to talk to her manager and then they had me go sit down and wait But it was just a coincidence I think because the manager came over and apologized for the wait.

I flew Singapore Airlines and their subsidiary Silk Air and was pretty pleased with the overall experience. They gave you a choice on food and it was all really good for the most part. Free drinks. Each seat had it's own tablet mounted in the headrest and they had tons of new movies and music available for free.

Last but certainly not least, all of the stewardesses look and dress like this:



I want to say I paid like $600-700 from San Francisco all the way to Davao and I bought the ticket just a few days before. It did take pretty long, though I didn't really mind the 8 hour layover in Changi Airport, which is ridiculously nice. Unfortunately it was in the middle of the night but it still wasn't bad.

[Global Entry]

If I have a choice, between equals, I'll choose an asian airline because the service, and flight attendants, are better. When I flew biz class from BKK to London Heathrow, I was so annoyed that we had two scottish dudes (I am not fucking around) as our attendants. As good as they might be at their jobs, biz class international is usually 80+ percent male. Give the people what they want.

Some of the choices on PAL aren't asian - and they aren't serving Inisal, Adobo or anything else like that in business class. In coach, the food looked fairly nasty, but I only eat fish, no meat, so I didn't try it. If you want to order a specialty meal with PAL I'd confirm it 72 hours before if you can. I've missed out twice on that airline with the wrong meal.

I flew Etihad (coach though) from NYC to Abu Dhabi, and then on to Male, Maldives for a diving trip. My brother and his wife flew it biz class. I agree its a first class company, and there is something undeniably sexy about these eastern european and indonesian girls they hire wearing those shortened hijabs in clear silk, or whatever they are. I've never flown it, because its usually significantly pricier, but I think that Singapore Air is uniformly regarded as #1. Etihad has won all sorts of awards though.

FYI there are some good websites that will talk about biz class seat size on various aircraft, by airline. E.g. Malaysian airways has shitty old reclining biz class seats on some craft, not beds. That means instead of being flat, you're fighting from sliding down the seat onto the floor when your trying to sleep. Kinda shitty when you paid more, but again, its ghetto biz with the ticket cost to match. Philippines had proper full reclined beds in their biz class.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Wanted to ask the Manila experts something:
My international flight lands in MNL just before 7am on a tuesday. I know its a long a shot but are there any places open at around say 9am to pick up girls like after hours clubs? Or should i just forget about and go to the hotel take a nap and prepare for the afternoon to either pick up something at a nearby mall day gaming or from online pipelining?

[Mentavious]

(02-15-2014 06:06 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Wanted to ask the Manila experts something:
My international flight lands in MNL just before 7am on a tuesday. I know its a long a shot but are there any places open at around say 9am to pick up girls like after hours clubs? Or should i just forget about and go to the hotel take a nap and prepare for the afternoon to either pick up something at a nearby mall day gaming or from online pipelining?

Lol you waste no time!!!!

[Global Entry]

VP where are you staying in Manila when you arrive. What I did, myself, was head to a spa in quezon city and get a massage and rest for a while. Its pretty ridiculously inexpensive and I'm sure you could find girls out and about at 7AM, if you arrive at 7AM your not going to be in town until 8AM or so, assuming the normal pace of customs and immigration and a 30 minute ride from the airport (again I don't know where you're staying).

Just by FYI, the Quezon City spa I went to is called Wensha, but its undergoing renovations, or at least it was three weeks ago. Decent service and an included buffet, but the private rooms were unavailable. Still the comfortable chairs in the general massage lounge were OK, but they were playing two televisions in that lounge. I grabbed perhaps two hours of sleep in a lounge chair, though, because the place was absolutely dead in the morning. Its not as cushy as nice spas in China, but not the worst.

[Vacancier Permanent]

G_global,
I haven't booked anything yet as I still have about a month and a half to go. The massage suggestion is a great one as after 2 long flights it would be very welcome.

Would I better of staying at hotel or get an apart/condo from airbnb? Any suggestions on hotels/aparts/condos that are in the action?

Thanks.

Mentavious, of course why waste any precious time in a PP as Manila?

[DirectDanger]

Airbnb all the way. No hotel tax. Easier to convince girls you are here for a while.

Talk with Paul B here in on the forum. He has some condos listed to rent.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Thanks for the tip DD! Will get in touch with him and look into Airbnb.

Cheers.

[Global Entry]

DD is spot on. Even for five days, AirBnb was a far superior option, and also allowed me to have a fridge and cook, eat healthy. Get a serviced one if you can - the labor for cleaning is ridiculously cheap and the maids are often quite helpful if you need to track something down and can't figure out where.