General Info

[Econo Tech]

I don't know what to think here. It is a little bit odd that a US naval officer would be trying to smuggle fake cocaine but that is what the story says.

Well, most Filipino news sites start as "FIL AM.". Whatever difference that means. Maybe somebody sold him some of the drugs that were cast away in the sea. Off Luzon.

[Edward M]

In summary, if you like learning languages, or you have a pinay wife, or you are going to live there long time, it is worth it.

If you are just going for a couple of weeks or less, nah, don't bother.

Thanks for the feedback. Since this will be my first trip I won't bother trying to learn any. I'll see how it goes when I get there and if I will even want to return. FWIW learning the local language has helped my a lot in Brazil and Mexico but those are not countries with English as a national language.

[Edward M]

I don't know what to think here. It is a little bit odd that a US naval officer would be trying to smuggle fake cocaine but that is what the story says.

From http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_philippines_us_navy_death.

US man jumps to death in Manila after drug arrest.

AP.

– Tue Dec 28, 5:52 am ET.

MANILA, Philippines – A USA Navy officer jumped to his death at Manila's airport after he was arrested with what was thought to be cocaine, Philippine officials said Tuesday, but tests later showed the white powder wasn't an illegal drug.

Lt. Cmdr. Scintar Buenviaje Mejia died of head injuries after jumping from a second-floor staircase Monday while a security guard escorted him to the bathroom, aviation police chief Pedro Desuasido said.

The 35-year-old Mejia, a USA citizen of Filipino descent, was arrested a day earlier at an airport X-ray machine after security officials found a plastic packet containing what was suspected to be cocaine in his bag, Desuasido said. He was about to board a flight to Los Angeles.

Desuasido said Mejia shouted and threw the packet at security officials. He denied the packet was his and claimed he was set up.

Dionisio Santiago, head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said chemical tests on the powder in Mejia's bag showed it did not contain drugs. The tests, however, didn't determine what the powder was.

Wossie Mazengia, a USA Embassy spokeswoman, said American officials were aware of what happened to Mejia. She said Philippine National Police officials were investigating.

[Red Kilt]

Samar has the best girls. Whenever I am in a bar be it Manila or AC and I pick to my mind the cutest girl there, she's always from Samar. This cannot be a co-incidence. Any action down in Samar?

Samar (Northern and Eastern) is almost the poorest area in the Philippines aprt from areas in ARMM, and consequently it is an area where there is a lot of New Peoples Army (NPA) activity (Communist rebels is the term that the government uses for them).

Just last week 10 soldiers were ambushed and killed in Catubig in Northern Samar.

Stick to the Samar girls that are in AC. If they are at home in Samar they are most likely sweet innocent and law-abiding girls living under the protection of a very large family group, and you don't want to go meddling in that.

The main towns of Catarman and Catbalogan are NOT mongering towns unless you are very experienced, speak the language, or you are travelling with a local who has a lot of prestige in the area. The hostelries are 2 star at best.

[GregLondon]

I have used Pimsleur for Thai and Tagalog. Level 1 only.

The Tag is a little easier because the pronunciation is harder for Thai.

As far as usefulness is concerned, I really consider both of them marginal for someone who is just going to be there for a week or two at a time. That just does not give you time to build some extra vocabulary or grammar, and in AC and Manila, there are so many english speakers, so you need to ask yourself what the point is.

Having said that, if you were going to live there or had an asawa, then you might find it handy, and especially if you start going to out of the way places. You are also right that there are other local languages. So learning Tagalog might not help you if you were living outside a Tag speaking area.

Some people like learning a language just for the heck of it.

In summary, if you like learning languages, or you have a pinay wife, or you are going to live there long time, it is worth it.

If you are just going for a couple of weeks or less, nah, don't bother.

I have not seen any Tag or RStone stuff on the streets in AC, maybe not much call for it, and that tells you something.

If you do decide to do the Pimsleur 1, you might AFTERWARDS use the site below to increase your vocabulary:

https://learningtagalog.com/course.html

It will not help in the least if you are a complete Tag Noob, but once you have the basics, it will give you some vocab and phrases for different situations. There is also a downloadable text book which has some useful stuff.

I agree that tagalog is only worth learning if you plan to stay along time or marry a Phil wife who is not strong in English. OR if you really just enjoy learning languages.

Assuming you have no moral aversion to pirate copies, you can download Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur for most languages for free through download sites such as Rapidshare. I've seen Tag for Rosetta Stone there but not Pimsleur.

For those not familiar with download sites, the best place to search for links is probably.

http://www.warez-bb.org/

Which is free to join and use.

The big download sites are rapidshare, hotfile, megaupload etc,

They allow you to download files one at a time at a slow rate for free or you can buy a subscription allowing a huge amount of downloading at a much faster rate. Rapidshare is the biggest and cheapest service, a sub will cost about $8 +

For those not familiar with such things most of the big files such as movies or Rosetta Stone ISOs are compressed and split with WiNRAR s you may want to download this program as a first step if you haven't got it (us are use a free alternative such as 7Zip). If you get into this stuff in a big way, I would also recommend Internet Download Manager (you can search for a pirate copy on Warez BB) which makes downloading multiple files much much easier.

[Rubberyman]

I have had good success with Pimsleur for Portuguese and Thai already. I did not like their Spanish program partly because it started out too slowly for someone that already spoke some Spanish and partly because it focused on overly formal European Spanish in which I had no interest.

Anyone use Pimsleur Tagalog, and if so, how useful was it in AC? By way of comparison, I was able to communicate quite effectlively in Rio after going through Pimsleur Portuguese levels 1-3. There is only 1 level for Thai (as Tagalog) so I was not able to converse in Thai in Pattaya but found that when people did not understand my English I could throw in a Thai word or two to help clarify things.

The problem is that it seems that I cannot get the Tagalog course as cheap as the Thai course and I assume that it would not be as useful because English is also a national language in the PI. Also I imagine that most of the girls will not be from Manila so they would they be more comfortable speaking Cebuano (or some other language) than Tagalog. If that is the case then I do not see much point in learning a langage that will be second for both of us.

How does the bar girls' comprehension of Tagalog compare to their comprehension of English? Does anyone sell cheap Pimsleur / Rosetta Stone on the street?

I have used Pimsleur for Thai and Tagalog. Level 1 only.

The Tag is a little easier because the pronunciation is harder for Thai.

As far as usefulness is concerned, I really consider both of them marginal for someone who is just going to be there for a week or two at a time. That just does not give you time to build some extra vocabulary or grammar, and in AC and Manila, there are so many english speakers, so you need to ask yourself what the point is.

Having said that, if you were going to live there or had an asawa, then you might find it handy, and especially if you start going to out of the way places. You are also right that there are other local languages. So learning Tagalog might not help you if you were living outside a Tag speaking area.

Some people like learning a language just for the heck of it.

In summary, if you like learning languages, or you have a pinay wife, or you are going to live there long time, it is worth it.

If you are just going for a couple of weeks or less, nah, don't bother.

I have not seen any Tag or RStone stuff on the streets in AC, maybe not much call for it, and that tells you something.

If you do decide to do the Pimsleur 1, you might AFTERWARDS use the site below to increase your vocabulary:

https://learningtagalog.com/course.html

It will not help in the least if you are a complete Tag Noob, but once you have the basics, it will give you some vocab and phrases for different situations. There is also a downloadable text book which has some useful stuff.

[Andrewbaez]

Ok that's much more feasible an itinerary. Sounds like a great plan. When are you planning your trip? You will find many girls on DIA / tagged in the Manila / Angeles area very interested to accompany you on your trip. For the reasons outlined before I would personally steer clear of the bar girl / La Cafe type freelancer scene for this part of your holiday and concentrate on regular girls / semi pros. You should find loads to choose from but if you get stuck feel free to PM me for a couple of suggestions of girls that I have found fun and reliable.

I am going to visit Phillipines from 5 February 2011 until February 26!

I will be very grateful to receive some advice from you Pm or other forum members, I have little time to spend online, because my job is to make technical assistance for customers of the company I work for, I am online too late to chat, my time area is less than 7 hours the Phillipines! Except on Saturdays and Sundays, but I do not speak good English, though I am a very kind and respectful, but do not like to be fooled. .

The girls of Puerto Princesa I have already known, because it follows the long section, the Philippines, but I should have a month to meet them, too, will be for the next trip!

If you know girls instead Manila and Angeles area, I'd be very interested and pleased to receive information. I have already paid to see the photos and receive mail from other users, even if they are a senior menber, but I prefer not to participate actively in the forum because I do not have fluent English and do not want to embarrass!

[Andrewbaez]

Always have a backup plan Andrew. Be ready to substitute in a different girl if the current one craps out on you. Filipinas are famous for the bait-and-switch: "I mean we have the sex after you buy me a ring." Or, maybe you meet your girl in Manila, all is well for 2-3 days, then she gets bitchy while you are traveling in Angeles (or Cebu). Be prepared to send her home, and have other girls in that city in your phone address book who also would like to travel with you.

Yes I know that. I have been 6 times in Thailand. 1 Cambodia. 1 Laos. 1 Myanmar, then in Central America, Cuba e Mexico! I am not a newbie, but I never been in Phillipines. But Sopeni, Garotas, Jeneteras and G. R. O are always the same attiude!

[Goatboy55]

Samar has the best girls. Whenever I am in a bar be it Manila or AC and I pick to my mind the cutest girl there, she's always from Samar. This cannot be a co-incidence. Any action down in Samar?

[WestCoast1]

I am going to visit Phillipines 21 days, I stay ten days Manila-Angeles and try to choose a right girl and rest little bit Then I have 11 days to see the others two places and I have already booked my flight. So I think is not so hard like intinerary!

Always have a backup plan Andrew. Be ready to substitute in a different girl if the current one craps out on you. Filipinas are famous for the bait-and-switch: "I mean we have the sex after you buy me a ring." Or, maybe you meet your girl in Manila, all is well for 2-3 days, then she gets bitchy while you are traveling in Angeles (or Cebu). Be prepared to send her home, and have other girls in that city in your phone address book who also would like to travel with you.

[Edward M]

I have had good success with Pimsleur for Portuguese and Thai already. I did not like their Spanish program partly because it started out too slowly for someone that already spoke some Spanish and partly because it focused on overly formal European Spanish in which I had no interest.

Anyone use Pimsleur Tagalog, and if so, how useful was it in AC? By way of comparison, I was able to communicate quite effectlively in Rio after going through Pimsleur Portuguese levels 1-3. There is only 1 level for Thai (as Tagalog) so I was not able to converse in Thai in Pattaya but found that when people did not understand my English I could throw in a Thai word or two to help clarify things.

The problem is that it seems that I cannot get the Tagalog course as cheap as the Thai course and I assume that it would not be as useful because English is also a national language in the PI. Also I imagine that most of the girls will not be from Manila so they would they be more comfortable speaking Cebuano (or some other language) than Tagalog. If that is the case then I do not see much point in learning a langage that will be second for both of us.

How does the bar girls' comprehension of Tagalog compare to their comprehension of English? Does anyone sell cheap Pimsleur / Rosetta Stone on the street?

[GregLondon]

I am going to visit Phillipines 21 days, I stay ten days Manila-Angeles and try to choose a right girl and rest little bit Then I have 11 days to see the others two places and I have already booked my flight. So I think is not so hard like intinerary!

Ok that's much more feasible an itinerary. Sounds like a great plan. When are you planning your trip? You will find many girls on DIA / tagged in the Manila / Angeles area very interested to accompany you on your trip. For the reasons outlined before I would personally steer clear of the bar girl / La Cafe type freelancer scene for this part of your holiday and concentrate on regular girls / semi pros. You should find loads to choose from but if you get stuck feel free to PM me for a couple of suggestions of girls that I have found fun and reliable.

[Andrewbaez]

2 You are intending to pack an awful lot in for just 10 days. Personally I would consider a slower pace and seeing less places as other wise you will be spending much of your time on a plane / airport.

I am going to visit Phillipines 21 days, I stay ten days Manila-Angeles and try to choose a right girl and rest little bit Then I have 11 days to see the others two places and I have already booked my flight. So I think is not so hard like intinerary!

[Rampana]

Any idea if pregnancy makes the girl get dry? I met this girl at AC, she is pregnant and gets dry after a while during intercourse. The last time I met her it was great, wet all the time including the bed sheet.

. And in addition to EKSPAT's post you also have to consider from the medical point of view that the hormonal situation (Progesteron / Estradiol.ratio) is different from a normal menstrual cycle. The hormones say: No need to get lubricated!

[Ekspat]

Any idea if pregnancy makes the girl get dry?

Sounds somewhat logical to me. During an existing pregnancy sex is useless in the sense of reproduction.

And the body doesn't support it for the time being.

Cheers!