General Info

[Spam Hog]

gentlemen there are many things in asheron's post that i agree with one hundred percent. he is correct concerning manila being the razor artist capitol of the world, they are noted for this and usually get vicitms who sit on the curb side of a jeepney it takes them a few seconds to slit a rear pocket and collect a wallet, if anyone is foolish enough to carry his wallet there, same with the cell phone snatchers and chain grabbers, they mainly target women and smaller kids. and he is correct about the beggars, many cities have enacted ordinance against this due primarily to the fact that most organized beggars use children (they train them and "rent' them out for the day in different parts of the city.) the reason is the u.n. made a big stink over this. i know for a fact that in davao, mr. dirty harry himself told beggars he would arrest any of them he saw using children and he ordered people not to give them money. however i have never heard of any one getting arrested for giving them money. in cebu they tried to clean them up, for the asean summit, the ones who stop traffic and ask for money, once the summit was over they came back, every once in awhile i see the citcom guys run them off.

as far as ho's shouting [CodeWord123], this is an old scam, it is done a lot by the lower class ones who are ****, sometimes they are in cahoots with the cops, i also know that in vietnam this is a big time con, more so than the pi.

the post illustrates a few things i've been harping on for some time, the first is that manila is much more dangerous per se to foreigners than anywhere else in the phils. the second is that it depends where you go and who you run with being more of a determining factor regarding your being a vicitim of a crime, that goes for the pi, thailand, jakarta, los angles nyc or wash d.c., any country. it sounds like asheron was running with a frisky crowd, i also wonder if any of this took place in tondo, probably the highest crime rate in the pi, controlled by armed gangs sort of like compton in la.

as far as piracy he is right, sailing your yacht in the sulu sea is a good way to find how many pirates operate there. back about three years ago the imo weekly piracy report named the sulu and north celebes sea as the third most incidence of piracy, the straits of malacca the first and west coast of africa second. pirates in that region were targeting the tuna fleets out of gen santos, putting armed guards on the boats seems to have lessened the problem. the sulu is also home to the abu sayeff, who once operated with impunity there, they also kidnapped several foreigners from malaysia, an italian priest in marawi and the celebrated los palmas raid which captured two american missionaries and a guy with his fiance. (oddly enough these foreigners were not the target but rather a chinese businessman was). once again gentlemen pinoy kfr gangs target chinese businessmen, primarily because they pay, at present, the talk among the bad guys is that if you kidnap a foreigner, you can expect guys in dark jump suits and mp 5's to come knocking on your door.

outside of those incidents, i know of two, count 'em two cases in the last six years in which a foreigner was kidnapped in mindanao, one canadian was set up by his wife as he met with his hooker gf for an all night tryst in a digos beach front hotel, she had some toughs carry him off to teach him a lesson,(remember that one guys, never [CodeWord140] off a filipina wife too much) they got raided two days later and shot full of holes by police commandos. the other was some idiot korean guy who went into milf territory with a suitcase full of money to buy "yamashita treasure". not real smart. i could go on about foreigners being robbed, beat up or being vicitms of crime and in each case they were doing something illegal, being stupid or being in a place they shouldn't have been.

i defy anyone, the u.s. embassy included to produce statisical or factual accounts where foreigners were kidnapped on a such a scale as to warrant
some of the mass hysteria over the matter.

anyhow, every once in awhile we need to be aware of such things, what can really happen and does, who it happens to and what they were doing at the time it happened, if you research it, get the facts and not give in to hysteria and listen to paranoid, easily frightened filipinos you will see what i'm talking about.

use common sense, dont get too drunk and if you do dont be a tough guy get back to your room (alone) and sleep it off.


regards

spamhog

[Pute Nut]

Hold-ups in buses, jeepneys, banks, hotels, murders are common. Drugs are the cause of most problems, or just sheer poverty. If one is still unconvinced on the need for great care, check out the Philippine TV

Last nite TV showed pictures from a crime scene where 2 snatchers had been killed by the police in QC. Good. At least the filipinos have the good taste to kill off these lowlifes. Recurrent targeted campaigns against holdappers often produce similarly positive results.

In so many meek western countries (esp in W. Europe) the criminals are treated with soft gloves, getting cable TV in their cells and what not.

[Panman]

Hi, I am currently in Korea and I'm trying to find out the price range to fly one way from Manila to San Francisco if I purchased my ticket in the PI. If anyone can recommend me a travel agency in Angeles or Manila for this purpose, that would be helpful as well. Thanks.

[Finrod]

The EDSA LRT can actually be worth considering if you're staying at Dusit, Intercontinental or one of the nearby places at Glorietta and you want to go to EDSA Entertainment complex. The station is right there at Glorietta between those two hotels. You can take it to the end of the line and then it's a shortish walk to the girlie bars. It could be a good idea if the traffic is gummed up along EDSA, which it often is in the early evening or weekend nights. Of course you could be jammed on the train Tokyo style so it's not for everybody. You can also take it the other way to SM Megamall, if Glorietta/Greenbelt wasn't already enough malling for you.

I've ridden the LRT and MRT a few times. More out of a sense of adventure than anything else, but I don't plan on riding again. Two things about it: It's dang cheap, I mean really dirt cheap. And I never saw another kano there. Good reason for that, as Makhu says, it's almost always crowded Tokyo style. One day, it took me 3 trains before I could shove my way on board, Tokyo style. When it's that crowded, you really have to watch the pickpockets. I denied them at least twice. Never saw their faces, just slapped their hands away when I detected them getting too close. So I stick to taxis when traveling about by myself, but I may use a jeepney for short rides if I'm with a local.

[Fastpiston]

perhaps this seems useful to those who have never been to to the pi, but i find much of it utter nonsense. i've been there way more than 25 times and am way older than 21 (lol!) yet never got held up at knifepoint, pickpocketed or otherwise scammed. use big city common sense, of course, and odds are you will be fine. yes the lrt is famous for pickpockets but what foreigner takes the lrt anyway?

he says it is "illegal" to give money to the poor; please cite the statute (as this is pure bollocks as they say in england). most times your wallet should be locked in your hotel safe anyway, and having coins and small notes in a pocket with no wad of 1000piso notes is a good idea. of course you never flash loads of cash (but that obvious piece of common sense hardly justifies report of distinction treatment imho!)

travelers checks are way less convenient than an atm card or cash.

as for his aversion to tipping, he can go f himself as i will tip whomever i want and if he does not like it too bad. that said, i would not tip a taxi 500piso but this mantra of "you tippers are ruining it for us koriput [cheapskates]" gets so old.

i hate guns, but i have half a mind to gun find his gun range and give bigger tips (so next time they charge foreigners 100 piso per bullet lol!)
the prevalence of guns is one of the biggest problems facing the pi (along with overpopulation for which the church is largely to blame, but i digress).
girls hanging outside hotels will accuse you of [CodeWord123]? never had a problem but of course it is possible. but bar girls, streetwalkers from away from your hotel and la cafe indies will never make such accusations? give me a break.

while taking blue bird taxis in jakarta makes sense as they are both reliable and prevalent, i have never seen this taxi company the guy is shilling for. there is no equivalent of blue bird group in manila.

as anybody who has ever been in manila knows, getting a driver to accept the meter without negotiation can be a challenge at times, but i have flagged taxis off the street thousands of times and the worst that happened was he whined about traffic and wanted a few extra piso at the end. while there may be isolated anecdotes of robbery by taxi drivers, like anywhere, this is not a persistent problem for foreigners imho.

yes kidnappers have targeted chinese businessman but that has nothing to do with foreigner sex tourists. ditto pirate boats in the sulu sea. i bet dollars to donuts this guy has never been outside luzon (where there are no "pirates"

)

best check the us and uk embassy travel advisories first, then look at some of the old hands experts on this board. the embassies are heavily involved in the real problems and update their advisories carefully and regularly.
most filipinos will be the first to warn foreigners of the safety record as they themselves have to put up with 'incidents'. hold-ups in buses, jeepneys, banks, hotels, murders are common. drugs are the cause of most problems, or just sheer poverty. if one is still unconvinced on the need for great care, check out the philippine tv, example the tv patrol program. be especially careful during election time as police are detailed off regular duty to protect candidates, leaving the door open for general crime opportunists.

[Dashing Don]

perhaps this seems useful to those who have never been to to the pi, but i find much of it utter nonsense. i've been there way more than 25 times and am way older than 21 (lol!) yet never got held up at knifepoint, pickpocketed or otherwise scammed. use big city common sense, of course, and odds are you will be fine. yes the lrt is famous for pickpockets but what foreigner takes the lrt anyway?

he says it is "illegal" to give money to the poor; please cite the statute (as this is pure bollocks as they say in england). most times your wallet should be locked in your hotel safe anyway, and having coins and small notes in a pocket with no wad of 1000piso notes is a good idea. of course you never flash loads of cash (but that obvious piece of common sense hardly justifies report of distinction treatment imho!)

travelers checks are way less convenient than an atm card or cash.

as for his aversion to tipping, he can go f himself as i will tip whomever i want and if he does not like it too bad. that said, i would not tip a taxi 500piso but this mantra of "you tippers are ruining it for us koriput [cheapskates]" gets so old.

i hate guns, but i have half a mind to gun find his gun range and give bigger tips (so next time they charge foreigners 100 piso per bullet lol!)
the prevalence of guns is one of the biggest problems facing the pi (along with overpopulation for which the church is largely to blame, but i digress).
girls hanging outside hotels will accuse you of [CodeWord123]? never had a problem but of course it is possible. but bar girls, streetwalkers from away from your hotel and la cafe indies will never make such accusations? give me a break.

while taking blue bird taxis in jakarta makes sense as they are both reliable and prevalent, i have never seen this taxi company the guy is shilling for. there is no equivalent of blue bird group in manila.

as anybody who has ever been in manila knows, getting a driver to accept the meter without negotiation can be a challenge at times, but i have flagged taxis off the street thousands of times and the worst that happened was he whined about traffic and wanted a few extra piso at the end. while there may be isolated anecdotes of robbery by taxi drivers, like anywhere, this is not a persistent problem for foreigners imho.

yes kidnappers have targeted chinese businessman but that has nothing to do with foreigner sex tourists. ditto pirate boats in the sulu sea. i bet dollars to donuts this guy has never been outside luzon (where there are no "pirates")

i certainly hope that the author or somebody else will post a link to this report in the reports of distinction thread.

[Henderson]

I agree with Surfer.

Reading some posts on PI (and other foreign lands) is enough to put one off from going there.

I’ve only been to the PI once, for 3 weeks, but I walked around by myself at all hours of the night and morning in Manila (especially Ermita), Cebu and Davao, spoke to anyone who spoke to me, girls or guys went to local places where I was the only foreigner and never felt the hint of trouble or animosity (except twice with two other foreigners, but that’s a different issue).

I found the place very friendly and safe and fun. The guys there are very easy going- more than I would be in their place. The tiny little scams they sometimes try (like taxi meters, etc.) are absolutely nothing. I can’t believe anyone could really make an issue out of it. Maybe these complainers never go out in their own cities or maybe they live a paradise somewhere.

I’ve also been to India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and worked in Bangladesh. In all these places, except for a few of minor instances that were quickly diffused, I’ve never had any real problems. Being the adventurous type, I’ve always done things that some people might consider dangerous and sought out areas and venues where I was the only foreigner.

I nearly always give something to the poor or people who ask me (unless they come across as aggressive), I talk to street people and usually leave tips (unless the service/attitude was crap).

Obviously, sometimes things will happen. But this is regardless of where in the world you are in and is rare.

What I do find is that it’s easy to get into an argument with other foreign guys. Some guys seem to go to Asia and suddenly think they are the BIG guy. I can’t believe they act like that at home because that sort of behaviour would get them a smack (at least in the UK).

But then again, I find it’s much easier (and quicker) to get into arguments/fights in the UK then in Asia.

[Surfer]

Pricing is a controversial topic as YMMV, so I will give you RANGES (and your post talks ST rates so I assume that is you preference):

1. BKK has nothing like LA Cafe where you can get freelancers for ST as low as 500, more likely 1000, and never more than 1500. No bar fine.

2. EDSA Complex: Barfine=1,000 Piso and for ST between 1K & 2K tip to girl.

3. Makati/PBurgos: have not been up there in almost as long that I have not been back to Angeles, but generally 50% higher than EDSA if not more.

4. Internet: join either Cherryblossoms or Filipinaheart for a month BEFORE you go, then line up girls than run the gamut from HCH (hard Core Hos) to virgins seeking a husband to EVERYTHING in between. You can do Yahoo messenger for free BUT WAY more scams and less lucrative (this is secondhand though as I have never done it as I do SO well on the other two).

5. Shopping malls: freelancers abound.

6. Get AWAY from tourist areas and you'll see TONS of possibilities. Get hooked up with a good local procurer and you'll have more than you can handle.

[Sponsor74]

do not let talk of pirates, laws against giving money to the poor, accusations of [CodeWord123] and the like deter you from visiting the pi. use common sense and you are as safe there as most anywhere else (is anywhere completely "safe"?).

angeles is 2 to 3 hours from manila, depending on traffic, but you can fly direct to angeles (crk) on a few carriers. tiger is probably best, but you need to change planes in singapore. cebu pacific flies bkk to mnl but in the middle of the night and their customer service is the worst you will ever encounter (although the planes are quite new). thai air is best but pricey (if you have luthansa or united miles use 20,000 for an award on thai).

angeles is the equivalent of pattaya in some respects (i.e it is sin city with little other industry), but for pure debauchery pattaya is better imho (though i admit not having been back to angeles in almost 10 years). manila is much better than bkk for nonpros imho. as a whole, nonpro action is much more available in pi than los.

but the best thing about the pi is that you can score in most any town because most people speak english (unlike rural areas of thailand). the best thing about the pi is that 99% of the people think foreigners are better than filipinos, whereas 99% of thais think foreigners are inferior to thais.

the infrastructure is better in thailand and patience is a necessity in the pi (get used to incompetence that will make your head spin!). but at the end of the day, it is the warmth of the girls that outshine their mercenary thai sisters and make visiting the pi so much more fun than thailand.

surfer,

thanks a lot for your kind response and valuable information.

i guess that manila would be my choice however, if you have information about the current prices would be nice. i use to pay thb 2000-3000 usd 60-90 for long time in bkk. difficult to qualify the girls according to the standards in this forum, i can only say that i am mostly happy and satisfied with the whole service (mostly with condom, but good oral and massage and seldom willing anal sex in bkk)... are the rates and service in manila similar?

and what about hotels like majestic suites in bkk? any updated experience regarding prices for the pros and non pros and hotels and places of action in manila (like soi nana or soi cow boy)?

thank you again and if you need information regarding bkk please let me know too

[Surfer]

do not let talk of pirates, laws against giving money to the poor, accusations of [CodeWord123] and the like deter you from visiting the pi. use common sense and you are as safe there as most anywhere else (is anywhere completely "safe"?).

angeles is 2 to 3 hours from manila, depending on traffic, but you can fly direct to angeles (crk) on a few carriers. tiger is probably best, but you need to change planes in singapore. cebu pacific flies bkk to mnl but in the middle of the night and their customer service is the worst you will ever encounter (although the planes are quite new). thai air is best but pricey (if you have luthansa or united miles use 20,000 for an award on thai).

angeles is the equivalent of pattaya in some respects (i.e it is sin city with little other industry), but for pure debauchery pattaya is better imho (though i admit not having been back to angeles in almost 10 years). manila is much better than bkk for nonpros imho. as a whole, nonpro action is much more available in pi than los.

but the best thing about the pi is that you can score in most any town because most people speak english (unlike rural areas of thailand). the best thing about the pi is that 99% of the people think foreigners are better than filipinos, whereas 99% of thais think foreigners are inferior to thais.

the infrastructure is better in thailand and patience is a necessity in the pi (get used to incompetence that will make your head spin!). but at the end of the day, it is the warmth of the girls that outshine their mercenary thai sisters and make visiting the pi so much more fun than thailand.

[Sponsor74]

I have good experience in BKK and other cities in Thailand and in some Eastern Europe countries too (I have posted not too much reports BUT if you need some information please post me).

I travel often to Thailand and now planning a visit to Philippines, probably Manila or Angeles City and have no experience in this country. However, I have read some reports (positive and negative) but just want to try if the quality, services and prices are attractive too for mongering, hotels or shopping.

Probably I will fly from BKK to Manila. I have no idea about distances from Manila to Angeles City (Km and hours for bus, taxi, train, bus or flight?)

How is the action in both cities? Manila and Angeles City? Can I compare them with BKK and Pattaya?

Are these danger cities in matters like criminality? Food quality and girl services or any further recommendation would be much appreciate. Thanks

[Bill Buxton]

Asheron,

Although I do amd have seen some of what is said here the facts seem jaded in most of what is said here.The illegal part on giving cash is not what I have found to be true.You can give what, and whatever, you like to anyone, its your choice.

The tip part could be people tip out of working on a budget, and some never tip so to each his owne.Others spoiling things for others, I think not.I never knew that some countries are not required to tip, its a social thing so thats why some dont fall in line with this when they visit other places.

Taxi rides yes they try and scamm but they all do it, so knowing this just be ready for the deal at hand.

Always count your cash at the window.Who would ever take cash even from your mom without counting it first.I would say that this is a general rule we all have learned from childhood and common sense.

Knifepoint well somepeople have bad days I guess, and I have heard and never seen this and yes I am sure it can happen.

I think the person reporting has a thing for the U.S. because he uses the refrence in some of his post.I think there are more people from other places here in the P.I. other than americans.And I would like to say that most here are not BIG TIME CHARLIES there people spending there money the way they want, where they want.Most of the working guys her are just that, working blue collar guys.The others are retired guys spending there retirement here.They live on a fixed budget and do what they can with what they have to work with.

I myself at the age of 21 would have never had the cash to come here on a vacation so this person is very lucky in my opinion.He is also lucky he was able to escape with his hide in the knife wealding city of manils right.Could be hewould have been safer walking the family dog at home.

Most of what is in the quote is COMMON SENSE no more no less in any metropolitan city anywhere on this planet.You go and take precautions when you travel an unknown place.You use what you have in your head and what mommy and daddy taught you as a child.You never flash and act like a bigshot thats just how it is.Lowprofile is much better even at home.I am sure at 21 and having the ability to travel the world I also would have looked at the business end of aknife or two because of my age and ability to act that age.Could be this was a good experence for a young guy thinking trrough 21 year old glasses.Could be next trip over he will have a wonderful quiet vacation here or in another place of his choice.

This is just my observation and noy ment to disrespect the person writing the original report.Nice to see people of all ages having some woorld wide travel under there belt.


B.B...

[Mahku]

I also get a kick out of what gets recommended for distinction.

The EDSA LRT can actually be worth considering if you're staying at Dusit, Intercontinental or one of the nearby places at Glorietta and you want to go to EDSA Entertainment complex. The station is right there at Glorietta between those two hotels. You can take it to the end of the line and then it's a shortish walk to the girlie bars. It could be a good idea if the traffic is gummed up along EDSA, which it often is in the early evening or weekend nights. Of course you could be jammed on the train Tokyo style so it's not for everybody. You can also take it the other way to SM Megamall, if Glorietta/Greenbelt wasn't already enough malling for you.

I used travelers checks in my first few visits to the Philippines in the early 90s. It wasn't unusual to take close to an hour while they fussed, called superiors and looked at the checks and the receipts every which way. And the rates are also bad.

The way to go now is to bring cards and a few hundred dollars contingency cash.

I've never had any problem with violence in my 25 or so trips. I've had money stolen from my room once. And there was one attempted pickpocketing by an old man-little girl team. That's the extent of my law and order troubles in the Philippines in 15 months or so in country.

Taxis: Mostly they're a Manila problem. I rarely have issues in other cities. Insist on the meter or grab another one. Get to know the approximate fares for certain distances. Then give him the fare, get out and shut the door whether he's bitching or not. In nicer hotels you'll have to go outside to get a meter taxi to avoid the overpriced hotel limos.

[Asheron]

Ok, Just thought it would help someone.

[Surfer]

perhaps this seems useful to those who have never been to to the pi, but i find much of it utter nonsense. i've been there way more than 25 times and am way older than 21 (lol!) yet never got held up at knifepoint, pickpocketed or otherwise scammed. use big city common sense, of course, and odds are you will be fine. yes the lrt is famous for pickpockets but what foreigner takes the lrt anyway?

he says it is "illegal" to give money to the poor; please cite the statute (as this is pure bollocks as they say in england). most times your wallet should be locked in your hotel safe anyway, and having coins and small notes in a pocket with no wad of 1000piso notes is a good idea. of course you never flash loads of cash (but that obvious piece of common sense hardly justifies report of distinction treatment imho!)

travelers checks are way less convenient than an atm card or cash.

as for his aversion to tipping, he can go f himself as i will tip whomever i want and if he does not like it too bad. that said, i would not tip a taxi 500piso but this mantra of "you tippers are ruining it for us koriput [cheapskates]" gets so old.

i hate guns, but i have half a mind to gun find his gun range and give bigger tips (so next time they charge foreigners 100 piso per bullet lol!)
the prevalence of guns is one of the biggest problems facing the pi (along with overpopulation for which the church is largely to blame, but i digress).
girls hanging outside hotels will accuse you of [CodeWord123]? never had a problem but of course it is possible. but bar girls, streetwalkers from away from your hotel and la cafe indies will never make such accusations? give me a break.

while taking blue bird taxis in jakarta makes sense as they are both reliable and prevalent, i have never seen this taxi company the guy is shilling for. there is no equivalent of blue bird group in manila.

as anybody who has ever been in manila knows, getting a driver to accept the meter without negotiation can be a challenge at times, but i have flagged taxis off the street thousands of times and the worst that happened was he whined about traffic and wanted a few extra piso at the end. while there may be isolated anecdotes of robbery by taxi drivers, like anywhere, this is not a persistent problem for foreigners imho.

yes kidnappers have targeted chinese businessman but that has nothing to do with foreigner sex tourists. ditto pirate boats in the sulu sea. i bet dollars to donuts this guy has never been outside luzon (where there are no "pirates"

)