Other Areas

[Sean EZ]

I am in Boracay and will be here for two weeks and below are a few observations.
.

Hi Tom I'll be in Boracay around Jan 5th, if you want to meet up. Sorry posting here. Your private mail box appears to be full. Cheers.

[Tomasb]

I am in Boracay and will be here for two weeks and below are a few observations.

There are plenty of women and young girls in Boracay looking for action, contrary to some reports I have read about this island. However, many appear to have a mercenary character and these FL's appear older than their years based on my conversations with them. A remarkable number of them speak poor English. I suppose the poor English puts them on even keel when conversing with the Koreans here.

Tonight I went to Cocomungas. Originally, I thought this club / disco was located right on the beach and walked by several times during the day and night only to find it empty. However, the main branch is opposite the beach bar and located directly off the main drag, after passing the center of town heading south, on the right hand side of road. The club was full with FL's and with a rare Japanese / Korean or Caucasian girl who stumbled in without realizing what the main business plan is here. Most of the girls are fairly attractive if you are into the 45 kilo petite type and many are between 18-25 with a few MILF's tossed in. Did not see any LB's, which is good as the place is dark and that could get confusing.

However, they can be very aggressive. I always look for shy girls hanging in the corner but here that type does not seem to exist. There appear to be a lot of hard core pros too. As an example, they start quoting prices almost immediately and virtually all of them ask if I wanted two girls. This seems to be the trend these days wherever I travel and monger. As someone recently advised me, 'you pay twice as much and they work half as much'. I told a few girls that unless there was lesbian action that I was uninterested, which generally redirected the conversation. One girl quoted me 4k and I started laughing. Unclear if that was ST or LT but get the sense there are a lot of runners here anyway so I would not take a LT commitment to bank unless the hour was late. Later she quoted me 3 k for each girl finally coming down to $2k only for her even though I was not even participating in the negotiation as I was not interested. Pretty funny. I just walked away.

I also saw a girl at the club who I spoke to the night before. She was a hot little trumpet and quoted me $1500 for ST and $5k for LT and made a face when I asked about LT. I more or less agreed to ST and we started walking to my place but after a few paces, I asked her if she liked to kiss. She said no that was not her thing. I stopped and said sorry, it is MY thing so I am not going with you. She was a bit nonplussed by my reversal. Tonight, I saw her at Cocomungas and she barely looked at me once she recalled our conversation. I think she was initially trying to remember where we met because she was flirting with me originally. LOL.

One other thing. I am surprised how poor some of these girls comprehend and speak English. The girl who was trying to conduct the one-sided negotiations with me could not understand virtually anything I said to her and she was from Kalibo where the international airport is located that services Boracay. I kept telling her I was not ready to leave with anyone but she continued to blab on and on about her various pricing options. Finally, she asked me to speak slower.

I could return to the disco tonight as prices will probably start coming down to more reasonable levels as the night wears on. The issue for me is whether these girls provide good service regardless of the price. With the full on pro attitude being exhibited, I am doubtful of finding any GFE here. Hope I am wrong but that is my sense of Boracay so far.

[Questor55]

A reality check and a caution to those of us who travel through Mindanao. 10 killed and over 30 injured when a Rural Transit bus was bombed in Bukidnon Valley, close to CDO. May have been extortion, may have been Muslim insurgents, maybe both in the same package. Local military commander uttering predictable inanities suggesting that they don't have a clue and probably never will. Be careful out there, guys, and bring your lucky rabbit's foot.

[Pantot]

If I ever do bite the dust one day in the province, it likely won't be at the hands of some angry Mohammed. It will be something much more mundane.

The many dangerous modes of transport would be my bet. The safest seem to be the Supercats provided the weather is nice and they are not overcrowded, which I have yet to encounter. If the weather is bad I'm not getting on any watercraft over there. Once I was taking an Asian Spirit flight from Manila to Calbayog and the pilot announced about 30 minutes into the flight that we had to turn around to some unspecified mechanical issue. I was happy to get back on the ground on that aborted plane ride. But didn't hear about any ones falling out of the sky lately so that's encouraging.

The worst are the ubiquitous late model white minivans scattered everywhere. Many a time I have had to tell the driver to slow down or let me out at the next town. The better the vehicle the more fast they will drive it. I am waiting for a blind hill with a stray carabo just over the apex and the 130+ kph missle will have no out but to kill us all. A close second is the buses, again the newer ones appear to be safer but it just encourages the driver to get to unsafe speeds.

I snapped this foto of a Rorobus last December south of Puerto Princessa we chose the other more rickety one White Rabbit or something I forgot. The pic was snapped out the bus window as we passed by. Supposedly no one was killed in this one but I am not certain.

[GoodEnough]

I've lived and worked in the conflict areas of Mindanao for more than ten years, and anyone who believes that one should have no qualms about going to Zamboanga and just hanging out is either recklessly foolish, not very bright, or woefully uninformed. Ikksman is 100% correct in his assessment: the Abu Sayyaf and other KFR groups maintain excellent spy networks in the city, and they focus on the hotels such as the Garden Orchid and Lantaca where foreigners are most likely to stay. Further, there are no taxis in the city, so jeepneys and trikes are the only readily available options, and neither offers any concealment. The proximity of the city to the jungles of Basilan offers a varied assortment of bandits and insurgents ready access to impenetrable concealment, and the fact that the armed forces and several politicians are widely thought to share in the ransoms further exacerbates a highly unstable situation.

For several years I was privy to a fairly steady stream of intelligence information on the presence, activities and locations of these groups and I can assure everyone who reads this that the travel advisories from various embassies are well founded. Add to this the fact that Zamboanga is pretty much of an uninteresting hole, and there's little or no reason to contemplate going there.

GE.

[Pantot]

"I survived" therefore it is safe. Common mistake made by kidnap wannabe's. Your advice is so very dangerously wrong. I've sat barricaded in a house while armed guys rummaged around outside "looking for the foreigner". The illusion of safety is easy to create in our minds. Do not advise guys to go there.

AV.

I wasn't saying that at all. It was a mistake to take the bus. My point was to stay in the cities and avoid travel in inter city public transport in the countryside anywhere west of CDO. Sorry if I was ambiguous. I wouldn't do it again. I always took a private car or van from CDO to and from Iligan Pagadian etc. One time I noted I got stuck and wasn't comfortable. If I'm not comfortable in any situation I avoid repeating it. Its not advice for others to do it.

Also to be clear I rarely try to pick up girls or go to girlie bars anywhere outside of Angeles. In all my trips to Mindanao there was only 1 night I got caught in CDO with no pre arranged girl and I snagged a forgettable runner from a dive bar. Angeles bar pricing and selection have completely spoiled me from trolling anywhere else even Metro Manila. I am in country for short 2 week bursts and my days as a PUA are long past. I don't have the time or patience for it anymore.

Sorry if anyone inferred I was advising mongers to go to Zamboanga. I think I repeatedly said that one was safest in the city in any part of western Mindanao. I even used the term city proper. Staying with a girls family anywhere in the Phils, well you better know the girl really well and girls don't live in the city proper. I like to maintain control of my situation. And jealous relatives and neighbors anywhere could cause a problem not just in Muslim populated areas.

The Muslims are not only in the mountains and the mountains are not only for Muslims. What I was referring to was institutional and effective control of the area. You see Halal eateries all over Western Mindanao. The Maguindinao massacre could have occurred in other small clannish towns for sure, but not in the places that would qualify as cities.

Is Mindanao Mayberry? No. But I can say I have felt far less safe in parts of Manila and Angeles from petty street criminals than I have in the cities of Mindanao.

Again I never said I have visited Zamboanga, Never advised anyone to go there. Only said I am curious to go there given the right circumstances which haven't arisen and may never arise. The further you go west and south of Cagayan de Oro the relative safety due to the boldness of you becoming victim due to Muslim unrest increases. I would not take a public intercity bus again anywhere west and south of CDO. Like I said I did so once and was not comfortable. If I was not clear that it was a mistake and not an encouragement for others to do the same I apologize for my lack of clarity.

[Ikksman]

The most important thing to remember if you have safety fears in Mindanao is that the disaffected 'Muslim extremists' who the worried posters are obliquely referring to in their concerns of Mindanao in general, do not have any quarter in the cities proper. {S N I P}
Most of the Muslims who reside in Mindanao are poor and in the 'mountains'. {S N I P}
Sure they have clannish strongholds like that lawless Maguindanao area where they murdered all those journalists.{S N I P}
Even in Zamboanga I would have no reservations to fly there and stay in the city. {S N I P}

I too have spent a lot of time in Mindanao. In my opinion, Iligan is not part of the 'western muslim areas' and is totally different to city of Zamboanga. However, a friend of mine narrowly escaped being kidnapped in Iligan (it was not known who the would-be kidnappers were aligned with).

I have spent a lot of time in Dipolog and Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte province (which is even more west than Iligan). Muslims are not highly visible in those towns, but there is still some danger, so caution is prudent. One of my in-laws was a police officer in Dipolog, so we had access to reasonable intel.

The muslim rebels have extensive networks of spies, informers, supporters and sympathisers in Zamboanga City. And many of the so-called rebels actually just want to get rich through kidnappings and subsequent ransom payments.

BTW most of the people in the mountain areas were neither Catholic nor Muslim, but had animist beliefs. And many people who refused to convert to Islam escaped to the mountains. There are only a few pockets of muslim rebels in the mountains. And I think that the reference to the Maguindanao massacre is an irrelevancy (it could have happened in many places in PI).

I have travelled extensively (through my profession) to many dangerous parts of the world. I have narrowly escaped a serious problem just outside Islamabad, witnessed atrocities and robberies near Port Moresby and Mt Hagen, worked in Mosul during a period of major bombings, and witnessed a 2 hour gun battle between police and gangsters on a major highway outside Caracas.

But in my opinion, Zamboanga City is an order of magnitude more dangerous than any of these places for a lone individual westerner. There is a very high probability that one will not leave the city voluntarily if one stays for more than 2 days.

Just my opinion (and I don't really care if anyone chooses to travel to go to Zamboanga).

[KongKing]

I've done a lot of traveling around much of Mindanao. ........... I would caution newbies to not come unless they are seasoned travelers. My main advice would pertain to every place and everyone traveling off the beaten track: Be respectful, be friendly, be careful, stay sober and keep a low profile.

Some really great advice here below by Questor and also by Sam, Pantot, WestCoast and RollAides.

[Amavida]

The most important thing to remember if you have safety fears in Mindanao is that the disaffected 'Muslim extremists' who the worried posters are obliquely referring to in their concerns of Mindanao in general, do not have any quarter in the cities proper.

We all hear figures of Mindanao being x percentage Muslim 20,30, 40%. People might think they are entering the Phils version of Saudi. Its not like that at all. The fact is that the major and medium sized cities have very little Muslim power presence other than Halal eateries, Most of the Muslims who reside in Mindanao are poor and in the 'mountains'. Their grievances are probably as much rooted in poverty as the are religion.

Sure they have clannish strongholds like that lawless Maguindanao area where they murdered all those journalists. But your pursuit of pussy will never take you there.

Even in Iligan the place I have spent the most time over the past decade, as part of the western 'Muslim' areas, its supposed to be dangerous. Its not. Mind you I have only spent time in the city proper. Once I got caught with my old GF in her small nursing college town somewhere west of there, near Pagadian, I am not sure. I had to take a bus to get back and they said some foreigner got killed last week. That made me a little disconcerted but anyway I survived no problems.

Even in Zamboanga I would have no reservations to fly there and stay in the city. It by all accounts is a relatively advanced city with a rich history. Would I take a local bus into the countryside wearing a GWBush t-shirt? No. But I want to visit Zamboanga if I find a real local girl to meet but I never have for whatever reason.

"I survived" therefore it is safe. Common mistake made by kidnap wannabe's. Your advice is so very dangerously wrong. I've sat barricaded in a house while armed guys rummaged around outside "looking for the foreigner". The illusion of safety is easy to create in our minds. Do not advise guys to go there.

AV.

[Sam 14]

But I want to visit Zamboanga if I find a real local girl to meet but I never have for whatever reason.

Roll Aides had this to say about Zamboanga.

I passed through Zamboanga about a year ago for an exit visa run to Malaysia. I highly advise avoiding the shit out of that place. I had been in the country a while, I felt I knew the ropes, I had a Filipina with me, I did my research online. I thought I knew what I was doing. It was a serious mistake. The people there are hostile in various shades from open to veiled, even to other Filipinos who are not from that region. Not everyone we met, but enough to make it quite an unpleasant trip.

When I got back from Sandakan, I stayed one night at the the Filipina's relatives. We left the next morning. After I got back to Negros, she gets a text from the relatives that there are some guys at their house who want to "interview" the foreigner. Thank my lucky stars that we didn't stay an extra night. I would have been cat meat. Oh yeah, and then a few months later there was the attempted rebel coup where they shot the shit out of everything. Glad I missed that too.

Stay the fuck way from that place, if you value your life. There's plenty of locations to enjoy hot girls in the Philippines, even in Mindanao, without mortally endangering oneself.

If you have to go to Zamboanga, the advice I can give is this: Pre-book your travel and stay at the most expensive hotel you can find. Don't go anywhere else. Keep a low profile. As soon as you finish your business, get the fuck out. If you go there for mongering, you are out of your mind.

[Pantot]

The most important thing to remember if you have safety fears in Mindanao is that the disaffected 'Muslim extremists' who the worried posters are obliquely referring to in their concerns of Mindanao in general, do not have any quarter in the cities proper.

We all hear figures of Mindanao being x percentage Muslim 20,30, 40%. People might think they are entering the Phils version of Saudi. Its not like that at all. The fact is that the major and medium sized cities have very little Muslim power presence other than Halal eateries, Most of the Muslims who reside in Mindanao are poor and in the 'mountains'. Their grievances are probably as much rooted in poverty as the are religion.

Sure they have clannish strongholds like that lawless Maguindanao area where they murdered all those journalists. But your pursuit of pussy will never take you there.

Even in Iligan the place I have spent the most time over the past decade, as part of the western 'Muslim' areas, its supposed to be dangerous. Its not. Mind you I have only spent time in the city proper. Once I got caught with my old GF in her small nursing college town somewhere west of there, near Pagadian, I am not sure. I had to take a bus to get back and they said some foreigner got killed last week. That made me a little disconcerted but anyway I survived no problems.

Even in Zamboanga I would have no reservations to fly there and stay in the city. It by all accounts is a relatively advanced city with a rich history. Would I take a local bus into the countryside wearing a GWBush t-shirt? No. But I want to visit Zamboanga if I find a real local girl to meet but I never have for whatever reason.

[WestCoast1]

We were in the department store there, and she took three swimsuits into the dressing rooms to try on. In the 5-10 minutes she was in there, three cute dept store employees approached me and asked if she was my GF. I said no, we just met in person, she has been my penpal. All three girls then gave me their cp numbers. I love the Philippines! LOL

Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, ain't it? On that same day, its quite possible that not a single gal would have spoken to you (even if they wanted to). Amazing place, isn't it?

[Rubio Tonto]

Great post Sam. My Mindanao experience is limited to Davao. I had been chatting with this 19-year old from Mangagoy (part of Bislig) for a few months back in 2005, and traveled to Davao to meet her. She met me in the airport, and less than an hour later we were showering together in my hotel room before a session. We decided to go to Samal Island a couple days later and she didn't have a swimsuit, so we stopped at Gaisano Mall to buy one for her. We were in the department store there, and she took three swimsuits into the dressing rooms to try on. In the 5-10 minutes she was in there, three cute dept store employees approached me and asked if she was my GF. I said no, we just met in person, she has been my penpal. All three girls then gave me their cp numbers. I love the Philippines! LOL

[Questor55]

I've done a lot of traveling around much of Mindanao. Covered the east coast from General Santos in the south to Davao and on to Surigao in the north, all across the north coast to Butuan, Camaguin Island, CDO, and to Dapitan / Dipolog on the west coast. Zamboanga Del Sur to Pagadian. Sometimes by V Hire vans, packed in like sardines, but mostly by air con bus. Avoided all of the Muslim hot spots. Met many hospitable people. Often amazed to see a white guy traveling alone. "Sir, aren't you afraid? It's dangerous here. " Always delighted when I answered, "I feel safer here than in Manila. " Met a number of lovely girls via DIA and PinaLove. Always took the time to build an online relationship before arriving. Took every opportunity to stay in nice beach resorts and brought bikinis and sarongs for my adventurous girlfriends. I would caution newbies to not come unless they are seasoned travelers. My main advice would pertain to every place and everyone traveling off the beaten track: Be respectful, be friendly, be careful, stay sober and keep a low profile.

[Sam 14]

Sometimes we read of an experienced guy going on a motorcycle tour of mindanao for a month or more, and having a great time. This becomes romanticized in people's minds, and its not smart to recommend that newbs go to those places or do those things.

Ya, I did a 3 month motorcycle tour of Mindanao. I was a great way to meet allot of nice people and allot of nice girls. It was a great way to see allot of beautiful places, and have a great time. But it wasn't the best way to get allot of new pussy. I did get some, but the top shelf stuff was just a bit out of reach.

The bigger cities all have their small scene, Butuan, San Francisco, and especially Surigao, down by the passenger ferry terminal for example. But it's not like these province girls are sitting around waiting for some Western rock star to come shag them silly. I think I did a few searches on DIA, but didn't find much. I should have renewed my FC membership.

One time I was sitting on a wall and a bunch of school girls were hanging around. One would get a little closer and closer. It reminded me of feeding racoons. When they finally decided they could trust me, the whole group gathered around. I got a couple new text mates.

Another time I stumbled across a small university along the coast near Nasipit. There were 8 brown beauties sitting around at one of those hamburger dumps. I parked and walked past them without looking and pretended like I was going to order. I decided I wasn't that hungry (ya, right) so I turned around and walked past them again and said Hello. After a few words they invited me to sit down. After a while they were all screaming when I said I was single. They all offered up their best friend siting immediately next to her. Pretty soon the boys started to gather around. Pretty soon there were probably 60 kids gathered around, there was no more air, and it was so loud we couldn't even talk anymore. I gave them my number and split. Got a few more text mates.

Or course these young ladies are "busy focusing on their studies" and would never think seriously of airing that hot stuff out for some passing foreigner. They don't even think seriously of having a boyfriend. Because in their world boyfriend = pregnant = baby too soon = father kills her. It's like it's in their DNA. Jesus Christ is the Lord God my Savoir. Sunday is wash day. I focus on my studies, I graduate, get a husband, have babies and grow old and plump together.

Ya, it can be dangerous. I didn't go into known trouble spots, but not just everything on the road, but the road itself is trying to kill you allot of the time. Or there is no road where Google Map shows there is. And you're in some place where if you get a flat, you're sleeping in a bamboo shack. And don't expect many good restaurants, even in those bigger cities. So I can relate to what WC said about it becoming romanticized in people's minds. There are exceptions of course, this is just my experience, and everyone's mileage is going to vary. Again Mindanao girls are very conservative for the most part. Without a little help or allot of patience, lining them up and knocking them back will prove to be quite testing. For this post, I counted my text messages over the past several months that I haven't deleted. The count is 845. And they're mostly from Davao and Mindanao. In the end, after all that, I only have 2 that I'm currently banging.