Angeles City

[Ghost D]

Most of the regular bars that have survived are still open. There is a liquor ban in the bars but not at home. Plastic cups with assorted non alcoholic beverages are flowing freely (figure this one out on your own). Of course the 3 bars that are owned by the city council members are always functioning (in the vicinity of Garfields). Still plenty of girls available. Several Facebook groups where you can order take out boom boom.

Great Intel, thanks Beavis.

I guess it sounds a little like some of some of the Muslim countries where in the holy month there is a ban on Alcohol, and then the bars start doing strange tings like serving beer in cups or in a tea pot, hoping no one will notice. But I should go there to see the real story.

[Beavis]

Most of the regular bars that have survived are still open. There is a liquor ban in the bars but not at home. Plastic cups with assorted non alcoholic beverages are flowing freely (figure this one out on your own). Of course the 3 bars that are owned by the city council members are always functioning (in the vicinity of Garfields). Still plenty of girls available. Several Facebook groups where you can order take out boom boom.

I have been to Angeles a couple of times over the last 4 months so will share my experiences for those interested, my info is from October and December 2021.

Getting there:

Angeles is located north of Manila, it's actually about 90 KM depending on which part of Manila you are in when deciding how to get there.

Currently there is no train link between the two, there is some weird combo of bus (at both sides) and train so I am not really counting that. There is a planned train link which is under construction planned to open 2024 (end of the pandemic? Joking).

The main link is via road, so here you can drive, be driven (public or private taxi) or take a bus which I did before the pandemic. Prices are roughly: Driving 6-800 php (including tolls), taxi 1500 - 3000 php depending on who you get and how you negotiate; and bus which is super cheap around 200 php (you just need to get to and from the bus stop).

I actually drove up, and did a lot of checking before hand to see if I would get stopped and turned around in some checkpoint, I did experience a checkpoint on a Sunday afternoon around 2 pm, but in true Philippine style the security guard on duty decided to take a nap (October visit), in December there was no check point.

Pre and Pandemic differences.

For me there were a couple of major differences pre and during the pandemic, the obvious being a reduction in both customers (no tourists), combined with a reduction in open venues, I would estimate that about 25-35% of the bars on Walking street are closed, and 100% of night clubs are closed. For those there and more in tune with the lay of the land, please do chime in and share.

While Manila was moving through different alert levels, from L4 to L3 to L2 by December, Angeles seemed to remain constant.

Walking down the street during my visits compared to pre-pandemic, I would say that there is a visible 70+% drop in the number of people on the street.

The other big difference was the lack of Korean tourists, so for those there before the pandemic they drove a behavior where they would turn up at 6 pm, try to select the hot young girls and then leave the establishments by 7 pm having only 1 or 2 drinks, then take the lady for dinner before taking them for Karaoke or home for fun, a lot of the girls liked this behavior where a lot of the bars and rest of us didn't. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I spent my time on walking street, overall I would say that the range and quality of girls was very good, both times I was there, it was very clearly a buyers market, given the lack of continued work for the girls I did notice that they tended to ask for more tips and tried to secure further "fun" from me than before, bar fines were around 3 K if memory serves (the lady then gets 1.5 K as a kick back from the bar) and normally looks for a tip in the morning, and lady drinks are being pushed as much as possible in all venues I visited, roughly around 300 php per drink, I guess everyone is under financial pressure given the drop in customers / revenue.

I plan to go back sometime soon, so would be interested to hear from someone there now how things have changed since December, I understand there is a liquor ban currently in place, but the bars are open?

[Ghost D]

I have been to Angeles a couple of times over the last 4 months so will share my experiences for those interested, my info is from October and December 2021.

Getting there:

Angeles is located north of Manila, it's actually about 90 KM depending on which part of Manila you are in when deciding how to get there.

Currently there is no train link between the two, there is some weird combo of bus (at both sides) and train so I am not really counting that. There is a planned train link which is under construction planned to open 2024 (end of the pandemic? Joking).

The main link is via road, so here you can drive, be driven (public or private taxi) or take a bus which I did before the pandemic. Prices are roughly: Driving 6-800 php (including tolls), taxi 1500 - 3000 php depending on who you get and how you negotiate; and bus which is super cheap around 200 php (you just need to get to and from the bus stop).

I actually drove up, and did a lot of checking before hand to see if I would get stopped and turned around in some checkpoint, I did experience a checkpoint on a Sunday afternoon around 2 pm, but in true Philippine style the security guard on duty decided to take a nap (October visit), in December there was no check point.

Pre and Pandemic differences.

For me there were a couple of major differences pre and during the pandemic, the obvious being a reduction in both customers (no tourists), combined with a reduction in open venues, I would estimate that about 25-35% of the bars on Walking street are closed, and 100% of night clubs are closed. For those there and more in tune with the lay of the land, please do chime in and share.

While Manila was moving through different alert levels, from L4 to L3 to L2 by December, Angeles seemed to remain constant.

Walking down the street during my visits compared to pre-pandemic, I would say that there is a visible 70+% drop in the number of people on the street.

The other big difference was the lack of Korean tourists, so for those there before the pandemic they drove a behavior where they would turn up at 6 pm, try to select the hot young girls and then leave the establishments by 7 pm having only 1 or 2 drinks, then take the lady for dinner before taking them for Karaoke or home for fun, a lot of the girls liked this behavior where a lot of the bars and rest of us didn't. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I spent my time on walking street, overall I would say that the range and quality of girls was very good, both times I was there, it was very clearly a buyers market, given the lack of continued work for the girls I did notice that they tended to ask for more tips and tried to secure further "fun" from me than before, bar fines were around 3 K if memory serves (the lady then gets 1.5 K as a kick back from the bar) and normally looks for a tip in the morning, and lady drinks are being pushed as much as possible in all venues I visited, roughly around 300 php per drink, I guess everyone is under financial pressure given the drop in customers / revenue.

I plan to go back sometime soon, so would be interested to hear from someone there now how things have changed since December, I understand there is a liquor ban currently in place, but the bars are open?

[Beavis]

Thanks Westy. Soon my dick will be in that girl (or another) as well, because I just read that the Phills are opening up again.

Well I would check the source because nothing has been officially said about the Philippines opening up again. You probably read the part about opening to the fully vaccinated for entry, however that is for persons with existing visas only. No tourists visas, so unless you have a valid visa nothing is opening up.

[PattayaLover]

No, the rules are not established by the virus. But it says 'thank you very much for making my job so easy', when people are gathering, drinking (lots of) alcohol, standing close to each other, not wearing masks, and spreading their contagious saliva.

Sorry but I could not resist myself in asking did you heard the virus talking and saying "thank you very much for making my job easy" just a stupid curious question.

[Mogwai]

Mog's, welcome back!

No judgements about viruses, but a pic in honor of Magwai's triumphant return.

Thanks Westy. Soon my dick will be in that girl (or another) as well, because I just read that the Phills are opening up again.

[WestCoast1]

No, the rules are not established by the virus. But it says 'thank you very much for making my job so easy', when people are gathering, drinking (lots of) alcohol, standing close to each other, not wearing masks, and spreading their contagious saliva.

Mog's, welcome back!

No judgements about viruses, but a pic in honor of Magwai's triumphant return.

[Mogwai]

Were these rules established by the virus? Did it say it would not attack if you did not buy alcohol and did not stay out past a certain time?

No, the rules are not established by the virus. But it says 'thank you very much for making my job so easy', when people are gathering, drinking (lots of) alcohol, standing close to each other, not wearing masks, and spreading their contagious saliva.

[Lou32]

Cities around the country are now bracing for the inevitable Omicron wave, which is just breaking in Manila but has not yet swept through other cities. There's no chance the Philippines will open again for tourists until the wave has ripped through the country. My best guess is that it will open sometime during the third quarter of the year, but that's merely a guess. If there's yet another varient that becomes dominant after Omicron, then all bets are off.

I live in Davao and have not been on a flight since the whole mess began, but I do retain close contact with friends living elsewhere including Manila. Here in Davao, panic buying, also known as hoarding, has already begun though the reported infection rate here is low and very few cases of Omicron have been reported. However, the general public, or large swaths of it, appear to know that a surge here is inevitable. Stores have already started to run short of staple items and they're much more crowded that usual. The local government has started to aggressively promote booster shots, and I think is doing its best to ensure a plentiful supply of vaccines. The streets at night are sparsely populated and bars and restaurants haven't been permitted to sell alcohol for about two years and those restrictions will not end anytime soon.

I would advise against planning any trips here until at least July or August, and there are no guarantees that the country will be re-opened for tourism by then, but that's the time that seems most likely to me.

GE.

Thanks for that report!

[WestCoast1]

Good evening gents. Voluptuous beauty has first experience with professional camera. Sweetly leaves me some mirror selfies.

[Mr Enternational]

Nice article on the local press yesterday with a caption saying ' this won't end until people learn to live by the rules'.

Were these rules established by the virus? Did it say it would not attack if you did not buy alcohol and did not stay out past a certain time?

[GoodEnough]

The science is dribbling in and its clear from multiple countries that Omicron presents few problems to those who have been double vaxxed and boosted, not simply double vaxxed. The unvaxxed take their chances as always and their deathbed conversions are cautionary. Those with underlying conditions, well, they can't in all reasonableness expect the world to stop because of their condition.

So yeah, open up the PI ASAP.

That's not going to happen any time soon. The Omicron wave has just started here and has yet to make a huge impact in some places, though of course the tsunami is inevitable. The Pfizer vaccines, at least here in Davao, seem to be in limited supply once again and heavy restrictions remain in place. Given the low levels of in-person staffing at government facilities, the strain on the public health systems and the gradual but inexorable burden being put on hospitals there's no way this place is going to open again anytime soon for tourists. My best guess—based on nothing but watching the disease progress through S. Africa, Europe and the US—is that the earliest that tourism regulations will be relaxed might be sometime in early June.

GE.

[Datiao]

Well, Philippines just broke it's daily cases record 2 days ago and its about 29000 compared to 4000 a week ago.

Healthcare and facilities likely to be overwhelmed.

Borders will remain shut to tourists till further notice.

Cambodia / Thailand still accessible to tourists if you are interested.

[Wicked Roger]

If you are vaccinated and boosted, the science is clear. You are not in any more serious danger than you would be living a normal life. It's time to let people that fall under this category move freely and do whatever they want. I have vacation days burning a hole in my pocket and I'm patiently waiting for PH to open.

Sadly PH will not open soon that is very unlikely IMHO given the spike in cases. Manila is again Alert 3 and for sure this will happen elsewhere. Nice article on the local press yesterday with a caption saying ' this won't end until people learn to live by the rules'. Hope you have a lot of patience LOL.

[Dashing Don]

The science is dribbling in and its clear from multiple countries that Omicron presents few problems to those who have been double vaxxed and boosted, not simply double vaxxed. The unvaxxed take their chances as always and their deathbed conversions are cautionary. Those with underlying conditions, well, they can't in all reasonableness expect the world to stop because of their condition.

So yeah, open up the PI ASAP.