Angeles City

[Eszpresszo]

Cross-cultural comparisons, particularly between East and West, are at best difficult as the gestalts are so totally different. In my case, for example, I spent years in Paris, and if I dwelled on the differences between Parisian or French culture and that of the Philippines, I would have left here years ago. It's been my experience that Westerners who try to come here to live, and who constantly immerse themselves in recurrent comparisons between the Philippines and wherever they've come from, ultimately fail to adjust, become miserable, and leave. If however, you can accept this place on its own terms; if you can learn to judge it by a different metric, it becomes much more enjoyable.
GE.

Thanks for your input, and I understand where you are coming from. I just back from the Dominican Republic for the first time. I was forewarned on what to expect and there were no unpleasant surprises, as a result. I realized when I arrived, I would need to do things at a much slower pace, and not to expect immediate results. And sure enough, things didn't work like they were supposed to half the time. The WiFi in one hotel was weak and intermittent. The hot water in another hotel was non-existent. People were aggressively trying to hustle you, and cheat you in some cases. In other cases, people didn't give a fuck if you were supposed to be a paying customer. Despite all its warts, I became charmed by the DR, and its accepted the fact it is a different place, and probably shouldn't be compared with Colombia (where people are more conscientious and things work right about 80% of the time). I understand why so many ex-pats have embraced the place. And yes, the Dominican girls are definitely an acquired taste. But, it only took about 15 minutes in my hotel room for me to acquire it. Yes, I agree that you have to experience a place on its own terms to fully appreciate it.

But, my idea for a mongering index was a way for the person who has limited time and money (like most people), to determine where they should spend X amount of money and travel X number of hours in order to have a mongering experience. If you have lived in America, you will understand how difficult it can be to get time off (my trip to Thailand was postponed 8 months thanks to the indolence of a scheduling manager for my unit. She was interestingly enough, a Filipina, and like most Filipinas I have met in America, a horrible person.) Time off is a precious thing. However, I can say now that it was well worth the 26 hour flight, only to arrive in Bangkok two days later. And that is what I am trying to metricize. But, by no means make a all-encompassing rating on an entire culture. What we want to do here is help the monger judge what they get for the time and money expended for the trip.

Note that I made some trip reports while I was still in Thailand, and indicated that a few of the girls I engaged, were average in looks. This drew the ire of one BM who asked why I went all the way to Thailand if I wasn't going to screw the most beautiful women. I responded that they are more things of interest in Thailand besides the women. I pointed out that if I merely wanted to screw beautiful women, I could have done it cheaper and easier by flying down to Medellin. But, there are many things in Thailand that you won't find in Medellin (or the Western Hemisphere altogether). Hence, my proposed index tries to gauge a location on a variety of merits beyond the girls. Note that the actual sexual factors only make up 37% of the score. But, this can be tweaked.

Here is what I have gotten so far: 8 factors, equally weighted, on a scale of 1 to 10.

1) Quantity of working girls (% of general population or sheer volume in red light areas).

2) Quality (ethnic variety, looks, professionalism, variety of sex acts that are accessible).

3) Average price for short time (an inverse rating, where the lower price gets a higher rating).

4) Cost of lodging (another inverse rating, as lodging can or cannot be the primary travel expense depending on the location).

5) Quality of lodging (Are the hotels usually "guest friendly" and is it oriented towards the needs of mongers).

6) Food & beverage (Is the food acceptable or is the place a culinary destination? Does good alcohol flow cheaply and easily?

7) Transportation and accessibility (Is it easy to access from an international airport? Is the public transport good? Can you get out to other places easily?

8) Attractions & distractions (What else is there to do besides monger? Is it easy to access and is it affordable?

Now, add up you score for each category and divide it by 8. The quotient is your rating.

Anybody interested? Willing to bite? Rank Angeles City for me, and then rank Pattaya or Bangkok if you have been there, as well. Heck, rank any other city in the world you have mongered in. Come on. It will be fun.

[Omega 3]

***** And an additional point, some like banana *****

Chico.

In days of yore, in the predecessor club to Angel Witch, there were several girls who offered superb BJ skills. When asked, one of these girls confessed that they had been trained by a bakla, and their training tool (pun intended) was a * banana.

Cheers!

OM.

P.S. This was not the club in question, but does anyone else remember the old Fire Empire?

[Omega 3]

I took a cultural seminar with Filipinos and we discussed the annoying aspects of our respective cultures. Filipinos complained that westerners plan ahead too much. *****

I have been playing chess my whole life. Once in a while I will play with one of the Pinoy guys who play with friends on the street. I am sure you have seen them gathered around a game. I don't gamble so no threat of being scammed. I have never won a game on the mean streets of the PI and I play respectably well. Some people think that chess is a sign of intelligence.

Pompe,

Two seemingly inconsistent comments, which of course can be harmonized.

We now also have two new alternate lines for Jim Croce's refrain:

"You don't tug on Superman's cape / You don't spit into the wind / You don't pull the mask of the old Lone Ranger / and you don't:

(A). Play chess on the mean streets of Phils.

(B). Play pool for money with Efrem Reyes.

Grin!

OM.

[Member #4566]

I ordered a drink but wanted to be sure it would not come in that conical martini glass so I asked the waiter which glass it comes in. He went to the bar and came back and muttered something. I said no and pointing to my eye said let me see the glass it will come in. He goes to the bar and comes back once again but this time with a highball glass. I said perfect. Give me that drink. Why when he comes back with the drink my drink is not in the glass that he showed me and told me it would come in, but in the fucking glass that I did not want?

I took a cultural seminar with Filipinos and we discussed the annoying aspects of our respective cultures. Filipinos complained that westerners plan ahead too much.

In your anecdote, the barkeep may have believed that with the different size glasses, you were trying to get a larger portion than you were entitled to. The unsophisticated traveler has a few encounters and forms a generalization which is applied to the country at large. I would not say that you are unsophisticated but you may be frustrated. Me too. These poor food servers here in the PI don't seem to understand that I want my food served hot. More than once the waitress delayed serving me because she wanted the food to cool down a little before she brought it to me.

I have been playing chess my whole life. Once in a while I will play with one of the Pinoy guys who play with friends on the street. I am sure you have seen them gathered around a game. I don't gamble so no threat of being scammed. I have never won a game on the mean streets of the PI and I play respectably well. Some people think that chess is a sign of intelligence.

[ChicoBarca]

I think you have a really good point, it is almost impossible to compare different cultures in that sense. And in my opinion as well, what is the idea. Enjoying the differences and learn from it, take the best from their and mix it with your own. And an additional point, some lake apple and some like banana, all about preferences. Beside that, enjoy every moment as it was your last.

Chico.

Thanks to all who responded to my question with so many details. You enlightened me on some things as well as confirmed some of my suspicions. I'm sure other members will appreciate the input from all contributors, as I did.

And I think most understand my concerns. What else is in the "package" besides mongering? At my age I can pop once, maybe twice a day. I get anxious to do something different. Fortunately, the places I've visited offered other things to see and do during my sexual "downtime". We all know why Thailand attracts an awful lot of tourists each year for a reason. Its a hard destination to beat. And if you like Thai food, as much as I do, you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (which I did).

But, you don't hear people raving about Filipino food, do you? That's not a deal breaker. You don't hear them raving about German food, either. But, Berlin makes up for it by having an awesome selection of mongering opportunities as well as lots of things to do in the city. History, nightlife, flea markets, culture, Currywurst and Doner Kebabs galore!...

[BrainDrain]

When I arrived earlier this week my regular driver was not available to pick me up. I have always just used our company contracted rate of P500 for him to wait for me and take me directly to my accom.

I was prepared to wait and play hard to get with the taxi scouts. Turns out there is now a published price for each hotel. My price was P350. I was expecting P500.

I guess our regular driver might be in for a price review.

BD.

[GoodEnough]

Thanks to all who responded to my question with so many details. You enlightened me on some things as well as confirmed some of my suspicions. I'm sure other members will appreciate the input from all contributors, as I did.

And I think most understand my concerns. What else is in the "package" besides mongering? At my age I can pop once, maybe twice a day. I get anxious to do something different.

Again, there's the whole package to look at. I think you understand how I am trying to evaluate Angeles City in context to other places. And that just gave me an idea, guys. I will try to contrive a metric formula for rating mongering destinations on mongering opportunities and quality of other distractions. PM if you have suggestions on that.

Cross-cultural comparisons, particularly between East and West, are at best difficult as the gestalts are so totally different. In my case, for example, I spent years in Paris, and if I dwelled on the differences between Parisian or French culture and that of the Philippines, I would have left here years ago. It's been my experience that Westerners who try to come here to live, and who constantly immerse themselves in recurrent comparisons between the Philippines and wherever they've come from, ultimately fail to adjust, become miserable, and leave. If however, you can accept this place on its own terms; if you can learn to judge it by a different metric, it becomes much more enjoyable.

If you want to compare Thailand and the Philippines in terms of externals--infrastructure, cuisine, public transportation, for example--the Philippines wouldn't stand up well. It lags behind Thailand on almost every "objective" dimension other than corruption, where on the latest "Transparency International" index, the Philippines actually placed one step above Thailand. For me, it's the intangibles that enable me to enjoy the place, and the biggest intangible is the people. Filipinos are, in my opinion, among the friendliest, most gracious and hospitable humans on the face of the planet, and their ready acceptance of foreigners goes a long way for me. I've had the chance, because of my work here, to travel to places that most foreigners will never see and to work with Filipinos from a very broad spectrum of the society and I'm the richer for it. I don't believe that Thai culture is nearly as accessible to foreigners. Succinctly stated, even a casual tourist can, with a modicum of effort, get to know individual Filipinos, while the same is not, in my experience, true in Thailand.

GE.

[Omega 3]

Thanks for the 8 tips, GB. Number 9 if you are an American military veteran go to Legion Post 123 to swap war stories / bullshit with the guys, drink and eat. The have a music jam session Sunday afternoons if you're into that. Good bunch of guys. Subic is always a great diversion, too. Love the floating bar and hoorhouse there off Treasure Island. Cheers. QUOTE=GreenBud;2002044.

Angeles is a good option for a stop if you are hopping around SE Asia. See. QUOTE].

Man,

Is the Legion still open? That's good news. Used to be located on Macarthur just past BOC, but that was a lifetime ago. Where are you guys located now?

Cheers!

OM.

[BushRusher]

At my age I can pop once, maybe twice a day. I get anxious to do something different. Fortunately, the places I've visited offered other things to see and do during my sexual "downtime". We all know why Thailand attracts an awful lot of tourists each year for a reason. Its a hard destination to beat. And if you like Thai food, as much as I do, you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (which I did).

But, you don't hear people raving about Filipino food, do you? That's not a deal breaker. You don't hear them raving about German food, either. But, Berlin makes up for it by having an awesome selection of mongering opportunities as well as lots of things to do in the city. History, nightlife, flea markets, culture, Currywurst and Doner Kebabs galore! The superb national, public transport network makes day trips to neighboring cities (and countries) fast and easy. There is no sunny beach in Berlin, but a shitload of brothels and an abundance of freelancers who are among the best in the world.

You brought up an interesting point, another poster was complaining about a runner. Think his plan was one pop, sleep and pop again. I suspect some girls might prefer more than that. Hence they would rather bail and scratch that itch. Just my suspicion.

As for food, I totally agree. I love Thai and the occasional German heart clogging fare. PI has their Lapu Lapu and chicken adobo. Think the current or past White House cook is a PI lady.

The down side of some other areas is really the language. It is good therapy for me to talk. But I prefer to know that at least they can hear me and understand a little, Some of the girls also have very interesting stories.

If you pick up a PI GF, you can get through her some amazing deals at resorts.

[Eszpresszo]

Thanks to all who responded to my question with so many details. You enlightened me on some things as well as confirmed some of my suspicions. I'm sure other members will appreciate the input from all contributors, as I did.

And I think most understand my concerns. What else is in the "package" besides mongering? At my age I can pop once, maybe twice a day. I get anxious to do something different. Fortunately, the places I've visited offered other things to see and do during my sexual "downtime". We all know why Thailand attracts an awful lot of tourists each year for a reason. Its a hard destination to beat. And if you like Thai food, as much as I do, you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (which I did).

But, you don't hear people raving about Filipino food, do you? That's not a deal breaker. You don't hear them raving about German food, either. But, Berlin makes up for it by having an awesome selection of mongering opportunities as well as lots of things to do in the city. History, nightlife, flea markets, culture, Currywurst and Doner Kebabs galore! The superb national, public transport network makes day trips to neighboring cities (and countries) fast and easy. There is no sunny beach in Berlin, but a shitload of brothels and an abundance of freelancers who are among the best in the world.

Again, there's the whole package to look at. I think you understand how I am trying to evaluate Angeles City in context to other places. And that just gave me an idea, guys. I will try to contrive a metric formula for rating mongering destinations on mongering opportunities and quality of other distractions. PM if you have suggestions on that.

[BushRusher]

Why when he comes back with the drink my drink is not in the glass that he showed me and told me it would come in, but in the fucking glass that I did not want?

Well, I can tell you where I come from, you might get the drink in the glass you demanded, along with some foreign material from the toilet or other orifice! LOL

I instances of communications failure that you recounted are funny and we've all run into them. On the other hand, I've also have some great surprises, finding girls who were not only intelligent, but whose English was quite good. So in that case, I suppose it's all in the luck of the draw.

IMHO, language abilities do not necessarily reflect intelligence. They can just spread and express their ignorance and naivety better. The one thing I realized is that men and women, in general, just think differently. It is amusing to see similarities in the thought process of women separated by an ocean or a land mass for some people. I was showing the girls the K Gains videos.

[D Cups]

Thanks for the 8 tips, GB. Number 9 if you are an American military veteran go to Legion Post 123 to swap war stories / bullshit with the guys, drink and eat. The have a music jam session Sunday afternoons if you're into that. Good bunch of guys. Subic is always a great diversion, too. Love the floating bar and hoorhouse there off Treasure Island. Cheers. QUOTE=GreenBud;2002044.

Angeles is a good option for a stop if you are hopping around SE Asia. See. QUOTE].

[D Cups]

Maybe they can talk in English, but communicate is an entirely different ball game. The results are in for the Dumb as Rocks on planet Earth category. After a dead heat between the Dumbminicans and Filipinos, the Filipinos win it.

Thanks for the humorous examples / comic relief, Mr. E! Girls from both areas have some street smarts but as I and others have said before we don't date them for their brains. I'll take sweet and sexy over IQ any day and twice on Sunday. For semi-intelligent conversation in both countries one must either dumb it down with copious amounts of beer or engage in conversation with other Westerners or both.

[NapaSlapper]

Mr E,

With due respect where do you get your supposed facts on Pattaya being more dangerous than AC.

Have you some official statistics to back this up? I have never seen any and I and most guys I know would totally disagree with your claims.

While I fully agree with you that petty crime in pattaya is reported regularly one has to look at the time these incidents are happening, to whom, where they are and what they are wearing, as you will agree most gold snatches / ladyboy disputes. Guys getting slapped by the mamasun for not paying their bill all happen in the wee hours of the morning with most punters drunk or out walking in areas while wearing 1000's of baht in gold necklaces or walking alone down soi 6/1 at 3 am looking for guys in dresses to give one a blow job.

As I have always said pattaya is as safe as one wants to make it, its the punters choice, with some minor care most situations are totally avoidable.

[GoodEnough]

Actually the incidence of street crime is higher in Pattaya than it is in Angeles. Just read Thai Visa or Pattaya Daily News and everyday you will see someone's gold chain getting snatched, wallet getting stolen, someone getting accosted by a ladyboy, or beat up by bar staff. If you are really lucky you will see a passenger taking a swing from a taxi driver's sword or machete. Actually I think a taxi driver pulled a knife on a family the other day for closing the luggage compartment too hard.
Maybe they can talk in English, but communicate is an entirely different ball game. The results are in for the Dumb as Rocks on planet Earth category. After a dead heat between the Dumbminicans and Filipinos, the Filipinos win it. It was not enough to take the title last year when me and my girlfriend were at a resort in Cebu and I ordered a grilled cheese and the lady told me that they did not have grilled cheese, only grilled ham and cheese. But with this most recent incident they were able to win the trophy.

The week before last me and my girlfriend were in Boracay and decided to have 1 last drink before we had to leave. We went over to a beach bar and I ordered a drink but wanted to be sure it would not come in that conical martini glass so I asked the waiter which glass it comes in. He went to the bar and came back and muttered something. I said no and pointing to my eye said let me see the glass it will come in. He goes to the bar and comes back once again but this time with a highball glass. I said perfect. Give me that drink. Why when he comes back with the drink my drink is not in the glass that he showed me and told me it would come in, but in the fucking glass that I did not want?

I didn't know that about Pattaya, and had always assumed, even during several visits there, that it was fairly safe. So maybe there's a tie in the danger department.

I instances of communications failure that you recounted are funny and we've all run into them. On the other hand, I've also have some great surprises, finding girls who were not only intelligent, but whose English was quite good. So in that case, I suppose it's all in the luck of the draw.

GE.