Manila

[QUOTE=Aviator12;2295456]I am sweating by only reading your story! It seems like a lot of stress, but you probably had good reasons to get to Singapore. I go to LA Cafe frequently and normally will pay 1500-2000 peso. Never more. Sometimes I get sexy nice girls, some other times I have no luck. But I make it very clear what I want to pay. Normally no problem there. The young girls upstairs looking at the "Japanese / Korean" section inside does not interest me. They will ask for 5 K I am sure. LA Cafe is a hit and miss. But sometimes you can find a diamond in the ruff.[/QUOTE]The girls frequently offer what they think the market will bear. The same girl might charge 5 k at one time and location and accept 1 k at another.

The OP was prepared to pay for convenience and had a good time. The girl was satisfied enough to leave her number, hoping for another similar meet up. In my eyes that's a win-win.

I'd agree that swapping numbers when everyone has had a good time is pretty normal.

Enjoy. G.

[QUOTE=CenTexCrash;2295188]Had the itch to turn an overnight layover into a night in Manila.

On paper Tokyo flight landed at 12 am, morning after would resume 10 am to Singapore.

Legit opportunity to get 4-6 hours of the night. I think.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the trip report. I've done a similar packed overnight in Singapore, arriving 2 am, just going directly to 4 Floors, hotel then takeoff again 9:30 am.

On my very first Surigao visit my return flight went you / S. Met an amazing girl that night in the airline's expense.

Serendipity rules.

BD.

Just a quick question: Google maps is showing Manila bay cafe as permanently closed. Can anyone confirm if that is right. I hope there is more places in the area than just LA Cafe. Anyone have any recent visits or report of other bars\spas\whatevers that is good for mongering?

FWIW, I paid under US $100 for several new Moto G4 (on sale), pretty much a world phone with all the possible bands. I can confirm that it works well in North America, Europe, and Asia (including China). I have my other primary "world phones" with much better cameras and specs like the Google offers and others; all made in China but costing much more. The G4 does not have an eSIM but is a great travelling phone. No big deal if it goes missing as everything is backed up on the internet and can be remotely erased. You might see some ladies sporting one if they don't mind the so so pictures.

[QUOTE=Niteluvr;2293049]What kind of phone did you get for $150?[/QUOTE][QUOTE=Goferring;2293041]I paid US $ 150 on Ebay and its more than I need.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Ogman;2297102]Just a quick question: Google maps is showing Manila bay cafe as permanently closed. Can anyone confirm if that is right. I hope there is more places in the area than just LA Cafe. Anyone have any recent visits or report of other bars\spas\whatevers that is good for mongering?[/QUOTE]You are talking about the same place. They just change the name back and forth. Still open.

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297120]FWIW, I paid under US $100 for several new Moto G4 (on sale), pretty much a world phone with all the possible bands. I can confirm that it works well in North America, Europe, and Asia (including China). I have my other primary "world phones" with much better cameras and specs like the Google offers and others; all made in China but costing much more. The G4 does not have an eSIM but is a great travelling phone. No big deal if it goes missing as everything is backed up on the internet and can be remotely erased. You might see some ladies sporting one if they don't mind the so so pictures.[/QUOTE]The Moto G4 is an excellent cp for Philippines. It only uses a single sim but has great 4 g reception. I suggest you buy the tempered glass screen protector for it.

BTW, most all Moto cp work great in PH. Get the international models.

US phones are mostly one SIM as were the ones I got. Asian variants are usually dual SIM. The Asian variant was US $30+ more and did not come with a free USB QC 2.0 power bank. I love US sales! LOL! In fact, I buy many Asian manufactured electronics for US delivery because it can be 10 to30% cheaper than having an Asian or local delivery (even if I am within spitting distance of the factory). Go figure.

[QUOTE=Dg8787;2297385]The Moto G4 is an excellent cp for Philippines. It only uses a single sim but has great 4 g reception. I suggest you buy the tempered glass screen protector for it.

BTW, most all Moto cp work great in PH. Get the international models.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Dg8787;2297385]The Moto G4 is an excellent cp for Philippines. It only uses a single sim but has great 4 g reception. I suggest you buy the tempered glass screen protector for it.

BTW, most all Moto cp work great in PH. Get the international models.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297120]FWIW, I paid under US $100 for several new Moto G4 (on sale), pretty much a world phone with all the possible bands. I can confirm that it works well in North America, Europe, and Asia (including China). I have my other primary "world phones" with much better cameras and specs like the Google offers and others; all made in China but costing much more. The G4 does not have an eSIM but is a great travelling phone. No big deal if it goes missing as everything is backed up on the internet and can be remotely erased. You might see some ladies sporting one if they don't mind the so so pictures.[/QUOTE]I have been mulling over the idea of buying a 2nd phone dedicated for travel & girls for a couple of months in anticipation of my next trip. On past trips I have just swapped out my USA sim card with a local sim card whenever I was out and about and not in my Wi-Fi hotel where an American sim card works just fine for Line, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp texts and conversations. The problem was outside of Wi-Fi range my American sim card is pretty useless, but I still needed my American sim card to deal with business back home, so I could not just leave a PI or Thai sim card in my phone until I returned home and the process of changing sim cards on an almost daily basis grows rather tiresome and annoying. So, I realized after my last trip I needed a 2nd phone. The only issue was what cell phone would be best for my needs and be the most cost productive.

My regular phone is a Samsung S8 which is the best smart phone I have ever owned. I realize the S9 is marginally better and the S10 is probably significantly better, but I have no interest in upgrading at this point. The S8 is great and will remain my primary cell phone for some time to come. So, I wanted to spend less for a 2nd phone, but I still wanted a quality phone that could take respectable pics of girls, had a decent battery life, and a workable operating system. So, I first looked at older model, yet still NEW Samsung models like the J6 or S6 which were considered top of the line phones at the time of their initial roll outs. In BKK the price for these older Samsungs was between 5,000 and 6,500 baht. Not bad, but then I took a look at the Motorola lineup particularly the Moto G phones which have always received the highest reviews in the "budget" phone category. I looked at the G5, G6 and the just issued G7. An unlocked G5 was under $185 and seemed to get better reviews all around than it's newer sibling the G6. Then I began reading up on the just released G7 which received much better reviews than either the G5 or G6 in terms of camera, battery life, and operating system which are the areas I am most concerned with. So in the end, I paid up for the G7. The price was $285 unlocked with no sim card direct from Motorola. The clincher for me was the zero interest rate offer from Moto which meant I will pay $13/ month for the G7 until it is paid off and in the meantime I have the best "budget" cell phone available.

My Moto G7 came last week. I bought a no contract / pay as you go plan with T Mobil for $3/ month so I could test the phone and set it up the way I want before my trip. The phone works great, battery is excellent, and software is running smoothly. It in now way looks or operates like a "budget" phone. I think Moto hit this one out of the ball park. I did upgrade for the Camera FV-5 app ($3. 95 at the Google store to improve the photography capabilities) and I am ready to go on my next trip phone wise. My Samsung S8 will be my American and Hotel Wi-Fi phone. My Moto G7 will be my out and about phone. I am sure I could have sufficed with the Moto G4 or G5, but what the hell, I plan to use my G7 for many years to come. It was a good buy especially at zero interest $13/month.

IMHO, I like dual SIM unless a good sale in the US (one SIM models). All my flagship phones are dual and it is really convenient. You can now hide and have different users on the Androids (Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll). The Moto cameras are not that good. Hence the flagship phones.

I am actually going to get a China Mi phone to try. Half the price of a similar Samsung and probably half the cpu speed. But hey, I don't play games on my phones. And under USD100. You should give Fi a test. Speeds better than TM.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2297412]My Moto G7 came last week. I bought a no contract / pay as you go plan with T Mobil for $3/ month so I could test the phone and set it up the way I want before my trip. The phone works great, battery is excellent, and software is running smoothly. It in now way looks or operates like a "budget" phone. [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297450]IMHO, I like dual SIM unless a good sale in the US (one SIM models). All my flagship phones are dual and it is really convenient. You can now hide and have different users on the Androids (Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll). The Moto cameras are not that good. Hence the flagship phones.

I am actually going to get a China Mi phone to try. Half the price of a similar Samsung and probably half the cpu speed. But hey, I don't play games on my phones. And under USD100. You should give Fi a test. Speeds better than TM.[/QUOTE]A dual sim phone makes a lot of sense. Samsung S8's & S9's manufactured for the Asian market are dual sim, but not the American models. You can buy an "international" unlocked brand new Samsung from Amazon, but it does not come with a warranty and the buyer should be aware of this before making the purchase. I think a better idea, if you are a frequent traveler, would be making the purchase from a licensed store in Thailand, Japan, HKG, or the PI for one of these dual sim card flagship phones and getting the warranty.

Good luck with the China Mi phone. Let us know how it works out.

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297450]IMHO, I like dual SIM unless a good sale in the US (one SIM models). All my flagship phones are dual and it is really convenient. .....[/QUOTE]

Another option is to buy a model or two back in the flagship line. I recently bought a pair of Samsung S8+ (dual sims) to replace a pair of S5's (one dual one single) and they were less that $500 on Amazon plus shipping. Both cost less than a new middle level S10+ is today and have all the features I need. (The two phones were about what I paid for the single sim S5 in Dubai back in 2014 when it was top of the line.)

Splurge another $30 on a classy looking case and you are set.

[QUOTE=KabulGuy;2297470]Another option is to buy a model or two back in the flagship line. I recently bought a pair of Samsung S8+ (dual sims) to replace a pair of S5's (one dual one single) and they were less that $500 on Amazon plus shipping. Both cost less than a new middle level S10+ is today and have all the features I need. (The two phones were about what I paid for the single sim S5 in Dubai back in 2014 when it was top of the line.)

Splurge another $30 on a classy looking case and you are set.[/QUOTE]Usually the cell phones are less expensive in the states than in PH. PH adds the import tax on it (38%.

Moto brand is not available in PH. I just picked up a couple Moto G4 for my next trip. Contrary to what some people here may think the PH girls think Moto is a great brand. All that matters is what they think and my wallet.

I personally use a second hand iPhone 6. I hook it up to the iCloud and can get imessages from stateside. I get mostly LTE service through out PH with it. Last year I lost one to a pickpocketer in a AC jeepney. I picked up an unlocked used IP 6 for $200.

I should mention that the power banks themselves were listed on Amazxn for USD30. So one could say each phone was less than USD70. (I don't remember for sure, but the package was either USD99 or USD89. You were limited to 2 so I had others order for me after I tested mine out) And this was a couple years back. For those looking, there are better budget world phones now on sale. But those QC power banks are great. The girls like them because it even charges regular phones up very quickly. The power banks I have now for personal use have PD and QC so they can also juice up iPhones fast. Just keep an eye out for US sales.

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297403]US phones are mostly one SIM as were the ones I got. Asian variants are usually dual SIM. The Asian variant was US $30+ more and did not come with a free USB QC 2.0 power bank. I love US sales! LOL! In fact, I buy many Asian manufactured electronics for US delivery because it can be 10 to30% cheaper than having an Asian or local delivery (even if I am within spitting distance of the factory). Go figure.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Bushes;2297403]US phones are mostly one SIM as were the ones I got. Asian variants are usually dual SIM. The Asian variant was US $30+ more and did not come with a free USB QC 2.0 power bank. I love US sales! LOL! In fact, I buy many Asian manufactured electronics for US delivery because it can be 10 to30% cheaper than having an Asian or local delivery (even if I am within spitting distance of the factory). Go figure.[/QUOTE]The US phones do not have the LTE bands for the Philippines. The international phones do have the proper LTE or 4 g bands for Philippines. But you do need to check the specs for it. I believe the LTE bands are B1, B3 and B5, which would cover the different carriers.

This is mine. Specifically a US G4 Play. Bottom end of G4 line. Had to look it up.

LTE (FDD): Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12,13, 17,25, 26.

LTE (TDD): Bands 41.

And.

CDMA: 800,1900 MHz.

GSM: 850,900, 1800,1900 MHz.

UMTS: 850,900, 1700/2100, 1800,1900, 2100 MHz.

I don't remember exactly but was confirmed on a forum work on at least one of the CMDA carriers Verizon, Sprint, Boast.

Can't go at that price then.

[QUOTE=Dg8787;2297807]The US phones do not have the LTE bands for the Philippines. The international phones do have the proper LTE or 4 g bands for Philippines. But you do need to check the specs for it. I believe the LTE bands are B1, B3 and B5, which would cover the different carriers.[/QUOTE]