General Info

Hey guys, I've RTFF, and are thankful for your insights and knowledges for The Philippines.

It seems at the moment, the only thing that I'm confused by is how long to travel in the country.

What I plan at the moment is to visit Manila - ( so do LA CAFE, a bit of gambling, EDSA, Makati, P Burgos, etc)

I also plan to do Angeles City and the gogo bars, and perhaps if I can score a decent girl, then head over to Borocay or something like that.

Now as for how long I go, It seems I hear that Angeles City is the place to be. Its fun and addictive, so I may well budget more time and money to be spent there.

Confusion for me would be, How long to spend in The Philippines? 2 weeks or 3 weeks? And then, how long in each particular area, and perhaps are there any other places I definitely have to hit up?

If I was to make it 3 weeks, I am not quite sure just yet, how to arrange a schedule to fit in everything. 7 days Manila, 7 days Angeles City, and 4-5 days Borocay was what I was intending. But I thought I would leave you guys to suggest your ideas.

And furthermore, excluding a hotel I am budgeting around 7000PHP a day. I was wondering if this was realistic (a little more splurging if im over budget?)

Cheers guys, for taking your time to check this out.

[QUOTE=Backslash]Hey guys, I've RTFF, and are thankful for your insights and knowledges for The Philippines.

It seems at the moment, the only thing that I'm confused by is how long to travel in the country.

What I plan at the moment is to visit Manila - ( so do LA CAFE, a bit of gambling, EDSA, Makati, P Burgos, etc)

I also plan to do Angeles City and the gogo bars, and perhaps if I can score a decent girl, then head over to Borocay or something like that.

Now as for how long I go, It seems I hear that Angeles City is the place to be. Its fun and addictive, so I may well budget more time and money to be spent there.

Confusion for me would be, How long to spend in The Philippines? 2 weeks or 3 weeks? And then, how long in each particular area, and perhaps are there any other places I definitely have to hit up?

If I was to make it 3 weeks, I am not quite sure just yet, how to arrange a schedule to fit in everything. 7 days Manila, 7 days Angeles City, and 4-5 days Borocay was what I was intending. But I thought I would leave you guys to suggest your ideas.

And furthermore, excluding a hotel I am budgeting around 7000PHP a day. I was wondering if this was realistic (a little more splurging if im over budget?)
[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't worry about making an exact itinerary when you are there. I would play it as it goes and just go with what you like, but I think going to both Angeles and Manila are a good thing and giving each a try. Most mongers just go to Angeles. I used to be one of those, and now rarely go there. Not sure how old you are and your tastes, but personally for me, the talent level in Angeles is somewhat below par to what I like in looks. Plus I get bored there, more a city boy. You just want to make sure you have somewhere to stay when you land I think whether it's Manila/Makati or Angeles so you don't have to look for a place then. You can always break your original plans on how long you want to stay at a hotel, just don't do it so much to one hotel or they may not be so willing to book you maybe. But realize this especially for Angeles, there are many decent to good hotels available.

In regards to budget, that 7000 is to me more than enough in Angeles, and depending on Manila/Makati maybe good if you stick to LA Cafe, maybe not so good if you do a lot of Makati/EDSA but doable. Hotel values are not so good like it is in Angeles. Not sure about weather in Borocay for your time period. Cebu can be a sleepy little city, but some cool women there.

[QUOTE=Vandaddio]What are the beachs like around CDO?[/QUOTE]


Most of what you will find in the immediate city are crap but anything nicer depends on how far 'out' you are willing to go. I would suggest going Eastwards to Butuan rather than westwards towards Illigan....which is Not advisiable.

If you are going to CDO you might as well go to Camiguin for beach time.

Spam Hog

[QUOTE=Key Master]I wouldn't worry about making an exact itinerary when you are there. I would play it as it goes and just go with what you like[/QUOTE]
Yes, I think so too. Travel inside the PI is dirt cheap. Learn the bus sytem, very handy. You can also go to a ticket counter in SM and get a cheap airplane ticket even for the same day (which you can't on the Internet).

Combination are limitless. Just get rough informations about hotels in the cities you plan to visit, make a rough itinerary and then adapt depending on your catch and how you feel in each places. They now have a highway between Angeles and Subic so very easy to switch between beach and *****.

I never reserved a hotel in the PI, even in peak season, and never had trouble finding something, though the price/quality ratio will never be as good as in Thailand. When I am tired of a place I just move on. If I find a nice girl, I either stay or take her with me. Absolute freedom.

7000 a day on top of the hotel is plenty except in Burgos - rip off place where you overpay for very average to low quality girls. EDSA much better, bar fine was around 1000 last time I was there and tip not mandatory, though strongly advised. Had some really nice girls from there, better than Burgos. The better looking girls in LA Cafe now expect 1500 for short time but you'll be happy if you find anything decent there. Occasional stunner but on the whole very low quality. Vicinity of LA sometimes better.

[QUOTE=Key Master]
In regards to budget, that 7000 is to me more than enough in Angeles, and depending on Manila/Makati maybe good if you stick to LA Cafe, maybe not so good if you do a lot of Makati/EDSA but doable. Hotel values are not so good like it is in Angeles. Not sure about weather in Borocay for your time period. Cebu can be a sleepy little city, but some cool women there.[/QUOTE]
Would agree with KM except that I reallyu like Cebu and Cenbuanas are very sexy IMHO...but then I find Filipinas sexy :D

Also go to Havana Cafe in Makati (not anywhere else as my good mate FSlag338 did once). Full of lovely girls and IMHO a cut above LA Cafe.

Budget seems OK if you are includiung shagging money in that amount, if not then you can easily live off far less (excluding hotels).

Lots of hotel room web sites to hunt for bargains and they can be had but Manila is expensive while AC is cheap, plenty of choicees there and a ncie room can be had for no more than 1500 pesos (or less). Cebu is mid range and Davao is good also.

Have fun and happy hunting

[QUOTE=Denom]
7000 a day on top of the hotel is plenty except in Burgos - rip off place where you overpay for very average to low quality girls. EDSA much better, bar fine was around 1000 last time I was there and tip not mandatory, though strongly advised. Had some really nice girls from there, better than Burgos. The better looking girls in LA Cafe now expect 1500 for short time but you'll be happy if you find anything decent there. Occasional stunner but on the whole very low quality. Vicinity of LA sometimes better.[/QUOTE]

Burgos is up and down in talent just like anywhere else and changes day to day depending who shows up to work. You can make arrangements with some there but whether they show up is hard to say. I have found some places there willing to negotiate the price of barfines.

In regards to EDSA, barfine at 1000? Not sure where in EDSA that is, I thought it was 1400 couple months ago and the woman gets none of it, so tipping is kind of expected otherwise all they got was commission from the drinks you bought them. I saw somewhere else that barfines have been raised there but I don't know for sure. In February, I thought talent was better on Burgos than EDSA, but I would have reversed that 9 months ago.

LA Cafe has talent, but usually the better talent is later in evening like 10pm at the earliest there and usually upstairs, but lately better downstairs than before. It varies and sometimes it's dog city all night.

[QUOTE=Wicked Roger]Would agree with KM except that I reallyu like Cebu and Cenbuanas are very sexy IMHO...but then I find Filipinas sexy :D

Also go to Havana Cafe in Makati (not anywhere else as my good mate FSlag338 did once). Full of lovely girls and IMHO a cut above LA Cafe.
[/QUOTE]

WR, don't get me wrong, I like Cebu. My luck there with women is way better than in AC. I am just saying that it's a little smaller and quieter in different ways from AC and Manila/Makati. Havana has it's moments, but I think a lot of the women there are older there. There are definitely some lookers on occasion but not nearly as I think others have made it out to be. I enjoy myself there as the setting is nice. The only problem is that I think many of the freelancers there think a little too highly of themselves.

[QUOTE=Key Master]In regards to EDSA, barfine at 1000? Not sure where in EDSA that is, I thought it was 1400 couple months ago and the woman gets none of it, so tipping is kind of expected otherwise all they got was commission from the drinks you bought them. I saw somewhere else that barfines have been raised there but I don't know for sure. In February, I thought talent was better on Burgos than EDSA, but I would have reversed that 9 months ago.[/QUOTE]
Yes, as I said, that was the price last time I was there. Shows that I haven't been there for ages. Of course I always tip the girl extra (just like in Angeles, where the last time I was there I was quoted a price of 1,200 all included, way up from the 500-700 I remember in the olden times). Have not been to Burgos for even longer but last time I was there I was quoted BF prices like 4,000 or what (maybe 3,000 not sure but I just found it insane, especially for what was on offer).

Gentlemen, I cannot find the appropriate trend for this. I just want to express my opinion and observation as a first time visitor to Angeles and compared it to Pattaya.

This being my first trip to Angeles, I was very apprehensive even though I had done my homework from ISG. I was very conscious of my surrounding to ensure my personal safety. I went there with the least amount of expectation and I had a great time.......

(1) Lets compare the place......both Angeles & Pattaya have similar road conditions and both places are what you would have expected from a 3rd world mongering venue. I was not turned off by this as I have experienced worst in Indonesia.

(2) As for food, I would say that both places have unique food. Angeles being more influenced by the American and Spanish cuisine whilst Pattaya is the famous Thai cuisine. To me both places have its charm when it comes to food. My only comment is that Pinoy food then to be too salty for my taste-buds.

(3) Girls in general, I found Filipina to be more "friendly" and once you have bar-fined them they will take you as their "male friend" even if it is for one night. They are not demanding in wanting to eat expensive food and buying things. In fact I found Filipina to be generally very gracious to the point of being "shy" once they are out of their bar environment. Thai although is friendly still holds a very "business" attitude and where possible they will milk you dry.

(4) Where do I stand after my first trip to Angeles? I will definitely return. I will also want to go to Pattaya but for now I will hold-back and see the political development in Thailand.

Cheers
normad2020

Did I read a report correctly before? If you purchase and activate a magicjack in the US then you can take it to Philippines and get free calls to the US while in Philippines? I know internet services aren't the best, but I'm sure I read that somewhere here. Does anyone know about that idea?

It does work well but not with the cellular modems. But connections at the hotels offering internet connection and starbucks are good enough.

[QUOTE=Kycuriosity]Did I read a report correctly before? If you purchase and activate a magicjack in the US then you can take it to Philippines and get free calls to the US while in Philippines? I know internet services aren't the best, but I'm sure I read that somewhere here. Does anyone know about that idea?[/QUOTE]

I am in the USA at the moment and will arrive in Phil next month. I have attempted to register with DIA but I'm having a problem. They ask for a Cell # to send a SMS Text to verify the account.

No prob, but when I choose the USA as my Country and then put in my 10 digit phone # in I never get the SMS Text with Access Code. WTF! I have tried it numerous times with no success.

There is not contact assistance on Website so I'm here asking for help.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for any help!

[QUOTE=Tally Wacker]I am in the USA at the moment and will arrive in Phil next month. I have attempted to register with DIA but I'm having a problem. They ask for a Cell # to send a SMS Text to verify the account.

No prob, but when I choose the USA as my Country and then put in my 10 digit phone # in I never get the SMS Text with Access Code. WTF! I have tried it numerous times with no success.

There is not contact assistance on Website so I'm here asking for help.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for any help![/QUOTE]
I just registered on DIA for YOU and I got an email confirmation, not a text???

Confirm your email address
- We have sent your confirmation code to [email]XXXXXXXXXXXX@gmail.com[/email].
- Please click the link in the email or enter the code below.

From my email: Welcome to DateInAsia.com!
Your Confirmation Code is: XEXELGKLTDVLOX
Your account was set up on our web site with the following:


Are you using: [url]http://www.dateinasia.com/[/url]

Robb

[QUOTE=Tally Wacker]I am in the USA at the moment and will arrive in Phil next month. I have attempted to register with DIA but I'm having a problem. They ask for a Cell # to send a SMS Text to verify the account.

No prob, but when I choose the USA as my Country and then put in my 10 digit phone # in I never get the SMS Text with Access Code. WTF! I have tried it numerous times with no success.

There is not contact assistance on Website so I'm here asking for help.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for any help![/QUOTE]A buddy in UK just made a profile on DIA. He too got the SMS thing. They txt him a message with some code, he had to go back and enter the code in order for the profile to activate. This was a few days ago. Odd.

Yes I recieved the same Email. But then was asked to verify account via SMS Text. But the SMS Text I never get? This is from the DIA Website below. Maybe its a new policy?

Q: I don't have a mobile phone. Can I sign up? A: Currently you cannot sign up without a mobile phone.

If you wish to borrow a friend's mobile phone to sign up that's fine with us, but please note that only one account can be created per one mobile phone number.

Q: Why do I need a mobile phone to sign up in your site? A: We understand that this may seem strange and annoying, but account activation by mobile phone SMS makes it more difficult for people to create fake accounts because:

Only one account can be created using the same mobile phone number.

If we ban someone from our site, he or she cannot sign up again using the same mobile phone number.

When someone deletes his or her account, we limit the number of times he or she can sign up again using the same mobile phone number.

Only mobile phone numbers from a selection of countries can be used.

Q: My country is not listed. Can I sign up? A: We only support the countries listed on the Activation by Mobile Phone SMS page. You will need a mobile phone number from one of those countries.

Q: Will it cost me money to receive the activation SMS? A: We suggest contacting your mobile phone provider for details on costs associated with text messaging. These costs vary, depending on your plan and provider.

Q: How long will it take to get the SMS? A: Usually you will recive the SMS very quickly (in a matter of seconds or minutes), but sometimes the delivery can be delayed. If you have not received your activation SMS after waiting more than 24 hours you may request that the activation code is resent.

Q: Will you keep my Mobile Phone Number? A: We will use your mobile phone number to send you an activation code by SMS, and we store your mobile phone number to ensure it is not used to create more than one account.

If your account is closed by us for violating our terms of use, we will keep your number to prevent it to be used to create a new account in the future.

If you delete your account, we will keep your number to make sure you don't create too many new accounts during a given period of time.

We will not sell your personal information for marketing purposes without your permission, nor will we contact you using this number without your expressed permission.

Your mobile phone number will not be visible/available to the public or to the other members of the site.

Q: How many accounts can be created with the same number? A: Only one account can be exist per mobile phone number at any given time, and please remember that you may only create and operate one account in our site at any given time, regardless of how many mobile telephone numbers you may have at your displosal.

If you delete your account, you may use the same mobile phone number to create a new account, provided that the following conditions are met:

The same number cannot be reused within the first 24 hours.

The same number may be reused a maximum of 2 times per 1 week.

The same number may be reused a maximum of 3 times per 1 months.

The same number may be reused a maximum of 4 times per 6 months