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[QUOTE=Irony Monger]I'll be embarking on my first trip to PI shortly, and am curious about powering my laptop. What is the voltage there? Do they use standard US 2-prong outlets, or will I need a special adapter?[/QUOTE]Its standard US 2 pin plug . 110vac.
But any decent charger these days is multi voltage, self sensing anyway.
[QUOTE=Irony Monger]I'll be embarking on my first trip to PI shortly, and am curious about powering my laptop. What is the voltage there? Do they use standard US 2-prong outlets, or will I need a special adapter?[/QUOTE]
Most Hotels have the same US plugs where you can charge your cell phone or laptop. No need to buy converter because almost all cell phones and laptops are dual voltage.
However if you are staying in a local home better buy round pronged adapter.
[QUOTE=Sammon]Most Hotels have the same US plugs where you can charge your cell phone or laptop. No need to buy converter because almost all cell phones and laptops are dual voltage.
However if you are staying in a local home better buy round pronged adapter.[/QUOTE]
You will need an adaptor - most Phils outlets are the 2-pin flat variety.
Adaptors are available for 49 php at all hardware stores but just about all hotels will have them available for you to borrow until you get your own.
I have found that to be the case all around the world
I spent three days in Manila and stayed right across the street from Robinsons Mall where the is a huge cell store inside that sells new "China Phones" and also used phones. I bought a cheap unlocked phone in the states to use but ended up trading it in there for a nice used LG phone. Im going to hand off the phone ta a gf here in phil before I go home and the LG wanted to get something that was good for texting since that seams to be the craze. There is even a chanel on TV that you text into and your messages are displayed on the TV along with other text crazed locals. Kinda funny.
Greg, I saw the Chinese copy Dual Sim Card Blackberry phones. Looked pretty cool. They were asking $5000P. I said what?? The guy said oh this is our barganing point soo what do I want to offer? I was not ready to buy so did not haggle.
Do they offer a "Dual Sim" card phone in the US yet? Or is this something that will only be able to get while Im here? I love the idea of having a business Phone Line as well as a Personal Line all on one phone.
[QUOTE=GregLondon]yes there are mobile phone shops all over the place and its a good idea to leave the iphone at home as they are something of a theft target. You can get a basic Nokia for about 1500-2000 P or a "china phone" for around the same with more functionality - especially dual sim but a weaker battery life. SIM s cost around 40-50P including say 30P of airtime. i would go with "talk and text" which is the little brother of Smart the leading operator. TnT rates are generally cheaper and you still have the advantage osf a larg number of cheaper intra network calls. if you go for a china phone, I've been pretty happy with my Cherry Mobile phone ( a china phone branded/distributed in the phils and sold with a 1 year guarantee rather than the usual month guarantee of the notoriously unreliable China phones.
If you go for a dual sim my choice for a second SIM would be SUN which has recently over taken Globe as the second most popular service and is esp popular with young girls given the budget deals they provide.
every other kiosk sells mobile phones., the prices are usually pretty competitive[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Irony Monger]I'm in pretty much the same situation as Bonkers Tokyo, but I'll be needing to make/receive international calls as well. I'll probably need about 10 hours of calling time between PI and the US. Anyone know about how much the airtime should cost so I don't get ripped off? Any special wireless provider I should go with?[/QUOTE]
There are only a few cell providers and most charge around 2.5 php per minute for airtime, outgoing. Incoming calls are free.
If you are calling to the U.S. pick up a PLDT budget card. Rates are on the order of $0.03 per minute.
Alternatively, if you have a laptop or 3G phone, buy and register Magic Jack in the U.S. before you travel. All your calls will then be free!
[QUOTE=Mattrick]There are only a few cell providers and most charge around 2.5 php per minute for airtime, outgoing. Incoming calls are free.
If you are calling to the U.S. pick up a PLDT budget card. Rates are on the order of $0.03 per minute.
Alternatively, if you have a laptop or 3G phone, buy and register Magic Jack in the U.S. before you travel. All your calls will then be free![/QUOTE]
Thanks Mattrick. I use Skype for most of my calls when I am on the road, and have very few problems, but there are times when I have no internet access (or what I have is too poor for Skype), in which case I need a cell as a backup.
I live in Thailand but will spend two weeks in Puerta Galera in late July. So, can someone with experience in the Philappines (beyond Manila and Angeles) please tell me if there is some P4P and other options in Puerto Galera. Or will I be going cold turkey for two weeks? In other words, what is the situation regarding available women for older men in Puerto Galera?
[QUOTE=Jack John]I live in Thailand but will spend two weeks in Puerta Galera in late July. So, can someone with experience in the Philappines (beyond Manila and Angeles) please tell me if there is some P4P and other options in Puerto Galera. Or will I be going cold turkey for two weeks? In other words, what is the situation regarding available women for older men in Puerto Galera?[/QUOTE]
Welcome to the board! Yes there is plenty of action in PG and you can read all about it in the 'Other Areas' thread!
[QUOTE=Radoboy]Its standard US 2 pin plug . 110vac.
But any decent charger these days is multi voltage, self sensing anyway.[/QUOTE]Whoa! Before your advice gets other folks equipment fried, I will say that in ALL parts of the RP other than central Baguio, the voltage is definitely not 110 VAC. It's 220V 60 hz. Just because the plug looks the same doesn't mean that the voltage is the same as North America.
[QUOTE=Jack John]I live in Thailand but will spend two weeks in Puerta Galera in late July. So, can someone with experience in the Philappines (beyond Manila and Angeles) please tell me if there is some P4P and other options in Puerto Galera. Or will I be going cold turkey for two weeks? In other words, what is the situation regarding available women for older men in Puerto Galera?[/QUOTE]
Research Sabang maybe instead.
[QUOTE=Key Master]Research Sabang maybe instead.[/QUOTE]I went to White Beach on Puerto Galera for about a week and if I didn't take some pussy with me then I would have been alone the entire time. White beach is full of lady-boys and no women that are looking for P4P.
The girl that I took wanted to go to White Beach instead of Sabang because she said diving was better in Sabang but too many girls at the bars trying to pick up Americans. Definitely not White Beach for finding a woman. I last visited Oct 2009 to White Beach.
I really wish I had "verifiable" information on Sabang for you though.
[QUOTE=Benzedrine]Whoa! Before your advice gets other folks equipment fried, I will say that in ALL parts of the RP other than central Baguio, the voltage is definitely not 110 VAC. It's 220V 60 hz. Just because the plug looks the same doesn't mean that the voltage is the same as North America.[/QUOTE]Anyway, most of the adaptors nowadays are wide voltage 110-220, so phone chargers don't generally get fried.
Other adaptors? Nope, not sure
I fried a battery on one of my cell phones by not paying attention and plugging it into the 220 volt plug. Ended up trading it in for an upgrade anyway. Lesson learned. The hotels offer a power converter if they are not already in use with another guest.
[QUOTE=Benzedrine]Whoa! Before your advice gets other folks equipment fried, I will say that in ALL parts of the RP other than central Baguio, the voltage is definitely not 110 VAC. It's 220V 60 hz. Just because the plug looks the same doesn't mean that the voltage is the same as North America.[/QUOTE]
I am in the middle of a little experiment and I am interested to see how long it will run.
I am currently up to number 9. That's the number of girls that I have met over the past 3 weeks who have ALL been AT LEAST 25 MINUTES late for our meeting. One of them was a repeat offender (30 mins and 40 mins late in that order). Two of them were 50 minutes late; another was 65 minutes late.
Now I know we have all discussed this aspect and laughed about it and called it "filipino time" and I can excuse anyone who gets caught up in unexpected traffic or a serious rainstorm or a family crisis but my examples include none of that. This is just total immaturity and lack of any ability to organise themselves.
They are all mature (ie. over 28 yo) and all of them know exactly how long it takes to get to the places where I had planned to meet them.
It seems extraordinary to me that they treat a designated meeting time with such a cavalier attitude. I know very well how long it can or might take to get from my home to (say) Greenbelt in Makati, and if I suspect the traffic will be busy then I LEAVE EARLIER so I can be there a few minutes before a designated meeting time.
It's not as though the women I were meeting were busy or had busy lives or other appointments. They were all sitting home doing f..all, so this whole thing not only bewilders me but pisses me right off.
[QUOTE=Red Kilt]\It's not as though the women I were meeting were busy or had busy lives or other appointments. They were all sitting home doing f..all, so this whole thing not only bewilders me but pisses me right off.[/QUOTE]My 2 cents. If you think they were doing f. All, that is your view.
Knowing many filipinas, they would have been evaluating the best proposal, or choosing between making money or spending money. Before going your way.
You should always never tightly schedule anything in Philippines, and that goes for office girls as well.
"Let's meet at 9". Means, "let me finish work at 8, have a coffee with my mate who is pregnant, and ensure the other girls has signed off, and then let me also talk to my canadian boyfriend for one hour. And then let me come up to your hotel. "
Trust me. It doesn't make sense researching such stuff.
If they are late, that means you are low on their priority list, or you are not paying enough to tempt them. No offence.!
For that matter, the best story I heard was, a girl living in Tondo, asked her to come to Makati, and I said I will pay the taxi fare. She turns up 2 hours later, and after some wine and whiskey, she blurts out that she was late, because, as she is starting work in Makati next week, she wanted to know how long it takes by public transport, all the while when my anger was rising and when I asked her why she did that shit at the expense of my waiting like and idiot. The classical filipina reply. "You seem angry, you want me to go away? "
Well, it has been 4 or 5 years since I lost my temper on a filipina for being late.
PS: not only filipinas, even Filipino guys too are late for un-official appointments, like when I meet my Filipino colleagues in Manila. They take their own cool time and any prodding will only come back with a reply "why don't you relax, and extend your stay, instead of rushing like mad."
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