General Info

[QUOTE=Wazoo; 1264661]T.

So, my guess is that all but #4 will die on the vine, and I just hope I can keep #4 going without us both burning out before I get there. Yes, you guys are right: I started too soon. And the point is well taken that if I invest months of video chats, I'll look more serious than I am. I should cool it.

Thanks again![/QUOTE]Sometimes I send them a message to say that I will be out on business for a couple of weeks and can't contact them until I'm back at my home. That gives me a couple of weeks break from the chat.

They think they have been in contact for a few months, remember that plenty of guys are just hitting the chat for a solid week and run out of things ot chat about, you can keep popping up every couple for weeks for 1-2 messages.

It is not good to put any kind of presure on the girl in your room. Light kissing should be ok. If the girl is adament about no sex do not force her to do BJ. In your room the girl may think you may get violent and might do it just to go out. But after she leaves you never know who she is going to call. She knows which hotel you are staying.

Some DIA girls are very naieve. She might have have been forced into sex by her Phi bf but when it comes to foreigners forcing there will be problem or extortion.

It is always better to talk about sex while chatting. Meet only the girls who say they will have sex with you.

Most of us are not into romancing, dating trying to get into their pants. We do not have time to waste on vacation. Except couple of times when I was thoroughly sexed out I had barfined " Cherry " girls in AC. Most sleep naked and let you play with them but there are some who will sleep fully clothed.

[quote=wazoo; 1264661]thanks for everyone for these extremely helpful responses. i didn't know about the chat room thread-so my apologies there. i'll take a good long read.[/quote]i agree. this whole discussion should be transferred to the chat room and penpals thread since it deals in depth with dia and all the associated issues that come with it.

[quote]i agree that i'm starting way too soon. originally i had planned to go next month so i started making the contacts. i got about 20 on my "possible" list and winnowed them down to about 10. then all at once my business plans ran into a major screw-up, so the trip got put off a few months. i made my dia account inactive, but i already had initiated contact with several girls. i sent them all notes and most bowed out. i'm thinking these were the semi-pros and pros who don't want to invest much time in me.[/quote]no that's not the case. when you sent your contacts a message informing them your trip was going to be delayed for a few months and you are unable to meet them anytime soon, most rolled there eyes because many have experienced that before.

you have to understand that of all the guys online only a small percent will ever visit the philippines. and of the guys that do visit, many of them get side-tracked with one woman or one city and often run out of time to meet all the women they contacted. the women are very accustomed to guys making promises and never following through. in fact most women are often genuinely surprised when you first text them from a philippines based sim."whoozz diz" is very common. even if you have sent several text messages explaining where you know her from and who you are most still do not believe it until after you meet in person.

[quote]but 5 of them continue to contact me for i'm and video chat: #1 is a super cutie about 20 who is looking for work. i think she's just bored. #2 is a young 20s massage therapist who is flat out gorgeous and a real live wire, but she says she's looking for a husband this year. #3 is a late 20s widow with a beautiful face and some obvious pent up needs. #4 is a late 20s single mom with a professional job. this one is not beautiful but is very sexy and has a totally sensual mind. she's the one out of the bunch i don't want to let go. she's also the one sure thing. she's already offered to on a beach vacation with me when i get there.[/quote]i think you need to do more homework with #4 if you don't want to lose her. she told you she's a professional but lots of things are said in chat that are not true. test her again and again and don't get too worked up when you see a beautiful woman on webcam. also most women want the rich foreigner to take them to a beach resort and even if she offered to pay it's just a way for her to try to get closer to you and your wallet. only believe it once she has really paid for you but that's not likely.

[quote]#5 works in an upscale makati hotel frequented by a lot of you guys. she wants to organize my tour for me and has promised good deals on everything. she's not much to look at but is very sweet. i'm thinking that i should not stay in her hotel or i'll get no privacy at all. she'll be at my hotel room door every night when her shift ends.[/quote]if she was caught in the company of a hotel guest where she worked, she would instantly get fired. even if she was off duty and even if she made some excuse to visit your room she would never risk her job unless it was a temp ojt assignment and it was coming to an end with no chance of being hired full time.[/quote]

I agree with what David wrote. I did that last 2 trips, 1 week before I go I would start chatting and yeah it work fine. I also had luck meeting girls on the day. I log on, my first msg is I am in Manila, I would like to meet you now, do you have YM so we can chat on cam? If she agrees after 3-4 min chat on YM I would arange a meeting and it always worked. What I did before the trip is select potential contacts in my favorites and then on the days when i want a dia girl I would seach for who from my favorites is on line

Before asking my newbie question I would like to thank all of the members, especially the seniors (no pun intended) , who have contributed to this forum! Although it can be a bit overwhelming, ISG is truly a treasure trove of information. I've lurked here for a few months and I truly appreciate everyone's contribution.

I've mongered mostly in Sex Prison USA as well as in Germany back in the 80's and early 90's – anyone remember the 'Gelbe Zeitung' (yellow newspaper)? For those of you not familiar with it, it's a classified paper that had a section listing pros, semi-pros, freelancers, horny housewives, etc. Since there were no pics, it was quite a challenge and sometimes a let down when you actually met up with the girl. But I did manage to find a few gems.

I am planning my first visit to the Philippines in May and I have garnered a lot of useful info and tips from the various threads. It is my intent to stay about 4-5 weeks and I'm planning to first visit Manila for a few days, and then Angeles City, Cebu City and Davao City (not necessarily in that order and possibly with a side trip or two. To CDO and Subic).

My game plan is to only book a hotel in advance for the first few days in Manila and wing it from there. If I understand correctly, May and early June is not the peak tourist season. I prefer hotels with air conditioning, a room safe, mini fridge (or better a kitchenette) , private bath / shower. I don't have a problem with typical 'hotel' or street noise and it would nice if the hotels had a pool / pool bar. Will I have any problems finding decent mid-class hotels, in the 40 to 90 USD per night range? Checking the regular travel sites like Agoda, Expedia, etc it looks like there are plenty of rooms available right now, but what about on short term notice?

Also, I came across a website –

[url]www.tingo.com[/url]

, they continually ping the hotels' server and if the room price drops they will automatically rebook your room at the lower price and refund your C / C. Their prices are on par with Expedia and some of the other major travel sites. The only info I can find about it says that they are affiliated with, or owned by, Trip Advisor. I couldn't find any reviews about it yet. Anyone here heard of them or used them yet?

I rarely fly Cebu Pacific unless I have to, but recently I've had little choice as the places I've had to go weren't easily accessible by PAL, which is my airline of choice. However the recent experiences haven't been that awful and I was starting to develop, if not an affection for the airline, certainly a dimunution of the dislike I felt for it in its earlier days. That was until I went to its website today and purchased three tickets-for my asawa and two young family members-to go to CDO, and then by bus to Camiguin for a few days in May while I will be out of the country.

According to the advance purchase information on the website, the one-way tickets were only Php488, thus a round trip should have cost less than Php1, 000 a person. Right? Not so fast Tonto. I had no problems accessing the site and checking off the tickets, the fares, the names of those traveling, and entering all of the other quasi-essential information that the airline seems to feel it needs. No problem either entering the US credit card information. What I didn't realize-certainly my fault for not being a careful reader-was that the list of supplementary "voluntary" extras-like seat selection, the ability to bring baggage for check-in, travel insurance, etc. had been "pre-checked" on the form by the airline, and that if I didn't want to accept these extra charges I would have had to uncheck the boxes. There is even a charge for the "privilege" of booking tickets via the web. Then of course, there are the taxes: travel tax, fuel charge supplement and VAT to name but a few. Imagine my surprise when, having purchased the ticket,s I saw that I had been charged about Php8, 600! That should havve been about $200 a today's rate, right? But wait, there's more.

Curious about the actual US dollar charges I went to my Visa site on the Internet and received the unpleasant surprise that I had been charged $215. Why? Because Cebu Pacfic, the "bargain" airline, had charged me at a rate of about Php40. 4 to the dollar instead of Php43.

So the good news is that the site was fast, accepted the card with no hassle and issued the ticket. However, it's a caveat emptor situation, and the airline tries to rip you off with extra charges at every turn. You can avoid this by being more careful than I was. What most of you cannot avoid is the final rip off of horrendous exchange rates. Next time, if there is one, I'll use my Visa card that's calculated in pesos on a local bank here.

GE

Flight Details.

Route Flight # Departure Arrival.

Cebu to Clark.

5J 608.

Mon 05 Mar 2012, 1700H.

Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Mon 05 Mar 2012, 1820H.

Diosdado Macapagal Internal Airport.

12/25/2011 12/27/2011 CEBU PAC MIGSSMA1. 6 PASIG. PASIG MAIL / PHONE - 5527 $55.78

Originally I paid 2289 PHP and it showed on my card as $55.78 which is a rate of 41.03 PHP=US$ 1. This included 15 PHP security fee. 300 PHP for fuel. 263 PHP Phil tax. 80 PHP web booking fee, and 100 PHP seat selection fee.

02/11/2012 02/13/2012 CEBU PAC MIGSSMA1. 6 PASIG. PASIG MAIL / PHONE - 8993 $4.19

I adjusted my reservation a month and a half later to pre-pay an extra 168 PHP for baggage overage (scuba gear). This time the exchange was 40.09 PHP=US$ 1.

As soon as I completed my reservation it showed an Itinerary Receipt with the price in PHP, USD, and the exchange rate used for the transaction.

As GE said, I have noticed airlines in Asia have things such as insurance and seat selection pre-checked when you make the purchase online and you have to un-check them if you do not want the service.

It looks at first glance that Cebu Pacific really ripped off GE for his 1, 000 peso fare to be inflated to 8, 000. I find it hard to believe.

When I am in the Phils, I fly Cebu Pacific much more than the other airlines, because of its better scheduling. The model that Cebu Pacific is using is pretty standard for all low cost discount airlines. That is, you initially pay for the seat, and that is all that you get. If you want more, then you pay for it. So if you are prepared to fly with only carry-on baggage, and sit where the computer puts you, and neither eat nor drink, then you do travel cheaply. If you want the extras, then the price rises.

However, at no time does the airline deliberately hide the costs that you are incurring. And at one point, it asks you to verify the data so far.

Also, the airline provides seats at a sliding scale of prices. If you book far enough ahead, you get seats at the lowest prices. As these are all sold, then the next seats are sold at the next highest price. Etc. If you book a day or two in advance, it is likely that you will be paying the full fare. There are lots of bargains out there for the flyer who can plan and book well in advance, and is prepared to fly "bare bones".

It seems to me that maybe GE has made his reservation in the same way that he has done in the past with full fare carriers, like PAL. These carriers assume that you want everything, and charge you accordingly. So if you are not carrying any baggage, you are still charged for it. If you do not want to eat or drink, too bad, you already pay for it. Etc etc.

So maybe GE was not paying careful attention to what was happening with his fare, and was not carefully reading the questions that he was being asked about which add-ons he did or did not want. Every step, every add-on is displayed, with the cost, and the option to buy or decline. So maybe he will be more careful next time.

However, I am pissed off at the exchange rate that the airline used. Maybe someone with some time to spare could choose one day, and go to each airline in turn and ask them what rate they are using for that day. It would be an interesting comparison. And would give some hard facts rather than our suppositions.

So maybe a good lesson for all travelers to be a bit more careful when buying tickets over the internet for a discount airline.

As an aside, Air Asia have extended that model to apply it to their chain of discount hotels. Tune Hotels. When you initially book a room, you pay a low price, but the room is all that you get, with towels and soap. If you want air conditioning, you pay. If you want TV, you pay. If you want internet, you pay. The rooms are small, immaculately clean, everything works, and the WIFI is pretty fast. And it is spreading pretty quickly across Asia. Some time ago, the CEO of Air Asia was riding with me, and he explained the business model. Pretty impressive. Starts with micro analysis of every source of costs, and devising the lowest cost way to deliver. Step by step. As he stepped me through it, I was thinking about the opposition, the full cost airlines. They are actually astonishingly wasteful, and the customer is paying for the waste.

Enough from me,

G.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1266288]I rarely fly Cebu Pacific unless I have to, but recently I've had little choice as the places I've had to go weren't easily accessible by PAL, which is my airline of choice. However the recent experiences haven't been that awful and I was starting to develop, if not an affection for the airline, certainly a dimunution of the dislike I felt for it in its earlier days. That was until I went to its website today and purchased three tickets-for...E[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1266288]What I didn't realize-certainly my fault for not being a careful reader-was that the list of supplementary "voluntary" extras-like seat selection, the ability to bring baggage for check-in, travel insurance, etc. had been "pre-checked" on the form by the airline, and that if I didn't want to accept these extra charges I would have had to uncheck the boxes.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=GoodEnough;1266288]What most of you cannot avoid is the final rip off of horrendous exchange rates.[/QUOTE]If you got charged in US dollars, it's probably because you "forgot" to uncheck another box. It's the box at the end when the website ask you if you want to be charged in US dollars. If you leave that box checked, they will rip you off and give you a horrible rate in US dollars (Cebu and / or Air Asia does this).

But note that even if you uncheck that box, most Visa / Mastercards will charge you a 3% foreign transaction fee on the peso to US dollar conversion. A few credit cards (such as Capital One) will not charge you the foreign transaction fee.

We live in a capitalist world. It definitely is Caveat Emptor (buyer beware).

I fully accept the blame for not hhaving read the instructions on the site more carefully. I was in a noisy restaurant, had other things to do, and was in somewhat of a hurry. So the fault for failure to read is strictly mine. Gangles is also correct that I'm more accustomed to PAL and with its site, which probably also caused a lack of attentiveness on my part. So the bottom line is that I could have avoided some of the "extra" expenses by being more careful, though there was nothing that would have alerted me to the outrageous exchange rate. As I said in a prior post, next time I'll just charge it to a local visa and avoid the problem entirely.

For anyone who might be interested, the flight between Davao and Zamboanga (where I spent Easter Sunday) is now a small jet and it's a hell of a lot better than the smaller, more cramped propeller plane that used to fly the route. No complaints on the comfort side at all. Of course I realize that Zamboanga is not the destination of choice for most of the guys who might read this.

GE

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1266692]I fully accept the blame for not hhaving read the instructions on the site more carefully. I was in a noisy restaurant, had other things to do, and was in somewhat of a hurry. So the fault for failure to read is strictly mine. Gangles is also correct that I'm more accustomed to PAL and with its site, which probably also caused a lack of attentiveness on my part. So the bottom line is that I could have avoided some of the "extra" expenses by being more careful, though there was nothing that would have alerted me to the outrageous exchange rate. As I said in a prior post, next time I'll just charge it to a local visa and avoid the problem entirely.[/QUOTE]Actually, a couple of years ago, we were doing something for Virgin Australia. Virgin Blue.

Same. When a person checks for flights, extra baggage, insurance and, wait, by default, it always adds 2 as number of pax LOL.

Oh the fun we had handling claims. For a single person, travelling baggage free, being charged for baggage and all. Though people were wise to not buy tickets for two, they overlooked the insurance and extra baggage options.

[url]http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/174011/photos-of-tourists-posing-with-crosses-on-good-friday-anger-netizens[/url]

Wonder where their fury was, when they were taking pictures of the Lunetta massacre site LOL.

They only can outdo themselves.

I will post this here in the General Info thread so it covers all threads, as there are frequent requests all over the place for information about "how much".

I have done a bit of a whip around a few of the guys who live here (and that I know) to get a handle on just what we all pay for the non-bar girl freelancer or DIA or other dating websites encounters in which the girl makes it clear that payment is expected for a 3 or 4 hour session in SOGO or Eurotel or whatever.

The common and regular amount that we pay here is 1500 php [B]in or near Manila[/B].

Note that this does NOT apply to barfines or any situation where you have professional services provided and / or you have already paid upfront whether for girl or for the bar. It also does NOT refer to the DIA meet up where it is clear the woman would be grossly insulted if you offered her money (that's a freebie).

I am referring to payment for a girl who you contact (or who contacts you) on a dating website asking if you want some fun or a girl that you meet in a mall or on the street and who clearly is expecting some reward.

Now those of you who boast about 500 or 1000 php success that's Ok for you. You do your own thing.

[B]For those guys who don't wish to either shortchange a girl OR over pay her and who want to know what is the median figure that some of us start and finish on, it is 1500 php.[/B]

If you ask a woman "how much?" and you get the standard "it's up to you" response, then you can start at 1000 php and if she accepts then you still have an option to offer to tip her extra for super service and still be within the 1500 limit. For me, it is 1500 php flat. No negotiation, That's it.

If you go beyond 1500 ph then that's your option too but the girl will think it is her lucky day. Many times I have offered 1500 php and had girls say "not enough" and I just say "OK then, take it or leave it" and every time they have taken it when they have seen that I am serious about it.

I know there will be many guys say "too much" and relate their own stories. That's OK, but from my perspective (and a few mates), 1500 php is fair trade for 3 hours of services and I, personally, would feel cheap if I gave anybody who was expecting cash for services less than 1500 for a ST session.

Of course, even better are the situations where it costs nothing at all, but that is not what I am discussing here.

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1267823]I know there will be many guys say "too much" and relate their own stories. That's OK, but from my perspective (and a few mates).1500 php is fair trade for 3 hours of services and I, personally, would feel cheap if I gave anybody who was expecting cash for services less than 1500 for a ST session.

Of course, even better are the situations where it costs nothing at all, but that is not what I am discussing here.[/QUOTE]Good stuff RK. This should be re-posted about once a month for newbs, so they don't have to RTTF too far back. I'm one of the guys who often gets it for less, but 1500 st / 2000 lt is typical in manila. BTW you can subtract 500 in cebu, and even more in the province. OTOH, I've been getting huge initial requests from provincial girls in the last year. 5k. 7k. 10k, and 20k. The view that we are walking ATM's is endemic.

[quote=westcoast1;1267880]good stuff rk. this should be re-posted about once a month for newbs, so they don't have to rttf too far back. i'm one of the guys who often gets it for less, but 1500 st / 2000 lt is typical in manila. btw you can subtract 500 in cebu, and even more in the province. otoh, i've been getting huge initial requests from provincial girls in the last year. 5k. 7k. 10k, and 20k. the view that we are walking atm's is endemic.[/quote]chatmates or bargirls, if they are willing to have sex have to be re imbursed. there is nothing like freebie unless horny old successfull woman hits you. even then she wants to be dined and given gifts. phi girls are notorious for demanding money and gifts without any qualms about it. some want to be instant millionaires (in their mind ). one girl in manila said her friend (real cute) wants 10, 000 pesos st. after arguing she said 3000 is ok. had a offer from a virgin girl for 20, 000 pesos. who knows true virgin or not?

generally bargirls want 1500 st and 2500 lt. ofcourse depending on her circumstances she may agree for 1000 st and 1500 lt. some mbc girls are desperate to earn any amount. they have already invested trip cost, food and drink and really tired of hanging around and waiting.

in my experience edsa girls do not ever go for lower price. maybe there is mafia pricing or peer pressure.

chatgirls are much cheaper. some are real gfe and happy with what you give. very appreciative of gifts also. if they are from provinces and poor even 500 pesos is considered lot of money. all girls if they have cousins, aunts, friends who are dating foreigners will demand more money. they also say so and so got expensive computer, cell phone etc. i believe them and i am sure some did exactly that. what the heck they are going to do with expensive computer apart from chatting? i heard from another girl that these girls sell expensive gifts as soon as the guy goes home. then they tell a sob story that it was stolen. ever heard how many girls tell you their cell phone is stolen? most likely it is sold or pawned.