Manila

[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1164802]Slow your roll GE. This has nothing to do with age. I'm 39 and I feel the same as you do. My last year of high school I was a street pimp as well as a DJ at one of the many strip clubs in the city I am from. I have always been around pussy and of the 1000+ women that I have been with, at least 90% of them were non-pro. So since, as you so eloquently put it,"the ease of sex has always been a reality" for me, I just can't imagine paying a lot of money for pussy as much as there is walking around this planet. It's a commodity. Like iodized salt. Whether you buy it from the corner store or gourmet market, no matter what wrapper it is in, the chemical makeup of it is the same NaCl. And the idea of having to pay a third party for a girl to leave work totally goes over my head. My business sense is always like hey, let's cut out the middle man; just call me or come see me when you get off work.[/QUOTE]Mr. E,

Are you doing international pimping now or have you gotten out the game of ho tax and contracts?

[QUOTE=Raverboy; 1164757]I was barely a teenager 25 years ago. .

Sure as I am now that I am on the way to becoming a 'rapidly aging hobbiest', and for the benefit of knowing ahead of times to come, where or what gives you some thrill 'at this advanced stage of life'? [/QUOTE]I can't speak for others of course, but for me what's important is to find someone whose company I genuinely enjoy even outside of the bedroom. I'm fortunate in that here in Davao I've met a (very much younger) woman who fits that category, and I'm content with my life. I enjoy sharing good wine with her, watching her grow intellectually, and of course I still enjoy the bedroom time.

Since this is one of, if not the best relationships I've ever had, I'm leery of screwing it up. Therefore, I never play in my own zip code so to speak. Outside of the zip code I look to replicate the experience I have in Davao, usually without success. But my days of walking into a bar and saying "okay I'll have number 17 please" are long gone. Again, I'm not at all putting down the guys who still like that quick encounter experience. It's just not for me any longer. To repeat a point I tried to make in an earlier post, I need some sort of intellectual engagement. We don't have to sit around discussing Proust's theory of memory, but she's got to be capable of expressing some actual thoughts. That is, she needs to be fun to talk to. I guess this is why I have a tough time understanding the guys who select incredibly ignorant, wholly unsophisticated young women to hang out with. As I said before, I get the sex part of it, but not the rest.
GE

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1164833]I can't speak for others of course, but for me what's important is to find someone whose company I genuinely enjoy even outside of the bedroom. I'm fortunate in that here in Davao I've met a (very much younger) woman who fits that category, and I'm content with my life. I enjoy sharing good wine with her, watching her grow intellectually, and of course I still enjoy the bedroom time.

I need some sort of intellectual engagement. We don't have to sit around discussing Proust's theory of memory, but she's got to be capable of expressing some actual thoughts. That is, she needs to be fun to talk to. I guess this is why I have a tough time understanding the guys who select incredibly ignorant, wholly unsophisticated young women to hang out with. As I said before, I get the sex part of it, but not the rest. [/QUOTE]There is only so much fucking two people can do together. So of course I would want all the intellectual trimmings when looking for a mate (I have an MBA for Buddha's sake) but when sport fucking... Then too back in September I reported of visiting the casas and trying to hold a basic conversation with the girls and it was impossible. To each one I asked,"What do you like to do?" Each girl had no idea what their favorite past times or hobbies were. That completely turned me off.

The other day I was on the phone with my Filipina-American who lives in California. She asked me why I live in Thailand. I told her because I like it. She asked was it because of the hookers. I told her that there are hookers in my hometown and everywhere else on earth for that matter. She said but not as many as are in Thailand. I told her that numbers wouldn't matter anyway because I could only put my dick in 1 at a time.

[QUOTE=Raverboy; 1164757]I was barely a teenager 25 years ago. .

Sure as I am now that I am on the way to becoming a 'rapidly aging hobbiest', and for the benefit of knowing ahead of times to come, where or what gives you some thrill 'at this advanced stage of life'? [/QUOTE][QUOTE=Mr Enternational; 1164856]There is only so much fucking two people can do together. So of course I would want all the intellectual trimmings when looking for a mate (I have an MBA for Buddha's sake) but when sport fucking. Then too back in September I reported of visiting the casas and trying to hold a basic conversation with the girls and it was impossible. To each one I asked,"What do you like to do?" Each girl had no idea what their favorite past times or hobbies were. That completely turned me off.

The other day I was on the phone with my Filipina-American who lives in California. She asked me why I live in Thailand. I told her because I like it. She asked was it because of the hookers. I told her that there are hookers in my hometown and everywhere else on earth for that matter. She said but not as many as are in Thailand. I told her that numbers wouldn't matter anyway because I could only put my dick in 1 at a time. [/QUOTE]If given the choice, I'd probably live in Thailand as well, since to me it's much more engaging culturally than this arid wasteland, and it's interesting to me to watch how the Thais adapt their ancient culture to emerging technology and globalization without losing much of the essence that defines them. There's so little that could be called a Filipino ethos, so little sense of nationhood here, that it's an altogether cultural uninteresting place.

I think that perhaps-and this may apply to some extent to all of us-there's a bit of Pygmallion operating with these guys who hang out with uneducated Filipinas. A sort of pride in being able to introduce ignorant, poor women to better restaurants, hotels, and other amenities. I suppose in the end it comes down to power and control which are absent from male-female relationships in the West. In this case, the more unequal the distribution of education and money are between two people, the more in control is the man. So in the end, it may be all about ego gratification or it may be that people like Mr. E, others like him, and I are the true anomalies.

GE

[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1164856]The other day I was on the phone with my Filipina-American who lives in California. She asked me why I live in Thailand. I told her because I like it. She asked was it because of the hookers. I told her that there are hookers in my hometown and everywhere else on earth for that matter. She said but not as many as are in Thailand. I told her that numbers wouldn't matter anyway because I could only put my dick in 1 at a time.[/QUOTE]And I am sure the Filipino would be trying to figure out the sarcasm in your words. .

That made my day.

[QUOTE=Key Master;1164261]I always considered those casas, but probably the same thing. I'm curious, what happened with the taxi driver? Did you pay him anything extra? Did he run the meter the whole time from where he picked you up and was supposed to be heading to Burgos?[/QUOTE][QUOTE=Fast Eddie 48; 1164551]To Key master

The taxi guy get a commision from the Casa manager that is tag on your price and you paid everything up front, there are many casa near burgos 10 min taxi I have taxi driver at burgo offer to take there for free, there are another casa area all over pasig city very bad area of town.

Fast Eddie 48[/QUOTE]My driver turned the meter off and asked for 500 at the end. I told him nonsense and gave him 300 which he accepted, I think he deserved a bit of tip for taking me and going inside with me making me feel a bit safer.

But I should have asked him to keep the meter on from the start, then there would have been no issues, and then you can tip as you like on top of the meter fare.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1164859]...I'd probably live in Thailand as well, since to me it's much more engaging culturally than this arid wasteland...GE[/QUOTE]Agreed that culturally, The Philippines is a sterile desert compared to Thailand. But there again the Thais did not have to endure centuries of being screwed over by the Spanish followed by 50 years of exposure to the colonial aspirations of the Americans. It would be enough to screw up the cultural psyche of any people and was devastating to the developing national identity of the fundamentally disparate tribal groups that make up The Philippine nation.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1164859]I think that perhaps-and this may apply to some extent to all of us-there's a bit of Pygmallion operating with these guys who hang out with uneducated Filipinas. A sort of pride in being able to introduce ignorant, poor women to better restaurants, hotels, and other amenities. I suppose in the end it comes down to power and control which are absent from male-female relationships in the West. In this case, the more unequal the distribution of education and money are between two people, the more in control is the man. So in the end, it may be all about ego gratification or it may be that people like Mr. E, others like him, and I are the true anomalies.

GE[/QUOTE]I think your Pygmalion comparison is quite a good one GE.

I also think your hypothesis (a gently put one) about the power and control factor is also mostly accurate too.

Maintaining INEQUALITIES in access to good education, wealth and degrees of empowerment is the continuous goal of the wealthy classes in the Philippines (and has been ever since Rizal wrote his famous words) and as you and I both agree, it's not likely to change much in our lifetime.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1164976]Agreed that culturally, The Philippines is a sterile desert compared to Thailand. But there again the Thais did not have to endure centuries of being screwed over by the Spanish followed by 50 years of exposure to the colonial aspirations of the Americans. It would be enough to screw up the cultural psyche of any people and was devastating to the developing national identity of the fundamentally disparate tribal groups that make up The Philippine nation.[/QUOTE]I agree. But the fact is that the Americans left the country to its own devices about 65 years ago, and it's had ample time to get over the colonial mentality. I'm not sure you can fairly blame the Spaniards or the Americans for the continued corruption, disorganization, incompetence and enduring poverty anymore. The Indonesians suffered under the Dutch and surpassed this place long ago. Vietnam suffered under the Chinese, the French and the Americans, and surpassed this place about five years ago. Malaysia suffered under the English and has totally eclipsed the Philippines in terms of economic development as well. Singapore, at the time of its separation from Malaysia in 1965, was a backward fishing village with half of the per capita GDP of the Philippines, and it's now a first world country.

The fact is, that this is, even in terms of ASEAN, a third world backwater that slips further behind it's ex-colonized neighbors every year, and I do not believe that colonialism is a viable excuse for this pathetic place.

GE

I think some of you forget history or just unfamiliar with South East Asia. At one point, Phillipines was ahead of Malaysia and Singapore in terms of development. Unfortunately, the Marcos's came along and completely took the steam out of that country. And that is the rest of story.

You can blame it on the Spaniards or Americans, but is has been over 50 years.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1165071]I agree. But the fact is that the Americans left the country to its own devices about 65 years ago, and it's had ample time to get over the colonial mentality. I'm not sure you can fairly blame the Spaniards or the Americans for the continued corruption, disorganization, incompetence and enduring poverty anymore. The Indonesians suffered under the Dutch and surpassed this place long ago. Vietnam suffered under the Chinese, the French and the Americans, and surpassed this place about five years ago. Malaysia suffered under the English and has totally eclipsed the Philippines in terms of economic development as well. Singapore, at the time of its separation from Malaysia in 1965, was a backward fishing village with half of the per capita GDP of the Philippines, and it's now a first world country.

The fact is, that this is, even in terms of ASEAN, a third world backwater that slips further behind it's ex-colonized neighbors every year, and I do not believe that colonialism is a viable excuse for this pathetic place.

GE[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Liondale; 1164887]My driver turned the meter off and asked for 500 at the end. I told him nonsense and gave him 300 which he accepted, I think he deserved a bit of tip for taking me and going inside with me making me feel a bit safer.

But I should have asked him to keep the meter on from the start, then there would have been no issues, and then you can tip as you like on top of the meter fare. [/QUOTE]There is a good tip for anyone taking a taxi. Always insist that the meter is on. If the driver says its broken or some other lame excuse, then tell him to stop and get out, pay nothing and find another taxi.

If you really want to [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord140][CodeWord140][/url] him off, get your camera phone out, take a photo of his face, I'd and cab number and tell him you will report him. One day I got in a taxi and within a few minutes it was over 100 peso and climbing quickly like we were travelling 200+ kmh. I put the phone video camera on the meter which was not easy because of the bumpy road and I told the guy his meter was broken. He pretended not to understand but looked nervous. When we got to the destination, I told him I travelled this route all the time which I did and I am not paying the amount on the meter and gave him what I usually pay. He knows that if I report a faulty meter, he will be kicked off the road immediately, so he just too the money and left.

Another taxi trick is the taxi guy will speak Tagalog and ask your girl for more money. The girl will often look scared or feel uncomfortable which obviously is not good for you. Don't take that crap from taxi driver, just intervene and tell the guy he has been paid enough and don't let the girl get intimidated.

There has been a marked improvement this year with the introduction of some new taxi laws. Taxis must not be older than 10 years and the meter must work. There are a lot more new taxis on the road with a / see and doors that work with younger drivers with better attitude. So now we have a choice and I say vote with your feet and select a nice new taxi and wave the junkers on.

[QUOTE=Cool Traveler; 1165097]I think some of you forget history or just unfamiliar with South East Asia. At one point, Phillipines was ahead of Malaysia and Singapore in terms of development. Unfortunately, the Marcos's came along and completely took the steam out of that country. And that is the rest of story.

You can blame it on the Spaniards or Americans, but is has been over 50 years. [/QUOTE]Actually, in about 1965, the Philippines was the second largest economy in Asia, after Japan, and was widely-touted as a "tiger" economy. The downward spiral started during Marcos' last several years in office and accelerated once he left. The current morass of corruption, inefficiency, lack of investment and general inertia doesn't mean that the country has gotten worse in absolute terms, but relative to its neighbors, it's made little progress while they've all shot ahead. Vietnam passed the Philippines in per capita GDP about two or maybe three years ago, and the country remains the largest net importer of rice in the world. Vietnam, which was importing rice about a decade ago, could not meet its food needs, and during that decade transformed itself into one of the top five rice exporters on the world. Recently, ASEAN commissioned a study to examine which countries in the region were considered most attractive to investors. The Philippines finished ahead of only Brunei, and was outranked by every other country including Burma (Myanmar). I believe that the only reason the place doesn't just implode is because of the remittances sent back here by the maids, unskilled workers, home health care workers and nurses working overseas. In many ways, this country is more akin to Bangladesh and many African countries than it is to the rest of SE Asia.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1165259]Actually, in about 1965, the Philippines was the second largest economy in Asia, after Japan, and was widely-touted as a "tiger" economy. The downward spiral started during Marcos' last several years in office and accelerated once he left. The current morass of corruption, inefficiency, lack of investment and general inertia doesn't mean that the country has gotten worse in absolute terms, but relative to its neighbors, it's made little progress while they've all shot ahead. Vietnam passed the Philippines in per capita GDP about two or maybe three years ago, and the country remains the largest net importer of rice in the world. Vietnam, which was importing rice about a decade ago, could not meet its food needs, and during that decade transformed itself into one of the top five rice exporters on the world. Recently, ASEAN commissioned a study to examine which countries in the region were considered most attractive to investors. The Philippines finished ahead of only Brunei, and was outranked by every other country including Burma (Myanmar). I believe that the only reason the place doesn't just implode is because of the remittances sent back here by the maids, unskilled workers, home health care workers and nurses working overseas. In many ways, this country is more akin to Bangladesh and many African countries than it is to the rest of SE Asia.[/QUOTE]If you like internationally recognised facts on Corruption, then compare Philippines to other countries in the region on the corruption index at [url]http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results[/url]

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1165259]Actually, in about 1965, the Philippines was the second largest economy in Asia, after Japan, and was widely-touted as a "tiger" economy. T.

He downward spiral started during Marcos' last several years in office and accelerated once he left. [/QUOTE]Its true that the invidious effects of the years of Marcos's dictatorship still echo down the years. I am sure that there was corruption in The Philippines before his emergence but his years of rampant looting of the economy seems to have ingrained the poison deep within the Filipino psyche. Its amazing how the average Filipino seem to resignedly accept a degree of corruption in their leaders. And Marcos still has his defenders and apologists. Its amazing. In any other country his memory would have been as reviled as that of Hitler in Germany.

But, of course, it is the parlous state of the country and economy which ensure a never ending supply of young and desperate Filipina's looking to escape the dump and willing to barter with the only asset they possess.

GE. I think that you have been here too long mate, and are in desperate need of a change. We all know that the place is a shithole but it does have its compensations and can be a great place to live for the unreflective foreign hedonist.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1165305]Its true that the invidious effects of the years of Marcos's dictatorship still echo down the years. I am sure that there was corruption in The Philippines before his emergence but his years of rampant looting of the economy seems to have ingrained the poison deep within the Filipino psyche. . . . . . . .[/QUOTE]Many of the ills of the country have been around for a long time CS.

If you read Rizal's "Noli Me Tagere" written in 1886 you will see references to events and contexts and situations that are still common today (for example; the expectation of handouts). The administrators expected it from Spain; the village chiefs expected it from the administrators; the poor relied on it from the village chiefs etc etc. Today the country relies on handouts from foreign governments for infrastructure projects, and so on down the chain.

The church still rules the minds of most non-thinking filipinos (as the friars have done for 300 years) and they will not give up that power easily.