General Info

[QUOTE=Hutsori;1614276]You can buy a sim pretty much anywhere. I had an airport cop offer me one as I was changing money. Always check the convenience stores and small grocers if you don't see a mobile shop. I think the wisest investment one can make is to get a dual-sim mobile and use both a smart and globe sim. Of course a dual-sim mobile is a single point of failure if it gets lost or is stolen. Having two phones, one for each network, gives you redundancy. A smart sim is p40, and I'm sure globe is about the same. The telcos offer all kinds of enticements to their network users that you can use by having both sims, for example smart has a deal for p250 which you can text all networks for 30 days but the 180 minutes of voice doesn't include globe. BTW, if you purchase a sim just before leaving the Philippines, and don't use it, you'll have a useable sim for your next arrival.[/QUOTE]To hutsori.

That is funny Airport cop offer you sell you a phone card I have a Airport security offer to change money one time at Clark arrive at midnight all money exchange is closed, I just need some money for taxi and he try to rip me off.

Fast eddie 48.

[QUOTE=WestCoast1;1614562]Pip, you dog. You mean its possible to head into a mall, find a pretty, young filipina behind the counter, sweet-talk her, slip her your phone number, and a night or two later she might end up in your bed being as nawty as can be on camera? Dammit man, I've never experienced such a thing (see pic for proof). What will the basement-gents, sitting at home reading this, think of filipine culture now?[/QUOTE]Mm, I never get so lucky.

Oh, because I unli Surf on Smart. LOL.

Maybe next visit I am going to Mega.

Thanks for the tip.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1612398]I doubt that the topic of the quality of local tertiary institutions is of interest to more than a handful of forum readers, but it's obviously a topic of more than passing concern to RK, WR, and perhaps a few others in addition to me.

I've had an opportunity fairly recently to spend a bit of time at Diliman, and with some of its senior faculty, /cut/
The larger tragedy of course is that the country consistently fails to develop its human capital, thus dooming itself to lagging ever further behind those countries that do make the investment and reap the rewards.

GE.[/QUOTE]Could one create a top-flight university in the Philippines, or are there not enough well-trained PhDs in the Philippines to do this? I've been pricing Quezon real estate rentals just for the better quality contacts available, based on your info. But I do want more than an upscale Jollibee's of a woman / women.

Some days I take things as they come, but some I just dream big.

I've heard many folks criticize Cebu Pacific for domestic flights, but in my experience, they sure surpass PAL in many ways. I just booked a one-way flight from Butuan to Kalibo online on the PAL website, and their website would not let me prepay baggage as part of the online booking. If you wait until the day of the flight, you must pay several times the prepaid fee to check your bags for both airlines, but at least with Cebu Pacific, you can just add the lower prepaid fee it to your online booking. With my PAL reservation, I had to make an international call (they wouldn't even let me use the US toll-free number) and give them my credit card info over the phone. What a pain in the ass!

Also, last time I booked a PAL flight online, when I was checking in, they made me leave the line to go to the ticket office to "verify" my credit card. They wanted to see the physical card. I almost missed my flight because of this nonsense! I've never had such problems with Cebu Pacific.

RG.

[QUOTE=RadicalGuy;1615383]SNIP

With my PAL reservation, I had to make an international call (they wouldn't even let me use the US toll-free number) and give them my credit card info over the phone. What a pain in the ass!

Also, last time I booked a PAL flight online, when I was checking in, they made me leave the line to go to the ticket office to "verify" my credit card. They wanted to see the physical card. I almost missed my flight because of this nonsense! I've never had such problems with Cebu Pacific.

RG.[/QUOTE]It's more fun in Philippines. The list of scummy infrastructure and frustrating cultural issues continues.

Yet the one cultural issue that keeps me coming back for more also continues: pinay sex, happiness, and her desire to sex ISG guys who post pictures.

Mabuhay!

[QUOTE=RadicalGuy;1615383]I've heard many folks criticize Cebu Pacific for domestic flights, but in my experience, they sure surpass PAL in many ways. I just booked a one-way flight from Butuan to Kalibo online on the PAL website, and their website would not let me prepay baggage as part of the online booking. If you wait until the day of the flight, you must pay several times the prepaid fee to check your bags for both airlines, but at least with Cebu Pacific, you can just add the lower prepaid fee it to your online booking. With my PAL reservation, I had to make an international call (they wouldn't even let me use the US toll-free number) and give them my credit card info over the phone. What a pain in the ass!

Also, last time I booked a PAL flight online, when I was checking in, they made me leave the line to go to the ticket office to "verify" my credit card. They wanted to see the physical card. I almost missed my flight because of this nonsense! I've never had such problems with Cebu Pacific.

RG.[/QUOTE]I have only used PAL when I really had too (ie no choice) and I find it useless and frustrating especially if I book a flight for a cutie and I am not with her.

I tried to cancel a ticket with PAL and that proved useless as it refused to cancel it, the customer service person telling it could not handle the cancellation due to a ticket restriction that was not written on the web site or ticket (was a very weird and frustrating 45 minutes).

With PAL you have to visit a PAL office to verify the card. Completely ridiculous in this day and age. Verify to me means they need to see you with the card, check your ID etc but that can be done (if it must) at the check in counter. Same with the idiot issue of asking to see your ticket to leave the Philippines before you rive when you check in at any Asian airport ("welcome to the Philippines sir, when are you leaving" LOL).

Only in the Philippines.

[QUOTE=FredGold;1614015]I will only be in manila area. Well over 80+% of time. Which do you recommend or are both equally bad?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]I recommend a dual SIM phone with both. Black spots occur for both networks. In general I favor Globe with Smart as the backup. Smart is also the most popular amongst average girls. Better off girls are more discerning. If possible I use Globe for business / personal / data & Smart is used for mongering. But as I said if you're in a Globe blackspot switch to Smart (and vice versa). A decent dual sim Android phone is cheap. I can't imagine the drama of having to carry around two iPhones etc everywhere. YMMV.

If you're visiting then buy PHP1000 load on BOTH Globe & Smart & activate their respective unlimited internet deals for 30 day's. Switch between which is best signal in a given location.

AV.

[QUOTE=RadicalGuy;1615383]I've heard many folks criticize Cebu Pacific for domestic flights, but in my experience, they sure surpass PAL in many ways.[/QUOTE]Always try to avoid legacy airlines such as PAL! Cebu Pacific has a three day cut-off before your flight to pay for your baggage online. One time I did miss the cut-off and had to pay during check-in. Upon review of my credit card statement, CP had charged my CC an extra amount which I promptly disputed. Never heard from CP one way or the other! This is the extent of any hassles I have had with CP.

Nice happy pictures WC1!

If you ask AV about phones, he's a fountain of info. Very detailed and specific info.

If you ask AV about bars, hotels, beaches. LOL.

[QUOTE=Amavida;1615654]I recommend a dual SIM phone with both. Black spots occur for both networks. In general I favor Globe with Smart as the backup. Smart is also the most popular amongst average girls. Better off girls are more discerning. If possible I use Globe for business / personal / data & Smart is used for mongering. But as I said if you're in a Globe blackspot switch to Smart (and vice versa). A decent dual sim Android phone is cheap. I can't imagine the drama of having to carry around two iPhones etc everywhere. YMMV.

If you're visiting then buy PHP1000 load on BOTH Globe & Smart & activate their respective unlimited internet deals for 30 day's. Switch between which is best signal in a given location.

AV.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=XMan;1615739]If you ask AV about phones, he's a fountain of info. Very detailed and specific info.

If you ask AV about bars, hotels, beaches. LOL.[/QUOTE]X Man, Leaving pointlessly argumentative posts all around the forum is a good way to get yourself in trouble with Jackson. Again.

AV.

[QUOTE=WickedRoger;1615582]I have only used PAL when I really had too (ie no choice) and I find it useless and frustrating especially if I book a flight for a cutie and I am not with her.[/QUOTE]The card verification is needed now, if your card doesn't do a 3 D verification, via SmS with a OTP.

Here in SG, the only airline now enforcing physical card verification is Jet star and Cebu Pacific. Pal dfoeabt do it for tickets bought in SG!

[QUOTE=BukoMax;1615734]Nice happy pictures WC1![/QUOTE]Thanks BM. I'm a 'make-them-happy' kind-o-guy.

[QUOTE=WestCoast1;1615988]Thanks BM. I'm a 'make-them-happy' kind-o-guy.[/QUOTE]Why do you block out her pretty eyes? She married or something?

[QUOTE=BukoMax;1615734]Always try to avoid legacy airlines such as PAL! Cebu Pacific has a three day cut-off before your flight to pay for your baggage online. One time I did miss the cut-off and had to pay during check-in. Upon review of my credit card statement, CP had charged my CC an extra amount which I promptly disputed. Never heard from CP one way or the other! This is the extent of any hassles I have had with CP.
Nice happy pictures WC1![/QUOTE]I have used them both extensively and don't like either of them. On PAL I had enough miles to upgrade to business class last trip and still had to pay some bullshit fee. Then there were some old non-stop yappity yap Filipina broads behind me in business class that boarded from San Francisco to Manila that I had to threaten to shut up and they finally did. Yet PAL is the only non-stop direct airlines from San Francisco to Manila. Cebu Pacific, too, is run by a bunch of monkeys. I've had to cancel numerous flights with them due to changing schedule and never get a refund even when I go to their office next to Robinson's in Malate. Yet, they are the only low-cost carrier between Philippine cities. What's a guy to do? At least the CP flight attendants are cute. Man, would I like to bang some of those cuties.

Sorry if you feel that way, I just can't understand why your phone tech posts go into such great detail, but you seem reluctant to make any Philippine specific field reports. Maybe you're just a techie guy. Please refrain from over-generalizing. Just because I occasionally disagree with you, does not mean that I leave "argumentative posts all around the forum".

[QUOTE=Amavida;1615942]X Man, Leaving pointlessly argumentative posts all around the forum is a good way to get yourself in trouble with Jackson. Again.

AV.[/QUOTE]