Manila

[QUOTE=PhdGuy;1949449]I had my first bad incident here in Manila. [...]
I have stayed away from using the local working girls and was only going to see women from FC. I think I will reconsider that today. I will no longer bring anyone back to my room and will instead will the short stay hotels. Be careful all.[/QUOTE]Bad luck on that one. I've been fortunate with all the dating site girls I meet, and this is going on years now, and even the hardcore pro I brought home a few times admonished me that she could have stolen my mobiles and my laptop if she wanted because I was unconscious to the world.

The password protects the data. Your devices will be wiped and resold or used as parts.

[QUOTE=PhdGuy;1949449]I had my first bad incident here in Manila. I have been talking to a woman on FC for several weeks. We finally met yesterday and everything seemed to be going as planned. She is very attractive, thin with big boobs and seems to enjoy just hanging around with me. We went to dinner and then to IMAX where she proceeded to give me head during the movie. We went back to my place and spent several hours together and that was all really nice and hot. I made the mistake of trusting her too much and drinking far too much.

I work up about 2 hours ago and she was gone. So was all of the money from my wallet (most was in hotel safe along with my CC and passport) laptop and IPAD and some miscellaneous shit. I keep no personal stuff on either device because I do travel so much and if something gets stolen I have no worries. Both devices are password protected so they would be hard to crack and could just wind up being doorstops. I tried to all her cell phone and it was disconnected and her online FC profile was gone..[/QUOTE]Sorry to hear about what happened to you but thank you for sharing, this really helps newbies like me to learn from others experience. Also since I will be stepping into Manila very soon this helps. As a general rule and not specific to one country you need to "lock" or guard your stuff from these women, I have heard about these incidents taking place in Thailand too, so this is not specific to Phil only. Again I am not saying all of them are thieves but getting your guard down can have consequences.

Have a happy and a safe mongering!

[QUOTE=PhdGuy;1949636]I met another woman from FC last night. She was part Chinese and something else and was very tall at 5'10'. She had great tits and was thin which is the way I like them. She told me there would no sex but she would love to meet me for dinner. [/QUOTE]Very tall, no sex but only does oral, especially rim jobs, usually indicates that the person showing up is not genetically female.

[QUOTE=RollAides;1950115]Can't speak personally of this specific scam ever happening to me, as I do most of my own tech work, but my LT girl here absolutely refuses to leave any of her gadgets (tablet, cellphone etc) at a repair place for pick-up. At first I was a bit annoyed by this, but apparently it is the common practice of repair people here to substitute any possible part for a lesser part before returning the item as "fixed. " Same girl gave me a story of how the dude that was fixing her washing machine regaled her with his adventures in accumulating lost jewelry from clogged washing machine filters. In explanation of why she fired him. From a western perspective, it seems bizarrely improbable; but the idea of building a reputation is, as far I have observed, almost totally absent here. Any minor short-term opportunity usually trumps valid business practices / common sense / repeat business. I heartily second all of RK's advice for exactly the reasons he describes.

In an off-topic anecdotal semi-relevant example: I stopped by a local sari-sari the other day on the way home to a grab a beer, and was charged 9 p for a bottle deposit. The standard bottle deposit here is 2 p. Do I care about 7 p? No. The interesting facet is simply that the vendor would rather overcharge me for a ridiculously small gain, once, than have my repeat business. And I buy a lot of beer. The assumption that you are a tourist is a factor, but it's also reflective of a total lack of future thinking, relationship building, and what would be considered a normal amount of simple personal honesty; vs. "give me money po. ".[/QUOTE]This is a very accurate description of Flip behavior. They are short timers. They will go for the short term gain of a few pesos over the opportunity to get repeat business or a bigger long term profits. The attempts to squeeze a few more pesos out of the foreigner is ridiculous but it gets really annoying when it happens repeatedly throughout the day. Sometimes the attempts to scam a few more pesos can make one wonder if the scammer is really a scammer or just an idiot. A case in point, a couple of days ago, I asked a taxi driver to stop for a few minutes as I purchased something on the side of the road. I told him to keep the meter running as this was only a brief stop along the way. We arrive at the final destination and I hand him the amount on the meter. He demands an additional 40 p claiming that the stop was an additional flag fall. I asked him if he had stopped the meter. He pretended not to understand. I turned to my girlfriend and asked if the driver had stopped the meter. She said, "No!" I asked the driver if he kept the meter running as instructed. He said, "Yes. " Then I explained to him that as long as the meter was running that he was being paid for his time and he would not be getting paid for another flag fall but it was a nice try.

[QUOTE=ChochaMonger;1950365]This is a very accurate description of Flip behavior. They are short timers. They will go for the short term gain of a few pesos over the opportunity to get repeat business or a bigger long term profits. The attempts to squeeze a few more pesos out of the foreigner is ridiculous but it gets really annoying when it happens repeatedly throughout the day. Sometimes the attempts to scam a few more pesos can make one wonder if the scammer is really a scammer or just an idiot. A case in point, a couple of days ago, I asked a taxi driver to stop for a few minutes as I purchased something on the side of the road. I told him to keep the meter running as this was only a brief stop along the way. We arrive at the final destination and I hand him the amount on the meter. He demands an additional 40 p claiming that the stop was an additional flag fall. I asked him if he had stopped the meter. He pretended not to understand. I turned to my girlfriend and asked if the driver had stopped the meter. She said, "No!" I asked the driver if he kept the meter running as instructed. He said, "Yes. " Then I explained to him that as long as the meter was running that he was being paid for his time and he would not be getting paid for another flag fall but it was a nice try.[/QUOTE]I would of given him the 40 p and told him 'I was to tip you 50 p, but now will only give you the 40 p you want'. I got 'scammed' at a money exchange place where she shorted me 20 p and when I caught it, she easily gave it up to me. I told her to keep it and will never go back to that exchange place. These poor people need the $. 50 alot more than I do. I have been scammed alot worse in other places. In Mexico, a hottie offered me a BBBJ for 30 usd, and I said the going rate is 20 usd. She said ok, and sucked it for 2 minutes, and then wanted to leave. When I said 'give me the money back', she said 'no' over and over, yelling louder and louder so I let her go just to avoid the cops coming. these scammers are to scam the wrong guy sometime and get theirs.

If someone nicks your Ipad / Iphone (a girl nicked my Ipad some time back) I think there is a good chance no one can get to your password protected areas. I've been told techs can delete whatever is set up on the iPad / iPhone though and the thug, with a little help, can of course use your stolen item as his / her own or resell it. In my case, when the girl ran off with my iPad (from a restaurant, me at the toilet), she would call me later and ask for my password, hehe. It seems some don't have rational thoughts and I had to break her the bad news that I would never ever give her the passwords.

After a little back and forth "fighting" we agreed I pick up the iPad the very next day at a pawnshop in Aufura (I think) wing of the Robinson Malate mall. I was of course about to just give it a rest and buy a new one (I would most likely get a new one through my travel insurance after I got back home anyway) but since the thug told me I could get my Ipad back for 5 k php and the fact I needed my iPad as it is an important mongering device, I just agreed to come pick it up. I agreed to arrive without alerting any police authority (corrupted police I try stay away from). When arriving the next day at Robinson I met the thug lady. My eyes were really black from anger so no time for friendly banter. While at the pawnshop a new deal was made and the shop wanted 5 k and the girl 5 k as well. Then I had enough so I just walked away, blaming the world, Phils, pope, politicians and myself. I did decide to just go buy myself a new pad. After a few minutes the girl came running up behind me with my iPad and I got it back just sticking 3 k into her hand while screaming at the devil her. I know it is not a sane thing to do in a foreign country where "saving face is a big deal" but I just snapped. I am trained to not hit any from the female sorts but I was close. Despite all this she called me later and asked me if she could come my hotel.

I will be getting to Manila on a late flight next month, does the airport have a money changer or ATM's available so I don't need to chance a late night visit? I will be at city garden and would feel safer picking up Xoom to myself during the day.

Thanks fellas.

Bill Buxton.

[QUOTE=Vitaplex;1950597]I know it is not a sane thing to do in a foreign country where "saving face is a big deal" but I just snapped. I am trained to not hit any from the female sorts but I was close. Despite all this she called me later and asked me if she could come my hotel.[/QUOTE]Glad to hear that there was no violence, it wouldn't have been a sane thing to do under the circumstances, they too in a foreign country where there are so many fishes in the pond. Looks like this one was a kleptomaniac since she kept offering you to get back into the business.

[QUOTE=Vitaplex;1950597]If someone nicks your Ipad / Iphone (a girl nicked my Ipad some time back) I think there is a good chance no one can get to your password protected areas. I've been told techs can delete whatever is set up on the iPad / iPhone though and the thug, with a little help, can of course use your stolen item as his / her own or resell it. In my case, when the girl ran off with my iPad (from a restaurant, me at the toilet), she would call me later and ask for my password, hehe. It seems some don't have rational thoughts and I had to break her the bad news that I would never ever give her the passwords.[/QUOTE]Cracking a locked device with a reasonably strong password is non-trivial, it is state-actor level secure in most cases. See recent FBi versus Apple. If the perpetrator wants the device as opposed to the data, wiping it is trivial. Frankly if someone stole any gadget of mine, the information on it is a thousand times more valuable to me than the physical product, but experiences may vary. In any event, if one's tablet / phone / laptop gets lifted, security measures to the extent and quality that they exist, can protect private information; they will not make the hardware unusable to the thief.

[QUOTE=Vitaplex;1950597]Despite all this she called me later and asked me if she could come my hotel.[/QUOTE]Possibly the best Philippines story I have read on this board, ever, because only here.

[QUOTE=RollAides;1950850]Possibly the best Philippines story I have read on this board, ever, because only here.[/QUOTE]Yeah one should think after stealing my ipad she didn't have the nerve to in fact ask for a new meeting. For the record; I refused.

Was in Malate last night and Amazonia looked closed down. Anyone have any Intel?

[QUOTE=Tungsten2;1951135]Was in Malate last night and Amazonia looked closed down. Anyone have any Intel?[/QUOTE]If Amazonia is shut down, it was well overdue as it was a real freak show featuring hags that even the horniest of mongers would need an overdose of Viagra, a strong stomach, and total darkness to shag. Even cheap Charlie mongers on a pension make a mad dash past the place on their way to LA Caf to sort through the bargain bin.

[QUOTE=BillBuxton;1950662]I will be getting to Manila on a late flight next month, does the airport have a money changer or ATM's available so I don't need to chance a late night visit? I will be at city garden and would feel safer picking up Xoom to myself during the day.

Thanks fellas.

Bill Buxton.[/QUOTE]Plenty of ATMs at the airport. I don't know how late money changers are open since I never use them. Just be sure to contact your bank to provide a travel notification (ATM and Credit) so they don't lock you out. The ATMs will "eat" your card on the third or fourth attempt and then you are SOL.

[QUOTE=VicVeg;1950543]I would of given him the 40 p and told him 'I was to tip you 50 p, but now will only give you the 40 p you want'. I got 'scammed' at a money exchange place where she shorted me 20 p and when I caught it, she easily gave it up to me. I told her to keep it and will never go back to that exchange place. These poor people need the $. 50 alot more than I do. I have been scammed alot worse in other places. In Mexico, a hottie offered me a BBBJ for 30 usd, and I said the going rate is 20 usd. She said ok, and sucked it for 2 minutes, and then wanted to leave. When I said 'give me the money back', she said 'no' over and over, yelling louder and louder so I let her go just to avoid the cops coming. these scammers are to scam the wrong guy sometime and get theirs....[/QUOTE]Never never pay first!

[QUOTE=BillBuxton;1950662]I will be getting to Manila on a late flight next month, does the airport have a money changer or ATM's available so I don't need to chance a late night visit? I will be at city garden and would feel safer picking up Xoom to myself during the day.

Thanks fellas.

Bill Buxton.[/QUOTE]There is a money changer in Terminal 1, just after you pick up your luggage and depart the Customs guy (turn right as you go, before going outside). Its right across from the elevator.