Manila

[QUOTE=RedKilt;2105708]Not true any more Soapy.

There is now a rank for ordinary metered taxis at all airports. They are permitted to pick up from the designated rank. There is a security guy standing there (usually but not always).

There are now 3 choices. Yellow, coupon or regular metered cabs.[/QUOTE]Also at T3 there is a stand for Grab rides.

[QUOTE=JoelGoodsen;2105556]Load-and-go travel cards? Prepay and different currencies. No ATM fees.[/QUOTE]Looks good for Aussie travellers. However the website say there is a AUD $2 + ATM provider fee for withdrawals and inquiries. Appears to be no monthly fees which is good. Other fees are FX but reasonable on the high end.

Thanks.

[QUOTE=Crazy4Thai;2105551]My biggest fare ever is maybe $6 US and cash leaves no trail.[/QUOTE]Yes lads, sign of a professional (monger), "leave no trail".

No financial / expenditure trail, no personal ID trail, and you will live a long monger life too, like me (and other 'wise men' , LOL).

Cash, misleading ID info, Hit and Run (M. O). What more could you want in life?

[QUOTE=RedKilt;2105708]There are now 3 choices. Yellow, coupon or regular metered cabs.[/QUOTE]I was enroute when you posted this, but I observed it first hand yesterday. At terminal 3 after clearing customs and entering the last area of the terminal with the money changers, turn left and head toward Wendys. Across from Wendys go out the door labeled Gate 2 and follow the walkway directly across a couple of roadways and there are indeed regular white cabs waiting there. Perhaps it's a matter of luck, but I have occasionally had regular metered cab drivers pull a roap-a-dope on me and never experienced that with yellow airport cabs, so I prefer the latter from the airport, even though they're a little more expensive.

[QUOTE=Sxxxx;2105849]Yes lads, sign of a professional (monger), "leave no trail".

No financial / expenditure trail, no personal ID trail, and you will live a long monger life too, like me (and other 'wise men' , LOL).

Cash, misleading ID info, Hit and Run (M. O). What more could you want in life?[/QUOTE]I used to be like that but just don't care anymore. It was such a hassle to engage in all that clock and dagger, multiple phones etc. Not married, no girlfriend, no longer working. Most of my friends and family know who I am and how I relax. Been fixed so don't have to worry about a baby momma. I use one phone traveling, if I exchange numbers with a girl she has my real number. I stay with legal. BTW I use Google Fi for data traveling internationally. It is wonderful (and cheap) to have data right off the plane, no buying and managing sim cards. It is wonderful. I can hook anyone up with a discount, just PM me if interested.

[QUOTE=CharmCityDave;2106380]BTW I use Google Fi for data traveling internationally. It is wonderful (and cheap) to have data right off the plane, no buying and managing sim cards. It is wonderful. I can hook anyone up with a discount, just PM me if interested.[/QUOTE]Although I hate big brother Google and consider them a potentially dangerous entity, I also must admit that it is an amazing company. I recently booked an otherwise unlisted / unavailable multi city flight (not round-trip flight) from the USA to Asia and back by a different route for the same cost as a round trip ticket. My multi city ticket is issued by United, but it is only available through the link supplied from Google Flight to the United website. WOW!

Now here is an easy softball question so even I can understand Google FI: let's say I have subscribed to the service while still at home. I get off the plane in MNL or BKK and I still have my American sim card installed in my phone. So as I am waiting for my suitcase at the baggage turnstyle; can I make a local call? Can I Line or Viber text one my sexy little friends? Can I arrange for an Uber pickup? In other words, can I access the internet straightaway using Google FI and at no addtional cost other than the monthly subscription rate?

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2106397]Although I hate big brother Google and consider them a potentially dangerous entity, I also must admit that it is an amazing company. I recently booked an otherwise unlisted / unavailable multi city flight (not round-trip flight) from the USA to Asia and back by a different route for the same cost as a round trip ticket. My multi city ticket is issued by United, but it is only available through the link supplied from Google Flight to the United website. WOW!

Now here is an easy softball question so even I can understand Google FI: let's say I have subscribed to the service while still at home. I get off the plane in MNL or BKK and I still have my American sim card installed in my phone. So as I am waiting for my suitcase at the baggage turnstyle; can I make a local call? Can I Line or Viber text one my sexy little friends? Can I arrange for an Uber pickup? In other words, can I access the internet straightaway using Google FI and at no addtional cost other than the monthly subscription rate?[/QUOTE]Were you able to use the qualifying miles on the United flight?

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2106397]Although I hate big brother Google and consider them a potentially dangerous entity, I also must admit that it is an amazing company. I recently booked an otherwise unlisted / unavailable multi city flight (not round-trip flight) from the USA to Asia and back by a different route for the same cost as a round trip ticket. My multi city ticket is issued by United, but it is only available through the link supplied from Google Flight to the United website. WOW!

Now here is an easy softball question so even I can understand Google FI: let's say I have subscribed to the service while still at home. I get off the plane in MNL or BKK and I still have my American sim card installed in my phone. So as I am waiting for my suitcase at the baggage turnstyle; can I make a local call? Can I Line or Viber text one my sexy little friends? Can I arrange for an Uber pickup? In other words, can I access the internet straightaway using Google FI and at no addtional cost other than the monthly subscription rate?[/QUOTE]I share your concerns about privacy but having worked in the Internet era have made peace with the fact there is none. Fortunately for me and how I live my life right now, I can live with that. As for Google Fi yes it will work as soon as you are wheels down. Basic costs are $20 a month for unlimited talk and text in the US, and then $10 per gig for data. They meter by the meg so if you use 250 Meg it is $2. 50. Not the perfect plan I someone who used vast amounts of data, but perfect for me. I use 1 to 2 gigs per month, $10 to $20 a month for data. Making calls outside the United States is 20 cents per minute in most countries and usually free to call back to the States on WiFi. But double check that on their website. Only other thing to know, they have a relatively small selection of Android phones. No iPhones. I'm very happy with the pixel. Go to the website and check it out, if you're interested I can get you a link for $20 off your bill.

[QUOTE=CharmCityDave;2106410]I share your concerns about privacy but having worked in the Internet era have made peace with the fact there is none. Fortunately for me and how I live my life right now, I can live with that. As for Google Fi yes it will work as soon as you are wheels down. Basic costs are $20 a month for unlimited talk and text in the US, and then $10 per gig for data. They meter by the meg so if you use 250 Meg it is $2. 50. Not the perfect plan I someone who used vast amounts of data, but perfect for me. I use 1 to 2 gigs per month, $10 to $20 a month for data. Making calls outside the United States is 20 cents per minute in most countries and usually free to call back to the States on WiFi. But double check that on their website. Only other thing to know, they have a relatively small selection of Android phones. No iPhones. I'm very happy with the pixel. Go to the website and check it out, if you're interested I can get you a link for $20 off your bill.[/QUOTE]One of the really nice feature of Google fi, is that they give you a second data Sim chip. If you have a data enabled tablet you can put it in there. I put it in my old cell phone, which is what I take with me if I'm going someplace sketchy. Then I don't have to worry about loosing my $900 phone.

[QUOTE=Dg8787;2106409]Were you able to use the qualifying miles on the United flight?[/QUOTE]I did not have enough miles to pay for my flight in miles, but if I had the requisite miles I would have. After following the link to the United website from Google Flight, I logged into United and had the option to pay for the flight with a credit card or with miles the same way as if this flight had come up on the United website search. But this flight does not come up on a United website search, only on a Google Flight website search. That is what impressed me. So I made my purchase and it is a 100% United ticket and I am getting full miles credit for the entire flight which I will use at a later date.

Give it a try. Go to Google Flight and play around with the input variables ie cities & dates and see if you like any of the combinations and prices. Google Flight lists all the viable flights of the major carriers not just United Star Alliance flights. My particular United Flight is MIA to ZUR on Swiss Air, ZUR to BKK on Thai Air then my return flight is HKG to Newark on United and Newark to FLL on United. Alternatively I could have booked the Ana flight from MNL to Japan / United to the USA and stayed within the Star Alliance or I could have selected some other combination of carriers and been directed to their respective websites to make the final purchase, but the United HKG flight is of much shorter duaration than the alternatives, the price was really good, and I figured what the hell, it will be fun to cap off my next trip with 2 final nights in HKG. I haven't been to HKG in 4 years and I do like Chinese girls. LOL.

[QUOTE=CharmCityDave;2106410]I share your concerns about privacy but having worked in the Internet era have made peace with the fact there is none. Fortunately for me and how I live my life right now, I can live with that. As for Google Fi yes it will work as soon as you are wheels down. Basic costs are $20 a month for unlimited talk and text in the US, and then $10 per gig for data. They meter by the meg so if you use 250 Meg it is $2. 50. Not the perfect plan I someone who used vast amounts of data, but perfect for me. I use 1 to 2 gigs per month, $10 to $20 a month for data. Making calls outside the United States is 20 cents per minute in most countries and usually free to call back to the States on WiFi. But double check that on their website. Only other thing to know, they have a relatively small selection of Android phones. No iPhones. I'm very happy with the pixel. Go to the website and check it out, if you're interested I can get you a link for $20 off your bill.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=CharmCityDave;2106440]One of the really nice feature of Google fi, is that they give you a second data Sim chip. If you have a data enabled tablet you can put it in there. I put it in my old cell phone, which is what I take with me if I'm going someplace sketchy. Then I don't have to worry about loosing my $900 phone.[/QUOTE]Thanks Charm City Dave for this information. I will check out the Google Fi website for sure. The service sounds good for someone like myself who travels to multiple destinations once or twice a year because it is such a hassle to have to buy a new local sim card in every country I visit, every time I visit because I am in country too infrequently to keep my local sim cards current. For example, in Thailand you have to present your passport in order to purchase a sim card and in the PI, you sometimes have to wait in a long line just to buy another sim card. So yes, a no contract Global monthly service would be very practical from my perspective. All I want to do on my cell phone when I travel is Line / Vibre chat with my girls, Uber, use the translater and map app occasionally, and take photos. Everything else I prefer to do on my laptop in my hotel room.

Looks like I'll be off to Manila soon. First time I've visited the Philippines, and not planning an extensive stay as this is just a straight work trip, so I'm trying to come to grips with the scene, which even for an experienced travelling punter (I've shared quite some reports in the Singapore and Hong Kong forums) seems a bit overwhelming!

Need to get my head around all the options, would appreciate any general as well as specific advice on that front (it'd be a bit like a punter's first-time visit to Singapore but maybe x100). For example: bars, massage parlours, dating sites, Blendr / WeChat hookups, and even those casual 'at the shopping mall' pickups.

For example: I'd be happy for a simple fun casual dating / Blendr hookup as long as they 'get' that it's casual and that I won't be there for more than a few nights, won't be taking them and their extended family to dinner, and definitely won't be coming back to marry them! Some of that makes me think that unless I can 'find' that before I get to Manila I might be better off with the straight P4P option.

Am of course going to do some solid reading here but if any experienced Philippines punters might want to share some 'Cliff's Notes' to help me get up to speed, that'd be hugely appreciated!

[QUOTE=Crazy4Thai;2105551]My biggest fare ever is maybe $6 US and cash leaves no trail.[/QUOTE]Except for the digital trail that you leave when you use the app to order the Grab or Uber taxi.

I think it's virtually impossible these days to travel anonymously. Maybe you can avoid paper trails but your cell phone and / or laptop leaves digital trails whereever you go.

[QUOTE=Flyboy2000;2106574]Looks like I'll be off to Manila soon. First time I've visited the Philippines, and not planning an extensive stay as this is just a straight work trip, so I'm trying to come to grips with the scene, which even for an experienced travelling punter (I've shared quite some reports in the Singapore and Hong Kong forums) seems a bit overwhelming!

Need to get my head around all the options, would appreciate any general as well as specific advice on that front (it'd be a bit like a punter's first-time visit to Singapore but maybe x100). For example: bars, massage parlours, dating sites, Blendr / WeChat hookups, and even those casual 'at the shopping mall' pickups.

For example: I'd be happy for a simple fun casual dating / Blendr hookup as long as they 'get' that it's casual and that I won't be there for more than a few nights, won't be taking them and their extended family to dinner, and definitely won't be coming back to marry them! Some of that makes me think that unless I can 'find' that before I get to Manila I might be better off with the straight P4P option.

Am of course going to do some solid reading here but if any experienced Philippines punters might want to share some 'Cliff's Notes' to help me get up to speed, that'd be hugely appreciated![/QUOTE]Mate, if it's your first trip, keep it really simple. There are three basic options; Burgos Street, EDSA or LA Cafe. Freelancers at LA Cafe and Burgos Street. Bar girls at Burgos Street and EDSA. It's a big city, so don't try to do too much. For the fake dating scene, you need time, perseverance and some understanding of the culture. Suggest you stick to P4 P first as it's more efficient.

[QUOTE=EngineDriver;2106812]Mate, if it's your first trip, keep it really simple. There are three basic options; Burgos Street, EDSA or LA Cafe. Freelancers at LA Cafe and Burgos Street. Bar girls at Burgos Street and EDSA. It's a big city, so don't try to do too much. For the fake dating scene, you need time, perseverance and some understanding of the culture. Suggest you stick to P4 P first as it's more efficient.[/QUOTE]Burgos street and edsa short time is like 6000 peso LOL that's a terrible deal. Manila is good for la cafe and dating websites if you want bar girls go to angeles.