Manila

[QUOTE=Westcoast1; 1261355]Try G-Point Cafe on the other side of Robinson's. It's on Padre Faura, about 5 blocks from MBC. Smaller, less drama than MBC.

I, too, have walked the area around MBC many times, day and night, with little or no drama. Its safer at 1am than 10pm (fewer people on the streets) , and worse even at 3pm with all the auto traffic.[/QUOTE]Yep same experience. I have walked around MBC-LAC at all hours of the day and night with no real harm. A few beggars, a few hustlers, a few street pro's, a few street kids. Just stay alert and watch your surroundings and there should be no problems. Have a few coins ready to throw on the ground if you are threatened by the kids. They go for the coins while you make a swift exit.

However I did take a taxi from LAC two blocks down the street to the Hyatt late one night when a few groups of street kids looked like they would duke it out. Cost 50p but worth it to avoid the little pacquiao fight club.

[quote=stroker ace88; 1261471]yep same experience. i have walked around mbc-lac at all hours of the day and night with no real harm. a few beggars, a few hustlers, a few street pro's, a few street kids. just stay alert and watch your surroundings and there should be no problems. have a few coins ready to throw on the ground if you are threatened by the kids. they go for the coins while you make a swift exit.

however i did take a taxi from lac two blocks down the street to the hyatt late one night when a few groups of street kids looked like they would duke it out. cost 50p but worth it to avoid the little pacquiao fight club.[/quote]to stroker,

you are a lucky guy if this don't happen to you it does not mean it don't happen, my first trip to manila back in 2000 going back to my hotel with a babe from mbc i got shake down by one of the manila police, he want some bribe money or he is going to take me back to the police station he said the girl is **** without even checking th girl i'd or taking to the girl.

fast eddie 48

I haven't been posting much since I'm more like a follower and not so active in mongering around myself, most like a guide sometimes for visitors. It's been fun though reading your experiences and posts.

I've been living in the Philippines for three years now and am a permanent resident, I'm from northern part of Europe so there is not a lot of people from my country living here and if there is, I'm one of the youngest of them since I was born. 79. Just a handful I've found. Well that doesn't matter, there is still plenty of friends. I'm happily married and running several businesses, don't go out much. Occasional night out is enough for me. I'm living in a south part of Metro Manila, there is not much of working girls anywhere here, but there is plenty of free ones, would just need to choose if I'd like.

By the way I know the owners of MBC, nice people though older already, they have also another bar / resto here in south, but that's the clean one.

Well anyway, there is no reason for this post. Just thought of saying Hi to you all. Keep up the good work guys.

[QUOTE=Starchild2012; 1261161]Well, Finally, the truth is coming out, Manila Bay Cafe (la cafe) was promoted insanely in all online forums as some sort of heaven on earth. Not withstanding the crime, girls and everything in between. Malate area should be the last place a monger should visit in Manila. There was a serial propaganda of sorts to promote Manila Bay Cafe in these forums. I'm from a third world country and even I was scared visiting malate and I have seen worse areas in my life back home. I never understood why mongers from west would visit such a dangerous place.

The most corrupt taxi drivers, the most aggressive beggars, the most dangerous criminals, the most dirtiest place, the most despo girls, the most corrupt cops of all places are in the malate area. Even local Filipinos don't go there. There are far better places in manila to get laid than Malate. Its been promoted unnecessarily in forums by the owner cohorts to keep the business going.[/QUOTE]Wow! Bring on the hate! Are you serious? If you have that many problems with the place, definitely stay away. Manila is definitely not for the inexperienced. Walking around the area does take someone who knows how to handle themselves and have to be aware of their surroundings. Everyone is different. Some people may look like easier targets than others. I've had the experience of a group of kids begging to me and try to pickpocket me at the same time and the one where the guy tries to run into you and spill his food to get money, but no threats to my life, but I know it can happen but it can happen anywhere. For sure someone like you should just stay away from there. Taking a taxi makes sense even if you have to overpay. The more savvy will not take taxis right out front of MBC as the driver may have to pay a fee to some of the people hanging out there. In regards to taxis being corrupt there, I went there thinking that years ago and hardly ever have issues. If they don't want to use the meter, I can get out and get another taxi or just agree to some reasonable price if you know about how much it is. I've had some of the best finds in my life out of MBC. For some people, it's not their cup of tea. Depending on the person, they may get treated differently there based on so many different factors. I don't understand your accusations and condemnations of the place that others who have stated good things are propaganda, if anything it appears your statements are.

[quote=fast eddie 48; 1261477]to stroker,

you are a lucky guy if this don't happen to you it does not mean it don't happen, my first trip to manila back in 2000 going back to my hotel with a babe from mbc i got shake down by one of the manila police, he want some bribe money or he is going to take me back to the police station he said the girl is **** without even checking th girl i'd or taking to the girl.

fast eddie 48[/quote]funny, i've lived here for almost 9 years, and i've been, on my own, to places around the country that are infinitely sleazier than the area in malate around mbc. i've never had anything even approaching a problem. maybe i'm lucky, or perhaps manila, at least its seedier environs, isn't for the faint of heart and the frightened. i'm old, i'm not very big, and i'd be an easy target, i would think for the predators. though bad luck can occur anywhere, i think knowing a bit of the local language, projecting the right attitude, and not presenting one's self as an obvious newbie all lessen the probability of trouble.

ge

[QUOTE=Westcoast1;1261355]Try G-Point Cafe on the other side of Robinson's. It's on Padre Faura, about 5 blocks from MBC. Smaller, less drama than MBC.[/QUOTE]To me G Point is just another option near by. I would not say its a better or cheaper alternative to MBC. Also MBC is 24/7 G Point not so much. Who knows beuty is in the eye of the beholder and maybe you are just luckier there. I actually do OK at MBC and rate the place far better then say Havana which most members here would disagree. Bottom line the whole Malate / Ermita / Mabini area is far more value for money then Makati, QC, Pasay.

We had a good brief discussion few months ago about other areas where you can find street action perhaps those places are the better value for money alternative.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1261536]Funny, I've lived here for almost 9 years, and I've been, on my own, to places around the country that are infinitely sleazier than the area in Malate around MBC. I've never had anything even approaching a problem. Maybe I'm lucky, or perhaps Manila, at least its seedier environs, isn't for the faint of heart and the frightened. I'm old, I'm not very big, and I'd be an easy target, I would think for the predators. Though bad luck can occur anywhere, I think knowing a bit of the local language, projecting the right attitude, and not presenting one's self as an obvious newbie all lessen the probability of trouble.

GE[/QUOTE]Absolutely. The faint hearted and frightened perhaps should keep at being keyboard warriors. Projecting the right atitude is the key. Move quick, make the right eye contact when need to, don't talk back and know exactly where you are going.

[QUOTE=Mc Don;1261651]Absolutely. The faint hearted and frightened perhaps should keep at being keyboard warriors. Projecting the right atitude is the key. Move quick, make the right eye contact when need to, don't talk back and know exactly where you are going.[/QUOTE]One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster.

The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free.

You'll find a God in every golden cloister.

A little flesh, a little history.

I can feel an angel slidin' up to me.

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.

Not much between despair and ecstasy.

One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble.

Can't be too careful with your company.

I can feel the Devil walking next to me

[QUOTE=Westcoast1; 1261701]One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster.

The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free.

You'll find a God in every golden cloister.

A little flesh, a little history.

I can feel an angel slidin' up to me.

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.

Not much between despair and ecstasy.

One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble.

Can't be too careful with your company.

I can feel the Devil walking next to me[/QUOTE]Whats chess have to do with mongering?

Just teasin'

[QUOTE=Blackangst; 1261819]Whats chess have to do with mongering?

Just teasin'[/QUOTE]Haha. Lets see who else gets that. My point is, for some persons, such as Starchild, one can have a miserable time in phils, or SE asia. It's not that SE asia is not their cup of tea. It MIGHT be that those persons are not SE Asia's cup of tea (or filipines cup of tea). Part of the situation might be racial (skin color) , or maybe not. A few cases in point:

1. A gent visited filipines for the first time last year, and had a hard time. He's a very experienced world traveler. He's been to many of the sh*tholes. We winged together a year prior in Jakarta (his first SE Asia visit, although he was a regular in japan) , to good avail. Yet in his first filipines visit (alone) , he wrote on the board some of his bad experiences, such as getting arrested. Or not getting arrested, as he's not sure if it was real PNP that detained him, for smoking (possible scam) in public. This kind of crap on a first visit can leave a bad taste in the mouth. While I have had mostly good experiences (like GE) , I got my pockets picked once in AC. That's the majority of my street troubles. A few other minor street incidents. But in total, many good experiences that over-ride the bad. However, if you have a bad experience on the first trip, you get tempted to not come back and give it another chance.

2. A buddy of mine in States, a latino, visited phils last year. We tried to get time off work together, as it was his first trip overseas to asia, but it didn't work out that way. On his maiden voyage he too, had problems. Among other things, he appears asian, Filipino. Locals would talk to him in languages he didn't understand. When he identified himself as american, prices suddenly jumped (haha). In AC, mamasans thought he was a police officer. He was begged on the street by a poor woman carrying an infant. Her other young son, a few years old, was pulling on his pants. For reasons he doesn't understand, he said something that made her mad. She started screaming in a language he didn't understand, pointing at him. A crowd gathered. A man in the crowd explained the woman was claiming my buddy pushed her young son to the ground and hit the boy (he did not). A police officer walked up and broke up the melee, telling my friend to be on his way (he got lucky). My friend also had good experiences, but now prefers to take his chances in central and south america, where he is comfortable, rather than return to asia.

3. A man takes a girl to his hotel room, a SW. After the nawty, she claims she is 16, and blackmails him for a lot of piso. He's all done with filipines.

4. Starchild and others report problems from their appearance. Skin color, or asian appearance (non ko-jap) , may get ignored by filipinas, and might become targets walking the streets. Oddly, like GE, I'm really white, and rarely have street problems. A few repeated problems like these, and it can make a guy want to not go there.

One night can make even a hard man humble. Phils ain't for everyone. And not everyone is for Phils.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1261536]Funny, I've lived here for almost 9 years, and I've been, on my own, to places around the country that are infinitely sleazier than the area in Malate around MBC. I've never had anything even approaching a problem. Maybe I'm lucky, or perhaps Manila, at least its seedier environs, isn't for the faint of heart and the frightened. I'm old, I'm not very big, and I'd be an easy target, I would think for the predators. Though bad luck can occur anywhere, I think knowing a bit of the local language, projecting the right attitude, and not presenting one's self as an obvious newbie all lessen the probability of trouble.

GE[/QUOTE]GE, I bet you dress much more to the local or sub-tropical attire with distinction, than to look more like how a tourist would dress. I'm sure your dress and knowledge of local language projects a sense to local taxi drivers that you are not a tourist. Just thinking that after 9 or so years that you've probably transitioned a little bit. Confidence does help project an aura of belonging within the locale.

[QUOTE=Westcoast1;1261853]3. A man takes a girl to his hotel room, a SW. After the nawty, she claims she is 16, and blackmails him for a lot of piso. He's all done with filipines.[/QUOTE]Thats certainly a risk with streetwalkers, I was jailbaited with minors twice, but was wise enough to not bite the bait. Tend to prefer the bars, yes you pay more but at least you know they checked the girls IDs, and have some STD-testing routine going. Not perfect protection, but its better than nothing, when you pickup a streetwalker, who knows why she's on the street? Maybe she failed the pap smear test, maybe she's under 18, maybe she's on drugs, none of the reasons are good.

[quote=tazdevil]
GE, I bet you dress much more to the local or sub-tropical attire with distinction
[/quote]

if you are white, it doesnt matter how you dress, you get instantly identified as a poriner.. even if the white person in question is born in philippines and never set foot outside, he'll still get approached with poriner pricing and poriner scams.

scams and set ups are there everywhere in the world. it is not limited to poor countries. phi is generally safe.

always make sure the girl has a i. the before you take her. i was chatting the other day with a girl from manila who said she spent few days with a foreigner. she also said altough she is 19 does not have a i. the.

i told her my hotel will not allow anybody without a i. d to go to the room. she insisted that not all hotels do it. obviously she knows the routine.

there is a certain level of safety if the security has checked the girl's i. the. at the same time if the girl tries to hit you up for money for **** scam instead of confrontation it is better say all you have is little money and ask her come back the next day for more. as soon as she leaves leaves check out of the hotel and go somewhere. it is unlikely she will file a complaint.

[QUOTE=Tazdevil;1261914]GE, I bet you dress much more to the local or sub-tropical attire with distinction, than to look more like how a tourist would dress. I'm sure your dress and knowledge of local language projects a sense to local taxi drivers that you are not a tourist. Just thinking that after 9 or so years that you've probably transitioned a little bit. Confidence does help project an aura of belonging within the locale.[/QUOTE]I always try to dress well, since I dislike shorts and tee shirts and how I look is important to me. I don't want to mislead anyone about language; I don't speak Tagalog or Visayan though I know several words and can understand a little. But I'm never confrontational, don't raise my voice and try never to appear arrogant. If a taxi driver, for example, refuses to use his meter, I don't make a fuss; I just exit the cab and look for another. I'm sure living here for all this time has had an effect on me and I probably don't get quite as upset as some foreigners with some of the absurdities of the country, because I know that this is how things are and I'm not going to be able to change anything, so while I'll talk about the dysfunctionality of several aspects of this place here on the forum, I don't verbalize my opinions publicly.

GE

Forgotten who it was, but a regular reliable reporter said in recent months, Jools in Makati is worth a visit if only for the shows.

So I visited the place and what a show it is. Starts Philippines time 10pm and goes on an off that point onwards, seemingly forever. No need to go to Vegas, its right there at Jools. Attractive girls everywhere. No pushing of drinks experience for me, no pushy girls. Thoroughly recommended. Best Makati bar, by far, for me.