Davao

as frequent readers of this page doubtless already know, claude's café de ville has, for the past several years, been the most expensive and arguably the best restaurant in davao. his place-at least his old place-was small, cozy and intimate with excellent service and good, solid traditional french food. last week he opened in a new location, diagonally across the street from his old restaurant, and we went tonight for the first time. the good news, and it's all mainly good news, is that for davao the new place is spectacular. it's located in an old, historic spanish mansion with lovely gardens. the place itself, which is on the second floor of the building is beautifully decorated, three times larger than the old place, fairly dimly lit, and looks like it could have been taken from a french colonial outpost of the 19th or early 20th century, so perfect is the blend of oriental and french theécor and taste. the menu (and the prices) have remained as they were, though claude told me that he plans to make some changes to the menu soon. when we arrived, at about 8 o'clock the restaurant was packed, and it accommodates 70+ customers. claude's daughter charisse told me that it's been that way since they opened last week. she also told me they're doing a decent lunch business.

five of us managed to go through two bottles of wine, seveal appetizers and main courses, plus coffee and calvados, and the bill was about phhp3, 000 per person, or about $64; not cheap but fair value for money for those to whom ambience, quality service and very good food and wine are important. there are several small tables and chairs in the garden area for those who want to smoke, or to have a coffee and drinks al fresco.

there's another restaurant, serving small filipino and spanish dishes, on the ground floor. it's commodious, nicely decorated, and was pretty much empty when i peeked in at about 9 o'clock. the menu looked like it consistent mainly of appetizers, though i could be wrong as i didn't study it extensively. claude told me that he had eaten there and had found the food to be very good. the place is called the cellar, and its relocated from across the street, in a location that was quite close to the original claude's.

at about 11 o'clock we strolled over to chicos, diagnonally across the street, for a final drink. the band was very good, playing lots of american / british rock from the 60s. i'd estimate the club was half full, and lots of people had obviously come to dance. as always, the crowd was older-lots of people in their 40s and 50s-and it's still by no means a place to go and pick up women. however, there were several women in their mid-thirties who looked like they wouldn't be averse to male compansionship. they were well past their "sell by" date however, and i could be wrong about their intentions. there were several foreigners in attendance, mainly dancing with their filipina partners, who looked like they were having a great time. if you're with someone you like, feel like dancing a bit and listening to some live music, this is not a bad choice.

driving back home, we passed the auto shop, which is definitely a high probablity trolling area, and it looked like it was jammed, from the profusion of cars and taxis gathered there. we didn't however go in, so i can't report on how densely populated it might have been.

if you don't mind spending some money, and you're with someone whose company you enjoy, then claudes for dinner followed by a nightcap at chicos can constitute a fun evening.

ge

Guys,

I have been getting caught up on work, financial updates and various business matters. I also do a lot of what I call "current reading" on health, wealth, personal interactivity (getting along with other people) , and essentially enjoying life. One matter that continues to come up in publications is the "Effect of Cellphone Use on the Brain". A good ten years ago I read how it was "being considered" that the effect on the brain of excessive cellphone use (defined as 2 or more hours / day on the cellphone) could be harmfu. NOW, it appears that there IS conclusive evidence of this. One study has confirmed a hightened increase in brain damage and another, recent medical study claims a significant increase in brain tumors due to prolonged cellphone use. All due to the radio waves emitted by the phones and your holding the phone close to your ear to speak and, hence, close to the brain.

I can think of two american guys I know here in my City that are constantly on a cellphone. And I do mean constantly! One is my buddy Ed, who disappeared last mid-December, not to be heard from by me or any of his close friends here. Ed lived on the phone during dinner and lunch at restaurants, including fine dining restaurants, oblivious to the people around him. ANd he was on it most of the time while driving, a misdemeanor offense in my City that comes with a $1, 000 fine for a first offense. He just could NOT stay off the damn, fucking cellphone any more than he could stop with the "cadaver fucking" (older women in late 40s and 50s). I often wondered about some of his bizarre comments and actions. He could NOT, no matter how hard he tried, close my front door so it would remain closed. Something every other person and delivery guy does easily. And he would forget his own feet if they were not attached to his body. I once asked him to take a spare key to my home just as a backup in case I needed him to entere my home when I was away for an extended period of time.

Realizing the futility of this move as he could never manage to "OPEN" my front door with a key and was UNABLE to close it again, I asked for it back two days latere to give to another friend. He had NO FUCKING IDEA what he did with the key. He replied,"I gave it right back to you, didn't I?" I do not miss too much when observing someone and I told him,"you placed it into your right, front pants pocket as soon as I handed it to you." He never was able to find the key or determine what he did with it. GoodEnough, hearing of Ed's constant paranoia commented,"he probably thinks the FBI took it". One of Ed's many paranoid stories was that the FBI had two Agents stake out a mailbox suite here for a couple days hoping to catch ol Ed. This I could NOT fucken handle! The guy had to be insane. I told him,"if the FBI ever wants you, they will have you within 2-3 hours (not days or weeks). And all they need to do at your alleged mailbox suite is go by and flash their credentials, scaring the shit out of ANY AND ALL employees and requesting all information available on you."

I DO think his cellphone addiction was likely the cause of his paranoia and other eccentricities. His brain cells were damaged. ANd as to the other guy here, a Client, his own Father-in Law, also a Client, confided in me that as much as he loved his Son-in-Law, the guy had to be brain damaged to do some of the things he was doing. And this guy also lived on a cellphone even when he would go running for a few miles in the evening. A first if ever I heard one.

I tried to line old Ed up with some pussy in the Philippines to get him "detoxed" from the old pussy he was seeing that was literally taking him for several thousand dollars a month. I even got him on the phone with a lovely 25 year old in the Phils who was helping out as a maid while I was staying in my Home in Leyte. But Ed told me, and NO, he was NOT joking, that the Feds were likely to get him when his passport was swiped on leaving the country. My reply that you merely present your passport when you check in for a flight and it is swiped when you return, did nothing to lessen his fear. He was certain that he would be arrested and taken off to jail once he tried to leave the US. GoodEnough and others asked me what did Ed do that would have such a result. I replied, NOTHING! Ed has a lot of imagined and fabricated ideas that have no basis in reality. He does not take any drugs, is a light drinker, never suffered a stroke and essentialy lives a quiet life. But he has a massvie paranoid allusion that he is being hunted by the US FBI. Even asked me once to make an inquiry within _______ to see what they had on him. I only looked back at him and broke out laughing. Told him for the 100th time,"If they wanted you, they would have had you long ago. The very fact that you are on a cellphone constantly allows them and anyone else to track your whereabouts (not to mention his use of an AX Platinum card often)."

Less time on cellphones and more time chasing pussy! You heard it direct from Slayer.

Dragon Slayer

[QUOTE=Dragon Slayer; 1200279]Guys,

NOW, it appears that there IS conclusive evidence of this. One study has confirmed a hightened increase in brain damage and another, recent medical study claims a significant increase in brain tumors due to prolonged cellphone use. All due to the radio waves emitted by the phones and your holding the phone close to your ear to speak and, hence, close to the brain.

Less time on cellphones and more time chasing pussy! You heard it direct from Slayer.

Dragon Slayer[/QUOTE]Sounds like a good advice, although pussy has its dangers too.

Some time ago scientists found evidence that cell phones are actually more harmful to your body and brains than smoking. But since the mass is only using cell phones for 10-15 years or so it will be just a matter of time to see if they were right or not.

Bloomberg,

Thankyou for posting here. Roughly ten years ago I saw on the News a Report that Physicians were thinking that excessive cellphone use (defined as in excess of 2-4 hrs daily) could be harmful. I paid it no attention as I rarely used a cellphone back then or even today. However, I recently saw a News Article on satellite news that it is now certain that the radio waves emitted by cellphones can cause brain damage to someone who talks on them for extended periods of time. And I read this week of a Medical Study here in the US that concludes that brain tumors can be caused by excessive cellphone use. Again,"excessive" is defined as talking on a phone more than 2-4 hrs daily.

I know individuals who are on cellphones 12-16 hrs / day. Literally addicted to them. My pal Ed who has gone missing since last Dec 2010 is one of them. I also mentioned a Client, former US Football Player, who also is on one most of his waking hours. His stepfather, also a Client, told me he thought his son-in-law was brain damaged. He was not joking but basing this on his recent actions and comments. Ed has worried me for some time now with his bizzare paranoia for the US Feds and his inability to do common actions such as close my front door so it remains closed and his forgetting things moments after doing them. ANd he is a graduate of two excellent Universities here with a BS in Enginerring and an MBA. I cannot help but think that his cellphone addiction has hampered him.

In another event, I have CAUTIONED ALL to be careful during this Christmas Season. It IS already Christmas Season in the Philippines. It begins there in Spetember and continues into January. Just last night I am working online. I get an I'm from this girl I met in Davao back in 2008. She was the one I posted about a 1 1/2 years ago. In December 2009 she came online and asked me (begged me) to help her by sending her money to buy gifts for her children for Christmas 2009. Like the FOOL that I can be, I wired her $80 US. As I posted, when I was in Davao in January 2010 she refused to meet me. Oblivious to the "help" I provided her only a couple weeks earlier, she told me that she would not see me as she was married and she did not want to risk catching some diseasee from me."Nice Lady"!

I ran into her online in Feb 2010. She told me to fuckoff and that,"if you are dumb enough to send me money, of course I am going to take it". Well buys she was online just last evening trying to "Make Nice" with Dragon Slayer. Apologized for NOT informing me earlier that she was married. Did NOT recall getting money from me in Dec 2009. I calmly told her "fuck off *itch! If I find out you are in Davao City NOW I will have the Police arrest your thieving ass and keep you in prison where a *unt like you belongs"! This did not stop her as, after all,"It IS the Season to be Stuipd (excuse me merry)"! I had to block her from continuing to I'm me so I could work.

Last December 2010 I was laid up with a lousy foot infection that I ended up having surgery on in Davao in January 2011. But this kept me from being online often and I missed the hundreds of "Pleas for Help at Christmas" that I would normally receive. Saved me a good $ 1, 000 or more US. Tough way to do it. This Year I will just tell them all "Merry Christmas! Goodbye"!

I mentioned a year ago at this time that the beautiful 18 year old Michelle in Manila re-surfaced then. It was getting close to the Holidays and she remembered how she was wined and dined by me in December 2009 in Makati and stayed with me at the Dusit Hotel. She left at Noon on Janaury 1, 2010 to change clothes. Texted me an hour later asking for 4, 000 pesos to help her Family (ya right!). I reminded her that I had given her gifts and money in excess of 10, 000 pesos over the last few days and handed her 1, 500 pesos just before she left. I did not hear from her again for ten months. But it was again the Christmas Season and she needed a Sucker (excuse me Lover) to spend money on her then.

Dragon Slayer

Guys,

October brings out nice, cool, mild weather where I live. Also, time to begin thinking about where to spend Christmas and New Year's. I spent New Year's Eve here in Davao CIty back in 2006, 2007 & 2008. I was in Makati at the Dusit Hotel in 2009. I have no intention of spending New Year's in Davao this Year as it is just too quiet a place then. Everything is closed and there are parties at the Marco Polo and Apoview Hotels but not much else. I attended the Dusit Hotel party two years ago and I found it very disappointing. It was just a huge food fest. For 5, 000 pesos you could go from one of the four main restaurants to another eating food. But how the fuck much can you eat? I mean for 5000 pesos you should be drinking champagne and fine wines as well.

I could not get into Tosca's Restaurant and the Restaurant Manager excorted me and Michelle (18 year old Makati hustler) to the Thai restaurant for seating. We had perhaps $30 worth of food on a normal night in a restaurant for $ 115. 00. By 11:30PM we were back in the hotel room out of sheer boredom. The Dusit Hotel did fine that night. But is was a joke as a New Year's Eve event.

I spoke to the mother of my baby daughter who lives outside Manila. I will plan to meet her for New Year's and go somewhere else. Hong Kong is a possibility. I never spent New Year's there. I was in Thailand many times for New Year's and I have no desire to return. I am considering something different. Not sure what at this time but something will come up.

On updates the Kid, my nephew in NYC, has moved out of his rent controlled apartment. His new wife from Davao has him by his ear dragging him wherever she wishes. I no longer keep in touch with him as there is no point. I got the fat guy married and, as far as he is concerned, there is no further purpose in our keeping in touch. Can only wonder how long this "marriage" will last.

Brad, or rather,"Sir Brad" no longer visits Davao. As you recall, he is the "boy wonder" from Texas who, at the young age of 42, announced to his parents that he was travelling to Davao City, Philippines. Never having left texas in his 42 years, I can imagine the looks on his parents' faces when he made this announcement. He contacted GoodEnough and this set in motion Sir Brad's escapades here. I quickly got fed up with Brad constantly using GE like a second Father to get him hotels, take him out to dinner and set him up with women (fucking gross). I told GE that this guy was using him "like a tool". Too fucking lazy to do anything for himself and living off money from home, he had no shame of requesting tons of favors. Until that nasty Dragon Slayer stepped in as Momma Brad stated.

Having to fend for himself at age 43 for the first time, Brad up and left Davao. Headed to Cebu and I got a "heads up" then from GoodEnough as I was in Cebu City at the time. Our paths never crossed. We lost contact with Brad awhile back. However, GoodEnough and Mama Brad are still the "Best of Friends".

Dragon Slayer

Guys,

Has anyone besides GoodEnough tried the new Claude's "Cafe de Ville" Restaurant? I viewed it while there in August and it looked magnificent from the outside but was not yet open. The old restaurant was very nice but too small. How about the "Cellar" restaurant on the ground floor of the building where Cafe de Ville now rests? This can be a great place to spen a fine evening. As with any fine dining restaurant, if you want to keep the bill down, skip wine and desserrt. Stick to a glass of wine with dinner and coffee afterwards. And DO NOT let the waitresses EVER suggest entrees or anything to your date! Had this happen once at Claude's old place. The girl had my date choose, at her advice, a very expensive meal she would never have wanted AND an expensive appetizer. She coule not finish the main course and it is a good thing I steeped in and said NO to the appetizer. This also happened on a much worse scale in Makati at Carpaccio's with my daughter's mother back when we first began dating.

The best places to dine in Davao City and include a nice bottle of wine with your dinner are "Bon Appetit" on a street just below Victoria Plaza Mall as you are heading out towards Damosa. It is in the corner of a small "strip mall" about 100 meters from the main road (you make the last right before Victoria Plaza Mall) in a Compound called "Plaza del Carmen". Has a nice Italian red for P680 / btl and a good French red for P1000 / btl. The other Place is "Entree' Restaurant" on the first floor of the Apoview Hotel. Has an excellent evening buffet and wines are P840 for the same Italian red as at "Bon Appetit" and an excellent french red for P980. The lighting is dim and the booths are very cozy. Great for a romantic evening with a lady. If you order from the menu the Beef Tenderloin is fabulous and, at P560, a great value. Entree' has live music from 8:00. 11:00PM Thurs. Sat nights.

Dragon Slayer

DS, I tried both of these places. While I enjoyed the dock at Bon Appetit, it was a distant second to Claude's creations. We did not keep the bill down one bit and, as far as I remember meals, this is THE best one I ever had in Davao. Costly and worth every penny. If I get rich I will eat there every day when I am in Davao.

I stayed at Marco half my visit and must say that I was disappointed with both the food and the service. They are just not up to the standards they are selling themselves by.

Davao itself was as gloomy as ever. Weekends you will find people out, but on week days it is like a ghost city unless you visit a 40 PHP eatery. Fortunately there is no shortage of punani.

Barba

Barba,

I like Bon Appetit but find it a bit claustrophobic and too bright. For French food or any quality dining I like dim lights, white, linen tablecloths and fine China. A good bottle of fine, red wine is also necessary. Cafe de Ville is still the best place for dining out in Davao City. As to the Marco Polo, the new GM has lowered service and quality. He must think he is "king shit" or something. The restaurant on the fourth floor is nice but the wines are horrifically overpriced!

For someone seeking women try the five Filipino barbecue joints around J Camus & Illustre Sts. They open at 5PM and stay open from 11PM to 05:00AM depending on which one. All are cheap. Food is laced in salt and fat. If you plan on living a long, healthy life, just have a cold beer. But ladies are here at night as it is a happening area and the prices are cheap.

Dragon Slayer

"Dock" should have been "duck" I my last post. LOL.

Yea, these eateries can be good pick up points and they are friendly to your wallet. I would perhaps say that the density of available women are not that high compared to other options, but approaching the only girls-table is a sure way to get rid of a couple of hundred peso and hopefully getting a number that you can massage for later adventures in the sack. A bit sad to revert to picking up girls in the kitten bbq joints, but thats Davao in recession.

B

Guys,

Back in early 2004 through 2006 the Place I would sometimes meet women was the corner convenience store at J Camus St / Illustre St Intersection. It was popular with ladies and young filipinos from 5:00PM forward. The Hospital on Illustre St would result in nurses and hospital Staff coming here in the early evening, along with students from the nearby college. I called it "Ground Zero" for the abundance of young women in the evening here.

Today this is just a convenience store and the outdoor tables are empty. The opening of Peoples Part across the Street (J Camus) and the now six barbecue joints, all with live music, have eliminated it as a hangout. Again, I would NOT suggest dining in any of the barbecue places. Simply order a San Miguel and work the ladies at the tables. You simply walk over, introduce yourself, offer to buy the ladies a drink and see what transpires. It IS as simple as that! Don't be shy and do NOT be a jerk. Just friendly and a little bit on the "Funny / cocky side" with the jokes and the offbeat comments. If you do not know how to do this, then just be friendly. But do NOT be quiet, shy or wimpy. If you want to behave like old Jellyfish does, you will end up exactly like him, ALONE!

I always go over and say "Hello, ladies, how are you tonight?". I then introduce myself and say I am here in Davao to visit my american friends working here and indicate that I am a single guy. I see how they respond and check for eye contact and smiles. Follow with,"can I buy you lovelyn ladies a drink?" If they say yes, I ask them to join me at a table. Usually, they ask me to join them at their table. I quickly narrow my "search" to 1-2 beautiful women at the table. Tell them all what hotel I am at and invite them back for a drink there. If they pass, I simply ask the 1 or 2 ladies I am most interested in for their cellphone numbers. I copy these into my phone with a notation so I know exactly whom they are.

Always schedule lunch or early evening drinks with 1 or 2 ladies for the next day. You have to work this and indicate that while you will be in Davao City for some time period, you will be busy with some business appointments. Give the appearance of being available, but only for a brief time frame. DO give the ladies your cellphone. I once did this with 2 girls that I met at Rizal Promenade one night. Took them to lunch with me the following day. Neither one was interested in me and the one said that as I was in my late 40's, I was too old for her. But they gave my cellphone # to a gorgeous 21 year old. I ended up meeting her in my hotel room the following day and fucking her twice in the 1 1/2 hours after we initially met. She was MUCH LOVLIER AND SEXIER than any one of the other two that I had originally met. And, at 21, several years younger than either of them! Obviously, she had no problem with my being 25+ years older than her.

I can still recall how, in the early morning in my hotel room, she was riding "Trousersaurus Rex", yelling out: "come on give it to me! Ohh yeah, give it to me baby. GIve me your big dick now. Cum inside me baby! I want it ALL NOW!" What a referral! And it cost me only buying the original two "bozos" a beer at Rizal Promenade and lunch at Swiss Deli. I learned a long time ago that if one lady tells me she is NOT interested,"Who the fuck cares!" There are thousands more out there who will be interested. You simply move on and go forward. But it was still a smart move for me to give the "two donuts" my cellphone number. They simply passed it on to a girlfriend who was interested in a foreigner a lot older than she was.

Dragon Slayer

I have to disagree with my friends DS and Barba about the comparative quality of food at Claude's (Café de Ville) and Bon Appétit. Claude is a friend of mine, and I fully appreciate the quality of food and the ambience of his new place, however I don't believe that the overall food quality is any better than that of Bon Appétit, and I appreciate the fact that Yves and Rosalie, the proprietors of the latter, are constantly experimenting and changing the menu. Claude's menu, on the other hand, hasn't changed in years.

Admittedly, the ambience at Claude's new place is lovely, and far more elegant than the smaller and somewhat cramped Bon Appétit. However, Claude's wine list is distinctly unimpressive and small, and the prices for middle of the road wines are outrageous. Also, Claude's menu hasn't changed in years. So for me, considering I can eat at Bon Appétit for fully half of the price that I can at Claude's and the fact that there's little or no difference in overall food quality, means that I eat at the fomer more frequently than the latter. I still go to Claude's once every 4 or 5 weeks, but the price:quality ratio is skewed in the wrong direction. But then, I live here and I'm eating in local restaurants more frquently than DS and Barba so I admit that my perspective is different. Also, driving into the downtown area has become more of a hassle than it's worth for me, and it's just plain easier to go to Bon Appétit and to find parking, which is a big plus factor for me.

GE

Dragon Slayer – the five Filipino barbecue joints around J Camus & Illustre Sts: This is great information. I really appreciate it. And although I will not make it to Davao on my upcoming 2nd trip to the Philippines, I am going to file this away for future reference. I am working my way south in the Philippines. There is method to my madness. On my 1st trip, last year, I made it to AC, Manila and Palawan. For the new trip I am going to be checking out Cebu and Northern Palawan in addition to hitting MNL and AC again. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I know eventually (my 3rd trip) I will get to Davao and CDO.

[QUOTE=Dragon Slayer; 1211389]For someone seeking women try the five Filipino barbecue joints around J Camus & Illustre Sts. They open at 5PM and stay open from 11PM to 05:00AM depending on which one. All are cheap. Food is laced in salt and fat. If you plan on living a long, healthy life, just have a cold beer. But ladies are here at night as it is a happening area and the prices are cheap. Again, I would NOT suggest dining in any of the barbecue places. Simply order a San Miguel and work the ladies at the tables. You simply walk over, introduce yourself, offer to buy the ladies a drink and see what transpires. It IS as simple as that! Don't be shy and do NOT be a jerk. Just friendly and a little bit on the "Funny / cocky side" with the jokes and the offbeat comments.

I learned a long time ago that if one lady tells me she is NOT interested,"Who the fuck cares!" There are thousands more out there who will be interested. You simply move on and go forward.[/QUOTE]The game seems little more challenging in Davao. In AC and Manila you just point and click. Of course, as you write, you have to have some game and put a little effort into it. It is like Baseball. The greatest hitter of all time: Ted Williams batted 406 in 1941. Meaning 6 out of 10 times at bat he did not get a hit; he was not successful. It is the same deal with women. Some guys are better hitters than others. I have a couple of friends that are amazing, but I learned a long time ago that if you don't let it get you down, you will do all right. I figure an average guy who bats, say 200 in the USA can do a lot better in Davao, Philippines. I look forward to getting in the batter's box.

Guys,

Je ne sais pas le Pusse'. I met some gorgeous French speaking girl online who wants to blow me magnificently. Sadly, as my Spanish "es muy bueno" why me tailandia es mehore (fuck I had a thai wife years ago and kept an apartment there amongst all thai people) I had to admit to this nymphette as she exposed her 36 C "Rack of Gibralta" (definitely an 'A rack' as opposed to the Iraq),"Je ne parle francais".

No matter, I will fuck her anyway. Won't be the first time (or the tenth) I met / fucked a girl who could not speak any english and I could not speak her language. So long T Rex rises to the occasion,"Life Will Be Sweet"! I had to whip out ol T Rex and give her lovely, french eyes a view of the lizard just to appease her. She was using some fucking translation software. It was ok, just ok. Did not need any translation software when she exposed those giant puppies for my viewing pleasure.

I think a few trips to French Restaurants will assist me in gaining some phrases for this nymph. And I am still deciding when to make my next Trip anywhere. I know I will be in the Phils for New Years and, hopefully, Christmas. But a short trip somewhere else over the US Thanksgiving Holiday may be necessary. If you are with Family over this long Holiday weekend from Now 23. Now 28, it may be bearable. Or not. Could be a lot like the movie,"Home for the Holidays" where the Family experiences the "Thanksgiving from Hell" (sort of like my birthday was this past January; read Cebu Forum then for details).

It does look like I will not be in Davao City until January. I am leaning towards spending Christmas to New Year's in Makati with my baby daughter and her mother. Then have Rose and my 2 year old son meet me in Cebu City. Arrive there just in time for New Year's Eve. Stay at either the Marco Polo Plaza or Hotel Elizabeth. I will bring various and sundry exquisite champagnes to drink each night / day / night.

I am beginning to look forward to it!

Dragon Slayer

I had four meals at Café de Ville one at and Bon Appétit over the years, so I would not say I have enough experience to prefer one over the other. The first time I dined at Claude's the food was terrible. Claude was not in the restaurant. But this last meal was superb. A plate of tuna carpaccio and a foie gras on toast for starters (shared with my dining date) , and duck with foie gras sauce as main course. Very good taste! But I totally agree that the price in general is to high and that the wine list is ridicilously over priced.

While on this topic, I must compliment the service at Buona Terra on Torres. I do not think I ever got better service in Davao, and the crêpe Suzette I had was really tasty. To bad they are almost always empty on customers. I would like that restaurant to survive.

B.

Guys,

As it gets closer to Christmas the ladies will work us harder and harder online for money. It is easy to get caught up in this. Had five the past week play the "give me money for a webcam so you can see my body" Line on me. This is one of the older lines; right up there with "my grandmother needs to have surgery now". Have to be careful.

If you find yourself alone in Davao City on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday nights, easily the most boring nights here, consider Peoples Park on J Camus St early evening. For later you can go to the numerous Filipino barbecue places located right at the intersection of J Camus St / Illustre Sts. On Sunday morning / afternoon Ayala Mall or SM or Gaisano or Victoria Plaza Malls around the food courts are where you will find ladies. Here you will have regular girls shopping / window shopping, semi-pros hanging out and some bonifide prostitutes. The latter two groups will most likely approach you. For the regular girls a little "game" is necessary. Make an effort to look like someone they would want to meet. Lose the "Beachcomber Bill" or "Redneck Bob" attire and wear a shirt with a collar and jeans or decent pants and shoes. Be friendly and amicable. Get the lady to like you and be interested. Smile and act courteous and invite her for coffee or lunch.

By moving slowly along to your goal, you should be able to have the lady accompany you to your hotel. Avoid coming off as a deviant or pervert and simply act nice. Works for me and I have the major disadvantage of being 6'4" & 240lbs. Big men scare little women. Have to act very easy going and friendly and avoid the sex crazed foreigner demeanor. So, no references to sex or the "lizard" in your pants. He will get his chance soon enough. No need to "frighten the dove from the garden".

If nothing presents itself and it is evening, get to Hot Legs 3 by 9:00PM. This can be a good place to go on one of these slower nights as there will be less men in there and you get the full attention of the ladies. Should you find one that gets your interest, I suggest the VIP Room, assuming it is not too gross or unpleasant. The women always want a foreigner to pay upwards of 3, 500 pesos to take them out and I have seen them occasionally come down to 2, 500 pesos but no lower. I find this a bit much, unless you absolutely have to get laid. Hopefully, it does not come to this. And the VIP Room should cost no more than 1, 500 pesos and you get laid and do not have to have the lady back at your hotel room, hitting you for a "Tip" and "taxifare". Who needs it!

Dragon Slayer