(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country.

Though I had a return ticket, I don't remember anyone asking for proof of it.

There may be electronic checks but I highly doubt it.

(03-06-2016 10:20 AM)Onto Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I'm going to the Philippines at the end of April for two around months. I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country. Assuming that this is true what's the best way to get around this?

If your ticket is one-way to the Philippines you will need to show you have an onward ticket before you even board the plane. That onward ticket needs to depart within 30 days after arrival?? Not sure of the timeline.

Some have suggested you buy one on Orbitz or something and then cancel it after you touchdown.

Or you can buy a cheap/burner ticket directly from Cebu Pacific for around $50 or maybe less.

Thanks for posting that link, I've been sitting here looking at flights within SEA on cheapoair that are astronomically more expensive then flights on cebupacific. Any other good sites to look at for budget flights in Asia?

(03-06-2016 12:42 PM)the Thing Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country.

Though I had a return ticket, I don't remember anyone asking for proof of it.

There may be electronic checks but I highly doubt it.

In my one experience flying into and out of Manila (MNL) to explore it in 2014, as a US citizen, I did not have a return ticket, nor did they ask me for one.

(03-06-2016 02:39 PM)aeroektar Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 10:20 AM)Onto Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I'm going to the Philippines at the end of April for two around months. I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country. Assuming that this is true what's the best way to get around this?

If your ticket is one-way to the Philippines you will need to show you have an onward ticket before you even board the plane. That onward ticket needs to depart within 30 days after arrival?? Not sure of the timeline.

Some have suggested you buy one on Orbitz or something and then cancel it after you touchdown.

Or you can buy a cheap/burner ticket directly from Cebu Pacific for around $50 or maybe less.

Thanks for posting that link, I've been sitting here looking at flights within SEA on cheapoair that are astronomically more expensive then flights on cebupacific. Any other good sites to look at for budget flights in Asia?

Not sure, but maybe Tiger Air also. If you PM Global Entry he might have some more info for you. He travels in Asia a lot. Thanks for the rep pt.

For anyone who will be in the Philippines between October 2016 and May 2017, Air Asia are having their yearly "piso" sale at the moment with lots of dirt cheap tickets to internal and international airports: http://www.airasia.com/ph/en/promotion.p...ag272hpmba

(03-06-2016 03:58 PM)Onto Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 02:39 PM)aeroektar Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 10:20 AM)Onto Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I'm going to the Philippines at the end of April for two around months. I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country. Assuming that this is true what's the best way to get around this?

If your ticket is one-way to the Philippines you will need to show you have an onward ticket before you even board the plane. That onward ticket needs to depart within 30 days after arrival?? Not sure of the timeline.

Some have suggested you buy one on Orbitz or something and then cancel it after you touchdown.

Or you can buy a cheap/burner ticket directly from Cebu Pacific for around $50 or maybe less.

Thanks for posting that link, I've been sitting here looking at flights within SEA on cheapoair that are astronomically more expensive then flights on cebupacific. Any other good sites to look at for budget flights in Asia?

Not sure, but maybe Tiger Air also. If you PM Global Entry he might have some more info for you. He travels in Asia a lot. Thanks for the rep pt.

I have just finished booking all my flights and managed to find a flight from London to Manila with China Southern via http://www.skyscanner.net/, including one stopover in China for 3 hours for $416, meal included. My flight from Manila to Tokyo with http://www.jetstar.com for $140 with a meal included.

The London to Manila flight was booked around six weeks in advance and the Manila to Tokyo flight three months in advance.

As I mentioned before, learning Tagalog has made my interactions more enjoyable and opened doors in return for a small time investment. I have a little time so I will share a few lines for those who are interested to practice.

Words between [] are the approximate pronunciation. Search online for the proper pronunciation. In general, when you see double vowels (oo, aa), you will repeat the vowel sound. Example: Caloocan city = [cal oh oh can sih tee]. Another thing to consider is that the o will often be used in a fast and deep pronunciation that is difficult to explain in text. Example: the o in Tulog (sleep). Some sounds will require practice and searching online for. Especially difficult is the ng sound in words like nga. Pimsleur is highly recommended if you're so inclined.

Basic greetings
Magandang means beautiful and is used at the beginning of most greetings.

Magandang umaga [mah gan dung ooh mah gah]- good morning

Magandang tanghale [mah gan dung tang hah ley]- good day (only used between noon and 1pm or so. Of limited use)

Magandang hapon [mah gan dung hah pone]- good afternoon (1-3pm {varies} until 6pm).

Magandang gabi [mah gan dung gah bee] - good evening (6pm until everyone sleeps).

Addressing others
Kuya [koo yah] - Older brother. Can be used even if they're younger than you in some situations (if they're dating the elder sister of your girlfriend, if they're your waiter, if they're working as a customer service rep, porter, taxi driver, security guard, etc at any place you're patronizing). Pretty much any male you'll talk to that you don't know personally you will address this way.

Ate [ah tay] - Older sister. Same rules apply as Kuya, but regarding women instead of men.

Tito/Tita [tee toe, tee tah]- Uncle/Aunt. Used to respectfully address older men/women like the mom or dad of your girlfriend. Use sparingly until you know for sure the person is a generation older than you, or you might offend them since it applies that they're older.

Always address men and women as Kuya, Ate, Tito or Tita. It makes them feel more respected and they will be more willing to help you. If you can tie them together it is enough already to impress others. Simply saying "Magandang hapon ate" with the correct pronunciation will often make people surprised, make them smile, make them comment on you speaking tagalog and get them asking questions where you're from.

If they comment on you speaking tagalog, listen for key phrases like marunong, angaling mo, tagalog, or nakakaintindi. If you hear one you can reply with "Hindi masyado" [hin dee mas yah doh] (not much), which will often impress them since it's slang and how they talk. The more common reply they expect from foreigners is "konti lang" (a little). Usually this brings a laugh or a comment about how impressed they are.

I have to run, but that should be enough to get started.

^

Thoughtful gypsy / anyone else:
I am preparing for a 1st trip towards end of This year to Manila / Cebu / Davao. How many months would you estimate of pimpsleur are necessary to become 1st grade proficient in Tagalog?

I already speak Arabic and Spanish at the high school level.

Almost every time I add a girl on Skype, we pretty much never talk and the girl never messages again. We don't even webcam usually, but when we do the girls say I'm handsome. Still, even then, they usually vanish. What's up with that? I don't really have a problem meeting girls offline, but online it's a totally different story. I'm 33, by the way.

(03-06-2016 08:43 PM)Pyrrhic victory Wrote:  ^

Thoughtful gypsy / anyone else:
I am preparing for a 1st trip towards end of This year to Manila / Cebu / Davao. How many months would you estimate of pimpsleur are necessary to become 1st grade proficient in Tagalog?

I already speak Arabic and Spanish at the high school level.

Although its the official language of the entire country, most Filipinos outside of Luzon don't speak Tagalog at home, although they learn it at school and speak it with varying levels of proficiency. In the Visayas region (Cebu) and Mindanao, they speak Cebuano for example. Tagalog and especially Cebuano have lots of Spanish words so you'll recognize lots of words but honestly I wouldn't put too much effort into learning these languages as the locals speak English so well. Of course its nice to learn some phrases and the locals will appreciate it, its probably a great way to get a conversation going anyway.

(03-06-2016 10:43 PM)erikak Wrote:  Almost every time I add a girl on Skype, we pretty much never talk and the girl never messages again. We don't even webcam usually, but when we do the girls say I'm handsome. Still, even then, they usually vanish. What's up with that? I don't really have a problem meeting girls offline, but online it's a totally different story. I'm 33, by the way.

I've had better luck with Viber and What's app. You can also do a video call, regular call, or ask for selfies once you get her on Viber. Most girls will have Viber. Also, Facebook can work well, if you are alright with having them on your face book.

(03-06-2016 08:43 PM)Pyrrhic victory Wrote:  ^

Thoughtful gypsy / anyone else:
I am preparing for a 1st trip towards end of This year to Manila / Cebu / Davao. How many months would you estimate of pimpsleur are necessary to become 1st grade proficient in Tagalog?

I already speak Arabic and Spanish at the high school level.

The pimsluer program is only a 1 part series (compared to their 5 part spanish series). To answer your question, I have no idea. I only know Tagalog at a very, very basic level. To really learn it I think it would probably take at least a year immersed in the language. I'm not spending a great deal of time or energy learning it, and just learn it casually word by word. Most of the difficult sounds like ng are actually not that hard, though they take a little practice. I find the pronunciation easier compared to the rolling r in Spanish, or some words like rød in Danish. What's been hardest for me is understanding word order and when to say which version of each word. To say you, the words ikaw, ka, mo, and so on are used in different situations. There are also situations where you add an ng linker and some which you won't. Anong horas na (what time is it, or literally what time now), vs. Ano ba? (What is it?).

I would second what scotian said already, though I would add that in general, English proficiency drops the further outside of the major cities you go. Even areas where Tagalog is not the main dialect, they still most likely speak it better than English unless they work in the tourism/hospitality industries. Technically the official language is "Filipino", but it's almost indistinguishable from Tagalog. Some visayans resent that they are expected to learn Tagalog over Bisayan, because there are more of them than Tagals and weren't properly represented when the official dialect was chosen. The upper class often prefer to speak English over their native dialects because it is a sign of being educated. I have no plans in the foreseeable future of learning Tagalog beyond the basic level. As of now, I'm just doing it because it's a way of showing respect and it's been a lot of fun so far. It makes me stand out from other foreigners and I get invited into circles I most likely wouldn't have without it. Pinoys are used to having their hospitality being taken for granted and foreigners complaining about the less savory aspects of their culture, so to see someone whose not required to learn their language and culture do so makes a big impact on them. It also makes joking around with them easier, and from my experience, when combined with the right clothes it makes higher quality girls more eager to consider you or invite you to social events. All that being said, I think it's utility is limited. It's probably not necessary to learn unless you plan on living there for over 5 years.

It strikes me as a living language which is still changing and a lot of the history of the archipelago are apparent in the word usage in the language. As scotian said, there are a lot of Spanish cognates which can give a great deal of context as to what people are saying even if you speak zero Tagalog. There are some situations where they have different meanings though (seguro = maybe, whereas in Spanish it means sure), so be aware of those. I also notice that a lot of English is being used even by working class Filipinos in place of Tagalog throughout normal conversation. Most commercials are almost exclusively in English. It is also used in place of more difficult words. People often say "Morning" instead of "Magandang umaga". In general, whichever has the least syllables will be used. It's interesting to see how Spanish was used for words where there was no equivalent in Tagalog, and now English is being increasingly incorporated.

Quote:Almost every time I add a girl on Skype, we pretty much never talk and the girl never messages again. We don't even webcam usually, but when we do the girls say I'm handsome. Still, even then, they usually vanish. What's up with that? I don't really have a problem meeting girls offline, but online it's a totally different story. I'm 33, by the way.

What are the girls you're talking to like? I suspect the less educated ones will get bored with conversation easily. Are you in Phil? How close are you to them? Do you make plans to meet?

Apps to get:
Viber - As esalen said, it's the main way most people talk here. It's cumbersome to chat on dating sites, tinder, etc, so most people want to move the conversation to viber ASAP once they're comfortable with you.

Uber - Most convenient way of getting around in Phil. Often cheaper than taxis, and you enter ahead of time where your destination is. 20 minute ride is often around 110PHP, or less than $3

GrabTaxi - In leiu of Uber, you can also use GrabTaxi. The app also has a moto option you can request when Manila traffic is a parking lot. Motos only stop at red lights.

GoogleMaps - Good for double checking to make sure a taxi driver is going the right way. Can look at areas ahead of time so that they're cached in memory even when you're offline.

Currency converter - To double check that the price your getting is fair when money changing a large amount

weatherunderground - To plan ahead for really hot or rainy days

Tinder and other location based communication apps - for obvious reasons

Can get a load of unlimited data for ~1000php/mo. Probably less even but I didn't look around much. I try to avoid calling since it burns through load really quickly.

Many times you're making time a priority over money (using a 300php uber vs. a 40php jeepney route, or buying a 300php bottle of pre-squeezed lime juice vs. a 30php bag of calamansi) and it makes sense to go with the more expensive but much more convenient option. Other times you're wasting money by choosing the more expensive foreigner options. Next time I'll be staying in less expensive areas and buying like the locals. Still lots of options if you dont want to eat boney food. A 90php tapsilog is much better value for money than a 1000php breakfast at pancake house in my opinion.

(03-06-2016 12:42 PM)the Thing Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 07:05 AM)Poker Wrote:  I have read that you need proof of an outward flight to be allowed to enter to country.

Though I had a return ticket, I don't remember anyone asking for proof of it.

There may be electronic checks but I highly doubt it.

Recently I was asked to show my onward ticket at both the departing airport and on arrival in Manila.

They asked me before I left the US.

(03-07-2016 01:32 AM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  Uber - Most convenient way of getting around in Phil. Often cheaper than taxis, and you enter ahead of time where your destination is. 20 minute ride is often around 110PHP, or less than $3

If you don't want to use a credit card with Uber, open a new account and don't enter your credit card at all. You will be allowed to pay with cash. This is in Manila only.

Uber often has surge pricing in Manila and when there's traffic, your costs will mount very quickly (even without surge pricing).

Then there's GrabTaxi, which is a great app except that more often than not the taxis do not accept your request.

GrabCar drivers on the other hand usually respond, and have a fixed fee, although more often than not much higher than you would pay for a taxi.

To make a long story short.. overall and on average, you'll pay less and wait less if you just hail a taxi outside your door.

If you're in a place with long taxi queues, try some alternative pickup points.

For example, taking a taxi outside Glorietta on a Friday evening is virtually impossible. However if you walk to Legazpi St., it becomes much easier (it's a walk, but it's all indoors).

(03-06-2016 10:43 PM)erikak Wrote:  Almost every time I add a girl on Skype, we pretty much never talk and the girl never messages again. We don't even webcam usually, but when we do the girls say I'm handsome. Still, even then, they usually vanish. What's up with that? I don't really have a problem meeting girls offline, but online it's a totally different story. I'm 33, by the way.

I have found this to be pretty normal. These girls just have short attention spans. They get a thrill or whatever from chatting to a new guy, but then move on quickly to the next guy that responds to them. If you are in another country these type of girls don't have the patience to move it deeper like an online relationship. You kind of need to be there near them and make the move to meet them quickly. Part of this short attention span is I think is they might of been burned a few times, meaning they got involved deeper with a few guys online, but they never show up to meet them.

The other reason I have noticed to get you on skype, is there they can ask you for money. Its against the rules on many dating sites, so they try and get you to skype quickly. Then they can't get reported because there is no record on the dating site of them asking for money.

a. Does someone know a company that will meet you to pick up your passport, and get an extension of stay, to avoid waiting in line and traffic? I've been here 30 days with a Visa on Arrival. Looking to extend to 59 days.

b. About the return flight: When I was leaving the U.S. last month, I was told by a couple of people at the airline I booked with, that I would need a return flight to the U.S. However, I actually didn't need it after I talked to a couple of the supervisors. The outward bound flight from the Philippines was what they needed to see. I had booked a flight going out of Manila to another country within 30 days, and this is what they usually ask to see, and was sufficient. However, many people at the airline were confused and didn't know that. They thought that I needed a return flight to the U.S., which was incorrect.

(03-07-2016 05:45 PM)esalen1 Wrote:  a. Does someone know a company that will meet you to pick up your passport, and get an extension of stay, to avoid waiting in line and traffic? I've been here 30 days with a Visa on Arrival. Looking to extend to 59 days.

b. About the return flight: When I was leaving the U.S. last month, I was told by a couple of people at the airline I booked with, that I would need a return flight to the U.S. However, I actually didn't need it after I talked to a couple of the supervisors. The outward bound flight from the Philippines was what they needed to see. I had booked a flight going out of Manila to another country within 30 days, and this is what they usually ask to see, and was sufficient. However, many people at the airline were confused and didn't know that. They thought that I needed a return flight to the U.S., which was incorrect.

There are companies you can google for that, though I don't know how trustworthy they are. Probably varies. A lot of the guys I've talked to who stay here long term just fly out to another country and back for a day. Cheap flights to Taiwan or other places are <$100 round trip depending on when you book. Good info in b)

______

I was talking with an Uber driver about the difficulty of using the app at the airport now. He said the government tries to jam it at the airport since they're losing lots of money when people use it. The yellow cabs at the arrivals area are astronomical flat rates, and the white cabs at the departures area are still high flat prices.

He said that what the locals do is they buy a local sim near the money changing area, get a load and request Uber. You can't select the departures area in the app due to the jamming so you call the uber driver directly and let him know where you're at. Then they will pick you up. Alternatively, you can look for a white cab that's just dropping someone off (not the ones waiting) and get them to use the meter.

The white cabs are a flat rate of 500php so it's still not that expensive (a bit over $10USD), but I don't like the principal of being ripped off just for being a foreigner so I will go to unreasonable lengths to avoid it. I don't like giving my money to those who openly disrespect me. Something to consider for those coming to NAIA in the near future.

^ two questions

1. How recent is this jamming thing? Last november I was able to select departures within Uber, no issues.

2. Could I text the driver instead of calling?

When I've encountered the "required departure ticket" issue before in the Phils, its always been the airline personnel raising the issue, not immigration at the airport. I ended up booking a return on Expedia (which I then cancelled) at HKIA in the Philippines Airlines back office (they let me in to use their computer) once when headed from HKG to MNL. A bit of a headache, but assuming you have some flight booking function on your smart phone which can provide a cancellable ticket, its not a big deal ultimately even if you don't get invited into the back office.

(03-07-2016 05:45 PM)esalen1 Wrote:  b. About the return flight: When I was leaving the U.S. last month, I was told by a couple of people at the airline I booked with, that I would need a return flight to the U.S. However, I actually didn't need it after I talked to a couple of the supervisors. The outward bound flight from the Philippines was what they needed to see. I had booked a flight going out of Manila to another country within 30 days, and this is what they usually ask to see, and was sufficient. However, many people at the airline were confused and didn't know that. They thought that I needed a return flight to the U.S., which was incorrect.

Jamming is true as I couldn't get an exact point when I went a few weeks ago. I couldn't call the guy so I had to use white meter.

(03-07-2016 08:02 PM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  I was talking with an Uber driver about the difficulty of using the app at the airport now. He said the government tries to jam it at the airport since they're losing lots of money when people use it. The yellow cabs at the arrivals area are astronomical flat rates, and the white cabs at the departures area are still high flat prices.

I haven't been in Manila for over a month so this must be really recent since i've never had problems at the airports when calling uber. Terminal 3 is probably the best airport for uber tho since it's rarely crowded at arrivals. Terminal 2 can be a shit show on the other hand.

Another strategy is to take a white taxi to a local landmark (like a popular hotel) and then call an uber from there. This only makes sense if you have a long ways to go though. Uber + short white taxi ride is still so much cheaper than the rip off airport taxis which can be twice as much for long trips.

(03-07-2016 10:21 PM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  Another strategy is to take a white taxi to a local landmark (like a popular hotel) and then call an uber from there. This only makes sense if you have a long ways to go though. Uber + short white taxi ride is still so much cheaper than the rip off airport taxis which can be twice as much for long trips.

They have a shuttle between terminals that may be a help in overcoming the block if it is limited just to the international terminal. It is a little slow however.

I fucking hate the taxis at the Manila airport.

Edit: I just remember that I got a taxi from one terminal to the other and it was cheap like 100 or 150 pesos. May be able to do something similar with them taking you to Resorts World or some other local hotel and then call Uber from there.

(03-07-2016 05:45 PM)esalen1 Wrote:  a. Does someone know a company that will meet you to pick up your passport, and get an extension of stay, to avoid waiting in line and traffic? I've been here 30 days with a Visa on Arrival. Looking to extend to 59 days.

I found a place that will pick up my passport, deliver it, and get me an extension on one day's notice.

The cost is 7900 pesos. For me, this should be much better than taking a flight out or going to immigration. Maybe it's cheaper if you get it done 7 days in advance or go on your own.

I had to search online and make some calls before I could find a place that would do it. If it works out and anyone wants, I can pm or post the name or link of the website...I spent awhile researching it; a lot more than I thought I would have to. But next time it should be pretty easy since I know where to go now. I called 2 other places, but one would not answer the phone, and the other said they did not offer the expedited service. I should be set now. The last time I actually booked a flight out out, because I didn't know I could do this.

Cheers!