(03-08-2016 03:24 AM)esalen1 Wrote:  

(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!

To get your visa extended at the office would cost you 3030 pesos....you are paying a company more than double the original cost for 5 minutes of work with pick up and drop off. You should keep looking...Unfortunately cant help since I always walked into the office and was out within 30 minutes. It should cost you no more than 750 pesos for that service. For 4900 pesos you just paid a whole month salary for the delivery guy.

(03-07-2016 08:15 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:  ^ 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?

I can only speak to 1. I don't even know if there really is jamming going on or if it's one of those rumors that turn into gospel here. What I can say for sure is that no matter how many times I tried to move the pin, uber wouldn't let me select the departures area when I came last month. They let me drop it on the arrivals area though.

^ It's charted as a no pickup zone in the Uber app. Have you tried GrabTaxi, or just leaving the terminal and hailing a taxi?

Why people like to use Uber so much is beyond me. In my experience 75% of times it pays off to take another method of transportation (definitely in Manila).

Is there an area of cheap bars that are busy Wednesday and Thursday nights in Manila?

I've tried searching the forum but the information must be getting lost among the heaps of data the forum has on Manila.

Thanks!

(03-08-2016 09:32 AM)Malo Wrote:  ^ It's charted as a no pickup zone in the Uber app. Have you tried GrabTaxi, or just leaving the terminal and hailing a taxi?

Why people like to use Uber so much is beyond me. In my experience 75% of times it pays off to take another method of transportation (definitely in Manila).

I've only used grabtaxi a few times, so I can't comment as much on that. I'll take grabmoto if traffic is a parking lot. I will take a taxi if I know the route and don't feel like waiting for an uber. Though in general, I like Uber more because it cuts out a lot of the confusion for the driver and the chances of getting lost.

In my limited experience here, I noticed that names of streets or areas will be used in multiple locations within the same city so the chances for confusion are high. Many times cab drivers also won't know the place you want to go unless it's a major landmark. Yesterday I took a cab with Antidopean and some others to a place a few blocks away and we still had to direct the driver, sometimes in tagalog. Uber cuts out a lot of that hassle, especially if you don't know the areas well. Manila is a big place and the roads arent always easy to memorize.

_______

SM Megamall in Ortigas is huge with tons of stuff to do. I think I already mentioned there's ice skating and bowling there. There's also an amazing all you can eat Japanese/Korean buffet called Sambo Kojin. They have everything from sushi, to bulgogi, to a carvery with roast new zealand lamb. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had. About 650php/person after tax.

^ I liked Grabbike also but the gov has forced Grab to cancel it. Even if it's still running its days are numbered. Was fun to use it Not the safest option though.

Yes taxi drivers don't know their way sometimes.. I show them on the phone or just activate Waze and it gives them directions and helps with the traffic.

For me, it's less of a hassle than to wait an average of 20 minutes for Uber just to arrive to my location to pick me up. I'd rather drain the battery on Waze than on watching Uber tell me the driver will arrive in 5 minutes, when it almost always takes him 4 times that.

Thoughtgypsy,

Nice posts. A word on "Ate" though. As far as I remember, it shouldn't be used on a younger chick. I was told that young girls can get offended by this, especially if you are clearly older! Personally I used it loads of times on waitresses and was later told (by the girl with me) that this was wrong/impolite...Chances are they are giving us a foreigner pass on this one though!

(03-09-2016 07:44 AM)Bushido Wrote:  Thoughtgypsy,

Nice posts. A word on "Ate" though. As far as I remember, it shouldn't be used on a younger chick. I was told that young girls can get offended by this, especially if you are clearly older! Personally I used it loads of times on waitresses and was later told (by the girl with me) that this was wrong/impolite...Chances are they are giving us a foreigner pass on this one though!

You're probably right. I haven't had any bad experiences with it so far but I think I remember someone telling me the proper way to address a girl in the service industry that's younger than you is miss, not ate. Thanks for the welcome reminder. Much worse is to call a woman around the same age as you as tita unless she's the older relative of your girl. I almost never use that word anymore.

Like you said, I think we're getting a pass on it. Even when wrong, foreigners attempting to observe cultural practices can be a welcome sight. But given how insults in the Philippines are often done passive aggressively, I can see how it could be taken very negatively.

Basic Tagalog, continued:

Please, Thank you, You're welcome

salamat [sah lah maht] - Thank you

maraming salamat [mah rah ming sah lah maht] - Thank you very much

walang anuman [wah lang ah new mahn] - You're welcome/No problem

Po [poe] - Please. Example: Kuya, two waters po. Or: Kuya, dalawa tubig, po.


Logistics

kaliwa [kah lee wah] - Left

kanan [kah non] - Right

derecho lang [dee ray cho lang] - Go straight

dito lang [dee toe lang] - Here (You can point where you want to stop, and say dito lang. The driver will know to pull over there for you.)

para po [pah rah poe] - Stop (for jeepney, FX van, bus, or taxi)

Useful for navigating. Sometimes the drivers don't speak much English and won't always know the exact route, so you can fire up waze (per Malo's instructions) or google maps and direct the driver.

Example:
Your phone is dead so you get a cab. You are on your way back and are close to your condo but the cab driver doesn't know the rest of the way that well. He doesn't speak any English and you recognize the way back so you start directing him.

Kuya, kaliwa sa makati ave, [pointing] dito lang. (Left at makati ave, up here. Note: I don't know if sa is the right word to use)
... derecho lang
... kanan sa jupiter st
... dito lang, kuya. para po.

It's also useful when looking for a place on foot. Sometimes the map markers for places aren't exact, or there will be stores inside a mall that you won't exactly know where to get to. Often the security guards will know, or the information kiosk at a local mall will. If you ask them, listen for the keywords kaliwa, kanan, derecho lang, and tapos(sp?). Tapos means then, so it will help you figure out in which order you follow the directions.

Saan yong [sah ahn yong] - Where is. Ex: Kuya, saan yong ayalla triangle park?

Anong horas na [ah nong ore ahs nah] - What time is it now?

(03-08-2016 07:55 AM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  

(03-07-2016 08:15 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:  ^ 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?

I can only speak to 1. I don't even know if there really is jamming going on or if it's one of those rumors that turn into gospel here. What I can say for sure is that no matter how many times I tried to move the pin, uber wouldn't let me select the departures area when I came last month. They let me drop it on the arrivals area though.

If you're flying into the airport getting picked up at arrivals is the correct pin to drop.

Hey guys. For the people licing in cebu: which online dating platform here I's the best for getting girls for casual sez? I'm looking to do volume. In Makati I used tinder,the quality was reasonable and most girls were earning because I got them from Makati only. What's the best app or site for cebu?

^tinder works, but there aren't enough attractive girls there. Use date in Asia to supplement it. If that's not enough for you, pay for philippino Cupid. Also, go to mango square. When I visited, a girl at one of the clubs in mango offered me "casual sez"., I passed, because one of her front teeth was missing. I was drunk but not that drunk.

Can anyone recommend a top notch hair cut or sports massage place, near downtown Makati or Greenbelt? I'm looking for top quality; Price isn't an issue for me on these items.

Thanks

(03-10-2016 11:33 PM)esalen1 Wrote:  Can anyone recommend a top notch hair cut or sports massage place, near downtown Makati or Greenbelt? I'm looking for top quality; Price isn't an issue for me on these items.

Thanks

What do you mean by sports massage? If you have really bad muscle tension and knots, you may want to try "Hilot" deep tissue massage. It's meant to work out problematic muscle tension and probably won't be as pleasant as a swedish massage. From my limited experience, price more closely reflects the location and decorum of the massage facility, and seems to have little bearing on the skill level of the massage therapists. I went to two different places recently, one of which I paid 4x more for what was essentially the same massage.

(03-10-2016 07:38 PM)asdfk Wrote:  Hey guys. For the people licing in cebu: which online dating platform here I's the best for getting girls for casual sez? I'm looking to do volume. In Makati I used tinder,the quality was reasonable and most girls were earning because I got them from Makati only. What's the best app or site for cebu?

In Cebu now, and I'll second Brodiaga's answer. I'd go as far as to say Tinder was a shock here in terms of the quality you see there and the absolutely unbelievable amount of lady boys (by faaaaaaar more than in Manila).

Quality in FC is ok although I've bumped into more scammers than in Manila ("I want to visit you but can you please transfer money for a taxi to my bank account please, no don't send me Uber instead just send money to my bank I'm not a scammer really I'm not" type of thing).

Quality of girls around the city (malls, clubs, streets) is generally ok.

(03-11-2016 01:21 AM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  

(03-10-2016 11:33 PM)esalen1 Wrote:  Can anyone recommend a top notch hair cut or sports massage place, near downtown Makati or Greenbelt? I'm looking for top quality; Price isn't an issue for me on these items.

Thanks

What do you mean by sports massage? If you have really bad muscle tension and knots, you may want to try "Hilot" deep tissue massage. It's meant to work out problematic muscle tension and probably won't be as pleasant as a swedish massage. From my limited experience, price more closely reflects the location and decorum of the massage facility, and seems to have little bearing on the skill level of the massage therapists. I went to two different places recently, one of which I paid 4x more for what was essentially the same massage.

Yes, a deep tissue massage is what I was looking for. I was going to the Antel Spa at best western in Makati and they do pretty good work there usually. It's 1100 or 1300 for 1.5 hour, which is pretty cheap based on u.s. prices. Also has hot tub and sauna.

I was wanting to find some other good places. Maybe I should check out some of the other hotels around here. I tried one big hotel and it wasn't any better than the ones I get in the shops. I haven't have much luck at the walk in shops on the street so far, although for a Swedish massage it's not bad..I do like to avoid places that give hand job for a massage for the mostpart.

Also, Titan barbershop is a good place to get a cut if that's your style.

I think I had my first attempted pick pocket here last night. Was walking down makati ave when a boy, maybe 10-12 came up next to me asking for money. I said "hindi po" but he kept walking beside me and eventually was leaning against me. I usually walk with my hands close to my pockets anyway, but I put them over my pockets and one of his hands tried to go for the pocket he was up against. I gave a much louder "HINDI" which got other people around to notice, and he ran off.

This was the first time anything like this happened to me in all my time here, and it honestly wasn't that bad.

A picture of just my ugly face gets a few matches on tinder. Changed it to a picture of me and my grandma playing scrabble. Match explosion. If you don't get enough hot girls with your face, maketc it a family picture

This afternoon I met a Japanese woman on the streets. Unbelievably sexy. The sounds she made.. like a thousand chuckles. I gotta get over there

RE: Taxi Options from Manila Airport

FYI...

Hey Grabber!

GrabCar is now available in NAIA!

What does this mean?
It means that Grab is the first TNC to be officially accredited by MIAA! Start of operations will begin on March 14. That’s right, another option for Grab travellers to book GrabCars to travel to and from the airport.

How does it work?
Grab booths will be placed at designated areas at the terminals where booking agents will assist passengers. Anyone will be able to book a ride even if they may not have a smartphone or mobile data connectivity. Multiple bookings can be made at the Grab booths at any one time to cater to more travellers. Those who wish to book a ride with Grab may also do so using their smartphones.

Pick-up Locations
Terminal 1: Main Arrival Curbside
Terminal 2: Inner Arrival Curbside between Bays 7 and 8
Terminal 3: Secondary Arrival Curbside between Bays 5 and 6
Terminal 4: Curbside

We are making transport freedom a reality! Grab Away!

Re: onward ticket, you can just buy one / rent one for $9 from FlyOnward.com have a look at the website. You "rent" a ticket they buy through their travel agency and it's in your name and you can login to the airlines site with the booking reference and shit but the thing is their travel agent cancels the ticket within 48 hours.

so you buy the rental ticket just before leaving to head to the Philippines so you HAVE a legitimate ticket, which self destructs after you've been allowed to travel to and enter the country.

so much better than wasting money on throw away tickets you're never going to use anyway.

(03-13-2016 08:31 PM)rcraig33hb Wrote:  RE: Taxi Options from Manila Airport

FYI...

Hey Grabber!

GrabCar is now available in NAIA!

What does this mean?
It means that Grab is the first TNC to be officially accredited by MIAA! Start of operations will begin on March 14. That’s right, another option for Grab travellers to book GrabCars to travel to and from the airport.

How does it work?
Grab booths will be placed at designated areas at the terminals where booking agents will assist passengers. Anyone will be able to book a ride even if they may not have a smartphone or mobile data connectivity. Multiple bookings can be made at the Grab booths at any one time to cater to more travellers. Those who wish to book a ride with Grab may also do so using their smartphones.

Pick-up Locations
Terminal 1: Main Arrival Curbside
Terminal 2: Inner Arrival Curbside between Bays 7 and 8
Terminal 3: Secondary Arrival Curbside between Bays 5 and 6
Terminal 4: Curbside

We are making transport freedom a reality! Grab Away!

Its real. Just arrived to Manila today and got grab taxi ordered for me on the counter. Outside at ground floor area 4 there is a desk and even if you dont have internet you can still get grab car or grab taxi. Nice ride in a crosover to Makati cost me 300 pesos.

By the way is there anyone in Manila who wants to meetup?
Pm me or write here
https://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-53961.html

Just arrived to Manila from Bangkok. Asked a pipeline girl for a drink and she got all offended. Stating that a real gentleman only asks a girl out to dinner Wtf is that? Never heard this before in my life. Not a nice surprise hope it is not a normal thing here.

You're probably attracting the wrong kind of girl by even offering her a drink.

I prefer the McD 29peso ice cream sundae, or the free water at Glorietta food hall on a first meet.

jk

(03-14-2016 05:56 AM)Vinny Wrote:  Just arrived to Manila from Bangkok. Asked a pipeline girl for a drink and she got all offended. Stating that a real gentleman only asks a girl out to dinner Wtf is that? Never heard this before in my life. Not a nice surprise hope it is not a normal thing here.