Post: #26

(11-06-2013 08:31 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  Print it out show it to the counter agent. They just want to cover their asses.

That "onward ticket" annoyed me so many times, I always forgot about it. The first time I admitted I didn't have a ticket and I was forced to buy one on the spot. I bought a ticket for tiger air that was fully refundable, but still it's a hassle.

Afterwards, I switched my phone off, keep a poker face and say I have an e-ticket and it's in my email but my phone is dead (conveniently).

They do just want to cover their asses.

Good luck in Manila DD!

Post: #27

(11-10-2013 12:02 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  My guess would be that a condo similar to mine would cost you 42-45K if you wanted to rent it month to month. Remember I am renting a pretty bad ass condo in a one of the nicest buildings. Don't think there are not cheaper options because there are.

DD:

Thanks for describing some on the ground realities.

1) Can you post a few pics of your place? Your place must be furnished, and you must have a pool, a gym, a geographically good location, and maybe a couple of rooms to have a separate kitchen area, office area and bedroom for example?

2) I would have thought that utilities and internet would be included, so that is going to boost your costs and inconvenience... maybe an additional 5k to 7k per month?

3) My preferred price would be 20k to 30k per month to include utilities and internet and centrally located... maybe that is a bit unrealistic? I thought some of the RVF guys were hooking themselves up with these kinds of monthly rates for fairly decent lodging... wasn't Scotian around that price in the fort or is my memory serving me badly?

4) you said that you had once a week maid service, why NOT just have the lady pick up some food for you and cook a few times a week, also and then you can just reheat the left overs, or you gonna spend time cooking?

Post: #28

Quote:1) Can you post a few pics of your place? Your place must be furnished, and you must have a pool, a gym, a geographically good location, and maybe a couple of rooms to have a separate kitchen area, office area and bedroom for example?

Not going to post pics. I am a bit concerned about privacy. I will be here for the next 6 months not just staying for a week or two.

One thing I came across over and over again was condos with shitty furnishings. I mean it was like they spent all their money on the condo and ran out of money so just put some random stuff in the condo. When I found the one I am living in I instantly knew it was the one. But I had to look at 20 condos to find it.

My Condo has great furnishings and it is well thought out and designed for a man. Mostly black and white with a masculine feel to it. The only thing I had to buy was a coffee maker. It even has a washer/dyer which is a huge deal as finding a place to clean your clothes is a pain in the ass I had to deal with in Thailand that I hated.

It is a studio so no separate rooms other than bathroom.

I live in Fort Bonifacio and prices are higher here than in Makati on average. Location is ideal and amenities are top notch.

Please be assured cheaper options are available.

Post: #29

Quote:2) I would have thought that utilities and internet would be included, so that is going to boost your costs and inconvenience... maybe an additional 5k to 7k per month?

If you do month to month they might be included but if that is the case you are looking at 50K a month for my condo. Electricity use varies dramatically from person to person so any long term rental is never going to include it. I use the AC all the time. Hell sometimes I leave it on when I leave just so it is not hot when I come back.

Rent under a month and utilities will be included in the price.

Internet would have been included in mine but it was a shitty 1.5 Mbps. My life is dependent on the Internet so I upgraded to the 10Mbps which cost 3K php more per month.

I have not got my bills yet but I would guess it will come in at 8K php maybe. I use a ton of electricity because of the AC plus the upgrade to high speed internet.

Bills could easily be less than 4K for another person.

Post: #30

Quote:3) My preferred price would be 20k to 30k per month to include utilities and internet and centrally located... maybe that is a bit unrealistic? I thought some of the RVF guys were hooking themselves up with these kinds of monthly rates for fairly decent lodging... wasn't Scotian around that price in the fort or is my memory serving me badly?

Very possible especially around 30K. 20K might be pushing the limit on the bottom of what you will want if you are talking month to month rentals. It would be possible on 1 year lease.

You will want to stay in Makati. Prices are slightly cheaper and it has a huge amount of options. There is still open land in fort bonifacio that hasn't even been built on. Makati has a very dense population and more condos for rent.

Post: #31

Quote:4) you said that you had once a week maid service, why NOT just have the lady pick up some food for you and cook a few times a week, also and then you can just reheat the left overs, or you gonna spend time cooking?

If thats what you want she will do it. Not a problem.

Shopping is not a problem. I live walking distance to a great supermarket. I go in buy all my shit and then have a couple of the bag boys carry all of it to my condo. I tip them about $1 each and they are super thankful.

I don't have the maid cook because I like to cook, I am better at cooking than most, and I eat very healthy Paleo (low carb) meals. All I want is for her to clean up my mess. But right now several of the girls so far have been quick to clean my place so who knows if I even need a maid.

Trust me though... You want the maid to cook she will be happy to do it.

Post: #32

Did the typoon reallt cause a lot of damage over there or is it just media hype?

Post: #33

(11-10-2013 12:05 PM)Marcusg Wrote:  Did the typoon reallt cause a lot of damage over there or is it just media hype?

It sounds like it missed Manila for the most part.

Post: #34

In Makati. The typhoon seems to have missed here. Just needed an umbrella to walk around because of a bit of rain, then there was just enough wind that it made the air temperature pleasantly cooler.

Post: #35

Hey man,

Interesting thread. Seeing as you've got a lot of experience with Asia, how do you rank Philipines long term compared to Thailand? Significantly worse infrastructure and health care right?

How was Indonesia? I had a single encounter once with an indonesian girl in Hong Kong. Don't know if it is the case in general, but she had a great booty compared to other asian girls and was much easier and fun to talk to compared to thai girls who, bless their other talents, are not exactly generally very stimulating to converse with.

Post: #36

Quote:Hey man,

Interesting thread. Seeing as you've got a lot of experience with Asia, how do you rank Philipines long term compared to Thailand? Significantly worse infrastructure and health care right?

How was Indonesia? I had a single encounter once with an indonesian girl in Hong Kong. Don't know if it is the case in general, but she had a great booty compared to other asian girls and was much easier and fun to talk to compared to thai girls who, bless their other talents, are not exactly generally very stimulating to converse with.

I will always rank Thailand far ahead of every other SEA country when it comes to tourism and things to do and see.

When it comes to long term living of a year or more it is much closer and probably comes down to personal preferences. There is no obvious right answer.

I feel like I need more time living in Manila to give a valid answer. Last time I lived here was 5+ years ago and I have only been here 2 weeks so far.

Come back in a month and I will give you a much more detailed answer. So far I like Manila.

Post: #37

"The Bubble"

When discussing the three most popular SE Asia cities on RVF Bangkok, Jakarta, and Manila there are some major differences in how each city is set up.

-----------
Bangkok is surprisingly nice to most people on their first trip. Other than the power lines that feel like they are about to fall on your head at any minute the city is comparatively clean and safe to other SE Asian cities (excluding Singapore). I have been all over BKK driving my sweet ride Honda Scoopi Never did I feel like I was in an area that was unsafe or that I was threatened. Dirty and smelly at times but not unsafe.

You can live and hangout almost anywhere in Bangkok as a farang. This is unique to Bangkok. Not all cities in this area are like that.
-----------

Jakarta has pockets of really nice areas surrounded by poverty. Traffic is always going to be the #1 complaint about this city. But #2 is that everything is located far apart. You have some really nice areas with malls, hotels, bars, clubs, and restaurants but then it is a long ways away from the next nice area. With the traffic it can take ages to get there. So you have to decide early on where you are going to hang out.
-----------

"The Bubble"

Manila is unique in how it is set up. You will often hear people call Manila a shit hole. Dirty, Smelly, surrounded by poverty and very unsafe. Well that is sort of true. The vast majority of Manila is not that nice and extreme poverty is much more obvious compared with BKK. Parts are certainly unsafe for foreigners to be hanging out. But not if you live in the bubble.

Makati and Fort Bonifacio sit right next to each other with the EDSA highway splitting them. If you live within these two cities (Fort Bonifacio was declared by the courts very recently to be a part of Makati and not Taguig so really it is one city) you will have a whole other reality when living here. It can feel as nice as a city in North America at times. Skyscrapers, malls, wide boulevards lined with palm trees,and Parks give it a true cosmopolitan feel.

It is though someone has taken all the wealth of Manila and put it all only in this area. Many foreigners will spend 90% of their time here. It provides you with a level of comfort. Most of the best hotels, condos, restaurants, malls, clubs, and bars are located in the bubble. So most foreigners never leave it.


Problems with the bubble...

-It is the most expensive area.
-The most foreigners so you are not unique.
-Can keep you from experiencing some of the real realities most filipinos face.

I would suggest anyone starting out in Manila to stay in the bubble. It is the easy thing to do. Then as you get experience you can move elsewhere if you want. There are plenty of places in Manila that are safe and worth checking out that are outside of the bubble. Don't let it keep you from exploring the city as I have met a couple expats that almost never leave the bubble.

I live in Fort Bonifacio well within the bubble and it was the right decision for me.

Post: #38

Good insight from the grounds DD!
When I lived in BKK, I was living in that bubble area called Sukhumvit,paying about 800$/month at a relatively nice hotel, going out every night where money was spent without really worrying and eating out all the time. I was having a blast for about 3K$/month.

Say if I were to replicate the same in Manilla, living in the bubble of the Fort or the Mak, going out almost every night, eating out whenever I fancied, would 3K$/month do it? From your info, 800-1K/month for a nice furnished studio or 1 bedroom place, and about 2K/month for play money, is that enough to have a good lifestyle there similar to BKK?

Post: #39

@Vacancier Permanent
$3k USD is more than enough to live a great lifestyle in Manila even in the nicest of areas. Just like in Bangkok you could easily spend $5k+ if you wanted to be a big baller. But with only modest amounts of watching what you spend $3K will go a very long ways.

Cost of living in "The Bubble" and Sukhumvit is very similar.

The only thing I can see having a big price difference is cheap meals. In Bangkok you have access to tasty and cheap street food. I would eat street food several times a week in BKK. I may never eat it here and you can't even find it in near the quantity if you live in the bubble.

Post: #40

(11-11-2013 01:53 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  @Vacancier Permanent
$3k USD is more than enough to live a great lifestyle in Manila even in the nicest of areas. Just like in Bangkok you could easily spend $5k+ if you wanted to be a big baller. But with only modest amounts of watching what you spend $3K will go a very long ways.

Cost of living in "The Bubble" and Sukhumvit is very similar.

The only thing I can see having a big price difference is cheap meals. In Bangkok you have access to tasty and cheap street food. I would eat street food several times a week in BKK. I may never eat it here and you can't even find it in near the quantity if you live in the bubble.

In another thread, I posted a hypothetical budget for living 5 months at a time in an overseas location, such as SEA, that at first averaged $2600 a month, and in the end, after receiving additional comments came up to about $3200 a month.

That budget included the price for the RT flight there and contemplated traveling within the area about 3 or 4 times within a five month period of time.

/thread-28636-...#pid548657

Certainly, lifestyles are different, and we may want to tweak some kind of plan like this in various manners based on our lifestyles.

Post: #41

Maid showed up for her first day. She is in her 30's is a 4 maybe 5 if I am being nice. I have a strong desire to fuck her. WTF is wrong with me?

This country has made me crazy horny all the fucking time.

Post: #42

(11-12-2013 12:25 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  Maid showed up for her first day. She is in her 30's is a 4 maybe 5 if I am being nice. I have a strong desire to fuck her. WTF is wrong with me?

This country has made me crazy horny all the fucking time.

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I would NOT fuck the maid.

You want to find a maid that is sufficiently unattractive in order that there is NO such tendency or accident (b/c she is all in your shit). Now, maybe if it is her last day on the job, then maybe it would be o.k.... but I would refrain from intimacy with her b/c she knows too much about your stuff... and NO drama.

Maybe you should get a maid who is in her 40s or older? OR get a guy maid, if women are too tempting. he hehe

Post: #43

Fucking the maid is a terrible idea. No way I would do it. But it doesn't mean my dick isn't thinking about it.

Fucked a girl last night and have one coming over as soon as the maid leaves. I will survive


This is funny...
I have been texting with girls today and I told them my maid was here. So far all 3 of them have asked how old she was and if I have fucked her yet. I am guessing this must happen often if they all asked me that question.

Post: #44

We just had a meet up of 5 guys from the forum tonight...
/thread-29651.html

DirectDanger
Antipodean
Paul B
jj1up
deepgroove

It was my first time to meet anyone from the forum. If this is the quality of guys on this forum I am highly impressed. I would happily hang out with any of these guys again.

Hopefully it is the first of many meet ups. I think a couple of us are going to be around Manila for a while.

Post: #45

Even Arnie banged the maid.

I have a strange desire to bang chicks I see on a regular basis that I wouldnt consider banging otherwise. The two cleaning lady's at my condo, all of the 7-11 girls on my soi, slightly overweight 40 year old who works the desk at my gym, etc.

Post: #46

Do you think Cebu & beach towns doing surfing and diving will clean up by late December with the hurricane? I booked a ticket there a while ago, this puts a bit of a wrench in my plans if it effects stuff that much.

Post: #47

DD- Thanks again for organizing last night's meet-up! Great to meet you guys!

To the rest on the board, I also just moved here for work. I arrived last summer and I'll be in Manila for a looooong time! I'm in The Fort/Makati area and I'm still exploring and discovering the place but getting into the rhythm of it. Now that I'm a little more settled and have my bearings, it's time to get back into the game! Heh-heh.

I'll also be posting on this thread to share my info and insights of the Metro Manila scene and other areas of the Philippines!

So... stay tuned!

Post: #48

It's a psychological thing, seeing people often puts them into your mental tribe

Post: #49

Gonna be in Manila next week, DirectDanger. I'll be sure to PM you and see if you guys are up for meeting up. On that note, anything I should be aware of post typhoon? Are people just really bummed out (for good reason obviously) and staying home or is it business as usual in MNL?

Post: #50

Booshala-

People are bummed out. I'm starting to hear stories about family members and friends from some people I know and I'm starting to see food and disaster relief collections. But it's pretty much business as usual here. The typhoon barely brushed Manila. It wasn't near as bad as the typhoon last August that hit Manila.

Let us know what your plans are and have a safe trip over here!

(11-14-2013 03:57 AM)booshala Wrote:  Gonna be in Manila next week, DirectDanger. I'll be sure to PM you and see if you guys are up for meeting up. On that note, anything I should be aware of post typhoon? Are people just really bummed out (for good reason obviously) and staying home or is it business as usual in MNL?