Dagnasty Wrote:If you've never tasted Pinoy food, try to find some abroad.
If you can't - there's your sign. 
Ha, I guess I should have mentioned that I've been in the Phils for a better part of a year.
I don't mind Pinoy food. It's very similar to cuisine from the Southern US in many regards, and I eat stuff like adobo, lechon manok, bbq, buko shakes, etc. all the time.
But I get tired of eating the same shit and the lack of vegetables. Also, it really drives me crazy that Filipinos won't make foreign food at least somewhat authentically. Everything has to have the same flavor as everything else they eat.
Most of the non-Pinoy food here in Davao tastes like absolute garbage. There are some decent foreign owned places, but it's too far and few between.
YardDog Wrote:There are no beaches close to Manila that you can swim and hang out at. Zambales, Batangus or Subic are the closest at about 2-3 hours a piece.
IMO the lack of outdoor activities is the worst thing about living in Manila. It鈥檚 a pain in the ass to get outdoors here. I advise getting a quiet place with a pool to escape the chaos, especially if you鈥檙e going to be here long term. And if you can afford it, fly to beaches when possible.
Yeah, that's one of the main reasons I've avoided Manila for so long. Davao is great in that regard. Beaches 30 minutes away, nature parks, wildlife reserves, etc. Plenty of other beautiful spots a few hours away. It's something I don't take advantage of nearly enough, but definitely very nice to have that option there.
Quote:IMO forget girl logistics, girl hotspots, etc. Banging girls here is the easy part. Finding peace and quiet is the hard part.
Yeah, I'm sure.
There's plenty of nature to be experienced in Davao, but I'm getting a bit tired of the girls. Don't get me wrong, it's not like it's hard to get laid or there aren't plenty of sweet, attractive girls for relationships.
But I've found it impossible to have any sort of "rotation". I'm lucky to get two bangs in before the girl is pushing for something more. It seems like the members in Manila don't have that problem as much.
Also, just based on online, the average girl in Manila is infinitely more enjoyable to talk to. They speak way better English and are much more receptive. Talking to most girls in Davao is just an infinite loop of the same questions and topics.
I'm not one of those guys who wants to talk philosophy and politics with girls. My most recent ex barely said shit during our entire relationship and it was fine. But when you're having to constantly search for prospects, saying the same things over and over becomes maddening.
I also don't really want to move somewhere long term just for the girls, but I feel it will be worth it to give Manila a shot for a month and see how it goes. There are a few other advantages, like cheaper flights and things like that, which I'm looking forward to also.
Quote:I like to take walks. The Fort and Makati are the best walking places in Manila I鈥檝e seen. If you like to walk, keep that in mind. You don鈥檛 want to be huffing jeepney fumes and looking over your shoulder while trying to collect your thoughts.
But I鈥檓 also 10 years older than you. Your priorities may be quite different.
My Google Maps works quite well here. I鈥檓 on Globe. I use it frequently because Uber and Cab drivers often don鈥檛 know where spots are.
Good luck on your search.
Thanks. Not sure why I have a problem with Google Maps. It takes forever to load, to the point that it takes a few minutes just to pinpoint something a few streets over. Pretty sure it's not my specific computer, but maybe I'll try it on my mobile or tablet.
Global Entry Wrote:I'd also concur that the Fort is far cleaner and westernized that QC. QC is hard to lump into a single category. It's frankly its own city, and has nice areas and rougher areas. It does have a Phils middle class, colleges and a shit load of malls. As I previously wrote about there are also beaches, I believe in nearby Caloocan, or at least public swimming pools (bring your Z-packs??).
If I was in my twenties and was going for numbers, and was on a similar budget to yours, I'd probably pick QC. Pull from Antipolo, Valenzuela, Caloocan and the other section of North Manila and even beyond towards AC's province (too lazy to look it up). Just realize that if you stay in QC, hitting the clubs in the Fort is a project. Since you don't do much nightlife, and QC is full of malls, you'll more than have your hands full from online and from daytime. Trick will be finding that spot in QC that (1) is findable by girls for meet-ups, (2) has the kind of accommodation you find acceptable and doesn't have trash all over, or horrible Jeepney smog, and (3) is accessible to transpiration for when you feel like you need to get the hell out of dodge.
It's not really about numbers. I actually want to spend less time gaming, while also getting laid daily. Again, not like Davao is hard, but I'm sure anywhere in Manila will be a cakewalk in comparison. I've definitely noticed that Quezon seems to have a ton of cute girls online though.
Also, the budget thing is more about value. My lifestyle is pretty simple, so I'm thinking the big cost difference is going to be rent. Avoiding that extra little bit of jeepney smog may be worth it alone, and just being comfortable enough in my surroundings that I get in a couple extra hours of work in a week will cover that anyways.
At the same time, maybe I'd be fine in QC and can spend that extra $500 on a flight to Palawan or Boracay, a side trip to BKK, etc.
Quote:One thing I thought was good, when I stayed in QC, I was across from a hospital, and the nurses were middle class, attractive and friendly. Finding a spot near to a nursing college could be a way to go, or even near a hospital (I never heard sirens even being across the street from one, perhaps Ambulance service in the Phils is rare).
This is kind of a tangent, but I've had a few girls tell me that nurses here make very little. Like $10 for 12 hour shifts. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it wasn't much more than girls have told me they make working in the mall or restaurants. One chick had her degree in nursing but said she made better just working some office job.
But one girl I talked with for a while was a nurse and she did seem fairly middle class. At the same time, she lived with her family slightly outside of town, so maybe that had something to do with it. Also, maybe there is a big variation in how much nurses make? That's the case in the US, so I'm guessing it's possible here too.
Quote:Where I was around, outside fast food and mall restaurants serving Japanese and Chinese, there was not a lot of foreign food in QC. BGC is exactly the opposite. Plenty of spots, both on high street and elsewhere.
That may sell me on BGC. Growing up in a pretty well-respected food city and working under a James Beard award winner, among others, I kind of took for granted how nice it is to walk around a city and have all these varying, delicious food options at your fingertips.
I'm not even talking high end shit. I'm dying for just a good pizza or some quality Mexican.