Post: #1

So i have decided on asia ahead of BsAs to begin with. South america can come later.

The rundown on the phillipines thread was helpful but i want to get more specific about exactly what place would cater for everthing i need.

I'd like to know which destination/city would best suit my needs in thailand or the phillipines that would best cover the following:

safest/unsafest

Get/eat quality meat and vegetables diet?

Decent gym with free weights - where you can perform squats/deadlifts etc.

get accomodation/1 bed flat (with internet for business). good value

best/easiest for getting hot women not pro's

Enough english spoken there

Thats a good start to narrow it down.

Your views would be appreciated.

M

Post: #2

Let me precede this by letting you all know that I"ve experienced the two following destinations: Phuket, the beach resort island of SW Thailand, and Makati City in Manila, which is sort of like what Singapore would look like if you handed it to the Mexicans.

safest/unsafest

In the Philippines, avoid Manila (excluding Makati City) and the island of Mindanao.

Thailand is much safer in general, not only in terms of crime, but other stuff like natural disasters and shitty infrastructure not fucking up your day. Avoid the Islamic areas in the south.

Manila, if you are in Makati, is okay. Other good areas - Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Boracay....actually because the Philippines is relatively undiscovered the beaches are still white sand and you would be much more of an novelty item as a foreigner on a Philippine beach destination that you would in, say, Phuket.

I was overall unimpressed with Phuket's beaches and I hear Philippine beaches are amazing. You asked about safety though, and Thailand is a winner by far.



Get/eat quality meat and vegetables diet?

Thailand is better for quality of food and it is not even close. Cheap food in the Philippines is an awful sweet/salty version of shitty American mall food. The good/healthy stuff is expensive and exclusive so if you want quality food that can pass as healthy you will have to pay for it.

In Thailand you can get dirt cheap and healthy food for pennies on the dollar at any local restaurant. Your protein and carbs will be of a higher quality overall because, since Thailand is a juggernaut agricultural country, they are self sufficient in these areas (although I'm not positive about meats - beef in particular is probably imported).

This is pure speculation but I"d imagine that the beach destinations such as Palawan and Boracay in the Philippines have some great fresh caught/roasted seafood. Just a guess though, something I"d like to find out during my next trip.

Decent gym with free weights - where you can perform squats/deadlifts etc.

Thailand, hands down. Join a muay thai gym - the vast majority of them will have free weights of some sort. There are so many of them that you can really pick and choose which one works best for you in terms of price/weights/location.

In the Philippines you will notice in general more obese and out of shape people. The lifestyle and culture just do not really translate towards working out and pushing yourself to the limit.

Having said that, if you live in the bubble of Makati city in Manila you can defintely find a gym that meets American standards of quality...but you will also probably have to pay the price.

Since Muay Thai is local to the culture, the price will reflect that. That is why pad thai costs 8 bucks in Philadelphia but 50 cents in Thailand. It is possible you can do an indigenous Philippine sport such as Eskrima to stay in shape, but if you want both combat/cardio/muscle I strongly suggest you join a muay thai gym with freeweights.

get accomodation/1 bed flat (with internet for business). good value

In both of these places (depending on which city specifically) the flat rate of the apartment itself will be reasonable. The difference is that utility bills in Manila are outrageous. My friend, who pays 1000 bucks a month to live in a sick crib in Makati Manila, pays 300 bucks on energy alone. Not such a great bargain.

Again, keep in mind my cost projections are based solely on what I know about Manila and my speculations about other destinations in the Philippines.

Take a look at craigslist for Bangkok, Phuket, Manila, and Cebu to get an idea of what rents are going for. Take the prices online and subtract 20 percent. That is the price you would probably get if you were searching on the ground, possibly lower.


best/easiest for getting hot women not pro's

Philippines definitely. There is no/little stigma about women there dating a foreigner. In Thailand if a woman is seen with a foreigner she is pretty much stamped "Isaan Bar Whore."

You will get hot women even if you aren't trying. The issue is figuring out who is a pro or not. A lot of these women also sort of straddle a gray line where they are mall/office girls by day but then hook up with foreigners on the weekends to try to score some more cash.

Naughty Nomad and Lumiere probably have better ideas of how to differentiate this. All my lays came from dateinasia.com.

Enough english spoken there

Enough? Everyone in the PHilipines can speak English, and I really do mean everyone.

In Thailand you will occasionally meet people who can't speak English but, given that you are probably going to be living in one of the bigger cities, you won't have a problem. The infrastructure is designed to help tourists out.




If you can specify what it is exactly you plan to do in these countries it would be immensely helpful. Priorities shift depending on your length of stay, importance of interacting with locals, current stage in your life...as well as many other little quirky personal preferences.

One personal quirk for me - as an environmental engineer I can't stand those jeepneys in the Philippines. At the same time, the hospitality is genuine and I like Filipinos better on a personal level.

To each his own. If you can give more details about your profile and length of stay, we can probably give better recommendations - hope that was a good start.

Post: #3

Yes that was an excellent start - thanks.

My main priorities are
building my internet business. I want to be able to work 3-4 quality hours per day stress free on this.
Gym and good food/eating well available
Hot available women
Relaxing

That would be my daily activities roughly. I don't require anything more because building my business is the main priority and everything else is a bonus. So although i will see some sights along the way i'm not going out there to travel around - I just want a nice little base to get things done.

I would be stay for a minimum of 3 months and i know there is a visa problem in thailand.

So with the above in mind and i know everyone is different but i won't be spending on much else than i've listed above - what would be the weekly or monthly budget - in USD -for what i have mentioned above with regard to the two places you've mentioned?

Cheers

Post: #4

"Everyone in the PHilipines can speak English, and I really do mean everyone."

Interesting. Manny Pacquiao speaks pretty poor English, to my knowledge.

"My main priorities are building my internet business."

From what I know, many people are outsourcing work to the Philippines, so that may be a good spot.

Post: #5

(09-26-2010 07:39 AM)merlin Wrote:  Yes that was an excellent start - thanks.

My main priorities are
building my internet business. I want to be able to work 3-4 quality hours per day stress free on this.
Gym and good food/eating well available
Hot available women
Relaxing

That would be my daily activities roughly. I don't require anything more because building my business is the main priority and everything else is a bonus. So although i will see some sights along the way i'm not going out there to travel around - I just want a nice little base to get things done.

I would be stay for a minimum of 3 months and i know there is a visa problem in thailand.

So with the above in mind and i know everyone is different but i won't be spending on much else than i've listed above - what would be the weekly or monthly budget - in USD -for what i have mentioned above with regard to the two places you've mentioned?

Cheers

Go to Bangkok man. My goals very closely match yours. I just spent about 3 months there doing those things.

- It's not easy to eat a meat & veggies diet but I made it work.
- Depending on how much you drink / party you can easily stay under $1K a month and be living a damn good lifestyle.
- Lots of pros everywhere but you'll figure out the system quickly.

If a big city isn't your thing, then you should hit up the island of Koh Tao. Internet isn't great always but it's useable.

Post: #6

Is it even hard finding fresh meat and veg in bangkok?
I follow a metabolic typing diet which is virtually a caveman diet.
I eat lots of meat, veg and olive oil/butter - will it be hard to follow a diet like this?

I won't be drinking or partying so i should be able to keep it inside a $1k a month.
You say you've been doing the things i'm going out there for.
How did building an internet biz work for you out there?
I don't mind a big city as long as i can chill quietly when i feel like it.
What are the major differences between bangkok and phuket?

Cheers

Post: #7

Is it even hard finding fresh meat and veg in bangkok?

It's not easy to find fresh meat - most apartments wont even have a kitchen. It's a street food oriented place. That being said, most dishes come with meat and veggies. Just ask for no rice, noodles, etc.

I follow a metabolic typing diet which is virtually a caveman diet.
I eat lots of meat, veg and olive oil/butter - will it be hard to follow a diet like this?


This is my preferred diet as well, but like I said, I was able to make do.
They cook with palm oil I believe - which is not the best, but certainly better than canola oil. You might be able to find coconut oil in the store - but you'll pay a crap ton (and you probably wont have a kitchen).

How did building an internet biz work for you out there?


It was great. I met up with a ton of guys doing the same thing as me out there.

I don't mind a big city as long as i can chill quietly when i feel like it.


There is noise constantly.

What are the major differences between bangkok and phuket?


Never been to Phuket myself.

For a 3 month stint, I think BKK is your best bet.

Post: #8

I agree with everything said regarding food.

Yeah if you go to any Asian capital city besides maybe Vientiane, Laos and Singapore, it is highly unlikely you will be able to avoid noise pollution, or any kind of pollution period. Even Seoul has pretty shitty air.

Passport Hustler - you were able to get by in Bangkok in 1000 a month? Can you please break down your cost of living?

I was defintely under the impression was Bangkok was not doable for under 2000. No drinking is understandable. Were you doing Muay Thai there?

Post: #9

When I wasn't partying:

- $300-400 rent (on the high side). Decent spot, nothing great. Nice area of town - Thonglor. No kitchen.
- $60 gym. California Wow. Big, corporate gym. I wasn't doing Muay Thai
- $400 food. Breakfast - 3 eggs, sausage = $1.25. Meat per day = $4 day. Veggies - $4 day. Dinner - pork, soft-boiled eggs $2.
- $30 internet. I went to a dope shared workspace everyday.
- $30-100 random massages ($5 a piece).

Big disclaimer: If you're partying, alcohol is comparable or more expensive as the States. When I was going out nightly these numbers probably shot up to 1.5k - 2k.

Post: #10

I appreciate the input guys.

Food is a biggie for me. If i don't stick to my diet my digestive system plays up.

Does anyone know of any other city (thailand or philipines) which caters for whats been mentioned but also has the meat and veggie thing?

Cheers

Post: #11

(09-27-2010 11:48 PM)Passport Hustler Wrote:  When I wasn't partying:

- $300-400 rent (on the high side). Decent spot, nothing great. Nice area of town - Thonglor. No kitchen.
- $60 gym. California Wow. Big, corporate gym. I wasn't doing Muay Thai
- $400 food. Breakfast - 3 eggs, sausage = $1.25. Meat per day = $4 day. Veggies - $4 day. Dinner - pork, soft-boiled eggs $2.
- $30 internet. I went to a dope shared workspace everyday.
- $30-100 random massages ($5 a piece).

Big disclaimer: If you're partying, alcohol is comparable or more expensive as the States. When I was going out nightly these numbers probably shot up to 1.5k - 2k.

Man....yeah booze will suck money out of your wallet at an unbelievable rate. Not really for Seoul though, if you stick to Soju.

I get the feeling that Bangkok is the sort of place where you can set up a great cheap lifestyle once you are on the ground and know your way around a bit. Looking at prices online, it feels like the prices there for rent are similar to Seoul or Shanghai (700 bucks a month for a short term place in a nice area).

Isn't California WOW part of a chain in the rest of SE Asia?

It doesn't seem like it's been difficult for you to keep in shape in Bangkok with the diet you listed. It doesnt seem like you are cooking your own food either, which is good because I dislike cleaning up.

Are you leaving the country every month to renew your visa?

Are you working in a 'coworking' space? 30 bucks for a month of wifi workspace is a very solid deal.

How do you feel about Bangkok as a business hub in general? I hear there are a lot of creative types there that are sort of under the radar because of the prevailing image as Thailand as a sex tourist haven.

Post: #12

(09-28-2010 12:34 AM)merlin Wrote:  Food is a biggie for me. If i don't stick to my diet my digestive system plays up.

Seoul. Korean restaurants rock!

Post: #13

(09-28-2010 01:31 AM)Lumiere Wrote:  

(09-28-2010 12:34 AM)merlin Wrote:  Food is a biggie for me. If i don't stick to my diet my digestive system plays up.

Seoul. Korean restaurants rock!

What do you mean by that lumiere:

go to seoul
or
eat at korean restaurants in bangkok?

Post: #14

I live in Seoul right now, I hate this city. I'm only here because I agreed to get a temp consulting gig with an environmental company and I regret selling my soul for the dough.

Don't move here. There are Korean restaurants in every large Asian city and definitely in Bangkok.

Even in Phuket I was able to find Korean restaurants.

Post: #15

Go to philippines and eat in korean restaurants

Post: #16

Ymg, rock day game there with my buddy latinstylez

Post: #17

Going out in Thailand is expensive. Getting into upscale venues is a 10-20euros cover and then 5euros a drink. It is absurd when compared to the cost of everything else there. Manila is a cheaper city to party in and less whores than Thailand. I have yet to actually find any whores in the 3 nights I have gone out so far here. And all the girls love white guys it really is easy to get attractive quality women here. Manila is a much better city for pick up because everyone speaks English, there are less whores, and going out is cheaper. But for what you want Thailand could be better, Im not sure. I was only in Thailand for a week. I dont think either one is drastically better than the other. The food situation is better in Thailand for sure but it sounds like u will be preparing your food yourself so you can manage in either city.