Post: #101

That bad shit, im leaning towards taipai, am I wrong?

Post: #102

(10-21-2015 08:07 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  Damn man the secret is out. I have seen like 10 crackers in the 3 hours I have been out here. Last time I was here in 2012 I wouldn't see 10 other white people in a month. You may as well go to Manila the girls there are hotter. I also noticed the Filipnas have plumped up, Thanks Jolliie Bee :/

Don't get it twisted though. I'm still glad as fuck to be back in the Phils

Hey my friend, glad you made it back. Heading to the Phils in January. Yes the plumping up trend was already there somewhat in 2012. I can only imagine how bad it is now. NE Brazil, for example, is terrible with how many overweight girls there are now.
Since the secret is out I might as well go to Cebu. Or have you considered 3rd tier like General Santos?

Post: #103

If anyone is Davao now or in the next few months shoot me a pm. Would be nice to meet up with some forum members while I am here. Since I pretty much stopped drinking checking out the night life solo is pretty lame.... I'm down for anything though, day game, no game, going on a hike or trip, or just shooting the shit with a like minded individual.

Post: #104

(10-31-2015 10:43 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  If anyone is Davao now or in the next few months shoot me a pm. Would be nice to meet up with some forum members while I am here. Since I pretty much stopped drinking checking out the night life solo is pretty lame.... I'm down for anything though, day game, no game, going on a hike or trip, or just shooting the shit with a like minded individual.

I'm in Vietnam now but plan to go to the Philippines at some point soon. I'll be here for at least one other month but after that I'm not sure. Might stay an additional month or bail at that point.

I've heard that the Philippines at Christmastime is off the chain. I'm not religious but the festivities and the fun might be worth checking out. Anybody can comment on this?

I've been wanting to check out Davao for quite a while. Keep hearing lots of good things about it. You'll be there for a while?

Post: #105

(10-31-2015 11:56 PM)tatami Wrote:  

(10-31-2015 10:43 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  If anyone is Davao now or in the next few months shoot me a pm. Would be nice to meet up with some forum members while I am here. Since I pretty much stopped drinking checking out the night life solo is pretty lame.... I'm down for anything though, day game, no game, going on a hike or trip, or just shooting the shit with a like minded individual.

I'm in Vietnam now but plan to go to the Philippines at some point soon. I'll be here for at least one other month but after that I'm not sure. Might stay an additional month or bail at that point.

I've heard that the Philippines at Christmastime is off the chain. I'm not religious but the festivities and the fun might be worth checking out. Anybody can comment on this?

I've been wanting to check out Davao for quite a while. Keep hearing lots of good things about it. You'll be there for a while?

I haven't been here for December before so I'm not sure about how it is.. I will know in a few months though

An yea I will be here for a 3 month minimum... prally more like 6 months before its all said and done.

Post: #106

If in downtown Davao, I recommend visiting Osmeña Park for a break or even as a destination in itself. As a reference point, it's right by the Davao Museum and the San Pedro Cathedral. Go there for a massage, people watch, and flirt with girls that are passing by. Oh, and enjoy a beer or two while you enjoy all this in a canvas lawn chair the masseuses provide. An hour-long massage should not cost you more than $6 with a tip. I felt like a king. I went there every day during my six-day stay in Davao.

Post: #107

(11-02-2015 01:59 AM)popeyearms76 Wrote:  If in downtown Davao, I recommend visiting Osmeña Park for a break or even as a destination in itself. As a reference point, it's right by the Davao Museum and the San Pedro Cathedral. Go there for a massage, people watch, and flirt with girls that are passing by. Oh, and enjoy a beer or two while you enjoy all this in a canvas lawn chair the masseuses provide. An hour-long massage should not cost you more than $6 with a tip. I felt like a king. I went there every day during my six-day stay in Davao.

Thanks for the tip! I will swing by there tomorrow aft and indulge! Need to take advantage of this now...when I get back to Canada, an hour massage will run anywhere from $70 to $120 CAD.

I've been to many of the massage spots on JP Laurel! Can't beat that $6 price tag!!!

Post: #108

Only problem with massages in the Philippines is that they kinda suck. I've had many and I can count the number on one hand where the girl actually seemed to know what she's doing. A lot of them, you can actually tell they kinda feel lost and not sure what to do. LOL Cheap yes, but not the greatest massages overall.

And you might want to bring a little towel with you. The rooms are often very dark - and at times I think it's just to prevent you from seeing what you're lying on. This one time the contrast from daylight outside and the darkness inside left me feeling blind. I couldn't even figure out which way to go. So I turned on the flashlight from my phone and what I saw on the pillow horrified me. It was gross. Looked like it hadn't been washed for days. Hairs on it, etc. I wondered how many of these kinds of pillows I had laid my face on, mouth half-open. LOL. Ever since then, I'll ask for a clean towel or at the very least use my shirt as a cover.

Best massages I've ever had consistently was Bali. As cheap as Philippines but they really know how to give you a relaxation massage. If you want therapeutic, I'd have to go with Thailand. IME, anyway.

Post: #109

^The massages can vary in quality, you're right. I just remind myself that I would be paying upwards of $50 for a massage back home, and the expected tip would be more than the all-in price for the whole massage in the Phils. The "massage park" in Davao was worthwhile for me though.

The Royale House is a lodge within a three-minute walk of the park that was ideal for my budget (just a notch up from a backpacker budget). Even better was that place had excellent logistics for meeting up with girls; lots of jeepney routes near there. I just told girls I'm right across the street from the cathedral downtown, and no further explanation was needed.

Post: #110

Yes, it's true. For the price, one really can't complain much.

Post: #111

Wondering if anyone might have more recent info on good places to stay in Davao. I'm on a super-tight budget and would really like to my rent below $400 max. In this thread, Jun and Dell's seems to be the place to stay. For those of you that have stayed at Jun and Dell's, how was the wifi there? Is it stable and fast? I need good net for work.

Post: #112

I went to Jun and Dell's on recommendations of the forum. Meh. Stayed one night, then left. I know others on the forum have raved about it, but unless you have a motorbike, it's just too far from restaurants, malls, and jeepney routes to be convenient. I tried to land a motorbike rental, but that's pretty hard to do away from dedicated tourist areas (i.e. Panglao, Boracay, Puerto Princesa). It was a solid 10-minute walk to JP Laurel Blvd if you want to hoof it anywhere. Getting girls to drop by would be a challenge too, because it's tucked away in a neighborhood. If you have your own wheels and will stay long term, it's OK.

While there, I stayed at the Tune Hotel (running a $9 promo at the time, I could not believe it!) and then the Royale House.

Post: #113

Jun N Dell's internet is not that great... and you share it with everyone else (at least thats the way it was 3 years ago)
I liked the location... there was a little Chinese restaurant right outside the village that you could get 3eggs and big plate of rice for 70 cents USD.... that was my breakfast every morning for 3 months. I walked to Abreeza mall everyday to eat and game when I lived at JND to.... I like to walk when I travel though. I'm glad I stayed there on my first trip to Davao..

However with that said I didn't even consider it for this trip... I'm all grown up now and live in big boy condos

Post: #114

Any recommendations for a decent big boy condo in Davao now? Or where to look for one? On AirBnb, it seems hard to get anything decent anywhere for less than about $600/mo and that's just a handful. Most are more than that. Considering I used to pay about $750 in Osaka for a pretty decent 2-bdrm (not very big at 55m but still) that was clean and reasonably modern-looking (nothing fancy but nice enough), it seems like a lot of money for something on par or maybe only slightly nicer. Osaka is supposed to be the 2nd most expensive city in the world so why does it seem that for something similar in the RP it's only 20 or 25% less?

And if pictures can be trusted even a little bit, comparing Manila or Davao to Bangkok, there's a huge difference. For similar looking places, you'll pay under $400 in Thailand and $600+ in Philippines. I'm looking at AirBnb for Bangkok right now and there's a whack of places for less than $450 or even under $400 that are as nice as any place I've ever lived in.

Is sulit.com.ph the only alternative for finding something a little bit cheaper?

Post: #115

And is it just me or does anyone find the way apartments/condos in the Philippines are decorated to be garish and hard on the eyes? The mishmash of colors and patterns with absolutely no attempt to coordinate anything. An orange chair, purple curtains, a brown sofa, a pink pastel cabinet, a multi-colored rug, etc. It's all in the same room. It's like a bad acid trip. Visual jazz. LOL

You don't really see a nice decor in the Philippines until you go up significantly in price range.

Thankfully, it doesn't matter whatsoever in any significant way but I do find it much more pleasant and relaxing in a normally decorated place.

Post: #116

Tatami, with the apartments, that seems to be how they roll in the Philippines...taste and convenience aren't priorities. Compare Vietnam or Thailand where you can get apartments and condos that are much nicer for similar prices. Or Japan of course where even a cheap 1K apartment will be of a certain standard.

The same goes for food in the Philippines compared to those other countries. Just gotta take the good with the bad.

Post: #117

(11-03-2015 03:14 AM)tatami Wrote:  Any recommendations for a decent big boy condo in Davao now? Or where to look for one? On AirBnb, it seems hard to get anything decent anywhere for less than about $600/mo and that's just a handful. Most are more than that. Considering I used to pay about $750 in Osaka for a pretty decent 2-bdrm (not very big at 55m but still) that was clean and reasonably modern-looking (nothing fancy but nice enough), it seems like a lot of money for something on par or maybe only slightly nicer. Osaka is supposed to be the 2nd most expensive city in the world so why does it seem that for something similar in the RP it's only 20 or 25% less?

And if pictures can be trusted even a little bit, comparing Manila or Davao to Bangkok, there's a huge difference. For similar looking places, you'll pay under $400 in Thailand and $600+ in Philippines. I'm looking at AirBnb for Bangkok right now and there's a whack of places for less than $450 or even under $400 that are as nice as any place I've ever lived in.

Is sulit.com.ph the only alternative for finding something a little bit cheaper?

Tatami:

With airbnb, note that you can negotiate the price of your stay, and this is especially likely to work if you are going to be staying put for a while. Just use the airbnb site to contact the owner and make an offer. Check the availability calendar though, because they may be booked solid. There is another post on the forum somewhere about airbnb negotiations, but it goes something like this:

"Dear Owner, I am looking to stay in your area for two months (list the dates) and have found an apartment comparable to yours going for $xxx. I'd just take that place, but I honestly like yours better. If you can meet that price, I'll be happy to book right now."

Most airbnb owners will be delighted to not have to deal with the turnover of new guest every few days and would be glad to take your offer. I negotiated in just that way that for an upcoming trip to DR and it worked.

Please do negotiate for the sake of keeping the price down for your fellow players here on the RVF!

Post: #118

Damn, popeyearms76, I didn't know you could negotiate! I just assumed it was against the rules or something. Good to know, thanks! You can bet I'll do my best. (They still seem to be overcharging for what you get though!)

RawGod, do you think the decors are like that because they can't afford to do it up better? I was actually thinking that it was more about a culturally shaped sense of aesthetics. Anyway, it's not that big a deal, just something I noticed and wondered if I was the only one because I've never seen anyone else comment on it.

Post: #119

After you make the offer and the airbnb owner accepts, the owner has to send you the revised price through the site. There might be some less computer savvy owners out there that might have trouble working that out, but I can assure you it can be done.

And, I know what you mean about atrocious decor. The Jun & Dell's place is a great example of that glorious lack of design. But when it comes to the Phils, I'd forego aesthetics for notches. In many cases your crash pad will be better than where they live anyway.

Post: #120

(11-03-2015 06:17 AM)tatami Wrote:  RawGod, do you think the decors are like that because they can't afford to do it up better? I was actually thinking that it was more about a culturally shaped sense of aesthetics.

I think things like these can just be a cultural thing which take hold.

In New Zealand despite being a rich country the housing quality in general is poor and there is a lack of taste in decor. Their house interiors look like shit (and are often uncomfortable, damp, etc) but they are used to it. No taste at all. In the Philippines they're used to cheap crap and they don't have the aesthetic sense that they have in Thailand or even Indonesia. In those countries they have no money but do some nice things with what they have.

Post: #121

Yeah, that's exactly why I didn't think it was a money thing. I was talking mainly about color matching. Not really how fancy stuff is. LOL

And I agree, I know that aesthetics aren't an issue at all, especially because well they are Filipina and it's what they're used to (and maybe even prefer) themselves! I would easily trade that in for ease of meeting women too. LOL