Visiting Manila --- 21st Nov - 27th Nov
Looking for just about anything and meeting some others.

PM Me (if you are hit or miss, send me other contacts)

Hey guys.

I've an opportunity to come work in Manila for a year - I would be setting up a new call center for my UK company.

I'm trying to evaluate whether to take the job or not. I've spent the last few days reading this thread, and now I've a bunch of questions.

1. Does anyone have experience working in Manila? Unsurprisingly, this thread seems dominated by poker players, and the lifestyle seems pretty different. What's it like working 9-5? Do people go out after work? What is the working culture like? Would you make friends through work?

2. What are the gyms like that you'd find in a condo/apartment building? I.e. would they have a squat rack, bench, barbells, etc?

3. Does anyone recommend a good gym (with all of the above) in central Manila - cheaper would be better obviously.

4. What are the "Tier 2" neighborhoods? I.e. assume Makati is tier one. I'd rather live somewhere proper balla in a slightly less good neighborhood.

5. Can anyone recommend any specific condo buildings? Somewhere that was really high spec inside, pool preferred, good gym if possible. Budget goes up to approx 1500 USD per month.

6. What's the best way to meet regular girls? If you are excluding the hooker/gold digger demographic, is being western actually an advantage in pulling middle class girls?

7. And finally, and this is a long shot, anyone know anything about playing rugby in the philippines? Google suggests there is some, but its mostly expat.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...-1226183217496

I don't work in Manila but when i'm in Manila I hang out with alot of expats who work in Manila. So will try and help with the questions.

I just started answering the first question then thought I would scroll down to see the rest of them. You like Rugby and i'm guessing that means you like beer.

If you go to Howzat Inn which is on Kalayaan avenue in Makati you will be able to meet a lot of working expats and there are a lot who work in the Call Center business. The majority of the people in there are either Brits/Aussies/Kiwis/American.

From 5-8pm they do an all you can drink happy hour on Local drinks for 295piso so the place is pretty packed of people just knocking off work. It's a pretty easy place to meet people as there are 9+ big TV's showing different types of sport so you just start a convo up.

Howzat have a close like to Nomads Sports club who play Rugby I believe. The good thing about Howzat is that in one way or another most expats know each other. If you have got in a conversation with an expat just ask if they know anyone who plays Rugby and you will probably be introduced to someone who does.

Whats it like working in Manila? I would say its very male dominated and filled with people who work hard and play hard. If your also going to be earning a decent western salary your going to be able to live it up pretty damn well.

With lots of low cost flying options you would also be able to weekend it up to HK, Singapore, Macau, Bangkok, Taiwan.

Makati isn't a neighborhood its almost like a City within a City if you get me. For $1500 a month you should be able to get a pretty decent Condo. Although im not the best to answer this question.

Can't you blag an all paid trip out here to see if you like it?

1. Socializing with people from work is normal and expected here. If you're running a call center then you probably won't be working 9 to 5 and you might be required to put in extra hours. If you like the people you end up working with, then you'll get along fine.

2/3. Take a tour and ask to see the gym. Some places should have good equipment, or you can get a membership to a gym in a mall or somewhere convenient.

4/5. Plenty of information in this thread.

6. Plenty of information in this thread. As a person with a 'normal' job, this will be very easy for you.

7. Don't know about this lol.

JammyDodga, I have no experience working a traditional job in Manila but I would highly recommend living close to your office to avoid traffic. Figure out where you'll set up your office, then scout out condos near there. With a monthly budget of $1500 (huge) you should have no problems finding a place with a nice gym and pool in a nice neighborhood.

+1 to visiting first before you make your decision.

I am an American working in Manila.

1. I find that most working expats do not work 9-5, often because these hours do not sync up with europe and north america. I work 1:30pm to 10:30pm. People who I have met from Royal Dutch Shell work similar shifts. Call center management may work worse hours, especially if they are dealing with American clients, as the hours here are the opposite of EST. On fridays we often cut out a bit early and get dinner/ go out. You should/can make friends through work, but find out how if/how many expats you will be working with.

2. The standard apartment/condo gym (I think I have seen 4) is relatively sparse. Several cardio machines (2 treadmills, a bike, stairclimber), dumbbells, small tv, perhaps a scale. I have not seen one with a bench or rack. My current building has a smith machine and a universal weight machine. No other gym I saw had these.

3. When I move out of my current flat, I plan on signing up for Fitness First. They have free trials available on their website. It has all those items plus sauna/steam and other positive offerings. I am not sure what the monthly rate is.

4. Not sure, perhaps Rockwell. I think a tier 2 neighborhood may not have high class offerings at a slightly lower price due to lack of demand.

5. I found it harder than I would think to find a place with such limits. Elizabeth place, Tiffany Place, the Four Seasons, all in Salcedo Village, approach those specifications but none has a high class gym.

6. Through work and working relationships you should I met some middle class well educated local girls. I.E. We had an audit of construction done through Ernst and Young. Also try and find other expat females working here. I think being Western it is an advantage but there are some drawbacks.

7. As others said, hit an expat sports bar, I bet some of the aussie guys would know.

And again, try and get your employer to fly you out here for a week and put you up. This will give a small semblance of what it is like to live here. But at least you will get a free trip/ a boatload of FF miles! My employer did this for me. Different industry.

Also as Paul B recommended, live close to work and in a temporary apartment initially (while you find a suitable apt.). Traffic can be terrible, by living close you can walk 15 minutes instead of a 1.5 hour drive.

Some short term "serviced apartments" would include Picasso Suites, Fraser Place, there are a few others I am forgetting. These places are hybrid hotel/apartments, for short to mid term stays.

Sigh, my brother emailed me this from the states.

Whats a guy doing with an ice pick out here?

Hey guys, thanks alot. On my phone now, so will reply properly later.

Unfortunately, there's no chance of a free trial trip. The job would be a move into another completely different part of my company, so they wouldn't pay for someone who doesn't even work for them to go on a jolly.

I think I'm definitely going to take it if offered. Sounds like a great lifestyle, and I should be able to put aside some savings while I'm out there.

Plan will be to find a hotel for a few weeks and look for an apartment close to work.

Dude chill...
If you have stuff to contribute then that's fine

I just meant that it's not cool to treat the travel forum like NVG/BBV or similar because people have serious questions here and are actually looking for help.

I'm sure you're a good guy. cheers

Lol - yes - its a great combination.


Thanks - googled the nomads and have emailed them. Should be set for a team when I get there.

Ok, cheers. Have been looking on Sulit and seems theres plenty of nice places well within that budget.

Thanks - yeah will probably be UK hours. I've done it before when living in Aus - its quite a nice shift actually. During the week you get your whole day to be healthy and productive, go to the gym etc, start work at 5 and go through til 2 or 3. It means that on weekends your body clock is all set for a late night!

Will look around regarding gyms - i guess thats one of those things you cant really judge without seeing the place. Not placing much stock in the condo gyms though from what I've seen/heard.

Is it really that bad? I was planning on being close - but do I need to be really really close?

Sweet - thanks for the advice. Beer when I get out there?

Sure I will pm you my mobile

1. Friendly (check), Go out after work (check, and even more so in the call center industry/culture)

2. Better condos = better gyms, I've seen condo gyms that look like a commercial gym, and i've seen condo gyms that look worse than your typical garage gym. Better include this in your tour of the condos if this is really important to you.

3. Gold's Gym or Fitness First - you easily find both in commercial/condo areas. Not sure about the prices or what your ideal price is but from what i've heard Fitness First is expensive.

4. Tier 2 I would say Ortigas CBD - and a plus is it has poker rooms.

5. Been living in a Robinson's condo. It has a gym and a pool and a good deal of their condos are attached to a Robinson's mall, and it fits your budget. Though there are a buttload of developers around so you might want to invest time in studying your condo options and find an agent you can trust.

6. This is tricky (and open to discussion/debate). In a bar setting, hookers etc will grovel at the sight of a foreigner, but a regular self respecting girl would be apprehensive to even talk to a foreigner in fear of being mistaken for a hooker. And I cant blame them. There are lots of stigma with the whole foreigner with a local girl thing.

7. If I remember correctly there is a rugby club in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Hit me up if you need a guide.

To Nr. 6

Wow. This sets me off a bit.
It is so damn mixed.

In public, the girls you are looking for (in a relationship) will be reluctant to give you any interest, even they would love to meet you. You'll actually get snubbed a lot, even you obviously are the white knight in the crowd. This is standard.

Girls who are what you're not looking for, will be throwing themselves at you. Relentlessly. Several times a day. This is quite hard. You are a target for being used and you are a target for lower class girls with a hidden agenda. This might sound weird, but well, I have run into this quite a bit here.

You will get a hooker radar after about 2 months.
Hookers are the girls who smile at you for no apparent reason, they are "showing" attraction even you didn't DHV at all and they will approach you or give off very obvious tells that they are interested. They might compliment you at once. "O hi der hansum, wer u goin?" is something you get used to quick. A general assumption would be to blow off any girl that shows too much interest or any girl that comes up and flirts with you. I would be confident doing this.

My advice is; keep your libido in check. If you are the ONS type of guy who likes lots of unattached relationships, you will have a blast for sure. If looking for romance or longer term companionship, you should be extremely picky. You should have sort of like a check list. Job/student is compulsory, single without kids, her family will do without any help or support from her. Minimalistic values, huge bonus. Having this as a standard minimum low would probably be great. There are tons of other points and there are also tons of red flags which you might learn.

Good luck.

That was in response to Jammy.

Edit: I forgot the punchline of my post, which was to put up lots of online dating profiles at good sites; because legit girls who are well off are more likely to show interest there than on the street/in the mall/club due to the stigma already discussed.

^^^ The hooker v non hooker discussions in the asian threads are always the most fun

At the risk of asking a question answered a million times but can someone suggest the best clubs/discos to go to on midweek nights that have lots of freelancers?

I'll be in Manilla sometime within the nest 2 weeks, but it will be during the week for 3-4 nights and wanna hit some clubs.

Thanks

Options are somewhat limited for disco/clubs, the good ones struggle to keep a reputation without freelancers.

-Your best bet for wed-thursday is probably Icon (basement of Hotel Intercontinental, Makati/Ayala center).
It'll probably range somewhere around 1/4-2/5 nowadays on average.

-Other disco w/freelancers in Timog ave, Quezon City. I forget the name of the place every time. I think they are open daily but I might be mistaken. The driver will know this disco if he's somewhat familiar in the area. You'll also find "interesting" places in the vicinity.

-You can pickup a handful of freelancers at Cafe Havana (90%ish), Greenbelt any day after dark and also at the nearby coffeeshops there. This is a cuban/salsa themed place which in reality is best for having a meal chilling out with some beers and chatting with people/freelancers. FLs will invite themselves to your table, or you to theirs. You can then invite them with you to clubs, they'll go with you.

-Manila Bay Cafe (previously LA). Most insane bar in the country. Open 24/7, packed with FLs. It's not a disco either but yeah u can dance upstairs there to live band if u wish. From MBC, you can check out other FL spots Amazonia and G-Point which are within walking distance. These are all places of pure filth and insane girls. If you go to these locations, TR in 4L is mandatory.

GL in Manila!

Yeah this was what I was hinting at when I mentioned it was complicated. Well put FanApathy.

Anyone know where to get a bespoke barong for a not too crazy price? aka not Bergamo

Any of you guys had any experience hooking up with cam girls there?

Seems like a semi decent way of getting to know a couple of girls before I come in a few months and finding ones than seem good fun to hang with for a couple of days.

Still unsure where they fit on the hooker/reg girl scale, guessing some might have been bar girls before or meet with the odd customer they like in real life and probably will expect some $$$$$.

thanks for the info fanapathy, I know the havana cafe' good idea to just get a FL there and ask her to take me a few night clubs.

hi guys just landed in manila. Im staying in panaraque city near dr.a. Santos avenue (if that says anything) what are some good bars/nightclubs around the place? Or not too far with a taxi. Im

Well I'm not familiar in Paranaque, however you are somewhat close to Resorts World/Newport. There you find the top nightclub Republiq, it might only be open during weekends though. That's a western-type high end club. Cover is 500 incl. 3 drinks last time I was there.

Even if Republiq is closed, there's always a show to see at RW at bar360. Drinks are expensive here since it is within the casino. You can also go and play live poker here 24/7 if you wish.

You'll be able to find local bars and "nude" bars scattered around everywhere in the outskirts of city center if those were the type of places you were looking for (I guessed not) but post for more info on those type of places near you if interested

Cheers and have fun in NCR

no ****, but i saw a gay bar named "muscle(s?)" in timog. thomas morato area walking distance from that circle place. not sure what page, but a couple pages back in this thread, someone was asking for one.