Whatever you say Paul.B it will be a life changing adventure for him, whats the worse that can happen? he gets killed? if that's the case he wont have any worries anyway, I guess getting kidnapped is pretty bad too, other than i think the learning curve will be great for him. By the time he has conquered PI the rest of S.E Asia will be a cake walk.

But...perhaps i have a morbid curiosity to see how it goes for him, i'd happily read a daily blog from K2 once he is here and living the dream

Asking questions on an internet forum is a form of research. A lazy one albeit, but still a form of research.

So asking all these questions on 2+2 is researching and it is using a resource. He might not be going about it and the most optimal approach, but he is going about it.

Hmmm... You came on this site asking for informations but yet dont want to hear/accept infos that goes against what you think is right. For your info I am a poor blooded FILIPINO who has migrated to the US when I was 5 years old. Since then I have traveled to philippines (mostly manila) between 2005 -2008 about 12-16 times a year. I may not know much but I think I should know a little to tell you that 300-400 isnt going to find you a place in Makati city, which is the financial district in Philippines.... saying that you will find a place for that price is like saying you will find a decent apartment in New York City for $500-600... Yes, Philippines is a 3rd world country, it doesnt mean though that everything are going to be cheap "RealEstate" there more costly than alot of places that you will find here in the US mainland.

NOw, in regards to those places that you have seen going for 300-400 are you sure they are in makati City proper? Or for that matter that it isnt a shared apartment/condo with 2-3 other people?

Well, anyway goodluck to you.

and meant to say PURE BLOOD PINOY and not POOR, although that could be true as well.

ok 12,000/16,000/20,000/25,000 baht, whatever the tuition is you know what I mean. It's easy to avoid the headache of a visa run every two months and probably cheaper too.

Anyway, K2D is being lazy when many of his questions have been answered before on this forum or other expat forums if he was willing to take the time and RTFF.

Moreover, no amount of research is going to prepare him for a country like Philippines, but in the end everything will probably work as it always does but not without making some mistakes.

Anyone tried the pak-pak .

i love how guys who dont know a thing about me are trying to tell me not to live my life the way i want to

you do realize that if i get to PI and dont like it i can hop on a flight out right? its not like im stuck there for the rest of my life, and thailand is option #2, but i want to have the option of live poker, i like the fact that there is a lot more english spoken in PI, and i like that the immigration is less of a hassle

i understand its a crazy thing to do, as ive said before there are 2 scenarios that could make this an awful decision, getting locked up or getting kidnapped with some kind of torture

then there are a few that would not be ideal but wouldnt be that awful, like getting robbed for all my money (that will be in the bank), falling in love and getting a girl pregnant (yes for me that would be awful), or even a quick and painless death

i hate playing live poker every day, hate it hate it hate it

i also dont want to get a job

not leaving myself to many options.......

tumelee we JUST had the discussion on makati apts in this thread in the past few pages, and people in PI (like paulB) said yes you can get apts in makati in the $500 range, i believe he even said before that his is $561 a month and is one of the nicer buildings in the city

dlovelee, i have read this entire thread, yes every single page, i have a wordpad file with tons of notes, i have posted on multiple other forums, watched like 10 hours of drus video blogs, other PI stuff on youtube, talked to my friends who visited last year, talked to my friend who is from there, overall ive spent more time studying up on this then i have on anything in my life (except for maybe poker)

paul when was the last time i asked how many pesos were in a dollar? i know that its rising and is getting really close to 44, but i asked that back in november so ya i have no chance

when was the last time i asked stupid questions? just because thats how i started out in this thread doesnt mean i didnt adapt

can you tell me a better place to ask about live poker in davao than a philippines thread on a poker forum? or should i google it and read some article from 2010 about how a card room opened up?

like ive said before you didnt like me from the start and are the one that never adapted, you still hold stuff i asked about 6 months against me and didnt realize that i basically quit asking questions in this thread a long time ago, unless i couldnt find current answers other places

so i want to ask people for advice on buildings they have experience staying in, to me that is doing good research not bad, ya i know go to skyscraper city... i have and will, but the guys in this threads lives will more likely resemble mine then some random people who already live over there

so first you get on my ass for asking "stupid" questions, then i quit asking questions in here and now i dont do any research........ not sure how i can win

luckily there are still plenty of people (thanks ITT, slippen, poot, others) who have been very helpful, got a few places they have recommended that i will check out

When are you planning on moving out?

If I was you I would recommend knowing at least 1 person fairly well before living in Manila, simply getting around to try and find housing when you first arrive without someone experienced is going to be daunting. I would go so extreme to find some desperate girl on a dating website, fake some loving then get her to help when you first arrive. Dont stress about what area to live yet either, go spend a week in a hotel when you first arrive, get used to the pace of the city then decide. Living can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make it really, its up to you.

Be warned, if you end up spending time at your girlfriends family house, while yes its technically rent free you will be expected to pay for Red Horse, which depending on how alcoholic her male family members are could end up costing quite a bit over the long term.

sound advice imho.Would get into hotel ,recover from flight and the shock of being in a different continent first. Maybe budget for longer then a week,so no pressure to find something suitable.
Dont think you need to do the fake loving thing though.Would just say im looking for someone to hang out with and show me around.Just be prepared that when they meet you for the first time, they will probably bring a friend\cousin etc. with them (maybe older sister,best friend,2 cousins)and yes=guess who is paying for the food and drinks!
Just be aware there are lots of scammers and ladyboys on these dating sites too!

like 6 weeks from now (if i have money)

plan is to initially go to hotel, then go to apt and hope to be able to do a 1 month lease to start to make sure i like it before doing 6 month lease, wont be possible at all places, and i know that it will cost me a lil more to do it like that but i think its worth it

no need to book hotel

Go for it and good luck.

kick2dante I'm not gonna bother pointing out all your dumb questions (there are too many), and since it's pretty useless to try to convince you anything or give you any advice, I'm just going to wish you luck since you will need it.

PSA for anyone on Globe: here's a decent promo.

Go for it mate, you seem to have an adventurers spirit which will be more than enough to get you through imo.

Just for the record I would like to say I think k2 is making, massive, massive mistake coming to PI regardless of town or city but as he seems to have his heart set on it i'd give any advice or tips I can, even tho I'm noob here compared to Thailand.

I have advised he check out The Asia Tower, living there will be fine, decent 40 odd SQM condos for LESS than $500 p.m right next to green belt, if anything living there will feel almost exactly like home, opposite a McDonald's and Wendy burger plus supermarket full of American brands.

You could also check out of of the BSA buildings, so a google for bsa tower, mansion etc

hehe im about as un-adventurous as anyone you have ever met


just hate my life and ready to start taking some risks with it in hopes of finding something better out there

First time I arrived in Manila, it was straight to Payatas at 11pm after 24hours travelling. Nothing like hanging out in a slum to max out your culture shock for first time visitors, really mind blowing experience.

i remember when i first started reading this thread fanapathy said that la cafe (now MBC) was not a place for travel noobs to go alone

i am STRONGLY considering doing just that on the first night, just for pooters sake


what are your guys's's thoughts on pooters asia tower suggestion? i know greenbelt is like the nicest area.... is that place close to the mall do u know poot?

My only suggestion is make sure you stay in a safe area for the first few days until you suss out what is what, probably Makati, that's where I was and it was fine. If you start going to random places straight off the bat you might find yourself out of your depth pretty quickly as your not a savvy traveller.

I've travelled around a fair bit, but have to admit I nitted it up a bit safetywise in Manila and just stayed mostly in Makati, I think next time I will explore further a field though.

Outside of the cities Manila/Cebu I felt pretty safe tbh (in fact Cebu was ok really, but you did have to keep an eye out just in case), although petty crime like snatching etc is always a threat.

How's life Poots? Not been on here for a few weeks because of password issues.

Have booked a flight to Bkk for late Aug, will deffo be in Patts for a few days at least, there might be an outside chance of AC. You still likely to be in Phils then?

loljustawesomelol,this will keep me amused all day

I will most likely be in patts third or fourth week of august. If i miss you and you make AC give me some notice and i'll make it up for a night or two.


K2 Asia tower is right next to GB as in right across the street from it, like 30 meters away.

I like this idea, its exciting. The hotel you want to stay at is Executive Plaza just 2 or 3 blocks from MBC. The Hyatt hotel and casino is one block away, and there is lots of daytime action at the Robinson's mall. I mean, i've never been to a mall like that, LOL......

The Hyatt does have poker too, albeit not so great.

For what its worth, i'm fully behind your decision and support you 100% regardless of what I posted earlier. I want to see you succeed.

.....

Standing in front of Executive Plaza facing Hyatt turn left, walk about 5-8 blocks and you will walk into a poker room. Dont remember the name but you wont miss it. When I use to travel there last being 2008 there wasnt much action in the casino. The stand alone poker room held the most action there in the manila bay area. Nowadays you will find over a dozen poker rooms all over manila.

Going to Cebu tomorrow, I remember reading in this thread that you can immediately extend your visa for two months at the airport but can't seem to find that post anymore (and can't remember if it was only for manila or also for Cebu).
Is that also possible at Cebu airport? Fwiw I'm staying for a little under 2 months and have booked a return flight but I assume I still have to get it done...

Thanks

Also, any cabs I should avoid at Cebu Airport?