been to davao for like 3 nights.. cool place... super cheap compared to manila.............. almost no white tourists... all in a hotel call marco polo.... its nice place with nice scenary.. very relax and chill
Didn't have a chance to check out the cardroom but here is my initial impression of Davao (just a copy/paste with minor edits since I wrote this on another site):
Quote:
1. Davao has a unique "small town" feel, similar to how Chiang Mai feels in Thailand.
2. Davao is so much better than Cebu. I find that what some people say about Cebu (cheap, clean, not polluted, no traffic, etc) are not really true about Cebu, but are absolutely true about Davao.
3. I think Davao is really underrated as both a place to live and a travel destination. I saw very few foreigners there. I believe it has to do with travel warnings against Mindanao, e.g. from the US Department of State. But it isn't dangerous at all.
4. I had zero problems communicating. The local tongue is Bisaya, which is not as harsh as it is in Cebu (a small plus), but it seems everyone speaks decent English or Tagalog as well.
5. For a smaller city, Davao has excellent malls. I had the opportunity to visit Gaisano (+The Peak), Abreeza, and the newly opened SM Lanang, and I think Davao has 95% of the restaurants/shops in Manila. I was pretty surprised by that.
6. I also found it surprising that Davao has a decent selection of late-night / 24 hour places: Barbecue Boss, Dimsum Diner, McDonalds, Jollibee, and various stalls open late. I even found a wet market open at 3am. Definitely a good thing for a night owl like me. For some reason, I thought Davao would be more provincial (everything closing down at 8pm).
7. I live in Manila, which I think is well-suited for me right now (more fun, more things to do), but I could definitely see myself retiring in Davao some day. If anyone is thinking about retiring in Cebu, look into Davao. Seriously.
And here's my take on the cost of living in comparison to Manila:
Quote:
If I gave ratings, Manila would be 8.0/10 and Davao would be 8.5/10.
Some things that I found cheaper in Davao were:
-Fruits: Mangosteen 150/kilo and durian 20-30/kilo in Davao.
-Girls on the streets: they were asking 500-700 for the night.
-Movies: 135 at SM Lanang vs 180 in Manila.
-Massages: 175-200 in Davao vs 250-300 in Manila.
Didn't really look into it but I imagine renting a house is a bit cheaper as well (condos are a different story).
ive heard its not a great place for that sort of thing
Don't think so from what I've read, but hey this is Phil's and you will be able to find something no doubt. Seems to be a lot of girls on dia and not a lot of foreigners going there, simple Maths tell me it won't be an issue......
ive heard its not a great place for that sort of thing
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vucking Vish
Don't think so from what I've read, but hey this is Phil's and you will be able to find something no doubt. Seems to be a lot of girls on dia and not a lot of foreigners going there, simple Maths tell me it won't be an issue......
Chick from Davao I met on DAI..
no idea about hookers in Davao, but girls do tend to be better looking from what I've seen of her friends in Davao... had a lot of fun with her, but in the end, a very selfish girl who didn't pass "The Door Test"
hey guys. a few questions regarding living in Manila
about renting. any sites on the inet u would recommend? or is it best as always to go look for yourself? any agencies you would recommend? how about the deposit standards there? how much are u estimated to pay in advance? possibilites to get it back actually?
I already saw some banking advice earlier posted in this thread about "kabayan savings account". this should be the best option?
which internet provider would you recommend? same thing would be with a mobile one. are these contracts easy to make? ie. no work permits required etc?
hey guys a few of us investigating philippines and thailand for a poker house in the new year.
could any of you guys give a comparison of the following things not necessarily in order of importance.
internet speed/stability
weather
cost of living
nightlife
sports, gyms, things to do
food
ability to meet non hooker girls
scenery (how nice is the place)
also the specific areas that have been mentioned are phuket, chiang mai and cebu. so if anyone has any other suggestions or specific info on places then that would be much appreciated
Unless you absolutely need live poker in your life then Thailand over phils all day long. but if you could afford it, it would be good to do a short tour in each country first and see for yourselves which you would feel more comfortable living in.
Only spent a couple weeks in Thailand, did PI for a few months. This was 2010/2011.
internet speed/stability-- Not great in the Philippines. I averaged a disconnect a day on top notch PLDT. If you want decent internet you need to set up a 1 year contract and get installation. It took me and my roommate a couple weeks to get set-up. I can't speak for Thailand.
weather - Pretty similar. Good in both countries so long as its not rainy season.
cost of living - Relatively, they are close. I'd guess that Thailand (excluding Bangkok) is cheaper than Cebu. Bangkok is def the most expensive.
nightlife - I had a great time in both countries. It depends what your into. Thailand has way more expats/expat bars. I had more interesting adventures in PI.
sports, gyms, things to do - tons of gyms/things to do in both countries. Really subjective question, it depends what your into.. I'd assume Thailand is better for team sports just because of the sheer number of expats.
food - The food in PI is terrible. The food in Thailand is amazing. This is the biggest difference between the two countries.
ability to meet non hooker girls - ability to meet non-hooker girls is extremely easy in PI (no language barrier). It's still easy in Thailand. Basically, you don't need any game in Asia. Overall, the girls are better in the Philippines.
scenery (how nice is the place) - Really depends where you stay. chiang mai > phuket > cebu for scenery. Both countries have beautiful areas.
If its your first visit to Asia, I'd recommend Thailand.
If Thailand had spoken english like the phils i think it would ruin the place. I cant stand the way flips speak. Personally the high level of English and ad to that the nail on chalkboard tone they speak in is a big turn off for me.
If Thailand had spoken english like the phils i think it would ruin the place. I cant stand the way flips speak. Personally the high level of English and ad to that the nail on chalkboard tone they speak in is a big turn off for me.
anyone got recommendations on a neighboring country to pick up a laptop in with good prices? i hear hong kong has decent prices for laptops. really sucks looking for a laptop in PH when the same models on newegg are $300+ cheaper for the same model and dealing with customs for online orders of electronics is hell.
anyone got recommendations on a neighboring country to pick up a laptop in with good prices? i hear hong kong has decent prices for laptops. really sucks looking for a laptop in PH when the same models on newegg are $300+ cheaper for the same model and dealing with customs for online orders of electronics is hell.
HK for sure, also the cheapest country to fly to if you book a bit in advance due to all the maids there. Shouldn't cost you more than 150$ round trip from Manila and a couple other cities.
http://www.fortress.com.hk/ is one of the biggest retailers but prices from small dealers that have access to china imports (check price.com.hk) are usually cheaper.
Posted about this before, but I order my electronics and hard-to-get items from the US and have them shipped over via courier service so that I don't have to deal with customs.
It's $6.50/lb + $5 handling fee for air freight and it takes about a week to get the item. Worth looking into if you've got a credit card, and works out to be a lot cheaper than flying somewhere to buy a laptop.
Also, in my experience, HK is not the cheapest country to fly into. I've flown to Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) for about $20 each way - cheapest I've found for a throwaway flight or doing a visa run. Cebu Pacific also runs international flight promos every week for less than $100 roundtrip.
Posted about this before, but I order my electronics and hard-to-get items from the US and have them shipped over via courier service so that I don't have to deal with customs.
It's $6.50/lb + $5 handling fee for air freight and it takes about a week to get the item. Worth looking into if you've got a credit card, and works out to be a lot cheaper than flying somewhere to buy a laptop.
Also, in my experience, HK is not the cheapest country to fly into. I've flown to Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) for about $20 each way - cheapest I've found for a throwaway flight or doing a visa run. Cebu Pacific also runs international flight promos every week for less than $100 roundtrip.
would like to know the courier service and do you have them ship directly or do you have friends or family ship it to you?
would like to know the courier service and do you have them ship directly or do you have friends or family ship it to you?
Both (usually direct, but sometimes had my cousin ship).
I've used Johnny Air Cargo (air freight and sea freight) and Pobox.ph (sea freight only). Sea freight takes much longer (>1 month) but makes a lot more sense for heavy/bulky items or items that you don't need right away.
I know there's also My Shopping Box and Manilaforwarder and probably some others, but haven't used them as I've been pretty happy with Johnny Air.
anyone got recommendations on a neighboring country to pick up a laptop in with good prices? i hear hong kong has decent prices for laptops. really sucks looking for a laptop in PH when the same models on newegg are $300+ cheaper for the same model and dealing with customs for online orders of electronics is hell.
If you're in Manila, check out Laptopkid.com. They're still overpriced, but they're way cheaper than the retail places. But if you have time, you should probably just get JohnnyAirCargo like Paul said.