Thailand Vs Philippines?

[Oleg_Rus]

Ph better than Th cos

1. Higher education level

2. Men are men, they act mannish, and so fight mannish

3. Working habbits

4. Honesty

5. Loyalty

6. Great fun

7. No banana #looze fase#

8. Real food and everybody cook at home, no MSG altered crap

9. great beer

10 Even being so f**ked up by globalisation still kicking (Intel, AMD, many high tech are there)

11. Obviously religious

12. Very small % of *****

And if you know the rules - you're very welcome there, not freaking smile to "dear rich white man" with "green money"

O, and I forgot 70some thou islands !!!

Edited January 8, 2008 by Oleg_Rus

[micksterbs]

Well, I spent a fair bit of time in the Phils from 2002-2005. I married a Filipina, took her back to Blighty and... nope, I'm trying to forget it!

I met some lovely people there but I never really felt safe like I do here. Manila I hated but then I'm not into big cities anywhere, really. The smaller cities/towns were good. Tacloban, Olongapo, Cebu etc. It must have one of the longest coastlines of any country seeing as it's comprised of 7,107 islands. There are some cracking beaches around, most of them deserted.

Never really got used to being stared at; you always felt they were sizing you up. Sounds paranoid, I know but I never get that feeling here.

The food? Christ, don't remind me. Even their fruit have bones...

Lots of beggars pretty-much everywhere and a lot of guns.

IMO, Philippines 5, Thailand 8

Edited January 8, 2008 by micksterbs

[Ulysses G.]

Manilla is a sh*thole!

[PeaceBlondie]

Maybe I missed this thread, but lately I've been kind of considering Cebu City. Somebody suggested Manila, but if I hate Bangkok and didn't like Houston, then Cebu and Chiang Mai are about as big a place as I'd want to live.

[Phil Conners]

Is there a place like Pattaya in Philippines?

[bendix]

Ph better than Th cos

1. Higher education level

2. Men are men, they act mannish, and so fight mannish

3. Working habbits

4. Honesty

5. Loyalty

6. Great fun

7. No banana #looze fase#

8. Real food and everybody cook at home, no MSG altered crap

9. great beer

10 Even being so f**ked up by globalisation still kicking (Intel, AMD, many high tech are there)

11. Obviously religious

12. Very small % of *****

What a strange list. I'm particularly intrigued with your second reason why Ph is better than Thailand: "Men are men, they act mannish and so fight mannish." Would you care to elaborate?

And let's not even get started on reason #8. Don't get me wrong. I love the Philippines and spend a week there every month, but noone sane could EVER say that Philippines food is better than Thai food.

[micksterbs]

What a strange list. I'm particularly intrigued with your second reason why Ph is better than Thailand: "Men are men, they act mannish and so fight mannish." Would you care to elaborate?

And let's not even get started on reason #8. Don't get me wrong. I love the Philippines and spend a week there every month, but noone sane could EVER say that Philippines food is better than Thai food.

Quite. In my experience, most of the fighting is done by the women. The men have this macho image but the majority are scared sh*tless of their wives,

As for the food, most fair-sized towns and cities in the UK will have at least one Thai restaurant. Can anyone name a Philippines equivalent anywhere in the UK apart from those two in Earls Court?

[Ulysses G.]

Is there a place like Pattaya in Philippines?

Pretty much the whole country, last time I was there.

Angeles City was WAY more extreme than Pattaya back in those days.

[saraburioz]

Philpino women are much more attractive than Thai women and the beaches are better.

Religion is better in Thailand as is the fruit.

Philipines has no stupid smiles and somtam.

[Kahluna]

What a strange list. I'm particularly intrigued with your second reason why Ph is better than Thailand: "Men are men, they act mannish and so fight mannish." Would you care to elaborate?

And let's not even get started on reason #8. Don't get me wrong. I love the Philippines and spend a week there every month, but noone sane could EVER say that Philippines food is better than Thai food.

Quite. In my experience, most of the fighting is done by the women. The men have this macho image but the majority are scared sh*tless of their wives,

As for the food, most fair-sized towns and cities in the UK will have at least one Thai restaurant. Can anyone name a Philippines equivalent anywhere in the UK apart from those two in Earls Court?

Hey, you said no one sane EVER could say that Ph food is better than Thai food? What about Filipinos themselves? Of course, they'd say Ph food is better than Thai.

Anyway, with regard to women starting the fight and men just keep mum about it, it's true. But that doesn't mean that Filipinas are a bunch of wrestlers, no they're not. In fact, they are the most caring women on earth, IMHO. Very thoughtful, caring and understanding. They fight when they feel like they are being taken for granted, etc. So there.

And I partly agree that Manila is not a good place to relax but Thailand vs Philippines, PH is wayyy better.

[yabs]

only comparison is the beaches

everything else is way different

no culture to speak of in PI

food is terrible and more expensive

hotels are also more expensive

infratrsucture i n the PI is way behind Thailand.

Beaches while some nice ones still in my opinion do not compare to thailand

they are often smaller and not as many white sand beaches

mostly grey or brown sand

also in many places they make a habit of building on the beach and don't really take care of them like in thailand

I would say malaysia or cambodia is a much better bet than PI

[SamuiJens]

only comparison is the beaches

everything else is way different

no culture to speak of in PI

food is terrible and more expensive

hotels are also more expensive

infratrsucture i n the PI is way behind Thailand.

Beaches while some nice ones still in my opinion do not compare to thailand

they are often smaller and not as many white sand beaches

mostly grey or brown sand

also in many places they make a habit of building on the beach and don't really take care of them like in thailand

I would say malaysia or cambodia is a much better bet than PI

You say everything is way different, except the beaches, well THAT is PH "Culture" and so is the difference in religions-Buddhist vs. Catholic. (sorry bout the spelling)

About Malasyia, I find it rains too much and ppl aren't as friendly. Cambodia, it's hard to say since it's early days and I probably would choose Southern Cambodia. But the PH beaches are NOT gray/brown where I've been (you talkin' about the Manila ones , in fact they have some of the whitest beaches I've seen, soo much so that they blind you without sunglasses.

Anyway, when it comes down to it, it's up to the individual, him/her how they like the PH, but a week or 2 will not make you a lover of PH, it takes time and traveling to different places to achieve the goal of loving the PH and it's ppl! Manila isn't a beautiful city, per say, but it has some charms.(I know ppl will disagree with this) But personally I don't like any big cities no more, and prefer Islands, and that is where PH is nr.1, with over 7,000 of them, and gr8 diving, both skin and scuba, and all water sports. As Samui is going down hill (IMHO) and trying to become an upper class Island with the prices to follow, I too am lookin' at Cambodia and the PH for a new home. BUT wish it wasn't necesarry! But just look at the traffic the last 2 years!

[Ulysses G.]

I much prefer Thailand because it is much safer, but - outside of that s__thole Manilla - everyone knows that PI is much more beautiful!

[aries27]

hmm, why the philippines-bashing all of a sudden?

cmon, cmon.... not a good way to spend friday night eh? so negative!

sure, thailand is way, way better. otherwise we will not be in thailand forum, but in philippines forum, wouldn't we??? :-D

[PeaceBlondie]

As an avid swimmer (more than three hours a day in ideal conditions), the color of the beach would be my least concern. Are there jellyfish, sea nettles, sharks, floating sewerage? Are the beaches full of sharp rocks or sharp inclines, crowded, inaccessible, riptides, coarse sand?

If I visit, I intend to fly direct to Cebu City, and visit Mindanao. Maybe spend five nights, down south, at modest motels on the beach. As for food, that is my best reason to leave Thailand. They might speak enough English and Spanish for me to get by.

[wanderer9020]

PI has its own demeanor ,and so as Thailand does.It really depends on your experience bet these two places, thats why its hard to compare. I will always love PI and Thailand no matter what...

[micksterbs]

What got this thread out of intensive care?

S'funny, as I've been thinking about the Phils a fair bit recently. I reckon that if you could take everything about Thailand, its people, infrastructure, culture, religion, food, etc and put it into the Philippines and then vice-versa, you'd have pretty-much the perfect SE Asian country. Oh, hang-on, take out the earthquakes as well. Do that, and I'll be on the first 'plane to Cebu.

P.S. Keep the Jeepneys. I just love them!

Edited April 4, 2008 by micksterbs

[aries27]

if i hadnt been reading the whole thread, i would have been more in the mood to reply...

but just for the sake of helping the tourism = economy, let me try":

1. the last time i was in cebu was in 1989, island hopping, beautiful white beaches.

2. i heard there's a good diving place called apo reef in dumaguete (island near cebu) but i havent been there myself. i am not a swimmer, let alone a diver. but dumaguete is pretty much used to western tourists, laid back but not that innocent anymore...

3. i have been to boracay (dont know about diving there) but if you like the fun, party ambience...

4. davao is ok...pearl farm resort is the most famous

5. if you are willing to splurge, try el nido in palawan. they have a website. see for yourself. first class accommodation and treatment all the way. good diving and i was able to snorkle. safe.

[yabs]

jens

where was the white sand?

borocay?

yeah but that is worse than samui in myopinion

way too overdevelpoped

i've never seen white sand like samui or phuket with the big wide beaches. Ph tend to be way smaller

and I like some culture along with beaches otherwise we could all go to miami

[SamuiJens]

jens

where was the white sand?

borocay?

yeah but that is worse than samui in myopinion

way too overdevelpoped

i've never seen white sand like samui or phuket with the big wide beaches. Ph tend to be way smaller

and I like some culture along with beaches otherwise we could all go to miami

I'll name one, White Beach, near Puerto Galara( 3 hours from Manila) + 1 with bangca(native culture boat), and it is a BIG white beach and very Long! Jeez, I thought many went there, the other MANY special places, I will only tell special ppl or it'll become a new Samui. Travel and find your place in the sun if you want white beaches! And I haven't been to Boracay, since it sounds like Chaweng on a good day!!

[yabs]

chawng beats borocay anyday

White beach near PG used to be good 4 years ago

lat year when i returned it was really badly overdeveloped with buildings being buitl on the beach itself

which is a curse of the Phils

god help it if it attarcts even half the number of tourists as thailand it will be ruined in no time as there are less building laws than in thailand

[PeaceBlondie]

Food is no reason for me to stay in Thailand. I cannot imagine worse food than Thai. Of course, I am in the minority here. Anyway, PI is still about 9 or 10 time zones away from my family and Western friends.

[SamuiJens]

chawng beats borocay anyday

White beach near PG used to be good 4 years ago

lat year when i returned it was really badly overdeveloped with buildings being buitl on the beach itself

which is a curse of the Phils

god help it if it attarcts even half the number of tourists as thailand it will be ruined in no time as there are less building laws than in thailand

Yabs, maybe to you, Chaweng is better .(I don't know you age or what you do if anything)BUT to me age 57, I think that White Beach was too boring for you, maybe not enough western coffee, burger, pizza & other crap places like that. About Boracay, I did write I hadn't been there, since a friend gave me the same heads up on it as you. But again we all like/dislike this or that in our place of choice, you must agree with me there!?!

As with the building laws, so be it, but you are afraid it won't attract tourists, well I say GOOD. Look at Samui 10 years ago til now! I'd prefer it 10 years ago, at least there wasn't soo much bloody traffic to name only one of the sad things!

Again, it's each to his own and if you're in to get rich from tourists, well good luck, I'm glad if I can get my food, etc. without <deleted> telling me to pay tourist menus when the Thai pays must less(double standard pricing), this you don't find in PH villages. And food is how you make it.

Edited April 5, 2008 by SamuiJens

[slackula]

*sigh* This old chestnut again?

Anyway FWIW (not much I know) I lived in the PI for ~5 years. I spoke the language (Tagalog is really easy to learn if you have a smattering of Spanish or French etc).

I would never willingly set foot in the country again unless somebody is shoveling *huge* amounts of money into my bank account.

The country is bankrupt in a zillion different ways, in between being raped by Spanish and American colonisers they seem to have managed to extract the worst from both cultures and then kept digging.

Having some goon with a shotgun watching me try to eat shiat at Jolibees whilst fending off the beggars in metro Manila was the least of the worries.

As mentioned above the place resembles some tin-pot South American place far more than any country in Asia, I guess that explains why anybody with a skill half worth selling is desperately trying to get the hel_l out of there. There are a few scenic spots but overall it is a complete dump.

The national cuisine is utterly revolting and the people are all looking for a ticket out of the country. The supposed benefit of the level of English is great until you realise that they cannot differentiate between the letters f,p and v and the accent is incredibly irritating after about 7 minutes. Try watching that imbecile on the BBC Asia business report if you need an example.

The place is beyond a dump; when the earth gets an enema they will stick the tube into the Philippines and hopefully that will suck all 7K islands and everybody infesting them off the planet.

[libya 115]

The problem with the Philippines is that for the first time visitor it can be he11ish.

There is no doubting that some of the islands are magnificent. For example Malapascua Island. The white beach there must be world class. If you visit the Philippines avoid going in to Manila. Better to enter through Cebu.

I think if you 'go native' and hook up with a LBFM and stay in a bamboo hut and drink Red Horse and copulate all day and night it would be an agreeable existence.

But, not for me ....yet....will stick with Pattaya......

[SamuiJens]

The problem with the Philippines is that for the first time visitor it can be he11ish.

There is no doubting that some of the islands are magnificent. For example Malapascua Island. The white beach there must be world class. If you visit the Philippines avoid going in to Manila. Better to enter through Cebu.

I think if you 'go native' and hook up with a LBFM and stay in a bamboo hut and drink Red Horse and copulate all day and night it would be an agreeable existence.

But, not for me ....yet....will stick with Pattaya......

My Condolences to you Sir!

[Ulysses G.]

*sigh* This old chestnut again?

Anyway FWIW (not much I know) I lived in the PI for ~5 years. I spoke the language (Tagalog is really easy to learn if you have a smattering of Spanish or French etc).

I would never willingly set foot in the country again unless somebody is shoveling *huge* amounts of money into my bank account.

The country is bankrupt in a zillion different ways, in between being raped by Spanish and American colonisers they seem to have managed to extract the worst from both cultures and then kept digging.

Having some goon with a shotgun watching me try to eat shiat at Jolibees whilst fending off the beggars in metro Manila was the least of the worries.

As mentioned above the place resembles some tin-pot South American place far more than any country in Asia, I guess that explains why anybody with a skill half worth selling is desperately trying to get the hel_l out of there. There are a few scenic spots but overall it is a complete dump.

The national cuisine is utterly revolting and the people are all looking for a ticket out of the country. The supposed benefit of the level of English is great until you realise that they cannot differentiate between the letters f,p and v and the accent is incredibly irritating after about 7 minutes. Try watching that imbecile on the BBC Asia business report if you need an example.

The place is beyond a dump; when the earth gets an enema they will stick the tube into the Philippines and hopefully that will suck all 7K islands and everybody infesting them off the planet.

This is all true, even if not said in a diplomatic manner.

[siamamerican]

*sigh* This old chestnut again?

Anyway FWIW (not much I know) I lived in the PI for ~5 years. I spoke the language (Tagalog is really easy to learn if you have a smattering of Spanish or French etc).

I would never willingly set foot in the country again unless somebody is shoveling *huge* amounts of money into my bank account.

The country is bankrupt in a zillion different ways, in between being raped by Spanish and American colonisers they seem to have managed to extract the worst from both cultures and then kept digging.

Having some goon with a shotgun watching me try to eat shiat at Jolibees whilst fending off the beggars in metro Manila was the least of the worries.

As mentioned above the place resembles some tin-pot South American place far more than any country in Asia, I guess that explains why anybody with a skill half worth selling is desperately trying to get the hel_l out of there. There are a few scenic spots but overall it is a complete dump.

The national cuisine is utterly revolting and the people are all looking for a ticket out of the country. The supposed benefit of the level of English is great until you realise that they cannot differentiate between the letters f,p and v and the accent is incredibly irritating after about 7 minutes. Try watching that imbecile on the BBC Asia business report if you need an example.

The place is beyond a dump; when the earth gets an enema they will stick the tube into the Philippines and hopefully that will suck all 7K islands and everybody infesting them off the planet.

For entertainment value - great post!!! My younger brother was born in the PHilippines and we lived there for a few years when I was very young. My parents loved the people and the beaches. That was 35 years ago and I've heard many people say it has gone downhill since then. Many of the people I've talked to claim it was a nice place until the last 15 years. Never been there so only know what has been told to me.

[slackula]

This is all true, even if not said in a diplomatic manner.

For entertainment value - great post!!! My younger brother was born in the PHilippines and we lived there for a few years when I was very young. My parents loved the people and the beaches. That was 35 years ago and I've heard many people say it has gone downhill since then. Many of the people I've talked to claim it was a nice place until the last 15 years. Never been there so only know what has been told to me.

Thank you very much, I'll be here all week. Try the veal and don't forget to tip your waitresses!

[mainstream]

hi

honestly, this topic only makes good neighbors turn against each other...

about culture.... its not the Philippines fault to be under some crap spanish and american abusers why it lags behind Thailand..., its the agonizing mentality that has left for the filipinos. fortunately, thais never had experienced foreign rule nor did they experience the agony of world wars as much as the Philippines did. sheer inferiority is the reason why filipinos sometimes feel hopeless for the future and the reason why majority wants to leave to country to have greener pastures in the US or everywhere just to feed their families and wanting to move out of poverty.

about religion... if you happen to dislike catholicism, better not go to the Philippines. some would think that Thailand is more unique because its more ASIAN culture but to think twice of it, definitely the Philippines. To the west, being tired of seeing lots of churches, fastfoods, etc., and wanting to see majestic temples, towering pagodas, exotic and delicious food, etc., Thailand tops it all but for asians (referring to a different culture), the Philippines is the most unique. the Philippines is the only country in Asia that is surrounded by muslim and buddhist seas where in the deep jungles you could hear church bells instead of monks and temples, and churches packed with lots of faithfuls that doesn't mind a heavy downpour just to hear sunday masses. I guess the Philippines is the most catholic country outside Rome.

about the food...naturally filipinos would say they love their food as do with thais...but because most of the travelers are whites, they say should be thai food....

about the girls.... i find both of them attractive. what slight difference between a thai and a filipina is that a thai has the exotic oriental features while a filipina has the some kind of latin-mixed asian features.

about the beaches.... well, with over 7,100 islands and over 2,000 still uninhabited, the feeling of a tropical beach gateaway and the possibility of having an island all by yourself is far greater in the Philippines. I say, Thailand's beaches are way behind the beaches of the Philippines and diving is much more exciting also, why thank its geography being strategically located in the famed "coral triangle", the Philippines, shares with Indonesia, the abundance of marine biodiversity on the planet.

about nightlife... id say Bangkok where bars tend not to close, but honestly for me, Manila is the most vibrant, its because, its more western atmosphere and filipinos are great imitators. they can sing well almost any type of songs. i guess, with the good grasp in english, they're far better singers than the thais.

about tourism.... well obviously Thailand leads the pack of SEA nations in terms of luring tourists while the Philippines lags behind. basically, it also has some advantages and disadvantages. Thailand draws more tourists, so obviously it shares a bigger chunk of foreign direct investments thus creating more jobs to thais, improving accomodations, transportation, infrastracture and other related tourism investments. whereas in the Philippines, it only targets a mere 5 million tourists a year and can't even paved the roads and improved transportation. Sure is a good way to start working for the Philippines, but tourism can also bring disadvantages. One is overcrowding of beaches in Thailand that could eventually destroy the natural beauty of the place and poverty related social dilemmas like, of course prostitution. Centers such as Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket are often identified as primary tourist "prostitution" areas. The Philippines doesn't have overcrowding of tourists (I don't consider Boracay to be overcrowded) but has a fair share of prostitution too. Prostitution in Olongapo and Angeles is highly prominent during and after the time of the U.S. military bases of Subic Bay and Clark respectively. It still is a major sex tourism area in the Philippines.

about security.... both countries experiences problems related to violence and political instability, but has tourists, your only defense is your common sense. The less likely you feel secured, better not go to a particular place, whatever happens to you, to regret is the consequence of whatever decisions you've made.

I guess after traveling much in america, east and southeast asia, i'd say the best places in the world are those the most dangerous places on earth...COLOMBIA and the PHILIPPINES.....