How about Philippines?

[thecyclist]

18 hours ago, chicowoodduck said:

Short ferry ride from Cebu??  I must have take the wrong one....seemed like days at sea and an arrival time in Dumagueta in the dark.....once that was over, enjoyed my stay in the city.....pretty laid back and with a good vibe.....????

I think you are talking about a ferry from Duamagete to Cebu City, not familiar with that one. I was talking about (the original poster mentioned being an avid cyclist) the ferry from a pier a couple of km north of Dumaguete to somewhere near Santander (southerner tip of Cebu, arguably the most scenic part of the island), and then cycling the 140km to Cebu city, something which can be done in  one day. 

[Johnnyngai]

On 1/4/2019 at 9:08 AM, scubascuba3 said:

On 1/4/2019 at 7:57 AM, baansgr said:

Angeles has an international airport and easy links to Manilla with the P2P system.
Good malls with Marque and SM and newly opened Robinsons.
Far cheaper Western style food prepared far better than Thailand. Flipper food is also very good and cheap although most say its not but as they havnt even bothered to try it.
Hotels similar price but apartments or if inclined to buy also a lot cheaper than Thailand, a two bedroom house in Angeles can be had for less than US$ 20,000 although ownership laws are similar restrictions to here.
Dentistry and health far superior to here although needing a prescription was indeed a blast back to reality and the price 3 times of here for simple amoxycillan
English language provicency 100,000,000 % better than Thailand
Visa as easy as 123 with none of the BS you get here
For boozers and smokers its a paradise compared to Thailand with prices at least half of here, not forgetting its still a 24/7 place to party.
Hands down a winner in every way for......OH and the women, you can actually have a relationship, go to the movies and talk about the film after, unlike the monetary contract relationships going on in Thailand

What's the main bar street called there? i was just looking on streetview but nothing much came up

Field Ave. and Perimeter Road (Don Juico Ave.) , I was there 7 months ago for 20 days.  

Many young overweight bar girls with baby damage, puffy face and meaty nose.  

For the same money, Thai girls are much prettier. 

I will not visit Philippine again .   

[bulldogtwo]

Well this is an age old question but I guess it really depends on what you expect and like or dislike.

For me, and my wife who is Filipina, we love Thailand because;

 

Negatives of PI

Much more secure

Infastructure is intact, easy to get around without wasting a whole day to go a couple hundred miles, no joke. Traffic and roads are horrendous. Mostly traffic.

Lodging is a lot more expensive than Thailand and not worth the money you pay for the increased rates. To include not as many middle of the roads lodging establishments, either 200-300 per night or an 80$ dive that is noisy and located in bad places. 

One poster mentions security or armed guards in stores and hotels. Yep, they are everywhere. They can't secure their own cities. More often than not the police are complicit in the insecurity and kidnappings for ransom. 

Food, doesn't compare to Thai food. Having said that there are some good dishes to explore.

Overall you are going to spend more in PI that in Thailand for the same amount of days, "normally." Compare what you get in each country for the same price and I think you'll see what I am talking about.

 

 

Positives;

 

Generally the people are always on their guard, city or country, however, once you can find a way to break the ice the filipinos are some genuinely warm friendly people.

The women, ARGUABLY are prettier than the Thai's. ( Wow, I know that'll generate some controversy) I used to think just the opposite but, well, they are :  } Their temperment is a bit testy at times but if you are good to them they are great companions or wive's. 

PI has to have at least 20-30 times the beach area than Thailand, and most of it is pristine because it is undeveloped. That's huge. Meaning IF there are any lodging it could be a cinder block room with a bed, if at all. Other than the lack of security, I don't understand why the filipino's have not developed these areas. Lack of investors due to the security concern is I believe the main reason. Good bad. This also goes for the jungle. You could potentially see pristine jungle areas with intact flora and fauna. That is saying a lot for SE Asia where it has been forested and hunted. Again though, serious security concerns in many areas particularly the south.

 

Good luck

[thecyclist]

On Sun Jan 06 2019 at 1:15 PM, bulldogtwo said:

Well this is an age old question but I guess it really depends on what you expect and like or dislike.

For me, and my wife who is Filipina, we love Thailand because;

 

Negatives of PI

Much more secure

Infastructure is intact, easy to get around without wasting a whole day to go a couple hundred miles, no joke. Traffic and roads are horrendous. Mostly traffic.

Lodging is a lot more expensive than Thailand and not worth the money you pay for the increased rates. To include not as many middle of the roads lodging establishments, either 200-300 per night or an 80$ dive that is noisy and located in bad places. 

One poster mentions security or armed guards in stores and hotels. Yep, they are everywhere. They can't secure their own cities. More often than not the police are complicit in the insecurity and kidnappings for ransom. 

Food, doesn't compare to Thai food. Having said that there are some good dishes to explore.

Overall you are going to spend more in PI that in Thailand for the same amount of days, "normally." Compare what you get in each country for the same price and I think you'll see what I am talking about.

 

 

Positives;

 

Generally the people are always on their guard, city or country, however, once you can find a way to break the ice the filipinos are some genuinely warm friendly people.

The women, ARGUABLY are prettier than the Thai's. ( Wow, I know that'll generate some controversy) I used to think just the opposite but, well, they are :  } Their temperment is a bit testy at times but if you are good to them they are great companions or wive's. 

PI has to have at least 20-30 times the beach area than Thailand, and most of it is pristine because it is undeveloped. That's huge. Meaning IF there are any lodging it could be a cinder block room with a bed, if at all. Other than the lack of security, I don't understand why the filipino's have not developed these areas. Lack of investors due to the security concern is I believe the main reason. Good bad. This also goes for the jungle. You could potentially see pristine jungle areas with intact flora and fauna. That is saying a lot for SE Asia where it has been forested and hunted. Again though, serious security concerns in many areas particularly the south.

 

Good luck

Well, not so sure this is completely true :the PI have a bad reputation in terms of security, but I have cycled all over the Philippines (not Mindanao though), day and night biking, and although I have been the target of attempted scams, never encountered any violence not even in the deep of the night in pitch dark jungle areas.In Thailand, on the other hand, I have been the victim of numerous attacks, both attempted robberies and racist verbal and physical violence (the Thais are not only holding the no. 1 spot in road fatalities in Asean, they are way ahead in the xenophobia department)

Hotels used to be much more expensive in the Philippines, but over the last few years the Baht has strengthened a lot, while the Piso has depreciated(about 6 years ago :1 Baht 1.15 peso, on a recent visit it was 1.6, so while still more expensive, it isn't that much anymore.

The decrepit infrastructure has a certain third world charm to it, that Siam has more or less lost:not that different from a western country anymore. I guess on average Filipinas are more attractive, but by far the most attractive in SEA are the Vietnamese. 

[cnx355]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 2:49 PM, madmen said:

Forget it.
Deported for being rude!!


Borrowed from another poster




 

New Philippines Immigration Reform Act filed. If the recent price increases, violence escalation, infrastructure or lack thereof, and general lack of fair and due process doesn't convince you to go elsewhere, the new Philippines Immigration Reform Act will. It gives wide and vague latitude for Immigration and Police to basically do whatever they feel like with you. Here are a few new highlights:

● Exit Clearance will now be required after 60 days - [MTV] Essentially if you stay in country for > 60 days you need Tax Clearance before you can leave, even if leaving for a holiday - IIRC this is currently 6 Months
● Foreigners Permanent Residency will be cancelled on divorce, relationship abandonment, or failure to provide support for Filipino spouse and family(does not disclose as what extent of her existing family). - [MTV] Scary 
● Foreigners Permanent Residency will cancelled if outside the Philippines more than 1 year.
● Foreigners will no longer be allowed to establish any type of business under a visitor visa.- [MTV] One of the major selling points of PI over TH
● New visa applicants will be required to have a physical and mental evaluation prior to getting an immigrant visa. - [MTV] Speechless
● Entry into the Philippines will be denied for those believed to arriving for the purpose of getting prostitutes or showing "disrespect" to any government official or employee. - [MTV] Some may guffaw at this but anybody who's visited the Philippines for the past 10+ years can tell you about clampdowns in Manila & (especially) Cebu 
● Deportable offenses: engaging in prostitution,  being deemed a public charge, being deemed undesirable, and being "rude" .- [MTV] Speechless
● Foreigners must register within 60 days of arrival and update any changes in said registration within 7 days. - [MTV] TM30/TM28 anybody? 
● Also states that the immigration agency can start requiring cash bonds on demand to ensure immigration adherence. Provision perhaps for longer stays?- [MTV] at the moment the only cash requirement outside of visa expenses is if you go for an SRRV Visa, this sounds more like they're going to want to see Funds in the Bank for people who are staying longer on any kind of basis
● Imprisonment offences of not less than 5 years: falsely claiming to be a Filipino citizen, pretending to be someone else or using false documents, making a false statement in any immigration matter,   
 

Foreigners must register within 60 days of arrival and update any changes in said registration within 7 days. - [MTV] TM30/TM28 anybody? 

 

____________________________________________________________

 

In that case a lot better than Thailand.  You have 60 days to register . not 24 hours.

 

And you do not report again if you keep the same address. No TM 30.

 

Reporting your address change you have 7 days , so quite normal. 

 

And the best:  You can do it at any Immigration offices  at the moment, Not only the one you get tourist visa  extension.  Seems  Bureau of Immigration know  how to use computers over there. NO need to bring your landlord  personal document. A rental contract is enough.

BUT: 

I want to add  that not everything is good  as all the other points you mentioned will make staying more difficult. Overall I agree with you that it is getting worst.