How far behind is the Philippines compared to Thailand ?

[Scouse123]

39C in Kalasin and no breeze!

[Korat Kiwi]

Makati just out of Manila has a huge slum area.  Every so often a mysterious fire breaks out,  a few lives are lost and the area shrinks a bit. 

 

Some say it's cause by 'officials'  trying to clear the area... but who knows. 

 

When I was living there I never had a problem with feeling unsafe.  In fact in the last week I went to all the places I was warned against... and I had a ball of a time. 

 

I treated the locals with respect, even bought a few beers and it was reciprocated. 

 

[Harsh Jones]

 The slums are called subdivisions. There's different ghettos all over the city. bkk still has its ghetto slums but i don't think they are this numerous. But 20 years ago , they probably were 

[Kinok Farang]

The girls aren't as beautiful as LOS although really friendly and good fun.

The food doesn't compare at all.Thailand is the best.

Beachlife much better in the Phils and the people more genuinely friendly.

[Harsh Jones]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Much more so than Thailand, there's a lot more poverty, there's more desperation, and the average guy in the street has far more talent as a street fighter than the average Thai. They're trained with sticks knives and with some of them their hands are deadly weapons. So you do have to keep your eyes open.

 

I don't worry about that in Thailand. 

 

I like the PI, I like the people but I find the whole place reminds me of one huge Tijuana. And I find their food to some of the worst on the planet unless you step up and spend a lot more money on international food. 

Yeah it's obvious that the poverty is worse. I was surprised how annoying the street sellers were. In Thailand , they don't waste too much of your time if you aren't interested. Here in subic , there's an idiot sitting out front of the hotel all the time. i can't go out for a puff without him yapping at me. Even if you give him rude body language and short answers, he doesn't just bugger off.

 

With the poverty difference , one would think mongering would be cheaper and better here. but i don't know if it is

 

 

Edited April 3 by Harsh Jones

[Korat Kiwi]

As a result I think the girls are more likely to want to sink their hooks in. 

 

By that I mean they want a relationship in order to get out of their personal rat hole. 

 

They speak very americanised English which can be a bit hard on your ears over time. 

 

I don't know what it's like in Angeles city but one day I hope to get to Davao and see what's happening there. 

 

They probably ain't into it like Thais but look at their population... they breed like rats! 

[Middle Aged Grouch]

The main point should be is to look how much cheaper is the cost of living in the Philippines, compared to Thailand that is getting more and more costly day by day.

[Korat Kiwi]

15 minutes ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

The main point should be is to look how much cheaper is the cost of living in the Philippines, compared to Thailand that is getting more and more costly day by day.

Yes I can see that but it does come with down sides as well.  It's a bit of a balancing act. 

 

The Philippines do have a reasonable health sector, ie their hospitals are quite good and don't cost the earth. 

 

But their food is bad, unless you find offal to your taste.  Hey I don't mind a bit sometimes but not daily. 

 

If Thailand gets worse then Philippines is an option to consider. But Cambodia and Vietnam are also enticing. 

[spidermike007]

6 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

Yeah it's obvious that the poverty is worse. I was surprised how annoying the street sellers were. In Thailand , they don't waste too much of your time if you aren't interested. Here in subic , there's an idiot sitting out front of the hotel all the time. i can't go out for a puff without him yapping at me. Even if you give him rude body language and short answers, he doesn't just bugger off.

 

With the poverty difference , one would think mongering would be cheaper and better here. but i don't know if it is

 

 

It used to be an incredible scene the bars were fantastic, and the clubs were chock full of spectacular women. According to a friend of mine who lives there that's all gone underground, the bars started charging huge bar fines, and everything went online. So the nation is a pale shadow of its former self in that regard, though I think it's still possible to get with beautiful women, you just have to use different methods. 

[JoseThailand]

The Philippines is complete crаp, compared to Thailand

[it is what it is]

 

depends, if you mean english language skills and work ethic then the philipines is way ahead

[spidermike007]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Been all over the bad places in Manila, used to walk from the airport through the Barrio to the bus station (Victory Line) late at night/early morning.

Lots of old folk sitting outside their shacks all night, everyone very friendly, beyond your wildest Thai dreams.

'Good morning sir, enjoy your visit', they would say as I walked by.

I've never had any problems from the locals, one immigration lady suggested I stayed longer after viewing my many 10 day visits in my passport (I got the idea she would be happy to show me around).

 

I you want to live somewhere you can actually make local friends (male and female), then PI is the place to go. They speak English, listen to our music and movies, and generally share our culture. If I hadn't already settled in CM, I'd probably be living there (or Siam Reap).

 

Mike has a big down on PI, don't know why as he's never been.

 

Back on topic,

Internet was a lot slower than Thailand, plus frequent, almost daily, power cuts.

I've been to the PI several times and I like the place, but I don't feel secure there that's all. You may feel secure there, I don't. Many of my friends don't, it is what it is, I'm not making this stuff up.

 

I do agree that it's easier to make friends there, I do agree that the place is a lot more Western, and I do agree that it feels like a foreign country, rather than a distant planet, which Thailand is. 

[Harsh Jones]

12 hours ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

The main point should be is to look how much cheaper is the cost of living in the Philippines, compared to Thailand that is getting more and more costly day by day.

The rub with the Philippines is it's not actually cheaper in many cases. It should be but it isn't 

 

The inflation is brutal. Lots of stuff costs the same in Canadian , just converted. I was paying $90 Canadian for a pretty bad hotel in Marinduque. Granted it was holy week and hyper busy

Edited April 4 by Harsh Jones

[Harsh Jones]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It used to be an incredible scene the bars were fantastic, and the clubs were chock full of spectacular women. According to a friend of mine who lives there that's all gone underground, the bars started charging huge bar fines, and everything went online. So the nation is a pale shadow of its former self in that regard, though I think it's still possible to get with beautiful women, you just have to use different methods. 

Im travelling w/ my wife and I'm happily retired from mongering. But i went for a couple walks by myself at night here in Subic. Maybe I was in the right place at the right time but 2 real hotties came down the sidewalk and gave me the business. Another time , i seen some ladies walking down the road and assumed they were just going out at night. But one crossed the road right away and i had to wave her along. Again, early/mid 20's and hot. I have no idea about prices but they looked fine indeed 

[Harsh Jones]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I've been to the PI several times and I like the place, but I don't feel secure there that's all. You may feel secure there, I don't. Many of my friends don't, it is what it is, I'm not making this stuff up.

 

I do agree that it's easier to make friends there, I do agree that the place is a lot more Western, and I do agree that it feels like a foreign country, rather than a distant planet, which Thailand is. 

I prefer the distant planet feel to the Mexico in Asia feel. I feel 10x safer here than Mexico but safer still in Thailand. 

[spidermike007]

22 minutes ago, Harsh Jones said:

Im travelling w/ my wife and I'm happily retired from mongering. But i went for a couple walks by myself at night here in Subic. Maybe I was in the right place at the right time but 2 real hotties came down the sidewalk and gave me the business. Another time , i seen some ladies walking down the road and assumed they were just going out at night. But one crossed the road right away and i had to wave her along. Again, early/mid 20's and hot. I have no idea about prices but they looked fine indeed 

Oh there's no question that there's a very active industry there, it's just not really in the bars and clubs anymore from what I understand, but it's likely easy to find if you're looking for it. 

[Harsh Jones]

In some ways , Manila is 30+ years behind BKK. I remember being impressed with the 1990's view tower. Now they have that newer one which puts the old one to shame. What does Manila have ?

 

This is why i want to bring my wife to Thailand. I think she'll really like it 

Edited April 4 by Harsh Jones

[georgegeorgia]

18 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

As a result I think the girls are more likely to want to sink their hooks in. 

 

By that I mean they want a relationship in order to get out of their personal rat hole. 

 

They speak very americanised English which can be a bit hard on your ears over time. 

 

I don't know what it's like in Angeles city but one day I hope to get to Davao and see what's happening there. 

 

They probably ain't into it like Thais but look at their population... they breed like rats! 

Davao is the safest city ,no crime 

I walked every night 

Busy smaller type city ,annoying beeping of horns though 

 

I found the people in Davao very friendly and helpful 

Modern shopping malls all busy 

 

[georgegeorgia]

5 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

The rub with the Philippines is it's not actually cheaper in many cases. It should be but it isn't 

 

The inflation is brutal. Lots of stuff costs the same in Canadian , just converted. I was paying $90 Canadian for a pretty bad hotel in Marinduque. Granted it was holy week and hyper busy

One thing I noticed the HOTEL accommodation is more expensive in the Philippines than Thailand

 

[Harsh Jones]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

One thing I noticed the HOTEL accommodation is more expensive in the Philippines than Thailand

 

Exactly. Thailand's hotels are way better and better priced

[Harsh Jones]

With Thailand less than 3 hours away , other than some select islands , I have little interest in coming here again. And even then , the islands have come a long way since 2014 but are still expensive.

[Harsh Jones]

To be fair , I didn't feel in danger anywhere I went compared to 2014. There's cops , military and security everywhere 

[Hanaguma]

Spent a few weeks on the island of Palawan.  A seriously unspoiled paradise. Puerto Princesa was OK as a city, but we didnt stay long. Went to a small beachside town called Port Barton and it was amazing. Lovely beach, cheap boat tours to unspoiled islands, snorkeling, very nice. Farther north is a town called El Nido which can be touristy, but again spectacular nature and clean water. I think there are also flights to Manila from El Nido if needed.  Anyway, a great island getaway./ 

[Harsh Jones]

20 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

Spent a few weeks on the island of Palawan.  A seriously unspoiled paradise. Puerto Princesa was OK as a city, but we didnt stay long. Went to a small beachside town called Port Barton and it was amazing. Lovely beach, cheap boat tours to unspoiled islands, snorkeling, very nice. Farther north is a town called El Nido which can be touristy, but again spectacular nature and clean water. I think there are also flights to Manila from El Nido if needed.  Anyway, a great island getaway./ 

What was hotel prices like in Palawan ?

 

The unspoiled islands are the bright spot for the Philippines for sure. And everyone knows that. I just question how many ppl really realize how behind Manila and provincial towns are. And how it effects you in your travels when you are there. 

[Expat68]

34 minutes ago, Harsh Jones said:

What was hotel prices like in Palawan ?

 

The unspoiled islands are the bright spot for the Philippines for sure. And everyone knows that. I just question how many ppl really realize how behind Manila and provincial towns are. And how it effects you in your travels when you are there. 

It effected my friends travel/holiday massively 

[Hanaguma]

5 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

What was hotel prices like in Palawan ?

 

The unspoiled islands are the bright spot for the Philippines for sure. And everyone knows that. I just question how many ppl really realize how behind Manila and provincial towns are. And how it effects you in your travels when you are there. 

We stayed at this place. It was quite nice, but only had electricity in the rooms at limited times. Good food, great location on the beach, easy to book private day tours of the islands.

 

https://ausanbeachfront.com/accommodation/

[scubascuba3]

On 4/3/2024 at 7:58 PM, Korat Kiwi said:

 

But their food is bad, unless you find offal to your taste.  Hey I don't mind a bit sometimes but not daily. 

If the food is as bad as people say why don't they just eat at home and cook themselves? ingredients are available? meat vegetables, potatoes, rice?

[scubascuba3]

On 4/4/2024 at 1:54 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Davao is the safest city ,no crime 

I walked every night 

Busy smaller type city ,annoying beeping of horns though 

 

I found the people in Davao very friendly and helpful 

Modern shopping malls all busy 

 

You weren't interested in women while you were in Davao?

[georgegeorgia]

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

You weren't interested in women while you were in Davao?

.no 

I was more interested in statistics 

Durian was the most sold in Davao 

I compiled a whole lot of graphs on different statistics