Alternatives To Chiang Mai In Southeast Asia

[F4UCorsair]

Well done cdnvic. I thought it was completely unnecessary also.

[Ulysses G.]

On another thread he whines about how people in real life laugh at him and "are not friendly". He goes on to say that he makes more money than they do, so they are the ones who have something wrong with them.

There are way too many of these types venting their frustrations on Internet forums.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[miodo2009]

Whining about whining is also whining. And posters who comment on these two types of whiners are what I would call "winners".

[Jingthing]

I concur that my general overall impression is that the Philippines is more dangerous crime-wise than Thailand. However, there are parts of the USA which are even worse, so like anywhere, a lot would depend on where you settle. I have been to Cebu but not Davao and I am curious to check it out. Of course Davao is on Mindanao which is the large southern island which has been involved in Islamist political violence for decades now. So I wonder if being American might be an issue on that island and the instability also speaks against making a major investment. I do appreciate my head being attached to my body.

[Ulysses G.]

Whining about whining is also whining. And posters who comment on these two types of whiners are what I would call "winners".

The more usual term is troll. Edited June 27, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[cdnvic]

Please return to the topic. Let me handle the whiners and trolls. :jap:

[ollylama]

i traveled throughout the philippines in 2003 and didn't feel it was dangerous at all, outside of manila. the problem is that most of the cities are ugly as hel_l. but the beaches are amazing. i think i liked siguijor the best because it was so small, beautiful and friendly. it also has a weird tradition of black magic which i wish i could have been more privy to.

also, if you like to eat vegetables you'll have a hard time. i practically got scurvy from eating nothing but meat and carbs all the time.

very cool people - funny and easy to chat with. western sense of humor. i miss that here sometimes.

edit - i have to admit, i didn't spend much time in any of the cities. i'm sure they're more dangerous than chiang mai, though few cities of chiang mai's size are as safe as it is. it's one of the best things about the place. getting robbed or hurt can really ruin your outlook. i.e. stay away from spicy's.

Edited June 27, 2010 by ollylama

[cdnvic]

Fruit should make up for lack of veggies, or is that in short supply too?

[mabuhay]

In general, the Philippines is very dangerous, so I would rule that out right away.

Huh? The Philippines "very dangerous"? I think you abviously don't know about the country you are posting. There are some areas to avoid in the capital (slums) just like in any country in the world there are ghettos you should avoid walking through and in the south are several areas you should avoid also. These dangerous areas where you will probably get robbed kidnapped represent less than 5% of the whole country. Why would you generalize a whole country for that?

The Philippines is just like Thailand it's not more or less dangerous. I lived in many places in the Philippines and you should not worry about violence or crimes if you stay ouf of these particular dangerous areas.... There is no reason to roam around there. Except from that the Philippines is a little bit cheaper than Thailand.

Apart from that if your a beach type of person you will love the Philippines. In my opinion some beaches are much more beautiful than the ones in Thailand and sea life is just meters away from the shore. For nature lovers the Philippines is just great and on top of that there really aren't many tourists and the locals speak good enough english. Philippine food can not compete with Thai food that's for sure. There are armed security guards at bars, restaurants, grocery stores, banks, hotels....

Mabuhay Philippines

Edited June 28, 2010 by mabuhay

[mcgriffith]

I've always wanted to check out the Philippines; this thread has convinced me to do so.

Puerto Galera, and some other diving areas are of interest.

Guess I'll have to see what the weather conditions are like there in March thru May, which is when I want to escape the Big Smoke here in CM.

If it is typhoon season, no can do.

If it is just rainy, and low season...that suits my needs perfectly.

Info, anyone?

[el jefe]

In general, the Philippines is very dangerous, so I would rule that out right away.

Huh? The Philippines "very dangerous"? I think you abviously don't know about the country you are posting.

.....

There are armed security guards at bars, restaurants, grocery stores, banks, hotels....

Why are there armed security guards at restaurants and grocery stores if it's not dangerous?

[Ulysses G.]

In Manila, the guards are all along the streets with rifles, shotguns, and pistols - at least they were last time I visited.

I still remember when the security guard in front of our hotel aimed and fired at a young boy selling souvenirs who had made him angry somehow. I don't think that he hit him, but I am not really sure because he had chased the kid into an alley and we were all too worried about getting shot to go down the street to look. All the tourists ran inside the lobby and stayed there, but the local acted like it was not out of the ordinary. No police showed up at all. I have never seen anything close to this in Thailand.

I have to admit that it is fun there though if you have money to blow and are careful and I am sure that there are some destinations that are safe

Edited June 28, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[Andreas84]

 In Manila, the guards are all along the streets with rifles, shotguns, and pistols - at least they were last time I visited. 

I still remember when the security guard in front of our hotel aimed and fired at a young boy selling souvenirs who had made him angry somehow. I don't think that he hit him, but I am not really sure because he had chased the kid into an alley and we were all too worried about getting shot to go down the street to look. All the tourists ran inside the lobby and stayed there, but the local acted like it was not out of the ordinary. No police showed up at all. I have never seen anything close to this in Thailand.

I have to admit that it is fun there though if you have money to blow and are careful and I am sure that there are some destinations that are safe

 

That sounds crazy!

I find it a bit amusing how many different opinions are being expressed here concerning the Philipines. Seems to be a sensitive topic for many :-)

[Jingthing]

Personally, I think most Filipinos who know Thailand would also tell you Thailand is indeed safer ... overall.

[Ulysses G.]

I agree that is sounds crazy. I was very shocked. I have never seen this type of thing anywhere else - even Cambodia when it  was a lot more dangerous. I am not denying that there are places that are worse, but they are not the kind of places many people would go on vacation.

[uptheos]

I've always wanted to check out the Philippines; this thread has convinced me to do so.

Puerto Galera, and some other diving areas are of interest.

Guess I'll have to see what the weather conditions are like there in March thru May, which is when I want to escape the Big Smoke here in CM.

If it is typhoon season, no can do.

If it is just rainy, and low season...that suits my needs perfectly.

Info, anyone?

http://www.besttimetogo.com/view.php?city_id=299

[mcgriffith]

Thanks for that, uptheos!

[cmdream]

Boil it down from what I read here is get the hel_l out of Manilla ASAP. The rest of the country is friendly and livable. To compare with CM

as an expat place to live it is worth a couple weeks try. What the hel_l you can always come back

[F4UCorsair]

Ulysses said

I agree that is sounds crazy. I was very shocked. I have never seen this type of thing anywhere else - even Cambodia when it was a lot more dangerous. I am not denying that there are places that are worse, but they are not the kind of places many people would go on vacation.

Ahhh Cambodia. When I worked there back about 7 years, one of the places I frequented was a bar named the Cathouse. There was a sign on the door "Firearms must be left with the security guard before entry".

The local emergency services were summoned by the police by a volley of AK47 fire. For an ambulance it was a very short burst, fire service several seconds.

I loved my time there but it was quite primitive by Thai standards.

Edited June 30, 2010 by F4UCorsair