Philippines versus Thailand.....

[catman20]

On 12/23/2016 at 0:23 PM, sas_cars said:

Thailand is way better in terms of development and infrastructure. Only one thing where Philippines has the edge is their genuinely friendly people and lovely girls.

i think the girls are prettier and sexier here.

[lungnorm]

On 12/23/2016 at 5:22 PM, dave2 said:

re

Visa's said to be easier there

 

a friend whos seriously thinking about moving there sent me this about long term visas in the philapines

which doesnt sound very easy or cheap to me :)

 

i spent a week in an area called malate near manila to escape thailands songkran last april

 

and it is a s###hole but i walked the streets every day and never felt threatend once

 

but i aggree about the street kids being everywhere the only thing i liked about manila

was its swarming with cats !

im a cat lover so i was in seventh heaven all week playing with them and i was up to date with my rabies shots so i didnt have to worry about that either

 

im in kuala lumpur for xmas at the mo but im off to angeles city on the 27 th for the week

covering new year so ill let you know what i think of there next week

then baloy beach in cubic bay for ? days untill i get bored and go back home to chiang mai

 

dave2

 

On 12/23/2016 at 5:22 PM, dave2 said:

re

Visa's said to be easier there

 

a friend whos seriously thinking about moving there sent me this about long term visas in the philapines

which doesnt sound very easy or cheap to me :)

 

i spent a week in an area called malate near manila to escape thailands songkran last april

 

and it is a s###hole but i walked the streets every day and never felt threatend once

 

but i aggree about the street kids being everywhere the only thing i liked about manila

was its swarming with cats !

im a cat lover so i was in seventh heaven all week playing with them and i was up to date with my rabies shots so i didnt have to worry about that either

 

im in kuala lumpur for xmas at the mo but im off to angeles city on the 27 th for the week

covering new year so ill let you know what i think of there next week

then baloy beach in cubic bay for ? days untill i get bored and go back home to chiang mai

 

dave2

These prices are totally incorrect and the last parts are non existent. Once you obtain your Permanant Residents visa there is only an annual reporting fee of only $8 and a 5 yearly fee for a new ID card of $50. Nothing else to pay. No such thing as a 1 month extension its 2 months this can be done until you have been there 36 months then you need to leave the country for a visa run. So its more convenient to get P.R. which costs no more than 2yrs of 2 monthly extensions.

[DSJPC]

I have lived in Thailand and only visited the P.I., numerous times over the last 40 years...

Thailand is pretty wonderful, as u should know...Filipinos are very friendly, speak good English almost everywhere, living there is cheap, but I think crime, scams, ripoffs on foreigners are more prevalent there...I feel very safe here in Thailand...not so, I think, in the P.I.!

[humqdpf]

Cannot compare both countries as places to live just like that. You have to be more specific about what kind of place (capital city, countryside, seaside resort), especially in Philippines.

 

If you compare Bangkok and Manila, I would take Bangkok any day. Manila has no Skytrain or underground and traffic is always terrible. Manila has a really terrible personal security situation - yes, you can live in Makati or Bonafacio and be bored to death. Hard place to make friends if you don't have a job where you can socialise with workmates and have them on your side. Cebu city is far preferable to anything that Manila has to offer.

 

Philippines has the weather to contend with - for about 4 or 5 months of the year, every week a storm/typhoon or two comes in with floods and huge rain. By the time this stuff gets to Vietnam/Thailand, the force is well-spent. This disrupts everything and sometimes brings everything to a complete halt.

 

Philippines has the benefit of people being able to speak English and you also can "buy" their retirement scheme once you get to 45 (I think this is correct - can't remember the exact age) by investing what was a few years ago about $15,000 in a "bond." That gave you all the rights of a citizen except voting - no stupid visa runs and reporting to surly immigration people who give you the run-around.

 

But Philippines lacks some of the other benefits of Thailand, which is a more pleasant life in a more developed country - much of the Philippines is seriously underdeveloped with huge amounts of poverty and crime. Philippines does have spectacular beaches but they are often spoiled by the required level of security (I remember "enjoying" a meal on a beach in Mindanao with my then girlfriend while two armed guards watched the sea for potential kidnappers) or by the attendant slums and open sewers.

 

 

[phantomfiddler]

Many people seem to be missing the original post, Thailand versus Philippines. It,s very simple, Thailand has much better food, is much safer, and if you know where to go accommodation is not expensive. Philippines has the world,s worst food, is considerably a lot more dangerous (when you go into a bar you get patted down to see if you are carrying a gun, and if you don,t have one they give you one !) but the general command of the English language is much better. Beer is also cheaper, especially in the non commercialized areas. Girls in P.I. possibly a bit more genuine in their search for a partner, and any sensible inquiring mind would be well advised to check out BOTH countries. They are both great :)

[Tony125]

8 hours ago, lungnorm said:

You are definitely not a good judge of character. I have been a joker all my life and usually the life of any party. I don not need a Berk to tell me I cannot tell a joke. Now I know where they got the expression right berk from. Berkshire

I live in Laksi area of Bangkok and often go to Central Lad Prao to watch movies there as well as shop. The movies are shown in all Thai or English with no subtitles. Meaning when I am in the theatre watching say the Mechanic Resurection it was all in Englsh no Thai subtitles and the theater was 3/4 full mostly Thai who laughed at and got the inuendos in the movie. You just don't know or hang around Thai who speak English  well. I have a Thai friend (girl) who went to school and owned a restaurant in Boston , Massachusetts she speaks perfect English  with a slight Boston accent.

[durian explorer]

On 12/23/2016 at 4:22 PM, dave2 said:

Just to be clear, the last photo is of Kuala Lumpur and not the Philippines, right?

 

 

[CMKiwi]

That would be correct...Petronas towers in KL.  Well spotted

[Ireland32]

15 hours ago, lungnorm said:

Your talking crap. Have you ever told jokes to either Thai or Philippina women.? Thai women just do not have a sense of humor maybe they do but it has to be delivered in Thai.

Not true, my gf is hilarious and all my friends agree, I've taught her English for 3 1/2 years, when she starts laughing at ur jokes, your job is done

[amjamj]

Even if you pay me millions I won't go to a country where they can call president a retarded monkey as dutertre whom most of them are proud to have elected !!!

 

[dave2]

 

re ..  Just to be clear, the last photo is of Kuala Lumpur and not the Philippines, right?

 

re

im in kuala lumpur for xmas at the mo but im off to angeles city on the 27 th for the week

covering new year so ill let you know what i think of there next week

 

which part of this didnt you understand ?

 

ive arrived in angeles and its just as bad as manila with street kids everywhere

manic /chaotic traffic but nowhere near as many cats but the jeepneys bald tyres

are the same

 

dave2

[smotherb]

On 12/23/2016 at 5:10 PM, jonwilly said:

4-5 Years ago I went to Angeles City to escape Songkran.

I went with an old Philippines hand. I asked before we went about obtaining cash. No problem ATM, no charge.

I took some $ and second day we went to Bank. I watched the ATM 'Eat' the Card of man in front of me and so I would not try my 'Lifeline'.

Into bank up to a young lady at desk.

I placed my ATM card and passport on her desk and requested 200$ in pesos.

She Screamed, stood up and ran away. Faster then I can write the event.

I then heard the sound I will never forget as 2 Pump action Shot Guns where cocked, loaded and as I turned the 2 security guards where turning and pointing in my direction.

Most sobering, I have seen what guns can do in my time and had no desire to say hello.

The girl came back very upset and she says, Please do not ask me to cash your request. If your card is forged I am responsible and will lose same amount of money.

My friend intervened and suggested we speak to owner of our hotel a friend of his.

First time I visited was back in Marcos days and the bar owners thought he was great. The New President did not dream up the idea of shooting criminals, kept the streets clean back then.

 

john

1, 2 & 3 for Thailand.

I've done banking in the PI since 1967; while there are armed rent-a-cops and it is a needless bureaucracy of paperwork and wait; I have never seen or heard the confusion you relate. To my knowledge, ever since cards were accepted there was a card machine to check their validity.

[slippedisc]

On 12/28/2016 at 10:28 AM, Berkshire said:

 

The basic cultural fabric between the Philippines and Thailand is nothing alike, but people keep wanting to compare the two.  The PI probably has more in common with a South American country than it does to an Asian one.  As for Americans, it's a long relationship going back to WWII and even up to the 80's when the US military had a huge presence.  I like Filipinos in general as I've met many back in the states.  But the country has really gone down the toilet due to ingrained corruption...among other things. 

Agree with everything you say here.

[slippedisc]

On 12/28/2016 at 10:32 AM, Berkshire said:

 

Let's try to have a civil debate...without the self-boasting.  Filipino women aren't any more friendly than say, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or Thai women for that matter.  They just speak a bit more English.  That's it, and that's all.

I respectfully disagree based on my own experience, but that experience is limited as i don't speak Korean, Japanese, Thai or any Chinese language. Therefore i'm not sure anyone (who like me) does not speak these languages can really say for sure, but you know, you go on your gut instinct about these things, we generalise and there are always many exceptions to these of course.

There are positives and negatives about both Thailand & Philippines, and they kind of balance each other out in my experience, so i'll probably continue to flip back & forth - until War breaks out, but that is an entirely new thread...

[slippedisc]

19 hours ago, catman20 said:

i think the girls are prettier and sexier here.

Prettier, maybe. Problem is they know it.  Sexier?  Sexiness can be more about attitude than appearance, and most Filipinas i've met have good attitude.

[slippedisc]

18 hours ago, lungnorm said:

 

These prices are totally incorrect and the last parts are non existent. Once you obtain your Permanant Residents visa there is only an annual reporting fee of only $8 and a 5 yearly fee for a new ID card of $50. Nothing else to pay. No such thing as a 1 month extension its 2 months this can be done until you have been there 36 months then you need to leave the country for a visa run. So its more convenient to get P.R. which costs no more than 2yrs of 2 monthly extensions.

Simplest option is just to renew every two months, that's a pain (and has some limitations/complications over time) but a lot easier than leaving the country.

[LannaGuy]

4 minutes ago, slippedisc said:

Prettier, maybe. Problem is they know it.  Sexier?  Sexiness can be more about attitude than appearance, and most Filipinas i've met have good attitude.

 

not prettier in my view but we can go round and around with this... Filipino girls are warmer and friendlier by FAR and it's just not a language issue and that's not to say that all thai girls are unfriendly, not at all, some are very warm and some are very pretty but GENERALLY Filipino girls are just warmers and the politeness in PI is way and above what you get here but, as i said before, the PI infrastructure is very poor. I'm happy to live here and go 3/4 times a year to PI and it's a good balance I think. 

[Seducedbytheseas]

I currently live in both countries. In Thailand, I have a home on Koh Samui, and an office in Bangkok, so I get both ends of the Thai lifestyle spectrum. In the Philippines, I have an apartment in Makati (Metro Manila) but have lived on many islands there. One of the cleanest and genuinely pristine islands with friendly people and lots of foreigners is a place called Siargao Island. It is world famous for surfing but has many more qualities than the waves.

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you are young and still in party mode, I'd say Thailand. If older and looking for some peaceful living with your girl, then the Philippines is best, in my opinion. The food is not as good as Thai food, but the life is much simpler there. Thant being said, there is corruption in the Philippines on the same level as Thailand. The infrastructure in the Philippines is far worse than Thailand- especially the mobile and broadband services.

[lungnorm]

Seems that most everyone replying to this topic likes Thai food over Philippine food. I personally dislike Thai food big time. My only likes are Pad Duk Foo and Tod mon pla. You can keep the rest of it. I do not like Philippine food either apart from beef tagalog. I did once find a nice Rabbit Pie in Pattaya and some excellent black pudding there too. I always ate at the Irish and German pubs in Sukhumvit Bkk. Nice roast lamb on Sundays at the Irish pub. In the Philippines I settle for Chinese stir fry or make my own. I learned years ago eating out may be more convenient but increases your risk of getting a belly ache or worse.

[LannaGuy]

3 hours ago, lungnorm said:

Seems that most everyone replying to this topic likes Thai food over Philippine food. I personally dislike Thai food big time. My only likes are Pad Duk Foo and Tod mon pla. You can keep the rest of it. I do not like Philippine food either apart from beef tagalog. I did once find a nice Rabbit Pie in Pattaya and some excellent black pudding there too. I always ate at the Irish and German pubs in Sukhumvit Bkk. Nice roast lamb on Sundays at the Irish pub. In the Philippines I settle for Chinese stir fry or make my own. I learned years ago eating out may be more convenient but increases your risk of getting a belly ache or worse.

 

yes it's true the food is not that great and the malls are full of Jolly Bees and PI restaurants I have never heard of trying to find a good Italian place is very difficult (yes i don't much like Thai food either) .

[jonwilly]

14 hours ago, smotherb said:

I've done banking in the PI since 1967; while there are armed rent-a-cops and it is a needless bureaucracy of paperwork and wait; I have never seen or heard the confusion you relate. To my knowledge, ever since cards were accepted there was a card machine to check their validity.

 

I can only report what happened to me.

The young Lady was Very upset.

I must assume she had been caught out before.

The Hotel owner was very helpful.

He did suggest I take a local taxi to Manila during the week and use one of the main branches there if I was not happy with the service he could provided.

All worked out well.

My friend a US citizen, Bangkok based, had no problems with his ATM card but I was not prepared to risk my Lifeline.

 

john

[amjamj]

On 12/29/2016 at 0:28 PM, lungnorm said:

Seems that most everyone replying to this topic likes Thai food over Philippine food. I personally dislike Thai food big time. My only likes are Pad Duk Foo and Tod mon pla. You can keep the rest of it. I do not like Philippine food either apart from beef tagalog. I did once find a nice Rabbit Pie in Pattaya and some excellent black pudding there too. I always ate at the Irish and German pubs in Sukhumvit Bkk. Nice roast lamb on Sundays at the Irish pub. In the Philippines I settle for Chinese stir fry or make my own. I learned years ago eating out may be more convenient but increases your risk of getting a belly ache or worse.

 

 

Greatly open minded ! How can somebody not like Thai food is beyond any standard brain understanding...

 

 

 

[stament]

On 24 December 2016 at 4:04 AM, soc said:

l also have lived in both countries & my ex was a Filipina.

l much prefer Thailand for all the reasons mentioned above.

Thailand wins hands down.

Just MHO, I think that Thai women are prettier than Filipinas.

l also feel safer in Thailand.

Any reason you chose to marryba filipino as opposed to a thai then? no need to answer if too personal, just curious. perhaps you only discovered prettier thai women after marrying ?

[stament]

On 28 December 2016 at 4:26 PM, catman20 said:

i think the girls are prettier and sexier here.

 

I live in Dubai and there are 1000s of Filipinos here mostly in retail and service industries due to their English language skills I suspect. I can't comment on sense of humour vs thai people, but lookswise I much prefer thais. 

 

Not been to Phi but have a few male Phi colleagues, I find the food a bit bland (the little I have tried) and much prefer thai food. No plams to visit Phi from what I have heard and read.. beaches spund appealing but I am not a beach person, hence TH for me all day long. My wife and boys also strongly influence my decison lol

Edited January 1, 2017 by stament

[lungnorm]

12 hours ago, stament said:

Any reason you chose to marryba filipino as opposed to a thai then? no need to answer if too personal, just curious. perhaps you only discovered prettier thai women after marrying ?

HaHa I have 2 ex's one was Thai and the other a Philippina. The Thai ex had a plain kind of beauty, the Philipina got fat. On my 2nd Philippina at present who I consider the best of the bunch.

[Cockwomble]

I've live in Thailand for 12 years, but have spent a lot of time in the Phils for work; though mainly in Manila on that part. There are some fantastic parts of the Phils, and I generally find it an easier place to get around because of the less language barriers.

 

The Phils really should be a tourist destination, but they have never really got it together, due to the poor infrastructure and dreadful government mismanagement over the years. It's current reputation is hardly enhanced by Duterte and his rants and current war on drugs.

 

I find the people in the Phils much more friendly, and the level of service is significantly higher in hotels, shops, restaurants; however, my understanding is that bureaucracy is even worse than Thailand, so it probably all evens out.  

 

 

 

 

[amjamj]

7 hours ago, Cockwomble said:

I've live in Thailand for 12 years, but have spent a lot of time in the Phils for work; though mainly in Manila on that part. There are some fantastic parts of the Phils, and I generally find it an easier place to get around because of the less language barriers.

 

The Phils really should be a tourist destination, but they have never really got it together, due to the poor infrastructure and dreadful government mismanagement over the years. It's current reputation is hardly enhanced by Duterte and his rants and current war on drugs.

 

I find the people in the Phils much more friendly, and the level of service is significantly higher in hotels, shops, restaurants; however, my understanding is that bureaucracy is even worse than Thailand, so it probably all evens out.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes more friendly because they speak English and always expect something from foreigners. Just like girls there who could give their parents to have a chance to leave the country. I do not call this friendly but desperate !

 

 

 

 

[Cockwomble]

 
 
Yes more friendly because they speak English and always expect something from foreigners. Just like girls there who could give their parents to have a chance to leave the country. I do not call this friendly but desperate !
 
 
 
 

On the basis of what? I am. Not talking about bar scene etc

As for people working overseas, no wonder given the crap pay on offer

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[elephant45]

Been extensively traveling most areas of both countries and worked in both for many years and all above is true. Much higher rent in RPI, food is terrible, crime mush higher, junk food mostly there. Taxi's dangerous, cops dangerous, beggars everywhere and really sad poverty which you don't see here. Problem with Thailand for me is its going techno, building auto polluted beyond control. Ripping the place apart from top to bottom, I mean how many cars and cheap condos do we need in this country? Oh well. That's my two cents.

[LannaGuy]

14 hours ago, amjamj said:

 

 

Yes more friendly because they speak English and always expect something from foreigners. Just like girls there who could give their parents to have a chance to leave the country. I do not call this friendly but desperate !

 

 

 

 

 

no not just because they speak English they just ARE more friendly and much more polite - Thais rarely say 'thank you' (in Thai or English) and to hear a 'Thank You Sir' has never happened to me in Thailand in 15 years but I hear it daily in PI