2011/09 Costar - The THRILL-AHH in Manila!
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2011/09 Costar - The THRILL-AHH in Manila!
| By Costar on Friday, September 16, 2011 - 06:03 am: Edit |
© 2011
The THRILL-AHH in MANILA!
SEE! --death-defying stunts never before attempted with a taxi cab!
HEAR! --the unnerving crackle of stun-guns behind your back!
FEEL! --the sweltering heat while everyone avoids the afternoon sun!
EXPERIENCE! --non-stop hawking of paintings, sunglasses, Cialis, watches, belts, sneakers, and other useless junk!
After trying to glean information via crowdsourcing (mostly trip reports), I decided to go to PI and get it myself. The guy with the most Philippines (PI) experience I know only goes to Cebu so he knows little about Manila. I found some useful info at http://fieldsavenue.info/directory.html and I wish I had seen Greengrasser's guide.
Right-off-the-bat DISCLAIMER: The title is just to be cute. I was only there for a few nights. This is nothing like one of Tujunga's PI reports. If this had been an assignment to "do" Manila on a shoe-string budget, it would get an F. My time was limited and I bought my way into some situations. I spent more money in Manila than I would have elsewhere in the Philippines.
Bottom line: I would not go to PI just for girls. I don't blame those of you who do because the Filipinas are very sweet; they know how to treat a man. But I want stunners and they are easier to find elsewhere. I didn't see any morenas (darker tanned girls); they seem to be rare. The "Yellow Nails" girl, whose photos were recently posted by Xenono, is closer to what I was looking for.
Probably due to all the Spanish names I kept feeling like I was in Mexico, but there's hardly any scamming at all compared to the incessant rip-offs there. Even in a rough-looking neighborhood, a simple "Leave me alone" in a normal tone of voice is plenty strong enough to get rid of a persistent peddler. The Filipinos were not hostile at all.
It is a myth that everyone in Manila speaks English, but your English will get you by.
GETTING THERE:
I started shopping for flights at http://www.kayak.com. Philippine Airlines was the cheapest of the search results, so I booked it on their site (instead of Kayak) and saved a few dollars more.
What I like most about Philippine Airlines: they sell the emergency exit row seats for a $50 surcharge. When I got to the airport at T-minus three hours there was already a line, so I gave up all hope of scoring an exit row seat. I was delighted to learn that I could just buy it at the ticket counter! It's worth it to me on such a long flight (but apparently not to my competitors). Service was on a 747-400. The cabin was much cleaner than I expected, and I slept well.
Speaking of airfare, I stopped in at the Philippine Airlines office in Manila to price a flight to Bangkok for the next day and they quoted me US $403. I went back to the hotel and got it for $100 less than that on their web site. (Thai Airways wanted over $900 on such short notice. A week in advance they wanted $500.) Cebu Pacific was cheapest but their web site was just too slow and clunky to use, at least on the hotel's Internet connection, and they only had red-eye flights left.
ESCAPE FROM MNL (the Manila airport):
For the record, immigrations was the biggest log-jam I ever saw. It took an hour (this was around 4 a.m.). And of course there was the usual assortment of bumble-fucks who neglected to fill out their paperwork on the plane, so they held everyone up by doing it at the counters. A week later I flew into MNL again (around 6 p.m.) and it was a breeze --less than ten minutes.
I changed a $100 bill into pesos at the airport after jotting down its serial number. I expected the airport exchange to be on the up-and-up, but wanted to get that same bill back in case of a misunderstanding (instead of a counterfeit --a scam others here have reported.) There was no problem. That was the only time I changed money; I just used my ATM card thereafter.
I asked if they would cash an American Express traveler's check and got a blunt "no." I got that same answer later at the hotel front desk. I was only testing it out because of a related discussion on this site. Don't rely on traveler's checks in PI.
TELEPHONE: They sell SIM cards on the departure level instead of the arrivals level --wacky. You need to know that because one of the airport guards tried to sell me a SIM card instead of telling me where the booth was. 
You have a choice of telcos. At the suggestion of the sales girl I chose SMART Buddy. You might try the other carrier because there's no way their service can be worse than SMART's; I could not call Thailand after doing everything correctly and their operator couldn't fix it.
The first people I encountered outside the terminal were the usual hucksters who wanted to take me for a ride, literally and figuratively. I asked, "On the meter?" and their reply was always, "No, we have a flat rate." (I'm sure they did, a hefty one at that.) You can ask at the airport concierge counter where the "meter taxis" are and one of the four cuties will point you in the right direction. But you still have to make sure that the driver uses the meter! <--That advice stands for the entire stay in Manila.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
A buddy had told me about the City Garden Suites on Mabini Avenue in the Ermita district (http://www.citygardenhotels.com/manila/ ) --not far from the LA Cafe.
I goofed and booked instead at the City Garden Hotel in Makati (http://www.citygardenhotels.com/makati/ppc/index.php). But it was a good goof in several respects: (1) while pricey (3800 pesos per night), the room I booked cost hardly much more than the place in Ermita; (2) I closer to other hobby venues like the EDSA complex; (3) My flight got in a few hours early (we skipped a stop in Honolulu) and they graciously let me check in at 6 a.m.! (4) The hotel restaurant was expensive by PI standards but the food was excellent --San Francisco quality. (5) This is a respectable place, not a monger hotel, yet it's guest-friendly. Everyone minds his own business.
They had cheaper "interior" rooms (without a window), but that would seem like a cell to me. What I disliked most about the City Garden Hotel is the long wait for an elevator.
As I priced other hotels in Makati, the deal I stumbled into looked better and better. The Makati Palace Hotel's rate sheet has a "promo rate" of 3950 pesos for its cheapest room and it's right on Burgos Street --skid row. It also lists a surcharge of 800 pesos for an "extra person." They must be joking; why else would someone stay on Burgos? The rest of the hotels right on Burgos have hourly rates the obvious purpose.
The Durban (on Durban Street, a short diagonal connecting Makati Avenue and Burgos Street) and the Royal Bellagio (on Burgos) have significantly lower daily rates. The expat I spoke to thought those were probably the best value for this area. They also have monthly rates (but I can't see staying here for a month).
BURGOS STREET:
The first day I ventured out on foot to find an ATM that I somewhat trusted --one attached to a bank. A couple blocks from the hotel I saw a girlie club that was still going at 6 a.m. I looked around for a street sign and saw that it was the infamous P. BURGOS. It's still here. It's raunchy, like the Soi 13's in Pattaya. There are lady boys and at least one gay club. The first evening an Indian fellow cautioned me repeatedly about having my camera slung over my shoulder and he told me to conceal it in my pocket. Nothing happened but it seems like a place to watch your back.
MAKATI FREELANCERS:
There are a droves of freelancers walking around from late morning. Pairs of masseuses patrol the sidewalks passing out cards with their names and phone numbers, offering massage in your room. All of them were "camouflaging," i.e., wearing loose clothing to cover up a gut or some other flaws. To be honest, they were also for the most part facially unattractive. I photographed a random cross section of them to keep this report objective but some of those photos made me sick, so I tossed 'em. A sample of freelancers that I did not do business with:
Photo: Makati Masseuse Pair 01
Photo: Makati Masseuse 02
Photo: Burgos Freelancers 03
On a late-morning stroll down Burgos Street I met a couple of young girls and got their phone number. (They had one phone between them --not an uncommon arrangement here.) They came to my hotel room later. The cuter one was very bashful and said that she was eighteen. Riza, who did all the talking, said she was twenty-one. Riza explained that some men pick girls up for massage and sex, but that they were nice girls who would never do such a thing. Of course not, Riza, I understand.
So the three of us chatted on my sofa for about 45 minutes with our clothes on, playing around, touching, canoodling, giggle-giggle. I had not given them anything. Riza broached the subject of money, asking if I would be able to help them, and I that said I would. A few minutes later she abruptly asked if I wanted them to give me a massage on the bed. Sure.
I had purchased a small bottle of baby oil, so they could use that. I asked if it would be OK if I removed my shorts so as not to get oil on them. I had underwear on underneath. They seemed completely OK with that so off we went. The massage was not bad and we were still groping each other as we had on the couch, and they seemed to get into it. Riza asked me if I wanted to make love with them and I said yes. The price/terms fluctuated over the next minute or two. We settled on me with Cutie, with Riza waiting on the sidelines.
Cutie and I helped each other undress, which was fun. Nice bod. We hugged and kissed each other and I began caressing her mons area (bush). Within one minute I could already feel her juices streaming down her little buns. I imagined that her strong response was possibly due to lack of experience. My poker sense told me that something might be amiss, so I looked at my hand and saw that it was covered with blood. Great. I washed my hands with soap and cold water, explaining that we could go no further. No hard feelings. I gave Cutie 1000 pesos for baring herself and another 500 to Riza and that was that. Called housekeeping to change the sheets for the evening's festivities.
I think they were a fluke because I didn't see any other freelancers like that. Their foray onto Burgos was for them a venture.
They must have sent me 30 text messages (no kidding) over the next 24 hours trying to get together for another rendezvous. Then several per day thereafter. ("i like sleep ur bed") Once they confirm you as a revenue stream you're a marked man.
One masseuse was kind of cute so I took her up on her offer of a one-hour massage in my room for 500 pesos. That was the going in-room rate. (300 to 400 at a massage place.) We went up to my room. Now in this situation, gentlemen, the protocol to transition from massage to "service" is very delicate and subtle, so you have to know what you're doing. Pay strict attention now to the intricacies: about halfway through, after she tells you to roll over onto your back, she smiles a big ear-to-ear grin and asks, "Want to FUCK?"
Now you know how it's done. 
I declined. She had taken her top off and she had a "spare tire" (a roll of fat around her waist) with a tattoo on the front of it. Ick. I told her that she could just go. (She had only been there for about forty minutes total.) She told me she wanted 1000 pesos. I asked why since she we had agreed on 500. She said that the 500 was just "for the company" (meaning some company she worked for, not for keeping me company). I tossed a 500 peso note onto the bed and she refused it. When it became clear that our discussion was going nowhere, I picked up the phone and pressed zero. She put her finger down on the switch to hang up, took the 500 and left.
Dawn patrol. A girl approached me on Burgos Street. As she got close something seemed odd about her breasts.
HER: Hi. You want service?
ME: Are you a girl?
HER: Yes.
ME [incredulous]: Are you a lady-boy?
HER: Yes. But I'm cut. I had operation. [making scissors motion with her fingers]
Whoa. You're not in Kansas any more. 
TAXI TOUTS:
I asked a cabby to take me to the EDSA complex and he immediately tried talking me out of it. Too expensive, he said. And Burgos Street girls would steal my wallet, etc. So I knew darn well that he was steering me to go where he would pick up a commission, but I wanted to check it out.
He took me to a place was on the other side of Makati that he called "the girls' dormitory." There's no sign anywhere, just a massive steel door with a speakeasy-style peephole that opened when the cabby knocked. They let us in and I stood on an enclosed driveway with three Filipino men (including the cabby). The door closed behind me and when someone bolted it with a loud CLUNK my sense of survival woke up (Mexico again). Whoa. For a second I wondered if they were going to subdue me with ether and steal a kidney.
One of the men directed me through an adjacent doorway and WOW! There were about thirty not-bad-looking girls dressed in fishnet stockings and corsets sitting on a sort of continuous couch that went around the room. What a site. We all sat down and I took a minute to look them over. The one I chose was about the oldest one there, an unusual pick for me. She got up to get dressed and all the other girls clapped, as if she had won a contest.
Photo: Dorm Girl 04
Buyer beware: It's easy to conceal flaws beneath a corset. It's not like you're in Bangkok watching them dance in panties.
The cabbies and the guy running the place urged me to pick one more. "Want another one? You can have two! Take one more!" I declined and we went back out of the room and they asked me for 3500 pesos --ouch! I said that was quite a bar fine and the guy running it, sensing that I was about to back out, finally said that it covered everything. (A second girl would have cost another 3500.)
The girl was very cuddly and friendly in the taxi and stayed that way at the hotel. She had no tattoos and gave good service, but her bod was a little "soft" and it was kind of gross. I had initially asked her to stay over, but after the act I tipped her 500 pesos and told her she could leave.
At at least I woke up with both kidneys. 
I would not be able to find that place, but here is the contact information from that driver's card: Jonathan Azarcon +639217824655, jazarcon123@yahoo.com
My advice: don't be afraid to haggle with them, or walk. You might try asking the driver how much it's going to cost before you go out there (duh), or just go (on the meter!) to have a look and when they hit you with the 3500 just say, "I had no idea it would be so much. I didn't bring that much money. See you later."
CLUBBING:
One can burn through a lot of cash fast buying lady drinks in Manila's girlie clubs. No wonder most of the Burgos clubs were devoid of customers at 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday. I sat down in one place and the girls mobbed me. It was fun except for a frightening African lady-boy with an enormous head (like a buffalo) that sat down at our table.
NOTE: A club called Tickles had the best selection on Burgos Street last week. All the other Burgos clubs SUCKED. So look around.
- THE ONE THAT (ALMOST) GOT AWAY:
I spotted an exceptional good-looker on Burgos and followed her into Tickles. I asked if I could buy her a drink and she said she first had to change. After she went off to do that I noticed the first stunner I had seen in PI. (All the stunning Filipinas I had ever seen were already in the states and spoken for.) We made eye contact and she came to me. She was very affectionate and cuddly. She placed my hand on her bottom, which I had not seen yet, and I about had a heart attack because I could feel the perfection. No way was she over twenty years old, and no way was she a mom. She was maganda (beautiful).
The madame appeared to discuss the terms. The bar fine is 3500 pesos and the girl gets another 3000. I took the bar fine as a price gouge and shook my head. After all, I had not yet seen the EDSA clubs and who knows what awaited there? If nothing turned up at EDSA I could always come back.
Well, nothing turned up at EDSA, not like her, and when I came back to Tickles she was gone, of course. Bummer. 
OK. I had blown it before and I'll do it again. She was not available the next day and I went to Thailand.
I returned the following week bent on getting you-know-who. To save time I had arranged for the hotel shuttle to pick me up from MNL. I checked in, skipped dinner, hit an ATM, and was in Tickles by 7 p.m. The Burgos clubs are so damn dark that you can barely see anything, so after my eyes adjusted I still couldn't tell for sure whether she was there and with someone in one of the booths.
I sent a message to her friend Sheri who has a phone: "Is she coming tonight?" There was no reply but about fifteen minutes later, Sheri appeared out of nowhere in a bikini and gently put her arms around my neck. Mmm. Sheri wasn't half-bad herself. She told me that my girl was studying. (Come on! On a Saturday night? With her looks?) I pressed and Sheri said that the girl had "quit working." Can you call her? No, there is no phone where she is. Sheri obviously had no idea that she was speaking to an inveterate Pattaya monger who had heard it all before and knew what this meant: the object of my affections was with a customer. I delivered my ultimatum: I would pay US $300 (twelve thousand pesos), but it had to be tonight because I'm going back to the states tomorrow. I told Sheri that if she kept some of that for herself it was all the same to me. Just make it happen.
It didn't look good and I wrote it off.
There were a couple of other tempting girls in there: Liza, a light-skinned, raven-haired cutie with big, pregnant tits. (And slight love handles, which doesn't bother me one bit.) I was tempted to go with Liza; I had been tipping her and thoroughly enjoying the hugs I got in return. Another girl called "Kisses" was a stunner in anyone's book except that she had a tattoo on the small of her back and another on one calf. Tats turn me off. Her face and body were straight from a billboard. A real cover girl. I would pay US $500 for Kisses if it weren't for the tattoos. Kisses later became visibly jealous when I went with someone else --which surprised me because she had acted like such a cunt when I first went in there that I instantly wrote off any possibility of getting anywhere with her. (Although I did give her a 100 peso note at my table.) I guess she had just been playing hard-to-get.
I went out to eat. My "plan B" was to hook up with the freelancer who was menstruating the week before.
After dinner I went back to Tickles for one more look. I sat down and my girl came in! She did not match the image of perfection that I had built up in my mind since our initial meeting a week prior, but she was still very cute and I was content. I was getting what I wanted. (Kisses would have been my pick if not for those tattoos.) Sheri seemed really miffed! I think it was because I didn't pick her. It had crossed my mind a few times; she has a hot body. I generously gave Sheri a thousand-peso note for summoning my girl, but it did little to assuage her huff. (I believe my girl had actually not been with a customer after all.)
In the room we spent a good deal of time caressing each other. She kept repeating what she liked about me: "...your beautiful eyes, your nose, your tender lips..." My tender lips? Now when was the last time a girl told you that? That night we had a few moments when we semi-woke up at the same time, and she would lay one of those tender warm legs across me, giving me a handful of thigh. Magnificent. A guy could get used to this kind treatment.
I prefer long-time dates and sometimes you get a girl that tosses and turns all night, or gets a cough from the a/c, etc. But we slept well together and got good quality rest. I was up to an encore the next day. I sent her off with three crisp new C-notes. She seemed pleased. I called her later to make sure she had gotten home OK. She had gotten into the first taxi she saw in front of the hotel (I had walked her out), so I was concerned about the driver extorting money from her (or worse). I had jotted down his license plate and description. They were going for a two-hour ride out in the sticks. (Everything turned out OK. This isn't Mexico.)
I won't post a more revealing photo of her because she's just too sweet. She could still end up doing something respectable.
Photo: Makati Date 05
THE BAY CAFE IN ERMITA:
Recently renamed, it's still known to drivers and everyone else as the LA Cafe.
"BABY! BABY!" I had just walked in the door when one of the skanks at the bar hailed me through a thick cloud of cigarette smoke. It was nearly 7 a.m. on Sunday and the place was full of leftovers and drunks from the night before. It was pretty mellow. The girls, all freelancers, outnumbered the guys and some were not bad looking by PI standards. The girls were forward and would come to my table just for me making eye contact. I went back the next day for lunch. It was way emptier on a Monday. Never did check it out at night; it must be better then. Most drinks are 80 pesos, and there's no surcharge for a lady drink. And no bar fine.
THE EDSA COMPLEX:
If you ask a cabby to take you to EDSA he will just stare at you. EDSA is a big street, about five miles long. The clubs are near the Heritage Hotel, so ask him to take you there (on the meter!) and tell him to stop at the clubs. There was nothing special about the selection when I went. The girls wear numbers like in Bangkok. The guards will take your camera battery at the main entrance. There were about eight clubs.
Typical pricing at the Makati clubs: ST = short time, LT = long time
| Venue: | BAR FINE: | LADY: | MY DRINK: | LADY DRINK: |
| Burgos | 3500 | 3000 LT | 150 | 390 or 350 on weekends (320 during the week) |
| ESDA | 1600 | 2500 ST / 4000 LT | 150 | 350 |
MISCELLANEOUS:
I saw Karaoke TV (KTV) places but I didn't check those out.
Gambling: The Hyatt Casino (in the Malate district) has a sign that says "Stud Poker 3rd Floor," but it's just a pit game, not real poker. They play poker at the Pan Pacific Hotel, a short walk from the Hyatt. I checked it out on a Sunday morning and all the Saturday night games had broken up. You're not in Vegas. A sign says Texas Hold-Em and they probably play other forms of poker as well --but evidently only at night. When you see a sign that says PAGCOR, you're near a casino. (PAGCOR is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.) At both those casinos I checked out, the minimum bet for Blackjack was 500 pesos (over ten bucks). I was surprised that it's so high in the Philippines, even at the Hyatt.
The PI exit fee is 750 pesos. Just a gouge. All you can do is pay it.
CONCLUSION: I can see going back to PI if I'm ever "fun-employed" and have lots of time.
| By Blazers on Friday, September 16, 2011 - 12:10 pm: Edit |
Very well written and organized report. The girl posed with the laptop is very hot and it looks like you have some professional photography skills if that is in fact your photo.
Why did you cover their eyes anyways? Filipinas could care less if there photo is on the net and its not going to affect you unless you by chance happen to meet her again or live there.
| By Bigpoppa on Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 09:41 am: Edit |
Thanks for the report. I appreciate the hotel info. I would most certainly stay there if I find myself in Manila again and make an overdue trip to P. Burogs and EDSA.
The girls dormitory sounds interesting as well as the massage drill. Nothing like finding girls on the street. Valuable intel....thanks.
| By Portege on Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 01:10 pm: Edit |
The middle one isnt his photo. Notice in all of the photos (except for the middle one) the women's hair is all over the place, but in the middle photo it looks really straight. It looks like a make-up artist did the middle one's face, but in the other photos there wasnt much makeup at all. The big hint is the leg of a tripod in the top of the photo and the reflection of a large lighting "softbox" on the table. My guess is he copied the middle photo from a porn site. The porn site did a bad job of cropping and eliminating the tripod leg.
Did he take a tripod, lighting and professional equipment on his trip? He had the camera out? How many cameras did he take, because I can tell each picture was taken with a different camera. The first one taken with a cheap compact which couldnt get a fast enough shutter to eliminate the blur, the second one out of focus and no flash, the third photo done sharply but with a flash, the second to last one (indoor shot) wasnt done with a softbox or indirect flash/lighting...etc etc...
| By Portege on Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 01:26 pm: Edit |
Actually, I've seen these photos before...not sure exactly where, but I have seen them. In any event, that middle photo pretty much gives it away.
| By Snooky on Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 08:08 pm: Edit |
Portege - I always wondered why everyone picks on you I thought they were all idiots but now I realize you are the idiot.
WTF are you talking about, it is not even germane to what the report is about or even more importantly who gives a rats ass what your opinion about his photos are.
| By Portege on Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 04:47 am: Edit |
Well, this website is supposed to be about real experiences and I do not believe the photos were taken by the original reporter. Let me elaborate again if you missed the previous comment:
- All of the pictures I have seen somewhere else on the web before.
- All of the pictures were taken with different cameras.
- The second picture down is ancient history. There is a sign advertising a hotel room for 1450 pesos a night. Can you tell me where in Manilla you can get a room for that price right now?
- In the first picture, there is a sign in the background for the Royal Bellagio stating a room price of 1999 pesos where as the cheapest room that can be had at that place now is 2850 pesos.
- The woman on the couch in the middle photo. Her hair and makeup was done by a makeup artist. She is being illuminated by a large lighting soft-box. If there is any doubt at all, then you see the leg of a tripod in the top part of the photo. On the table is the reflection of the softbox. Any photographer worth their salt knows this light illuminating the model is certainly not natural. Not room light or sun light.
- The 4th picture down and the last picture were not taken in Manilla.
I believe the original poster should come back and explain what is going on in this report. Its ok to have a report of fiction or one you didnt actually go on, but please tell us up front.
I'm looking forward to my upcoming Medellin report being dissected by internet detective Portege.
Maybe I'll throw some pictures of myself with the girls in to prove that I was actually there...
| By Portege on Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 07:57 am: Edit |
I dont sit here and question the validity of all reports. If you use pictures I have seen from somewhere before, the prices on the hotel signs in the background are from 5-10 years ago or they look as though it came from a professional porn set...then yeah, Im going to question it. Its not cool copying someone else's photos and placing it up as a report of your own.
Gong. Too bad.
I've never understood how a guy who made up trip reports to places before he actually ever went there can critique anyone's report.
"I've never understood how a guy who made up trip reports to places before he actually ever went there can critique anyone's report."
--------------------------------------------------
You would think someone like this would be among the very last to criticize, but in actual practice they are frequently some of the first. Its just one of those fucked up parts of life.
It has gotten to the point that it is probably not worth commenting on Portege, because once it starts, it is the same drum roll all over.
MM
Costar:
Thanks for your report.
MM
| By Stumpy on Monday, September 19, 2011 - 02:39 am: Edit |
300 to 500 for PI hookers?????
You sir are definitely fucking it up for the rest of us...
NO PI COOCHIE is worth that!!!
Otherwise, nice report.
| By Pansolo on Monday, September 19, 2011 - 09:22 am: Edit |
I agree. Great report but the prices are ridiculous. Also, id like to know how muh for st Freelance pussy.
| By Blazers on Monday, September 19, 2011 - 11:41 am: Edit |
While Portege is wrong 90% of the time, he may not be wrong here. I don't believe the photo with the girl with the computer is his photo and the girl may actually be Thai and not Filipina. This report could be fictional or at least partially fictional.
would love to check out some of this info next time i am in Manila. freelancer points are valuable. i have to agree with most, Burgos is at least double the cost of AC girls. too much! plus the picks seem limited.
but what a great read! the report is well done! thanks for sharing.
| By Costar on Thursday, September 22, 2011 - 08:37 pm: Edit |
The laptop photo is a hoax. (I just Googled for "Filipina pussy" and clicked around.)
For the record, all of the other photos were taken by me with the same camera during the second week of this month, September, 2011. All were cropped and resized with IrfanView. I did not post any of them anywhere else, so no one could have possibly seen them before.
All of the events I described are factual, were experienced by me, and occurred during that same period.
My obligations as a reporter as I see them are: (1) reporting things I wish I had known before I went, especially things that would get you ripped off or harmed, and (2) presenting accurate market conditions.
The hoax photo violated (2) in addition to amounting to plagiarism. I am really sorry. I will not do it again and hereby humbly accept all shit that is coming my way in the near and distant future. I was sleep-deprived and fixated on finalizing the report, looked at your PI reports to get a feel for what information the PI mongers want, and felt that my photos paled too much in comparison. (I was also hypnotized by that beautiful pussy.)
1st photo: The taxi was meant to be blurred. I wanted a night shot of Burgos with some action, so I braced the camera against a tree to get keep the stationary stuff sharp.
2nd photo: The masseuses (white blouses) are out of focus because I snapped that one without giving the auto-focus enough time to work. I had already flubbed a shot of them and was afraid they were getting impatient.
Costar,
Thanks for taking the time for making a real nice trip report.
| By Blazers on Friday, September 23, 2011 - 08:52 am: Edit |
I believe the hoax photo is a Thai girl anyways. Strange that anyone would do that.
Love and learn~!
| By Costar on Friday, September 23, 2011 - 09:42 pm: Edit |
@Blazers: I am strange. 
@Portege: The place advertising 1450 per night in the background of photo #2 was a hole, not one of the big hotels. Those are plenty of those, and even more once you get out of Makati.
| By Portege on Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 01:52 am: Edit |
The reason I get mad at these reports with pictures from other sites is obvious. There are guys who use these reports to research a location and if you throw up pictures from a porn site then they get the wrong idea.
I could go on about the accuracy of the reporting. I do know this area fairly well and where the pictures were taken...i.e. the second one down was taken on the corner of Makati and Neptune right next to the Shakeys which is a popular hangout.
Why not just post the photos that you actually took? Im sure you took hundreds of photos. Why not tell us about the cheap dive hotels going for 1400 ($30 a night)?
| By Costar on Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 05:47 am: Edit |
@Portege: I did post the photos that I actually took. I would not stay in the holes and I don't think anybody else would either, but I did report on the significantly cheaper hotels that the expats like.
I think the real reason you got mad is because you embarrassed yourself even worse than I did. (And anyone can see the Shakey's sign in photo #2, so it doesn't prove that you know the area.) Let me guess: you teach forensics at the LAPD Academy? 
(Message edited by costar on September 24, 2011)
| By Portege on Sunday, September 25, 2011 - 11:38 am: Edit |
I think posting up pictures you did not take and then letting everyone believe those were the ladies you met is embarassing and somewhat obnoxious. Its also against the forum rules..."Posting of copyrighted material from someone other than the copyright owner."
(Message edited by Portege on September 25, 2011)