Getting home from Rio in October I decided to book a trip for my birthday in February. While Rio was great, I wanted something different. Deciding to go East for the first time, I quickly narrowed my choices to the two well documented meccas of Pattaya and Angeles City. AC became my choice after reading of GFE being the rule and English being so well spoken.

Tickets from JFK to MNL were bought through a travel agent reccomened by a friend from China. C and K Travel out of Flushing, New York. 1-718-888-1208 They were very fast getting me back a quote and options within a couple hours. Economy at $1055 on Japan Airlines they beat what I could find on my own and this included an overnight hotel near Narita airport on the way out where I could hook up with an old chess buddy. Using Japan Airlines also came in handy as I needed to cut a few days off my originally planned 19 day trip and JAL has no fee for changing the return date. JAL also recently joined same alliance as American Airlines.

Deciding on a hotel was not so easy. Initially I booked my first night in Manila and then at new Pacific Breeze in AC. Through more research and chat, and wanting to cut costs, I scrapped this idea. As my flight was getting in late to MNL at 10pm I wanted to start directly in the heart of Field's action. Mo's Hotel fit the bill. The following morning I would switch to Sunset Gardens on the perimeter for the rest of the trip. Reservations for both hotels and a car from the airport were made through BeeLine Travel at a discounted rate. BeeLine was OK to deal with, but a little slow.

BeeLine Travel, Angeles City (used for taxi pickup from MNL for 2400p) http://beelinetravel.com/

Sunset Gardens Hotel (booked through BeeLine for 1,070p a night) http://www.sunsetgarden.com/

Kokomo's Motel (booked through BeeLine for 1,650 one night poolside) http://www.kokomoz.com/


Packing list: Reading AC is a super casual town, this really helped me keep light
-Three pairs cargo style shorts
-Five polyester running shirts (light and quick to hand wash and dry)
-One pair sandals and one pair flip flops
-Wad of underwear and boxers
-One shiny purple Speedo (no, really just a pair of trunks, maybe the Speedo next trip)
-Condoms, lube, and a vibrator
-Small toiletry kit planning on getting lotions and shampoos in AC
-Saline nasal mist (I squirt during long flights to keep from drying out)
-Digital camera
-Couple books
-Laptop with security cable and alarm
-Mesh laundry bag
-Belt wallet full of cash and copies of my passport
-A few small items to trade to a guy from another board