Davewe, did u try out hanging in the Fort area? It's like an oasis in the city and pretty big too. It's well organized and very walkable and spread out. It's relatively quite and peaceful yet still close to the heart of metro Manila and a very quick cab ride to Makati (during lower traffic periods). Alabang is not so bad as well. Makati has nice pockets such as Greenbelt area. Even Orgtigas has some decent areas. Did u spend time throughout the city or just stay in foreign ghetto areas like Ermita?davewe wrote:As Rock says it's all personal taste I guess. Even if you can find attractive girls there (and I agree with Pete that they are better elsewhere) you have to be - in Manila! I've been there a few times and couldn't wait to leave. But if a guy wants clubs and general night life - it does have that. And there is more money in Manila - but that's pretty relative - it still is poor by any Western standard.mguy wrote:This is Manila I am talking about. Ain't no place like Manila brother. Mindanao girls are awesome, but nothing beats a cosmopolitan Manila girl. You have all the good qualities plus more if you hit it right.pete98146 wrote:Manila is the last place in Phils I'd visit for all the aforementioned reasons. Best to stick with educated girls from Mindinao. For one thing, they tend to be better looking than the girls up north (more Spanish blood) and they are not as jaded.
So while I think your report is fairly accurate, it's just not relevant for me. An overcrowded, dirty, polluted city with insane traffic is not my idea of a fun time. But again that's personal taste and possibly generational. I loved NYC in my youth, but no longer for similar reasons.
For me, I prefer smaller cities and provincial areas. Even Cebu City is more than I like after I've been there a few days.
The provinces can be nice breaks for a few days or so. But the lack the most basic things. U get regular multi-hour brownouts, Internet is super slow and irregular, and the standard of living is just so low. In better areas of Metro Manila, u can get decent food, consistent power, and reliable Internet at least.