Makati!

[yick]

This summer - if this Coronavirus sorts itself out by then of course - I plan on going to the Philippines.

I am not arsed about beaches and would like somewhere in Manila where it is somewhat clean and safe - I have heard that Mataki will fit the bill, I am assuming it is something like Miraflores in Lima or Envigado in Medellin - modern, loads of things to do etc etc....

What's your views on it, and is there anywhere else in Manila that would be worth considering? Cheers chaps!

[Winston]

What is Mataki? Don't you mean Makati? Where are you now Yick? Are you in China? If so aren't you trapped there? lol.

What happens if your visa runs out in China but you can't leave because of the flight ban? Do you still get penalized?

[yick]

Obviously, 'Mataki' is Makati spelt wrong Dearest Leader - not hard to figure out within the context of the post. Your views are welcome!

I am in China. I don't feel trapped, I wasn't going anywhere anyway but things such as work have come to a shuddering halt - we have ceased to operate until further notice and everything apart from supermarkets are shut, most people are holed up at home and whoever is out - very few people - they are wearing face masks, the streets are deserted.

I wouldn't have thought so, I imagine the local authorities would extend our visas until flights resumed. Not that I am worrying about it - my visa is good for another seven months.

[Winston]

Oh ok. I'll fix the title for you then.

Well the thing is, the world is full of places I never heard of. So I thought Mataki may be one of them. lol

Yes Makati is the cleanest part of Manila, but that's not saying much. It's nowhere near as clean as Japan or Korea of course. The malls there are very nice and upscale and huge, a must to get away from the heat. But at night there are a lot of creeps and psychos and ladyboys and shady looking characters. Sometimes the ladyboys will stalk and follow Western guys like Rock. So you still gotta be careful there.

Rock lives there most of the year. If you want info about it, you can PM him. Or ask hypermak. He is there too.

[hypermak]

@Winston

I actually live in Pasay. From what I can see construction is in full swing in what they call the Entertainment City: casinos, malls, new BPOs and offices, more residential buildings, etc. It might never be able to compete with BGC or even Makati, but the casino/gambling complex are surely injecting a lot of economic life in the area.

Of course this part of Pasay is by far the most populated with Chinese nationals. I personally don't mind but I know a lot of Filipinos and even Westerners who don't like the idea. They do tend to be of the less classy type, I have to say. They dress very casually, they rarely feel groomed and fresh, they smoke a lot, I heard they are quite promiscuous, etc.

By the way, one topic I haven't heard much about in here is dating a Chinese girl in Manila. Some of them work as stand-in models in virtual casinos...think a hot young girl dressed sexy and posing provocatively while acting as "naugthy" croupier. They told me the hotter of the crop usually are lovers or gf with the (super-rich) owners of these virtual casinos, or some of their friends. I can imagine a few of them are single, and probably going out with their fellow Chinese colleagues. I for one have never been able to find one of them on her own, let alone in the company of a non-Chinese love interest.