"I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad." -George Bernard
Shaw
First and foremost I must say
that some of this guide was inspired and partially plagiarized, though highly
modified for my own use, from a man that wrote a similar guide to surviving in
Korea. I use his words (such as the legal disclaimer part) because he has
stated in the best possible way what I couldn't if I tried a thousand years.
He is adept at words and getting complicated thoughts into simple
expressions. I would give him all the credit he deserves but he himself has
chosen to remain anonymous so who am I to give his name. However he is a much
more cynical man than I and his guide comes across as very negative and an
"everyone is out to get me" portrayal of Korea. My guide is more of a
positivist's view of Angeles City and how to make the best of your time here.
While some of the ideas and situations are the same if you have read both
manuals you will notice very little in common between the two guides.
While I'm at it I might as
well say that this Survival Guide is based on my experiences but has a lot of
information gathered from a great many people and sources. For example the
information on how to get to Angeles City from Manila is based on information
from a guy nick named Kabayo who posts on the AC2 board. (If that phrase
AC2 Board is confusing it won't be when you finish reading this guide)
Anyway, as I have always taken a pre-arranged cab from Margarita Station or
Kokomo's, or the Swagman Fly The Bus, I did not have the practical experience
of traveling by Jeepney or local bus to Angeles City. But more on that later.
I use this as an example of how we all can benefit from each other's
experiences. If you feel parts of this guide are in error or have more
information that would help a newbie maximize his enjoyment in Angeles City,
by all means email me. In all cases possible I will quote the source of
information or data that is not my original thought or idea. This is meant to
be a living document and always being updated as more information or advice
becomes available.
I would be remiss if I did not
say at the beginning of this thesis I am not an expert on Angeles and its
surrounding areas. In fact I have only been a tourist of this wonderful town
a finite number of times and now living here for over a year. There are many
aspects of this small town that have either escaped me or I simply have not
gotten around to exploring. Thus I say for the record and hopefully to
minimize flames and negative e-mail "I have not and will not ever claim to be
the sole authority on the subject of Angeles City and the Philippines."
But think about it, how could
any one person know everything going on in this crazy place? I don't claim to
know all the answers; I just know a lot of the questions asked. This is not so
much a "how to" guide as it is a "how not to" guide. Where possible I have
researched this material to the best of my limited ability. This means I have
spent countless hours consulting with many wiser and usually older individuals
who have definitely paid their dues in this town. Of course, much of the
information was gained firsthand on one of my many research fact-finding
missions. Now I just need to figure a way out to write all this stuff off on
my taxes!
I must also point out that
this guide is written from the perspective of an American male and while I
realize that brings a lot of baggage to the table it can't be helped. I was
born and raised in the states and most of my perspectives are tainted by this
simple fact. I was however in the Army for twelve years of which eight were
spent in Korea. A lot of my overseas living and survival skills were learned
there and you'd be surprised on how much those skills have helped me here in
Angeles City.
Also, while I will try and
write from the perspective of a single man and the pursuits this type of
tourist has, it is common knowledge that I have had a steady in the RP for a
long time though I am still an incurable flirt and understand the motivations
this type of guy has and I hope some of what I have learned will help you.
There is a growing gap between
the newbies visiting Angeles City for the first time and the Expat community
that lives here. It seems that a lot of people have become jaded and hoard
information as if sharing their knowledge will somehow infringe on their
ability to have a good time and live in peace. There are some expats that do
a great job helping those in search of information (See Profile: Angeles
City Locals) and some other prolific tourists will answer questions
quickly but even these gentlemen sometime tire of answering the same questions
over and over and all the real "good" information is only shared amongst
friends. I will try to give as much information as I can but as I said, it's
a shallow well but hopefully you'll get a small drink of knowledge.
Lastly I must say that I have
never liked the term "Sex Tourist". Although many would argue that this is
the only reason one would want to visit Angeles City, they are missing so much
if the only reason they come to the Philippines is to dip their wick. While
it is true that there is rarely a night that every man in town does not have
female companionship if wanted, there is a lot more than that obtuse term to
define why one would want to visit the Philippines and more specifically
Angeles City. While this type of person can of course get valuable
information from my guide it is not the specific audience that I am
targeting. Besides, every time you see the word "Sex Tourist" in the
newspaper or somewhere else it is closely followed by the word "convicted" or
"jailed". Let's get away from that term and refer to ourselves as men looking
for paradise. Sounds so much better, doesn't it? And with very little effort
you can find paradise right here in the Philippines.
The legal part:
Every reference to a nefarious
event or act could very well be a figment of my imagination. (This is known in
the legal community as a disclaimer and prevents me from incriminating myself
in case I say something a little too unconventional or personal.) I can always
say none of this ever really happened without fear of retribution. It's sad
that I have to do that here, but certainly prudent. We do live in a society
slaphappy over litigation. After all, this material may offend many.
Important words or phrases are highlighted, underlined or in bold print. These
are worth a little extra time to think about.
Hopefully some of this
information can help the newbie as well as seasoned Expat control their
tempers and misjudgments because understanding complicated matters can reduce
frustration and anxiety. If other groups of people can benefit from this
material, that will be fine. People will always do what they want to do, but
now ignorance cannot be used as an excuse. You are about to be thoroughly
informed as I can make you.
Well, enough of all
that let's get to the guide!
