Global Nanpa

Experience Angeles City, Philippines : Trip report 2008

I started my trip in the Philippines. I flew over Bangkok with Lufthansa connecting with Thai Airways to Manila and getting driven from there to AC. Lufthansa just sent me the frequent flyer card. I was actually planning to fly more with Qatar Airways next year but checking flights now for next year, it turns out that the connection times from Doha are not ideal to fly to Bangkok or Jakarta. I am not willing to have transfer waitings of around 6 hours. 3 hours are maximum. This is a bit sad.
Seems like I will be collecting more Miles with Miles&More next year and more American Express points which I might be using for free nights at Grand Hyatt and Shangri-La then.

I had a lot of plans for Angeles City this time and talked with 2 people from Lewis Grand Hotel during the drive. My brain was still „clean“ having passed 4 months since my last trip. I wanted to see more than the bar area which I did not manage the previous 2 times. This time I managed to see a bit more, but still a lot less than planned. This place just robs your energy quickly.
The Lewis Grand Hotel is fantastic, brand-new. Friendly staff, well equipped and I like the style. Feels a bit like the Shangri-la of Angeles City. It is more professional than all other Angeles city hotels. A thing I never liked about its biggest competitor ABC (Angeles Beach Club) hotel is that it looks so artificial. Some people might like this french king feeling they try to create for their rooms. For me, I like simple forms and not so cheesy stuff. Lewis Grand hotel that is.
But don’t underestimate the owner of ABC. He is well connected, owns a lot land and has good ideas. He also organized the beauty contest „Maganda Filipina“.
Had a chance to see/speak some people of the owner group of Lewis Grand. The most striking personality for me is an American educated Filipino in his early 30s. He is cool, we share similar thoughts and I have no doubt that with him, the hotel will continue to grow well. Their manager, an American in his late 30s, is very friendly as well and it is easy to approach him as he runs around there all the time.
The poolside area is beautiful. Finally a hotel where I don’t see all the dirt and waste lieing around in AC: They made it very green with palm trees and the pool is very nice too.
I had a poolside executive room which was directly at the pool.
You get into the AC rhythm pretty quick, which means sex and drinking full-time, having lunch around 3-4pm, chilling out at the pool untill 6pm and getting ready for the evening in your room till 8pm and then heading to the bars again. It is very difficult to break this cycle once your are in.
The guests in the hotel I found extremely friendly and relaxed. In general I find the people in AC friendlier than in Pattaya, the same is true for the girls, but both places have their advantages and disadvantages. I will continue to visit both, whereas I think AC I prefer for a week. For a month I probably would prefer Pattaya. Once you experience it, you probably understand what i mean.
The age average of the tourists in AC is about 15 years older than in Pattaya at least I would estimate, but that also makes it more relaxed and peaceful I would say.
I think the Philippines is the very best country in the world for older guys (also above 55 year-old). The girls take very good care of them and are almost like nurses. For them the „deal“ could also make sense because an older husband dies earlier and they inherit assets faster.

I had been to AC a year ago and some bars disappeared, a few new ones opened. Philippines and Indonesia definitely have a much stronger growth than Thailand in terms of construction/development, the nightlife is developing better as well. In 2009 it is clear that this trend will accelerate because of the political trouble in Thailand. Many people will try Philippines next year instead of doing Thailand. For me, a big Indonesia trip will follow next year. This country still is very mysterious for me, a lot to explore and it is not so much „in your face“ like in Thailand. Having just had a bad time in Cambodia, I decided that for SEA I will now fully focus on Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. I will also try out Latin America for my first time next year with a rather short trip to get a first feeling for it. I doubt that I like it much because I have a thing for Asian cuties and not Latinas, but I have the opinion that I have to see things by myself. Many people before always prevented me from seeing Bali, telling me how boring it is. Totally the wrong advice for me, because I love the island now and it shows again that you should only trust your own opinion. My own site should also only give you a first taste and impression, everything else you should evaluate by yourself.

Back to AC : The owner of Dollhouse opened 2 big new bars. Atlantis, the biggest and most modern bar and Crystal Palace. I recommend to regularly read the newsletter from the guy of the restaurant Margarita Station, he is very well informed and can give much better updates than me.

I had a lot fun at Atlantis and checked it out almost every day and often went partying at Skytrax afterwards with the girls. I also went to several old places again. It makes no sense to list them all here. Fields Avenue is a long street with many, many bars. Just walk up and down and you can check out what bar you like. Perimeter road is the cheaper alternative with plenty of expats inside. Newbies should check Wayne’s map for AC.

I also met some old friends I knew from my previous 2 trips. These girls are so cute and friendly. People who cannot have a good time there, are not human.
However the candy/chocolate factory effect (at least for me) kicks in after around 5 days, then it is time to do some other things as well, otherwise the whole bar area depresses you and makes you sick.
I went to see Clark airport and the military base with 2 girls and we also looked at some construction projects (some villa parks are only constructed for Koreans and the areas are huge). We also looked at a village area and drove a bit around with the Lewis Grand shuttle. I am surprised that places around AC are much greener than I thought previously. I always had the „shithole“ bar area scenario in my mind. But around it, the place looks actually not that bad and very green, even better than things look around Pattaya. Subic is only 30 min away and it replaces the missing beach that Pattaya has. But it is no comparison to Boracay. I have a plan to check out Palawan Islands (most likely Lagen Island, El Nido resort) on the second next Philippines trip as well. Boracay comes first again next time. I plan to increase my yearly time for Philippines a bit and decrease my Thailand time a bit. Indonesia I keep constant. Still in terms of days, Thailand will still be number one, Indonesia second and Philippines third. Bangkok got too important for me and is absolutely mandatory now to be there several times per year.

I met some really nice bargirls you see in my videos. Thanks for the good time.
My old friend M. with whom I stayed a long time the previous two trips, came to AC to see me again. She is one of the only bargirls who really achieved to get out. She saved enough money in 2 years, got a nursing degree, got married with a young American dude and will work for a hospital in the USA once she has the greencard. She wants to buy a small house in a nice neighborhood (with a 0% interest loan !) in the Phillipines so that her kids are able to attend a good school later. She is smart and an extremely charming lady.
I am very proud of her but on the other hand sad that I might not see her again.
She is a rare exception. Most girls never get out…Too many problems they cannot handle…
Her mamasan (A.) cried when she saw M. again. I think she was one of her top girls.
A. now works at Atlantis and is in control of some very hot babes. If I had a bar there, I would try to recruit her, because the girls trust her. I talked quiet a long time with A. She knows a lot about AC, is smart and a good organizer.

I had a pretty good time partying with the girls at Skytrax. That place I didn’t see last year, not sure if it is new ? Watch the video to get an impression. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zJ5S6pkj-s

Quiet a lot young guys hang out there, also Filipino men. I like it more mixed and not that seperated by culture. Thailand bar owners are very racist in organizing the bar structure for different cultures. They should take Indonesia as a role model where you see all different cultures, religions, age groups at one place (check out Top Gun at Blok M !).
The only ones in the Phillipines who behave real racist are the Koreans (not all of them of course). I don’t understand why they want/have to seperate themselves so much from others ?? They are flying in extreme numbers to the Philippines, they are overflooding places like Boracay too because of extremely cheap and frequent flights. What the Russians are for Thailand now, the Koreans are for the Philippines. Only Indonesia is still safe from such bullshit.

My last night in the Philippines I got fucked up drunk. I started drinking in my room, went on to the bar of Lewis Grand where my face turned scary red because of a too fast alcohol influx, but gladly the normal face color returned after 2 hours (scary…). I spent a large package of money that night. Watching some videos, I must have had a blast, but later on I forgot to shoot video, so the memories are gone and the girls told me later what happened and what I did. Pretty crazy. Well, but my mobile phone was also gone the next day and I felt like shit on my way back to the airport. 2 girls were actually so kind to come to my hotel and room because they knew my check out time (they actually told me that they slept at the poolside of the hotel). I was so crashed that I did not hear the wake up call or picked up and fell asleep again. They knocked at my door and helped me that I didn’t miss the flight.

I really do miss some of the girls in AC. It is extremely GFE. If you do not want to develop feelings, don’t stay longer than 1 day with a girl, otherwise you are lost if you still have a heart and are not that hardened and jaded yet.

2008 and 1998 were the 2 most important years in my life. During this year I made decisions that will determine my life for the next 10 years, so similar like in 1998.
A lot of new challenges and adventures are waiting. I am excited how things develop.
I am in a better position than ever before. What makes me most happy is seeing long-term plans working out. My last 10 year plan worked out.

Check out my latest video : Pattaya Pussy Galore : BIG PIMPIN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPopjS9o2fU

My new youtube videos are finally now also available in HD, so not only on Vimeo you can enjoy the better quality now. I think my videos improved a lot compared with 1 year ago when I started with a first crappy picture compilation video.

I currently like quotes, I will end with another one :

“Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance, because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It’s true that many people around you now may think you are weird or even a danger to society, but you don’t care. Once you’ve tasted the truth, you won’t ever want to go back to being ignorant”.

What are the different ways of buying or owning land or property in Thailand?

1. Land Leases: Although Thailand property law largely restricts land ownership rights to citizens, foreigners may hold 100% interest in a Thailand land lease. Thailand lease law allows a 30-year maximum lease period, with the possibility of renewing the lease for additional 30 year periods.

2. Company Ownership: Thailand registered companies with majority Thai ownership are able to buy land in Thailand. In the past it has been common for foreign nationals to acquire an interest in Thailand land as minority shareholders in a Thai majority company.

3. Investment: Thai property law may allow foreigners to buy and own a limited amount of land based on investment of 40 million baht for five consecutive years, provided that the land is used for residential purposes.

4. Thai Spouse: A Thai spouse of a foreigner may be allowed to buy land or property in Thailand in his or her own name. However the married couple may be asked to sign declarations at the Land Department to state that the funds used are the separate property of the Thai spouse. This may have the effect of waiving any claim on the land or property by the non-Thai spouse. This may become problematic in a divorce case as it may be difficult for the non-Thai spouse to prove that the land was marital property. In this case, a skillfully drafted prenuptial agreement may come in handy to minimize the risk to the non-Thai spouse.

Can Thai nationals buy land or property in their name and then execute an agreement that the land is held for a foreigner?

This is a risky approach because it is technically illegal for a Thai national to act as a nominee of a foreigner to buy land or property. Therefore, the agreement may be illegal and problematic.

When buying property in Thailand you need to be aware that when you transfer the property there is a government stamp duty of 0.5%, a transfer fee of 0.01% and a business tax of 0.11% levied against an owner who has been in registered possession of the property less than 5 years, and income tax. There is no capital gains tax in Thailand, unlike many other countries, and Income Tax between 1.0 and 3.0% on property is the comparable replacement. There are no set rules on who pays the income tax, and it is just a part of the negotiating process with the owner as to who pays what. Land Tax: This is an annual tax levied on the land ownership, this is only a very small amount and is often only collected when the land is sold.

Income Tax :

This is usually between 1.0 and 3.0% on property is the comparable replacement to capital gains tax. There are no established rules regarding who pays the income tax while this is simply another part of the bargaining process during the purchase, as are all other costs relating to the transfer of ownership.

Inheritance Tax :

There is 0% inheritance tax for all family members in Thailand.

Condominium Purchase :

Buying a condominium is perhaps the easiest option offered to foreign nationals. The only limitations are when buying a condominium is the percentage of foreign people must only be 49% or less of the units sold in the condominium complex. The money used to purchase the condominium has to be transferred from out of the country, be documented by a financial instate in Thailand. This is processed with a Foreign Currency Transaction Form. In order to receive a Foreign Currency Transaction Form you need to open a Thai bank account in the name your condominium will be registered in. This allows your Thai bank to document the transfer of funds. At the time of the transfer of the property you the new owner of the condominium will be issued with a certificate called a Chanood, which is the land paper. This is the only type of freehold property a non Thai can own in their own name.

My conclusion is : There are so many other lucrative objects to invest in, why take such a big risk/commitment to buy property in Thailand ? How safe your investment is could also depend on your connections to Thai officials in key positions. Without a few friends in the right place, you might lose it when things develop in the wrong direction. People who invest a significant amount and are well connected won’t have to fear much i suppose.
The swiss-born legendary investor and billionaire Marc Faber for example lives on Soi 4 Lamphoon Road, Chiang Mai, according to Wirtschaftswoche, a German business magazine. I doubt he has any fear of losing his place.
For the average person however I strongly recommend to only rent, to stay flexible and to switch from one location to the next once you don’t like your place or the area anymore.
It is so much safer.