Manila and Patong Dating Stories About Love Money and Bar Life
My name is Jess. I’m 59 years old and work as a general contractor in California. Here’s the story of my first trip to the Philippines in case anyone is interested.
I had dated many Filipino women here in Los Angeles and grew to love the culture. In 2013, I married a beautiful Filipino ex-girlfriend I had dated from 1988 to 1997. I guess I was still in love with her. She often asked me to travel with her to the Philippines, and I jokingly said I wouldn’t return once I visited. Unfortunately, after being apart for 15 years and rushing into marriage, it didn’t work out.
After the divorce, I wasn’t actively looking for love. However, in 2018, a buddy of mine met a great Chinese lady and invited me to go to Hong Kong with him to meet her and travel. I agreed but realized I’d be a third wheel, so I decided to head to Manila on my own after a few days in Hong Kong.
Preparation Dating Sites Before Arrival
In February 2018, I arrived in Hong Kong, which was chilly that time of year. After some research on where to stay and what to avoid in Manila, I joined a dating site to meet women before my trip, a decision that worked out well for me.
When I landed in Manila, I overpaid for a taxi ride to my hotel in Makati, but I didn’t mind. The driver was friendly, so I tipped him extra. I was surprised by how modern and clean parts of Manila were, certainly better than I expected. Sure, some areas weren’t as nice, but I loved where I stayed.
Date 1 A Great First Night
I contacted a woman I’d met on Filipino Cupid, and she came to see me via Uber, now called Grab, that same day. She took me to another lovely area in Makati. After some drinks, we returned to my hotel room. Even though it wasn’t the ideal time of the month for her, we still had a great time together.
The next morning, I woke up with a sore throat. I wasn’t prepared for the weather change from cold Hong Kong to hot, humid Manila. After she left, I explored more of the city.
Date 2 Another Success Near the Airport
That evening, I met another woman near Manila airport, also through Filipino Cupid. She was very attractive, and we had a great night together.
Date 3 The Sweet One Who Made Me Wait
The next day, I met a third lady, but she made me wait for over an hour at the mall. She was petite, sweet, and kind, so I forgave her. We spent time exploring Makati, including the NTI on Burger Street, and even had Mexican food. However, I got lost on the way back to my third hotel, which wasn’t as nice as the first two. Despite being sick with the flu, I still enjoyed her company.
After spending two days with her, I moved to another hotel to meet a fourth woman named Sara.
Date 4 Sara from Northern Luzon
Sara was from northern Luzon and very attractive. We traveled and explored together, and I really liked her.
Date 5 The Transactional Encounter
Still, I had one more date lined up before returning to Hong Kong. The fifth woman was thin and attractive but very upfront about wanting money. The chemistry wasn’t great, and after we were done, she left immediately.
Date 6 The Strange Exit
My final meetup was with a woman whose name I can’t recall. I surprised her at her workplace south of Manila, and she later came to my hotel. After spending some time together, she left without even saying goodbye, which was strange.
Falling in Love with Manila
Despite the ups and downs, I fell in love with Manila. I returned in September 2018 after attending my buddy’s wedding in Hong Kong; he proposed while I was in Manila. My second trip was even more successful in terms of meeting quality women. One lesson I learned is to prepare your immune system before traveling to avoid getting sick like I did.
I never went to any girly bars. Using a dating site and arranging meetings ahead of time worked best for me. I don’t think dating in the Philippines is as straightforward as in Thailand, but it was still a fantastic experience. Since then, I’ve returned to Manila nine times, with my September 2018 trip being a highlight. I haven’t explored other parts of the Philippines because everything I want is in Manila.
My advice for expats: start chatting with women on dating sites about a month before your trip. Some won’t show up, but the ones who do will make it an unforgettable experience.
Story 3 Background A Regular at the Lion Bar
Just as a bit of background information, I have been going to Thailand twice a year since 2011. On my first visit to Phuket, I went to nearly all the bars in Bangla Road. I settled on the Lion Bar close to Soi Sea Dragon. It was an average-sized bar with nice decor. The girls were really nice and friendly and spoke English quite well.
Anyway, over the years I went back to that bar often. I got to know the mamasan and became friends with her over time. Her name is Jeep. She would give me lots of advice on what to do and what not to do. In fact, Jeep would call me brother. We would also hang out when she wasn’t working. She would take me to local tourist attractions and restaurants, where she would sometimes offer to pay. When we went shopping, Jeep would help me get better bargains than I would be able to get by myself. My relationship with Jeep has always been just good friends and platonic.
Over the years, I would never tell Jeep when I was coming to Patong. I would always drop off my bags at my hotel first, then make my way to the Lion Bar. As soon as I walked into the bar, Jeep would hug and kiss me, and she would offer me a drink. I always bought drinks for her and whatever girl she recommended. Sometimes I would stay after the bar had closed and would buy some street food for the girls. I am aware that I am a walking ATM machine to the girls, and that’s fine by me as I’m getting lots of attention. I also enjoy speaking with them all and making jokes.
The Request Help Test the New Girl
Around October 2015, I was back at the Lion Bar. Jeep knows that I don’t normally stick with just one girl. However, on this particular night, Jeep approaches me and says, “Rick, can you help me with my niece? She’s come to work in this bar and she needs to make some money.” Her name was Sandalay. Apparently, Sandalay had been working in the bar for just two weeks, but Jeep had received several complaints from customers about Sandalay. So Jeep asked me if I would find Sandalay to find out if she really was suitable for bar work.
Sandalay was not really my type, but I agreed to help out. So I sat with Sandalay in the bar and bought her a drink. Her English was nonexistent. She would sit there accepting free drinks, which she knew how to ask for, and would force a five-second smile on her face when I tried to engage her in conversation. After a while, I told Jeep that I would like to take Sandalay back to the hotel for more drinks and maybe engage in some aerobics.
The Starfish A Disappointing Encounter
Sandalay was absolutely terrible. She just laid there like a starfish. There was absolutely no emotion or effort from her, no physical participation from her at all, except she did manage to say “you like” at the end. Then the next morning, I wanted her out of the room as quickly as possible. She was probably the most boring Thai girl I’ve ever met in Thailand. I compensated her for her time and gave her a little money for the taxi, and she left.
Later on in the day, I met up and had lunch with Jeep, who wanted a full detailed report on Sandalay. I explained she wasn’t suitable for the bar and told her the reasons why I thought this. Jeep spoke to Sandalay on the phone, and I never saw Sandalay in the bar again.
The Introduction to Mia Sandalays Sister
About six months later, I visited Patong again and found myself once again in the Lion Bar speaking with Jeep. Jeep told me that Sandalay had gone to Bangkok to work. She also introduced me to Sandalay’s older sister, Mia, who spoke quite good English. I found out later that Mia had been widowed for 15 years. She only had one child. That child, believe it or not, was Sandalay, who was actually her daughter and not her sister. Sandalay was about 20-something when I met her.
Mia was not really my type. She was older but quite attractive. As she’d been working outside, her skin was fairly dark. She looked fairly fit from the work she did. I didn’t try to make a move on Mia, but I continued to have several different relationships with girls that worked in Jeep’s bar.
The Last Night A Spontaneous Decision
On my last night, I decided to leave the bar early alone as I needed a good night’s sleep for my long-haul flight the following day. I said my goodbyes to all of the girls, and I bought a round of tequila shots for each one of them. They all said, “Rick, don’t leave tomorrow. Stay for a few more days.” But of course, I couldn’t and left the bar.
I couldn’t have been more than 50 feet from the bar when I felt someone grab my hand. I thought it was another girl from a different bar trying to rope me in. Yes, it does happen. But no, it was Mia. I just looked at her. She said, “Rick, I want to come with you.” I thought to myself, “Why not? It’s my last night, and she’s a very nice lady.”
A few more feet closer to the hotel, I suddenly had a horrible thought: What if she’s the same as Sandalay? Have I got another starfish with me? Thankfully, Mia was the complete opposite to Sandalay, and I had a very enjoyable evening.
The Mistake Offering Money to the Wrong Woman
The following morning, we slept in, and I was running around trying to get my bag packed so as not to be late for my flight. Before leaving the room, I picked up my wallet and took out some cash as I wanted to compensate Mia for her time. However, this backfired because Mia became extremely angry, walked out of the room, and slammed the door behind her without taking any money.
Mia had called Jeep and told her what had happened. Jeep turned up at the hotel and very kindly offered to drive me to the airport. Jeep basically explained to me that Mia only came back with me because she really liked me and was not that type of girl. Obviously, because she’d been working outside, by offering her money I had totally insulted her, and she lost face, which is a very bad thing to do to somebody in Thailand.
I apologized profusely and asked Jeep to call Mia and explain that I didn’t mean to insult her. Jeep called Mia, but she would not speak with me as she was still very angry. I later asked Jeep if Mia knew that I had been with Sandalay. Jeep replied, “Of course, yes. I told her you were a very good man.” I felt really strange about all that had happened on this trip. Jeep assured me that she would speak with Mia and explain everything so that when I came back on my next holiday, everything would have been smoothed over.
The Bar Disappears Nothing Stays the Same
About five months later, I was back in Patong. I headed over to the Lion Bar, but it was gone, or should I say there was a bar there, but it was no longer the Lion Bar. Jeep was also gone. I later found Jeep on social media, and she explained to me that a French guy had bought the bar with his Thai girlfriend, and the Lion Bar had now moved to the other end of Bangla Road next to Starbucks.
So I headed down to the new location. I met up with Jeep, but all the girls I knew in the old Lion Bar had gone. There were only four girls in this new bar. They were much older and looked tired compared to all the other girls I knew. I didn’t know any of these girls. I decided to start drinking in lots of different bars rather than sticking to one bar.
Happy Endings Jeep Finds Her Way
Jeep eventually met an Australian guy who married her and took her to Melbourne to live. As far as I know, everything worked out well for Jeep, which makes me feel happy for her. I also found out later that Mia had forgiven me for insulting her and accepted the fact that I was just naive about the situation back then. It’s been a few years now since all this took place, but I still speak to Jeep through social media, and apparently she is happy in Australia. As I said, everything worked out well for her.
