Stickman Readers' Submissions July 28th, 2017

Cebu Philippines Trip Report – Day 1

Thanks to all who have emailed me after my initial report. I will go into a little more detail about some of the bars/clubs and some stories on how I met some of the girls.

About me. I am 52 but probably look a little younger and I stay in great shape even though I drink more than my share of beer. My favorite beer in Cebu was San Miguel Light (SML). Average looking guy in the western world but the white skin adds a couple of points to the scale in Philippines.

He Clinic Bangkok

All prices quoted in USD and the exchange rate is about 50 peso to $1.

As stated in my report, the trip to Cebu was a last-minute decision therefore I did not have much time for proper research. While waiting for my flight, I was able to search and save several articles about Cebu nightlife, things to do, places to see, etc. This made for some good reading on the 9 hour flight and gave me plenty of time to hatch-out some plans for the first few days anyways.

The flight arrived around 5pm and after a 45 min taxi ride to the hotel, unpacked, showered, bought a sim card from 7/11, and then I headed across the street to Ayala Center for something to eat. I had read about Murray’s New Orleans located on the 4th Floor of the mall. The Terraces is an expansion to the original mall and it boasts many restaurants covering the 3rd and 4th floors. The 4th floor Terraces has several open-air restaurants that get very busy especially on the weekends. Murray’s Etoufffee had a very good flavor but could have been spicier. All-in-all, a good meal and a few beers was still less than $20. And getting the number from the very cute waitress was a bonus. More on her in an submission to be written later….

CBD bangkok

Next stop was El Gecko Bar that I had read some good reviews about. In my previous submission, I mentioned that Cebu bars did not have hostesses like you would find in Pattaya. Well, El Gecko Bar does have hostesses of the non-bar finable variety. After several beers and about 2 hours later, I discovered some of them are more than happy to meet after work for a price. This seems to be the trend in Cebu. None of the bars I ventured into had bar finable ladies working and several bars even place notices on the wall to this affect. Prostitution is illegal and they are very discreet about what goes on outside of the bar.

El Gecko was quite small, had a decent pool table, and the girls were not too easy on the eyes but their attitudes and personalities made up for it. I took a seat at the end of the bar up against a wall and started to chat up the bartender after I ordered my SML ($1.20). I invited the nicest of the girls to come over for a drink. I don’t mind buying lady drinks if they are going to spend some time with me chatting. I wanted to pick her brains and try to gather some intel on the nightlife. Lady drink was only $1.70 of which I think they receive $0.40. At one point I was surrounded by 4 of the hostesses and two of them proceeded to grab at my nether region. I particularly do not enjoy the public groping, so after 15 minutes I had them stop. Well, it seemed like 15 minutes but actually it took all of less than a minute for them to ascertain I really wanted them to stop. No harm, no foul. I was enjoying myself and the girls were pleasant company until I kept hearing more and more hints to buy all the girls a drink. One even mentioned a bottle of tequila would be enough. It was not a high-pressure sales pitch but more like joking suggestions especially whilst trying to measure my member. I loathe being asked for drinks. I know the girls are only trying to make some money and get drunk in the process but I already had one hostess in the bin and the other 3 were not invited by me.

On a side note, the bars use a small check bin much like in Thailand but they have you sign or initial each check every time you order. It would be easy to copy my initials and stuff the bin but I am positive this did not happen to me. I developed a system I use after having my bin stuffed on one of my Thailand trips. I would initial each one in the same place then would write in Arabic numerals the number of drinks on that order to the left of my initials and what drink order I am on to the right of my initials. If they could figure out my system, they deserve the extra money but it hasn’t failed me yet.

Whilst I had a good time talking to the girls, El Gecko just didn’t tick my fun box. I was disappointed especially after reading some decent reviews about the place. Time to move on down the street to the next bar.

wonderland clinic

Before I continue my first night escapades, I feel compelled to tell you that I met a guy about 10 days later at another bar and he invited me to join him for a few drinks at El Gecko. I politely declined and mentioned about my disappointment, the groping, and the joking suggestions for drinks. He was quite surprised since he knows the owner quite well and he does not condone that type of behavior. He said the boss must not have been around that night and I really should give it another try. I never did make it back there.

El Gecko is located at one end of the bar/night club area on General Maxilom Ave about 600m from Mango Square so I departed and headed toward Mango. I travelled all of about 50m before I was drawn into one of the bikini bars (also known as KTV bars), Viking I think. Several of these bars exist all in the same area and there are no ‘hello handsum’ girls standing outside like you see in Pattaya and elsewhere trying to lure you in. I went inside for a peek and to see what the bikini bars are all about. Disappointment is all that comes to mind. Only a couple of girls on stage and were moving their bodies like they had to pee. I sat at the bar and ordered a SML ($2) whilst trying to scope the talent. It really was difficult to see in the place but at least the music was good and wasn’t too loud. I was able to strike up a conversation with the bartender. She was actually quite attractive and the best-looking girl in the place that I could see. She was a part-time worker, attending college, no kids, no boyfriend (didn’t have time for one), several siblings and lived about a 2 hour jeepney ride away. She had a great sense humor and planned to become a doctor of some sort if she could afford the schooling; very intelligent girl. We talked for about an hour and after we each had a few drinks, I decided it was time to move on. She had mentioned a couple of times about how busy she was between work, school, family things, and commuting back and forth almost everyday and never had time to party like most of her friends. I tried to coax her into meeting me on the weekend but she kept saying she was too busy. I took that as a polite way of saying no, I am not interested. After paying for the drinks, I took her hand and placed five hundred pesos ($10 or one beer in Dubai) in her palm and told her to keep that for herself and not place it in the shared tip kitty. Without looking at it, she shoved it in the pocket of her very short shorts. We say goodbye and I continue in the direction towards Mango Square.

Again, I only made it about 50m and couldn’t resist the sounds of a band playing at Cubana. This is an open-air type resto bar with tables and chairs setup on the small dead-end street. The resto area and the band are under roof but the majority of the people were sitting outside under the stars. The band was really good and played sounds from Bob Marley to Eric Clapton to Lynard Skynard, to the Eagles, to Bon Jovi and even Justin Bieber with 80% of the song list being rock and roll from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

I was looking around for a good place to sit, preferably near a table with girls. The customer base seemed to be more couples or just guys hanging out together. I take a seat at a table with a good view of the band and order the usual SML. I barely get the first swallow down and my phone starts vibrating. I answer the unknown number for one reason only. I have only given my new local number to one person, Ms. Viking. When I pressed the tip into her hand, I also gave her a piece of paper with my name and number. She thanked me profusely for the tip and asked why I gave her such a large tip. I told her because I enjoyed talking with her and thought she could use some help with school expenses. She asked me where I was and I told her. She said don’t leave and that she would be there in 10 min after she gets off work to buy me a beer as a sign of her gratitude.

Ten Filipina minutes later, 30 real-time minutes, there she was standing in front of me looking much better than she did in the low light of Viking. She had changed into a nice pair of jeans and blouse. Her family thought she worked at a convenience store and always had to change clothes to get rid of the cigarette smell.

She sat down and ordered 2 SMLs, one for her and one for me. I tried to place the check in my bin but she wouldn’t allow it. She reminded me that she had to leave soon for her 2 hour ride back to her house only to make the return trip again at 10am. At this time it was about 1am but my body was still on Dubai time, which was 9pm. I wasn’t ready to call it a night. An hour and a couple of beers later, it is now 2am and she insists she needs to leave. My brain is scrambling to find the right words for her to stay. So I decided to offer her the 3rd most important thing in her life after God and family. Food!! Just like their Asian Thai sisters, Filipinas love to eat. She smiled and asked the waitress for a menu. We order, we eat (her mostly), drink some more, listen to the band, and converse for the next 2 hours. Lost her virginity at 22 to her Filipino boyfriend of 2 years and then he disappeared much like a free loader does when the bill arrives. She had worked 2 years in a call center after graduating from college at 21 until she decided to return to school to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. From what I gather, her family is of the upper middle class so to speak. Hard working honest people.

She excused herself to make a phone call. Of course I am thinking she is calling her expat boyfriend back in Farangland. She seemed a little stressed upon returning and said she had to go right then. I asked her about the phone call and if she received bad news or something. I’m thinking sick mother bills or niece needs school supplies. I couldn’t have been more wrong. She called a friend that lived within 10 minutes of our location to see if she could stay the night with her since it was so late. No luck, her friend was back in her province visiting family for the night. I can see she was really stressed by this time. The jeepneys had stopped operating by now and her only 2 options were taxi (too expensive she said) or motorbike taxi (she didn’t trust taking them late at night). Do you know what a Motorbike taxi is called in Cebu? Hubal Hubal, which loosely translates to doggy style.

Being the gentleman that I am, I offered her to stay in my room and I would make sure she wakes up in time for the breakfast buffet (always offer food) and to attend her 12 noon Biology class. To my delight, she accepted after more reassurances. Bill paid and we grab a taxi back to my hotel. In the room, I could tell she was very nervous and uncomfortable being there. She had never been in a hotel with a man before, so she said and from the way she was acting, I did believe her. I firmly believe that if a woman agrees to stay in your hotel room, she is a willing participant for some horizontal dancing. But it seemed different with her and I didn’t want to push the issue and have her run out of the room screaming. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep once her head hit the pillow. As I looked at her, I could only imagine what she looked like underneath my t-shirt she was wearing.

I am an early riser even after a late night out drinking. I wake at 8:30 after only a few hours sleep and freshen up in the bathroom. I went and sat on her side of the bed and tried to gently wake her by nudging her shoulder and reminding her of the time. She grabs my hand, pulls me down onto the bed and wraps my arm around her. Lying there in the spooning position, it didn’t take long for junior to take notice of what was going on. She abruptly gets out of bed and goes into the bathroom. I don’t know what to think at this point. She returns after a few minutes with a shy like smile on her face and jumps in the bed.

We made it down to the breakfast buffet just before they shutdown at 10:30. Me with a big satisfied grin on my face and her with a much more relaxed appearance. We return to the room for a quick shower so she can get ready for school.

We had two more wonderful nights together during my stay with each one being better than the last. No money asked for or expected on her part but I would slip some into her purse when she wasn’t looking with a note saying pursue your dreams. She was truly a wonderful lady and much more mature than her age.

After she departed, I head toward IT Business Park where day 2 begins…

The author can be contacted at : rich.clay65@gmail.com

nana plaza