The sun sets at 6 o’clock, give or take half an hour. The tropics. Your options for the hours to come vary widely, depending on where you are.
Filipinos are known worldwide to be excellent entertainers. Like anywhere else, most of it is happening in the bigger cities or tourist destinations. You will find cheap beer, good live music, food, and fun people to spend the night with.
It all happens in a very peaceful and friendly atmosphere; pub fights common in western countries almost don’t exist here. Females without male companions are treated with respect.
…does not need further explanation. Make sure you try it at least once on your vacation in the Philippines, preferably after a couple of drinks. Karaoke is probably the most common reason for the locals to become aggressive due to reasons beyond understanding for foreigners. The song most people are killed singing is ‘I did it my way’ by Frank Sinatra.
If a house looks like they are celebrating Christmas, it is most likely you will find GRO’s inside. The short stands for ‘Guest Relation Officer’, which does not necessarily mean prostitute, but a girl who joins your table and does some small talk. The bar will expect you to buy her a so called ‘Ladies Drink’, which is a couple more times the price of yours. What’s next is up to you and the girl, the bar may charge a ‘fine’ for taking her out.
Noteworthy places are Boracay for the beach party atmosphere and good food, Malate in Metro Manila and Angeles City for the lonely bachelor, Makati for the international restaurants and live music, and Resorts World in Pasay for high end clubs and casinos. The list goes on.
Here, nightlife is limited to two different kinds of bar: karaoke or girly.
If you end up off the beaten track – which might be your dream kite spot on a remote island – be prepared to live without entertainment from sunset until the roosters wake you up. Which will be at 3AM. Plan ahead; if you realize you are hungry at 8PM you stand a good chance to go to bed hungry, or try to satisfy your hunger with chicken feet or intestines on a stick.
© 2014 – 250k Kiteboarding
