Makati City, Philippines

[slang]

Let's try something a bit different.

This is a very bad clip but they will get better.

Listen to the growl of the exhaust in the beggining. Also notice that the driver merges left to make a turn cutting people off in the process.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by slang

There is a lot of excitement about the buildings going up in this area and the number of times that I've been handed a broshure or invited to a sales presentation is ridiculous.

Originally Posted by slang

These properties are for the very rich here. Foreigners that have moved here for business or have retired here or maybe just have a condo here but only spend a few months total here each year.

Is the excitement caused by the hope that rich people in the neighborhood will attract better services from the government, to the area?

[slang]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Is the excitement caused by the hope that rich people in the neighborhood will attract better services from the government, to the area?

That certainly makes sense Bruce but that's not my original thought.

The rich area, like the Global City, will surely bring in more money and jobs and the foreigners will also demand better services and be able to provide them too. That's a good point.

What I see most often though is that the surrounding areas of the GC that are owned by the pinoys are now for sale. It's understandable that they would like to sell these small lots on the outskirts.

Of course, those lots have appreciated in value since the development of GC.

The trouble that I have with them now is that they honestly believe that their lots are worth much more than they truly are. The lots are small but they quote prices in comparison of much larger lots.

For example.

The lots are selling in Bonifacio Triangle for about P50k per sq m. They are expected to rise to about 80-100 in the next few years.

Many of the pinoy land owners here believe that their property is a bargain at say P25k per meter because it's so much less expensive than the other premuim lots while still being very close.

What they refuse to understand is that the potential for a lot that is small is infintely less than big tracks of land.

From my experience here if a pinoy has even the smallest bit of land in the areas surrounding the GC, they believe that they have hit the lottery.

Even with the underdeveloped roads and utilities they insist that these postage stamp size lots are worth a fortune.

They are often annoyed with me when they show these lots when I ask "Ok, now how many stories can I build here....do I have right of way access to the mainroad here...and how much would you estimate that the excavation of making this lot flat might be?"

They are often in the mindset that these lots will make the family a fortune and they will not hear anything counter to that notion.

In addition to the high costs they do not have financing details available. Time and time again I go to look at these pinoy properties and they show the house and the land. They show how much work is actually needed to make a reasonable home there and then they tell you the price for cash.

Some have even been upset when I don't reach into my pocket and pay that full (inflated) price upon the completion of the house showing.

I'm sorry I didnt bring $85k cash with me today, can I bring it tomorrow?"

In addtion to the high expectation of profit from these lots and houses, they often do not have their titles in order. Maybe there is a lean on the land or possibly the property is in dispute in court over the true ownership.

It's amazing to experience firsthand.

"You want how much for this little sliver of land that there is effectively no title for?"

"Yeah I want a 12 inch cock too, we cant all get what we want"

In certain cases I've been able to explain a deal that might give them money upfront for something urgent now and still hold the land for payments over say, one or two years.

As "urgent" as their need is to sell the lot ( for the inflated price) they truly do not understand why no one is buying it.

In the end the value of most of these places for sale is of limited value due to the size. If someone was able to negotiate several lots into one price, that might be workable but what do you think the perceived value of one tiny slice of land would be next to another that is selling NOW?

Chances are they would hold out for more money because someone bought the slice for "big money" and they should be able to get "bigger money" because of that sale in their neighborhood.

Isn't that how it works in the US?

"Yeah, but this isn't the US. Take a look around here man."

There are people that I'm dealing with now that are starting to understand the market of their land and that financing is almost a certainty.

They are very hesitant that someone might take advantage of them in selling their land but as I've said many times before,

"How much risk are you taking if you hold the title for payments for a year. If the seller doesnt pay...you have the title, sell the land again. There is NO risk for you to do so."

[slang]

Here are some good resourses on finding good values on homes in Luzon.

This site is so well done that it's a breeze to look around for something specific or just browse the featured properties.

There are some 13 pages of listings for homes between 2 and 4 million pesos.

All the details are there. Ownership restrictions, financing, fantastic photos of the listings, lot dimensions, floor area....this is best site that I've found for property here.


Asian homes link

[slang]

We have both been sick for two full days.

I've not left the house here since Monday.

The cold medicine is not as strong here as is in the US. There is a new bottle of NyQuil in my bag back in the US. I'd sure like to have that here with me now. This would have been done with in one full day.

The Robitussin that we have are in small bottles and cost P100 each. I could easily guzzle one bottle in a few hours.

The pinoy de-congestant is not wildly effective either.

[slang]

This tiny lizard has been hanging around for the last week or so. Head to tail is about 1.5 inch. Just a baby.

He walks up on the ceiling and looks down at us, in a friendly way.

The pictures are from the bathroom this time. I hope he survives here long enough to be a mosquito killer. He let me get about 2 inches away for the shots. Not a good sign for longterm survival.

So, like the cats he's got a job to do here. No, I'll not be petting him.

"Mr Lew" the lizard is a part of our natural eco pest solution ( experiement) that doesnt involve chemicals.

He's on probation. Let's hope he does well here.

[slang]

So here I am in Pembo.

The AC is on now and will bring the temp from around 78 to 70f. As it gets a bit warm in here the AC will kick on again. Seventy eight to seventy then slowly back to seventy eight. Day and night.

Not a bad temperature to be in here in the Philippines.

The 30 w flourescent light shines from the fixture in a 10 foot ceiling. This light isn't really light. It's light-like. Yes, you can see in the room but it casts this shine that makes you wonder if you are in a dream.

You can see but the light is dim. I hate it.

So I'm sitting here with my tissues and bottles of water wanting to go outside again. To take pictures of the outside world.

I've been in this place too long ( without booze )

[slang]

We're going to watch the big fight in about 24 hours.

It's going to be intense here regardless of who wins.

We are both recovered enough to start making preps for the fight. We will need a lot of beer and food.

I have permission to start drinking beer in the morning as the fight should start at about 8am here.

[monster]

slang, I spent all afternoon reading this thread. Fantastic stuff, keep it coming, please.

[slang]

Thank you Monster.

I've got new material now that the snow slide is completed. Keep your head up and your powder dry.

The snow clowns are decieptful. Keep your desk full of mountain snow , it's a distractionary tool.

[slang]

It's the westFalls. That's where the breeze is coming from.

We are still waiting to see what you will find the weather to be on the night of the prom, the coldest weather of the last twenty five years.

[slang]

<Russian vodka> OK. Thank you for that slang. Very interesting and relevant commentary as ususal. </Russian vodka>

Now back to the topic.

We all knew that Pacquiao won the fight. As soon as the results were known we recieved a text message from California.

"He won."

Take a look here for addtional information on the Pac man and his last fight.

We watched the fight from West Rembo. Traffic was light but active as we rode to see the fight at about 11am.

The best time to avoid a long wait in line is when the Pac man is fighting on the local TV stations.

The crime rate is reportedly near zero during his fights also.

[slang]

The big fight.

It's truly a big deal to see the Pac man fight here. If you are a pinoy in world competition you have the attention of almost every national here.

I was honestly a bit disappointed that Pac man didn't knock Barrera clean out.

I get excited at the possibility to see a Mexican* get his ass kicked regardless of by whom or what nationality.

The reality for Barrera is that he's a great boxer, and Pacquio didn't take the fight lightly, that just having endured the entire 12 rounds is a great accomplishment.

* - I reserve the right to enjoy seeing Mexico or a Mexican get beat in a small way by losing a boxing match. As the number of ILLEGAL Mexicans coming into the US increases and the apparent inability or unwillingness of the US government to deal effectively with this INVASION, examples that I may see such as this will provide greater and greater satisfaction.

[slang]

This is from Pateros.

From a bike ride the other day. The paint job on this older Mercedes isn't great looking but the car appears to have aged well in other respects.

The motor was quiet and sounded good.

What year might this car be from?

[slang]

From Pateros again,


This is hearse. It's one of several styles at this funeral home. I believe it's an old Mopar, a 70 satellite?

This along with thousands of older cars here has very little rust and still looks good.

The window seals and such are probably not in great condition after 35 years but is still looking good.