Foreigners... walking ATM's

All non Filipinos are Foreigners and are always looked on as such, you are a foreigner therefore you are rich so you should expect to pay more for everything. This is so ingrained into this culture that they don't even see as it being unfair or wrong.

Everyone will try and get that little bit more out of you, even people that may be friends of friends will take a "finders" fee. If you as a stranger in this country need something but don't know where or how to obtain it, for example to hire a car, someone will always know someone else that is in the business and will offer to help you. I have found to my cost and dismay that they really they only helped themselves,(not my direct friends) so now I only trust myself, if I need something I look for it and if a friend says that they know someone that can help I just say thanks but no thanks.

Everyone that you meet will try it on, I went to visit the dentist here in Makati yesterday, actually just round the corner from my home, as this practice is in the centre I knew that they wouldn't be cheap. Anyway I walks in and ask for a simple check up, only 350 pesos or 1000p with a camera, I say the 350pesos will suffice til I know what I need. Sits in the chair and she uses a camera to show me my teeth, tells me that I need 3 cavities filled.. ok reasonable so far......I ask what are you going to do and how much does it cost..... I'm told 2500p for each one...7500 pesos in all. I decline this offer as I can wait until I get home and get my normal dentist to do it for a similar price. So I goes to pay the agreed 350 pesos...am told 1000pesos Sir as we used the camera.... forget it I asked for the 350p not the 1000p with camera....... ok Sir no problem. They didn't argue but still ignored my request and done things how they wanted and charge me for it too..... forget it I'm no tourist !!!

When outside I phoned a friend of mine that is a dentist.... I don't use her as I don't really want a friend staring down my throat... I explain and she says that it should be around 6-700 pesos for each one which is about 2100pesos against the 7500p that was quoted. She lives an hours drive away so doesn't know any dentists in Makati that she could recommend.

At home I went online and found another dentist in the cheaper part of Makati so made an appointment to see him, actually you don't need an appointment to see dentists here you just turn up. He just asked me to text him whenever I was on my way to see him, he was a young friendly guy probably not been practicing for very long. Anyway while taking my details I find out that he is mad on badminton, we have a friendly chat and I tell him that I want Filipino prices not Foreigner prices, he laughs and agrees. we had a long chat about badminton, turns out that he is a top player and trains every morning for 3 hours. I spend 30 mins in his chair for my teeth but another hour in his surgery talking about badminton, at the end he charges me 300p I give him 500pesos, even he admitted that he has a higher price for foreigners !!

So instead of paying 7500p I end up paying only 500p and met a new friend at the same time. He asked me to help him as he has a big tourney in 2 weeks.... no problem.

The best thing here is if you see something in a shop that you want, take note of it and then send a Filipino in to ask for the price. So many times I see something in a window that I may be interested in, if there is no price tag on it then I don't bother going in to ask how much it is as I know whatever I am quoted will be vastly increased because I am "rich".

Today is Friday, as I am leaving home tomorrow at 4.30am for my 7am flight to Saigon, I will try to post this evening before I go to bed. I am taking my laptop with me so should be able to post while I am in Vietnam. The visa to enter Vietnam cost me $100 or £50 just to enter the country !!! You also have to pay 750 pesos each time that you leave the Phils !!

So I hope all you "rich" foreigners out there have another great weekend.