And a young Filipina waits...

I began to eavesdrop on the table next to me. It was a 40yo male Australian with two Filipino girls and a child. It was obvious that the Aussie was 'seeing' the girl that owns the child.

Based on what I can hear, the spare Filipino had a romance with the Aussie's best friend, I can only assume another Australian. His best friend is nowhere to be seen.

Her: "why didn't he come?"
Aussie: "he's been really busy, but he talked about you every single day for the last 3 months"
Her: "he is being really strange"
Aussie: "you just need to talk more, you should just have a really good talk, I'm sure that's all you need to do…"

I don't like to assume, but I'm going to let my imagination run a little wild here. My guess is that Aussie and his bestie were regular tourists in the Philippines. They are ex-navy and spent some time docked here in Subic Bay. Aussie knocked a girl up a few years back and comes back twice a year to see his daughter. Bestie has been back a few times but not as frequently. On their last trip, bestie fell in love with Aussies baby momma's bestie (confused?), and promised her the world… then disappeared from hers.

Typical.

I'm at a beach resort in Subic Bay. Its a very typical beach resort, tailored to Australians, I guess based on an "Aussie Tucker" section in the dinner menu. My room is adequate. I must have visited about 8 different (less adequate) resorts before I found this one. I had been driving my bike all day and decided to splash out on something nice, no expense spared - this is what I found for 3000 pesos (NZD $100)

- Block apartment with view onto sea… no balcony
- 90s fittings and furniture
- Mirrors in bedroom on walls and ceilings - I wouldn't be complaining, but I feel like this is wasted by the lack of non-working women to share it with. Who wants to stare at themselves while they masturbate...?

Back to sex tourism. Yes that is what we were talking about… again. I can't stop writing about this topic, its just so prevalent here and way too juicy.

Another three-set were seated at a nearby table. Male: Australian; Female: 2x Filipina. One of which is up the duff… maybe I should hit on the other one, or is an impregnated Filipina staring you in the face warning enough?

On Friday night I went out in Angeles. The official Sin City of the Philippines. As there was a lack of 'good' non prostitute bars (there were two, both of which were dead empty), I decided to spend my night girlie bar hopping. It proves to be less expensive because you don't build expectations that you will pay a girls bar fine, especially after she has spent hours trying to seduce you with no subtlety.

My strategy: one beer then leave.

A "bar fine" is the fee you pay to remove a girl from the girlie bar and do whatever you please with her for the remainder of the night. The fine is typically 1500 pesos up. Each girl wears a numbered tag colored differently depending on bar fine.

The Mama San is the pimp of the house, and somewhat annoying. I've tried all sorts of excuses, even that I'm gay, but that doesn't stop her barrage of offers - "what about her, she is very new here, and VERY young..?" I blush at the embarrassment of her seeing me inhumanely shake my head in rejection, like she is a smokey-eyed, not so fresh fish at the market.

It was at one of these bars I met Ida. Her english was very good and she wasn't too pushy in her advances, which was relieving, so I grilled her for information. She said she was 25, although she looked more 32. She was a single mother with a 10 year old son. She was sad because she had recently broken up with her English boyfriend who she had been with for 12 months. He sent her 10,000 pesos (approx. NZD #300) every month, but had recently stopped sending her money for no reason. He had told her he wasn't coming back on his planned holiday, but in fact he was currently there. In Angeles City. At another girlie bar. With another woman.

She said her rent was 7,000 pesos and the remainder of what he sent hardly covered the bills. He was controlling, suspicious and demanded that she not work in a girlie bar (where they originally met). She stopped working there, believing in their love and found a cafe job with long hours and paying a pittance.

When he stopped paying she was forced to go back to work in a girlie bar.

I can see it happening so clearly, and to any 'nice guy' that visits. You are a tourist on holiday. You meet a prostitute more beautiful than what you could get in your western country, and fall you in love with her. Anyway - if Richard Gere can do it, so can any old man… he he

Thus is life here. Since World War II this area (Angeles and Subic Bay) has been a popular rest and relaxation destination for service men, not to mention a battle ground, and strategic naval base. It is part of the culture here, part of the history.

I can't judge because each interaction and relationship is unique. I just can't help feel sorry for the women, and in some cases children, left here holding onto a false promise and not much else. This means a lot more to the young girls than it does to the older men looking for an opportunity to ejaculate, or even just a pretty girl to hold hands with..