Swisskid's 1st trip to the PI. A Love Story....

[Swisskid]

I just returned from the Philippines on Feb. 24 but I have been too busy with work and getting my documentation together to file for a K-1 visa for my girl to post a trip report.  All in all my trip was more successful than I could have imagined before I left and I returned engaged to the most incredible woman I have ever met in my life.  So, as the late Paul Harvey would say, here is THE REST OF THE STORY....... 

I was divorced from an AW 12 years my junior in late 2006 after a 7 year relationship and a little over a 5-year marriage.  I live in the southside Tidewater area of Virginia in the metro where Norfolk Naval Station is located and there is a HUGE Filipino population here.  I work for a large financial services company in credit card operations and the plant I work at is staffed over 50% with Filipinos.  After my divorce many of them told me I need to find a Filipina for my next wife and proceeded to try to fix me up with some relative back in the islands.  At the time I was interested in women from the FSU and made a trip to Ukraine in the spring of 2008.  I had a great time and met several ladies including a gorgeous 6-ft. tall (I am 6' 4") 26-year-old lawyer and we spent an awesome week in Sevastopol.  She spoke a little English but luckily one of my travel buddies spoke Russian so he basically translated for us when we were in a group.  In private we could communicate good enough, I guess.  We had rented a car in Kiev and I think we put over 3000 kilometers on it by the end of the trip.  I traveled with 3 guys I met on the Russian version of this site and we shared expenses.  It was really cool driving all over Ukraine.  There are beautiful women everywhere but they speak Russian (duh!).  After I got back home I kept in contact with Irina for a couple months but our relationship kind of fizzled and I let it because I do not think she would have adapted well to where I live.  We emailed each other in different languages - me in English and her in Russian then we had our friend's translate over the phone.  Many FSU women are quite racist and that was a big turn-off for me.  So anyhow, after my dalliance in FSU women I realized a Filipina would be a better fit since I am Roman Catholic and I have dozens of Filipino friends here in my city. 

A guy I work with told me of his niece who just graduated with a bachelor's degree in Nursing and showed me some of her graduation pictures.  She looked great in her pics so he gave me her email address and I emailed her in July 2008.  Her name is Josephine and over the next several months we exchanged lots of emails and I found her to be a very witty, intelligent, sweet, kind woman.  She was a little younger than I initially was looking for but she seemed fine with our age difference and did not consider it an issue.
I finally decided to go visit her to meet her in person to see if there was any future for us other than being pen pals.  You cannot determine if there is any chemistry between you until you meet face to face in person.  If you are going to take the relationship to the next level you have to meet.  I booked my flight in December to travel in February.

I booked Northwest and used 20K frequent flyer miles and got my ticket for $791.00.  I left Norfolk and arrived in Detroit and proceeded to my favorite Jose Cuervo Cantina at the airport for lunch before the long flight to Tokyo.  13 hours later I arrived in Tokyo Narita and had another 3 hour layover.  Prices are insane at that airport but I was dying of thirst so I bought a diet coke at McDonald's for only $4.00.   I finally made it to Manila Airport at 11PM.  Did not take long to clear customs and I had arranged a car to be waiting for me so I did not have to hassle with the taxis.  I met Josephine the next night at my hotel.  I stayed at the Swagman the first 2 nights just because it was cheap but it is old and kind of a dump.  They do have free airport shuttle service though so I did stay there my first night and my last just for this convenience.  They also have an excellent pub and restaurant where I drank with a bunch of interesting Australian and European blokes.  They also have a free wireless internet hotspot in the bar and restaurant and the beer is cheap and the food excellent.  I moved to the City Garden a few blocks away for 2 nights and then to the Bayview Park Hotel for the remainder of my week in Manila.  Bayview Park is right around the corner from the Swagman and directly across the street from the US Embassy.  I paid about $65 US per night which was a little high but for an old hotel, it was clean, comfortable, and had excellent full service and a nice free breakfast buffet.  Many Asian businessmen stay here as well so it was a busy place during the time I was there.

I finally met Josephine (Joy for short) when she came to meet me at the Swagman (dive!) Hotel about 8PM my first full day in Manila.  She was alone so I knew it was inappropriate to take her to my hotel room so we met in the lobby restaurant. 
I think my jaw dropped the minute I laid eyes on her.  She was smokin' hot, 10 times hotter than in the pictures her uncle had shown me.  Our eyes met and she gave me a big smile and I could not help blurting out that she is much more beautiful in person than the pictures her Tito Demi had shown me.  She smiled again and blushed a little bit.  I was feeling some serious instant chemistry happening here.  I got us a table and we sat down and talked for a bit.  She had just arrived the day before from her parents rice farm near Aparri on the far north shore of Luzon.  It is a 15 hour bus ride to Manila from her province.  We chit chatted for a while and I gave her a coffee table book of Virginia with lots of scenic landscape pictures and a couple of tourist magazines they give away free to tourist in the summer where I live.  This was for her to get an idea of the area I live in.  Joy has many relatives in my town but she was not too familiar with the area so she really liked the literature I gave her.  We were both tired from our respective travels so we talked a little more and agreed I would text her tomorrow when I was ready to go out.  I got her a taxi and we said good night and I sent her on her way.  She was staying at her other uncle's apartment in Pasay City while she was in Manila.

They next day she brought her best friend with her (lucky me, a chaperone ) and we decided to go to Rizal Park.  It is a nice park and there is lots to see there as well as people watch.  We went inside the area with the statues of the soldiers shooting Dr. Rizal and stayed through the interpretive presentation of the Rizal story put on by park staff.  It was quite good.  I think we had to pay about 25 pesos each?  Very inexpensive and it was a good show.  A group of schoolchildren came in for the presentation and it was fun to watch their reaction when the staff set off the small explosive charges to recreate the firing squad rifle shots.

     

   

[Swisskid]

After the show we hung around and just sat on the grass field and talked.  Joy's friend was getting a little annoying but I was the prototypical southern gentleman and smiled and nodded my head at her boring stories.  Josephine and I finally got a little time alone when her friend went to find a comfort room.  We were really getting along well and I could see that she was pleased with the impression I was making on her friend.  I knew this was important to her to have her friend's approval of this relationship and if that made her happy, I was happy to go along.  We goofed around and played among the statues.  We took a few pictures and one of the park staff volunteered to take all of our picture with my camera.  He did and I tipped him 5 pesos.  Here is the pic, along with a few others from the park.  Joy is the skinny one...    

[Swisskid]

After a while we headed toward the west end of the park where we passed the eternal flame that is guarded by an honor guard of the Philippines military.  From there we started walking north toward Intramuros.  We came upon a horse and carriage and after speaking to the driver, he said the carriage was 250 pesos for an hour ride.  Sounded good to me so away we went.  Riding around downtown Manila was kind of cool but the pollution is horrible and we were soon breathing belching black diesel fumes emitting from every jeepney, lorry, and bus in sight.  My eyes were burning but it did not even faze the girls.  We rode around for an hour and saw some intersting buildings and scenery.  The driver dropped us off at Intramuros but now suddenly the fare was 250 pesos PER PERSON, not what he had said before we agreed to ride.  The girls argued and made a big scene yelling at the guy in Tagalog.  This went on for about 5 minutes.  Finally I decided it was not worth waiting around anymore and since I was the tourist I would no doubt be in the wrong should the authorities get involved so I whipped out a 500 peso note to go with the 250 pesos I had already paid the man and handed it to him.  The girls were suddenly silent.  "NO TIP" I said to the man and I grabbed Joy's arm and led her and her friend away.  I'm not sure if that was the right decision to make but I know Filipinas like a strong decisive man so that was my strong decisive decision.  So my advice to everyone here is to watch out for the downtown Manila horse drawn carriage scammers.  We walked around the walls at a part of the old fortress and talked some more.  There is an 18 hole golf course built within and around the old walls but it is not cheap to play I found out.  We saw some Koreans playing a round but the course was not busy at all. 
We were getting hungry so I said let's go eat somewhere.  Joy suggested that we take a taxi to the world-famous MALL OF ASIA....... 

[Bear]

Glad you had a great trip.  Yea many have posted about the carriage ride scammers, I think the worse was one that took someone the wrong way and tried to have them robbed over by the old fort.  Actually the tourist police would have arrested him if you had called them.
What kid of comments did you hear about America there right now?  Curious about how the think the economy is affecting things.
Also just having one shaperone was lucky!

The Bear Family

[Swisskid]

What kid of comments did you hear about America there right now?  Curious about how the think the economy is affecting things.

I did not really hear any negative comments about the USA at all while I was over there and I talked to alot of people from all over the world.  The Europeans I spoke (and drank) with seemed to really like the new president over the old.  The Australians for the most part seemed to have no opinion and were more interested in the latest cricket scores.  The Asians seemed to be just hoping the business climate would improve.  It was front page news for 3 days in all of the Manila newspapers when the benefit for Filipino WWII soldiers was passed as part of the stimulus plan.  Gloria Arroyo milked that for all it was worth.
What really struck me was the abject poverty all over the city.  Entire families sleeping in the middle of the sidewalks, very young children begging in the streets at midnight, things like that.  I had alot of fun giving away all of my ex-wife's son's Hot Wheels cars. (He is 16 now).  I brought 2 gallon-sized ziplocks stuffed FULL of them, had to be over 300 cars.  I would fill my pockets with them every time I went out.  When kids came begging me for money I would just hand them Hot Wheels instead.  I think for some of them it was the first toy anyone ever gave them judging by some of the reactions I got.  The poverty some of these children live in just breaks your heart.....

[Jeff S]

Thanks for the great trip report. Lovely lady there, too. It really does take doing some international traveling to appreciate just how well we have it here. Hopefully, we're not headed the way of the third world, but if we continue down this path, it might not be that far away.

[Ray]

Finally I decided it was not worth waiting around anymore and since I was the tourist I would no doubt be in the wrong should the authorities get involved

Sounds like you had a great time.

One thing about your comment that the tourist would no doubt be in the wrong. You couldn’t be more wrong on this.

Had you simply paid what had been agreed, then called the Tourist Police if the guy had continued to follow or harass you, or short-changed you, you may have been surprised.

From my personal experience, these guys will run at the mere mention of the tourist police. The Philippine government is very sensitive to tourists getting ripped off and a special Tourist Police unit was established many years ago to deal with complaints by tourists or even former Filipino visitors. The last thing the government wants is for visitors like yourself to go back home telling how they were ripped off in Manila. That kind of stuff can really hurt the tourism business.

Next time, and for anyone else visiting Manila, don’t take any crap from anyone trying to rip you off. Call the Tourist Police and they will do everything possible to get the perpetrators who tried to rip you off, including beating the living piss out of them right there in the middle of the street. Believe me, I know first-hand!

You can reach the police in an emergency by calling 116 (that’s 911 upside down) in Manila. Be sure to ask for the Tourist Police.

Have you already filed the K-1 petition?

Ray

[Swisskid]

Thanks Ray,  I guess I was still in the mindset from my adventure last May in the FSU state of Ukraine.  We had to bribe the militsia to let us off a couple times when we were stopped for "alleged" speeding or parking violations, or whatever else they could think of to shake us down for grivna.  Those guys do not play around over there....  I try to avoid any contact with local authorities when I am overseas - force of habit I guess. 

[Swisskid]

Have you already filed the K-1 petition?

Ray

I just received Josephine's documents from the Philippines today.  I hope to send off the package on Tuesday.  I am planning on being at the visa interview at the embassy in Manila whenever it is scheduled since the age difference might be a possible red flag.  Josephine really wants me there.

Kind of funny because she said she sent the package LBC but they must have a partnership with UPS because the LBC package was just sealed inside of a UPS package and delivered to my door by UPS.  Cool...

[Swisskid]

We took a taxi to the gigantic Mall of Asia.  One thing about taxis in Manila, alot of them want you to pay a fixed negotiated price to wherever you are going instead of using the meter.  This is because the meters are incredibly cheap and they want to make more money.  Sometimes it behooves you to just negotiate a price to wherever you are going but most of the time you can make them use the meter if you are assertive.  It helps to have a local with you who says "it's the law" and "don't make me call the tourist police on you, I have your number" in Tagolog.  
Anyhow we went to MOA and it is really big.  Doesn't have an indoor amusement park like Mall of America but Star City amusement park is next door.  They had an unfortunate fatality while I was there when someone fell off one of the roller coasters. 
We went around to the bay side of the mall and walked along the shore and we all talked for about an hour.  When we made it to the area where there are the outside restaurants, we were swarmed by people shoving menus in our (my) faces walking by EVERY restaurant.  I mean, we walked across the street to get away and they still came after us.  Unbelievable.  Finally we ducked inside the mall and found what soon became my favorite restaurant in the entire Philippines, TERIYAKI BOY!  Fine franchise Japanese fast food dining!  Teriyaki chicken, sukiyaki, and great sushi.  Mmmmmm!
By the way, I lost 10 pounds on my trip eating awesome Thai and Japanese food most of the time along with tons of fresh fruit.  It was a real disappointment returning to our crappy corporate processed food in America again.  I went through the same good food withdrawal last year when I returned from the Crimea and the fresh Mediterranean-like diet I enjoyed on the Black Sea.  Anyhow, the malls in Manila I guess are all newer than the malls in my town because they are much nicer and much larger. And they were very crowded as well...what recession?
After we enjoyed our awesome meal at Teriyaki Boy, we put Josephine's best friend/chaperone on a bus home (Thank God) and I flagged down a taxi to take us back to my hotel.  I was at the City Garden Hotel near Robinson's Mall.  They were kicking me out after tomorrow because they were fully booked for some convention.  When we arrived at the hotel, I kissed Joy goodnight, and sent her home in the same taxi with the same plan for the next day, text her when I get up and am ready to go.  It had really been a great first day with Joy.

The next morning I had to move out and I decided to move into the Bayview Park Hotel around the corner from the old Swagman.  I texted Joy and she showed up about an hour later with 2 of her cousins.  We went to Fort Santiago first and that is really an interesting place.  It is the original Spanish Colonial fort built in I think 1565 or so and restored after being pretty much destroyed when the Americans took back Manila from the Japanese in WWII.  I am a bit of a history buff so I really enjoyed traipsing around the place.  They had some really old cannons laying around . 

[Cbear]

sounds like you had a great trip. Where were the Thia places in manila. We asked several taxi drivers and none of them knew of any Thia restaurants. I really wanted some tom yum goong.

Where is she from there? My girl lives just south in Paranaque. She is a nursing student but still has 2 years to go.

Has your girl passed her boards yet?

[Swisskid]

Fort Santiago was a very interesting place and we spent half the day there.  After that I decided we should visit the Manila Zoo which according to my map (the back of a Swagman restaurant menu) was nearby.  All agreed this was a good idea so off we went in a taxi.  Fun little zoo even though they are obviosly quite underfunded and many of the main former attractions (the gorilla) have died and not been replaced.  Josephine and I managed to break off from the cousins by now and were getting quite cozy together.  I felt like I was courting my first high school sweetheart again.  Quaint custom this chaperone gig.  Her cousins really liked me I think because I kept buying them thing to go away and leave me and Josephine alone.  I also bought a stuffed monkey/baby monkey animal that made noises when you squeezed it allegedly for my 7 year old daughter but 2 weeks later, it never made it out of the PI.  Joy became quite attached to it by the end of my trip so I told her to keep it.
The first thing we saw when we paid and went through the front gate was an 8' 6" tall Pakistani guy billed as the tallest living man in the world.  I am almost 6' 5" and I barely came up to this guy's armpit.  He was the nicest guy and we goofed around with him for a few minutes.  He was only taking donations for his medical care which I am sure is substantial since I have read that thyroid-related sufferers of gigantism are lucky if they live into their 40's.  We had alot of fun at the zoo and watched a guy with trained birds take pictures with his birds on people's heads.  Joy and I were now pretty much left alone by the cousins.  Finally....

[piglett]

what kind of gator was that in you last picture?
sort of looks like a camen
i used to have a camen when i lived in maryland, only a 4 footer though
they are alot of fun & i would really enjoy playing with the one on your picture


piglett

[Swisskid]

sounds like you had a great trip. Where were the Thia places in manila. We asked several taxi drivers and none of them knew of any Thia restaurants. I really wanted some tom yum goong.

Where is she from there? My girl lives just south in Paranaque. She is a nursing student but still has 2 years to go.

Has your girl passed her boards yet?

I was pretty much limited to Japanese food in Manila and got into the Thai food the next week when I took Joy up to Subic.  Killer Thai food there.  I am not a big fan of Filipino food other than panzit and adobo chicken.  Fresh fruit was available everywhere and I even picked some fresh mangos from some trees near Intramuros because I could reach them when all the lower fruit was picked by the locals.  My girls is a serious mango lover I discovered later.  I became a fan during my stay there as well.  

Joy is from Aparri way up north on the coast of northern Luzon where the Cagayan river flows into the sea.  Her town was where the Japanese invaded the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941 the day after Pearl Harbor.  She told me her grandfather was a Filipino resistance guerilla fighter leader during the war.  He died last year at age 95.  My great-uncle invaded Omaha Beach at 90 minutes into D-Day.  He survived too....  We both are into history and geopolitics.  We had a great time talking about our heroic ancestors.  I am really looking forward to visiting her province on my next trip and meeting her parents and other relatives there.

Josephine is starting her nursing board reviews next week and the exams are the first week of June.  She is trained as an operating room nurse and tells me when she visits her parents in the province, she is a "doctor" because there is no medical care there.  She always takes her nurse bag back home when she visits.  On her last trip home, she stitched up a villagers arm that was laid open in a farming accident.  She is unflappable in that regard.    

[Swisskid]

what kind of gator was that in you last picture?
sort of looks like a camen
i used to have a camen when i lived in maryland, only a 4 footer though
they are alot of fun & i would really enjoy playing with the one on your picture

piglett

Caimans live in Central/South America and alligators live in North America.  Crocodiles live in Asia.  That is a Filipino crocodile in the picture.  Caimans are actually a type of crocodile.  Semantics... 

[Swisskid]

The Manila Zoo was a great time for cheap even though it is kind of cheesy.  I was craving some sushi so off to Robinson's mall we went.  Of course, they had a Teriyaki Boy so we all enjoyed the fine fast food Japanese dining experience.  It was even better than the night before at MOA.  I think I need to investigate franchise opportunities in the USA because this restaurant rocks.  I could be a trailblazer!
I took them to see "Inkheart" after supper at the mall theater and we all enjoyed it even though one of the cousins could not understand the plot.  We walked back to the hotel after the movie and it was quite interesting navigating the narrow crowded streets full of little shops hawking their wares and grilled food items.
Once again I kissed Joy goodbye and sent them home in a taxi.  Would she come alone tomorrow?     

[Swisskid]

The next day Josephine finally came without a chaperone.  I guess I pass muster.  We got together after lunch and we walked down Roxas Blvd. to the Bay Walk area along Manila Bay.  We spent the entire afternoon sitting on the sea wall just talking.  I learned all about her family, her life, her dreams, and her goals.  I told her my aspirations as well.  We were really enjoying ourselves but the street hawkers were relentless.  I did buy my 7 yr. old daughter some nice pearl jewelry cheap but it got really annoying to both of us after a while.  While we were talking I saw the biggest rat I have ever seen in my life run out from under a rock and run under another.  It was as big as a cat.  Yikes.  The beach along the bay walk is covered with large rocks I guess to prevent erosion. It is also apparently great rat habitat.  There were some guys fishing along those rocks.  Every time they caught something a huge crowd would gather.  The whole scene was a little too crowded for me but this was the day I felt me and Josephine really connected so the hassle of the crowd really did not bother me too much.  All I knew was I was sick of Manila and I wanted to get out of town quick.  Josephine and I had decided that we wanted to check out Subic.  She had never been there and obviously never had I.  A plan was hatched....   
             

[evoltnvii]

And then???   

[Swisskid]

A week in Manila is enough for me so Josephine and I decide we are going to spend the next week in Subic so we can get the heck out of the crowded, polluted city environment.  This is a big step because she comes from a very conservative, religious family and her uncle she is staying with is very strict.  It could be construed as scandalous us running off together unescorted.  I say SO WHAT!
I check out of the Bayview Park Hotel and we take a taxi to Victory Liner Espana station and I buy us 2 bus tickets to Olongapo City for 400 pesos.  That is about $8.00 for both of us.  The bus is not crowded at all and I enjoyed the 3 hour ride up.  Especially when the bus slowed down going through the small towns and I could check out the hand-carved furniture shops along the road.  Amazing craftmanship.  When we got to Olongapo City, we took a taxi to Barrio Baretto and booked a room at the Arizona Resort Hotel on the beach.  Nice laid back place with a good staff and decent bar and restaurant.  We had a very nice swim in the bay after we checked in.  

I met a retired Englishman named Paul at the bar who served as an officer in the Royal Navy for over 30 years and we decided to split the cost of renting a banca boat for a sunset cruise of the bay with our respective ladies.  We set out at about 5PM on a boat appropriately named the "Josephine" and cruised the bay for 2 hours while we watched a spectacular sunset over the mountains.  It was a very romantic setting and Josephine was quite affectionate.  I was on cloud nine.  I am so glad we left Manila....      

[Swisskid]

The sunset cruise was awesome and after we got back we walked down the beach to get some dinner.  There was a Mexican restaurant down the beach at the Playa Papagayo resort so I wanted to check it out.  The food was OK but it was a bit overpriced by Philippines standards. We enjoyed a very romantic dinner on a deck overlooking the beach with tiki torches nearby and candles on the table.  We are becoming very close and I am very happy that our relationship is developing nicely.  I was smitten from the moment I met her.  She is now becoming very affectionate with me and I am seriously having feelings that this girl is the one I have been searching for my entire life.  Keep in mind that I only laid eyes on her a week ago.  We have gotten very close in a short period of time.  She is everything I have been looking for and she is seeming to dig me quite a bit too.  Our first night together is magical...     
               

[Swisskid]

We spent the next couple of days at the Arizona.  We took long walks on the beach and I started to teach Joy how to swim.  It was amazing to me that a girl from a country of over 7000 islands surrounded by water did not know how to swim.  It was sure fun giving her swimming lessons every afternoon.    We spent a decent amount of time indoors during the day since it was pretty hot outside.  I brought a bunch of DVDs and we watched quite a few movies on my laptop.  We were getting closer and closer by the day....

We moved up the beach to Baloy after a couple of days to the Blue Rock Diving Resort. This is where we fell in love.  It will always be "our place", and Subic will always be "our bay" as well. 

Blue Rock is an Australian-owned diving resort and I highly recommend it to anyone.  $50 for a beachfront room and great food at the restaurant.  It is a popular place near an expatriate enclave.  There is another Belgian-owned diving resort up the beach called Johan's and Joy and I ate every meal for 4 days at one or the other resort.  They both have excellent food.  Johan's has the best Tom Yum Goong I have ever had.  Hot and really spicy.  They have other decent Thai food on the menu as does the Blue Rock.  Both resorts had a great selection of international foods including imported Australian steaks and killer fresh seafood.  For breakfast BR had an awesome fresh fruit platter that I got several mornings with my coffee.  By the end of the trip I had lost 10 pounds.  It is really easy to eat healthy in the PI.  Food is cheap.
The days passed by and Joy and I became closer each day.  We just fit together and I swear she is an old soul in a young body.  I met my soulmate even though she is half my age.  One night she told me she loved me.  I told her I loved her too.  That was that.  Our last days at Subic were spent planning our future together.  I was not expecting to fall completely in love with my friend's niece but that is what happened.  We went back to Manila the day before my plane left. Joy started crying 2 days before I had to leave at the thought of me going home.  We made quite a scene at the Manila airport when I left the next day.  She cried so hard my shirt was soaking wet.  We have been in touch every day since I got back home and we are getting married as soon as I can get her over here on a K-1 visa.  The paperwork goes in on Tuesday after I make my final copies on Monday.  It has been a month and it is killing both of us being apart.  She wants me to be with her at her visa interview at the embassy in Manila so as soon as she gets an interview date I will book a flight.
As Tom Petty says, the Waiting is the Hardest Part......
   

     

[stevjulietb]

Great story Swisskid!  Best of luck to you both.

Steveb

[Ray]

Very nice trip report!

As far as attending the visa interview, that may or may not be possible. You can go to the embassy with her, but whether or not you get into the actual interview with her depends on how the individual consular officer wants to handle it.

Some guys were able to sit in but not participate, some joined in the interview, and some were not allowed in with their lady. You won't know until it happens.

She is the one being interviewed and they don't want any kind of coaching from you. However, just the fact that you are there may count for extra points toward establishing a valid relationship but again it really depends on the person doing the interview.

Have you even considered getting married over there? I wouldn't automatically go for the K-1 unless you both have fully explored the options and decided that it is best for you.

Subic is awesome and I met my first wife at White Rock Beach, which is right near where you guys were. Did you have a chance to visit the Free Port Area where the old Navy base was?

Ray

[Bear]

Nice!  Really happy for you two.  I hope it works as well for you as it has been for Honey and I. 

Two things.  Don't disregard her telling you about attitudes,  PDAs caused my wife a lot of pain because I didn't think it was important.  It is there, very. 

2nd I agree with Ray.  I know you met her through relatives here but don't discount marrying there, the wedding can be extremely better at a more reasonable amount and it gives that part of her life there closure.  She can always remember ending her dream in front of friends and family.  The wedding my wife and I had would have cost $40-50K here, it was only $1800 there (for abt 300 people) and you get chance to honeymoon back at Subic!

The Bear Family

[Swisskid]

Two things.  Don't disregard her telling you about attitudes,  PDAs caused my wife a lot of pain because I didn't think it was important.  It is there, very. 

2nd I agree with Ray.  I know you met her through relatives here but don't discount marrying there, the wedding can be extremely better at a more reasonable amount and it gives that part of her life there closure.  She can always remember ending her dream in front of friends and family.  The wedding my wife and I had would have cost $40-50K here, it was only $1800 there (for abt 300 people) and you get chance to honeymoon back at Subic!

The Bear Family

I met her uncle in Pasay the last night I was in Manila before I flew back home.  Joy warned me that he might ask me who was with us on our trip to Subic.  When we got to the apartment in Pasay, the first thing I was handed was the videoke songbook listings.  Then a glass of brandy.  Her uncle was a really nice guy and very gracious.  The subject never came up.  I butchered 3 videoke songs and then we left to get some dinner after about an hour.  Joy told me later that her uncle is 71 years old and his main girlfriend is 35 years old.  She was at the apartment and I met her as well.  Then she told me her uncle has 3 other girlfriends on the side.  They all come by the apartment on Fridays to get money from the uncle.  He is apparently quite the player......
 
I was amazed in the PI at the popularity of videoke.  I knew Filipinos liked it since all of my Filipino friends in the states have videoke machines at their homes.  However, after observing videoke machines in pretty much every other grass hut in the islands, it really struck me how much of a national passtime it is down there.  You can hear people singing videoke almost everywhere you go after 5PM.  The uncle had a commercial videoke machine in his living room.  It was really loud and I was amazed the neighbors did not complain.  In the states the cops would have been there in about 10 minutes...

We chose the K-1 path because that will get her here with me the fastest.  We do not want to be apart any longer than we absolutely have to.  The plan right now is to do a civil wedding in the states and then travel to her province some time next year and do a religious ceremony with her friends and family.  I read on the VisaJourney.com website that it would probably be a good idea to accompany Joy to her interview.  The 24-year age difference is a potential red flag and the testimonials I have read there about the Manila Embassy indicate that physically being there with her potentially helps smooth the process a little.  The officers can see in person that you are serious and ask you a few questions if they like before taking the visa applicant away for her interview.  Joy wants me there and I want to be there so even if just to show my support for her and give her confidence, I am going to be by her side.       

We never made it to the old navy base freeport area on this trip.  We passed by on one of our banca boat rides and saw what we could from the water.  We pretty much stayed up at the northeast side of the bay on this trip.  We did drive right by the White Rock on the way in.  We definitely want to go to the Ocean Adventure park where they rehab whales and dolphins on our next trip.  Paul my English friend took his girl there and said it was well worth a visit.  "Bring your bathing costume" he advised me as they allow you to swim with the dolphins if you want.