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Author Topic: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself  (Read 15358 times)

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Offline Ray

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #25 on: February 05, 2015, 04:06:44 PM »
This is a reprint of a recent post...

What to Bring

Pepto Bismol Chewable Tabs. Take two before eating to ward off Lapulapu's Revenge.

Immodium AD in case you forget to take your Pepto.

Sun screen lotion.

Mosquito repellant with Deet.

Lots of small bottles of Tabasco Sauce. Carry a bottle with you when going to someone's house because you never know what they might serve up for lunch or dinner. It could save your life.

One or two pairs of flip-flops. You take your shoes off when entering someone's house but they almost never have anything larger than size 9 slippers to offer you. Better bring your own.

A roll or two of toilet paper. That stuff is like gold over there.

For your digital camera, bring lots of extra memory sticks and rechargeable batteries with a small 110/220V charger. Take hundreds or thousands of photos!

Bring a half-dozen small hand towels if you sweat easily. The heat and humidity, along with TORRENTIAL rains, will keep you soaking wet.

I would bring at least 8-10 changes of clothes if you have room. I generally don't believe in traveling light since you paid dearly for that 100 lb checked baggage allowance.

Bring your cash in crisp, new $100 dollar bills. They're the easiest to change. Traveler's Checks may be safer, but they are a major pain in the arse to change!

Bring one major credit card for hotel bills.

Bring photocopies of your passport/plane tickets and keep them in a separate location from the originals. Carry a copy of your passport with you when you out and about. Leave ALL valuables and your passport in the hotel safe deposit if at all possible!

Clean out your wallet before you go. You will only need one major credit card, a picture ID, and possibly an ATM card. Leave everything else at home so it won't get lost.

Consider turning over the bulk of your cash to your girl for safe keeping. Keep a hundred in your shoe in case she runs off so you can go to Angeles City to party (j/k).

Remember to only drink bottled water (goes for ice too)!

Don't forget your pasalubong...

Have fun!

Ray




Offline robert angel

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #26 on: February 05, 2015, 04:29:50 PM »
Not being a stranger to foreign countries, my woman when she early on dropped the suggestion to look into Filipino culture and laws while I am waiting to come there. Being the investigative and inquisitive type I started out watching video tours, programs and looking up male and female relationship roles and expectations. It's like a whole can of worms but not in a bad way. For instance I watched on one video about a tour in Manila that introduced the Quapo Colored Candles and the fortune tellers etc around Quapo Church. Then I would turn and ask her if she knows about this or partakes and come to find out she stops and burns a multi-color candle twice a month. So I go back and look closer and find it opens another question that I look up in the culture and find out many of their traditions. How Filipinos have Spanish names, social support structure etc. There are times I find she is learning from me and she is very supportive and enthusiastic that I am learning as much as I have.


Your right to think that the monetary value is not what is important to them. One thing that is apparent to me is that a gift is cherished (You certainly do not refuse one if offered). It is the fact that it is from you that matters to them. Watches, as much as Robert and I have privately discussed, are commonplace but not expensive ones. About $40 or less is what those that can afford them buy. Usually gold colored as that is the in color there, and not too flashy or expensive looking because many don't want to draw the attention of thieves and muggers. One thing I noticed there is that men's watches here are marketed as women's watches there.  My woman also expresses that chocolate is big there and you cannot go wrong with it.


As for food don't just look at it and think "no way". Maybe look at some of the local delicacies and foods before you go and peoples reactions and opinions that have tried it before. I'm totally looking forward to trying some. Wood worms in particular is one I want to try (Not really a worm but a mollusk). I grew up eating Lutefisk and Surstromming (Which I believe would make a skunk puke.). Weird I can eat that stuff, weird stuff and other delicacies but scrambled or fried eggs of any kind will send me into a vomit fest. (bad childhood experience).

Don't be afraid of the food. I think balut and durian are the two biggies that most people look askew at. Durian's interesting--first time I ate it, I broke out in a sweat like crazy and felt warm. Make sure they rinse it off before you eat it. Kind of swarmy--the smell alone would knock a buzzard off a sh!t wagon. It's supposedly an aphrodisiac too.

Funny how you can buy a bag of seafood there --the mollusks in shells you throw away--a few of the pretty shells alone would cost you more in the USA than the whole bag of seafood and the discarded, empty shells.

It's not a terrible idea, to bring hot sauce (I like central American Sontava! XXHabernaro sauce--it's full flavored and $2.99 at World market) but there's probably thousands of hot sauces there--some so hot they'd take chrome off a trailer hitch. Some are really good and here or there, we tend to make our own w/ little peppers and specialty vinegar to eat raw fish dishes with.

Do be careful with street vendor food--it may look, smell and taste great, but have the potential to make you very sick for a long time. Antibiotics and anti parasite medicines (worms) are sold over the counter there--no wonder. I typically bring back some antibiotics if I get some bug that I know my Dr. in the states will charge a $100 to visit him for--just to get an Rx for the same antibiotics. Never had any problem w/ customs either

Fosgate's right in that it's more the thought than the actual object-gift and it's value that you bring--it's the idea that you were thoughtful and considerate. At first I sort of cringed inside when we'd bring my wife's family 25 or so pounds of chocolate and other candy and next thing we knew--they invited all the kids in the village to have at it. Same with Victoria Secret perfumes and lotions--even some of the guys end up wearing it!

Timex is a really big deal there--a fine, under rated  watch worldwide and a source of national pride, as they are made in (amongst many nations) Cebu City, Philippines. Casio and Armitron aren't seen as being nearly as good. The girls in particular like the men sized--the big clunky, colorful rubber and plastic wristwatches.  Michael Kors (total gumstore crap watches) aren't popular there--but they'd probably dig the look--just not the ridiculous price. Rolex is generally very famous worldwide, but in the Philippines, if they're amongst the very few there who can afford a Rolex, (or even the $25--$40 fake Rolexes sold of varying quality) they'll probably go with a RADO brand watch instead. The mega rich there probably won't buy Salvatore Ferragamo or the generally much more expensive Hermes line of purses and apparel--they'll go for Louis Vuitton.

There's a high degree of brand recognition at almost all social--income levels there and certainly tons of fake--counterfeit versions of everything you could imagine and more. The richest families who own all the mega malls (and there's nothing like a Filipino Mall for fun, noise, lights and activity) show no shame in putting things like fake Oakley sun glasses and fake Lacoste polo shirts right at the front of big, mall anchor stores. Some of the fakes are very, very hard to make out--I bought a nice Seiko diving watch that had an original Seiko steel watch casing, crystal and strap, but the movement inside that powers the watch, was not Seiko.

I have seen good quality fake movie DVDs (major Hollywood releases) on the streets being sold before the movies even opened in the USA. They'll sell fake Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes before any USA store gets them in stock and chances are in the case of shoes, they'll be crap quality too. 'Toms' brand shoes sold there are fake garbage there. Popular in the USA? Likely counterfeited there or by Muslims in Indonesia and sent to the Philippines.

No matter if it's food or basketball shoes that are made overseas and then shipped to the USA, then brought by you to them--doesn't matter--if it came from a USA state--store--somehow it's better. They trust that it's 'real'. Never mind the shoes say 'made in Vietnam' or 'made in China'--they feel--and maybe they're right--that the goods that come from the USA are better quality--better finished--more prime perhaps. Maybe the chocolate tastes sweeter to them. I like the British chocolate personally, but they love good old Hershey.

By far, most of the people --the vast majority of Filipinos we know, really feel they're stylin' in a large way if they've got a real pair of Levi blue jeans, a pair of Nike basketball shoes and maybe a corresponding T shirt. Those things--and Timex watches, are typically sold there at the full USA price--converted to pesos--so few can afford them.

Filipinos are w/o any doubt, the world's biggest basketball  fans--even the poorest neighborhoods have a basketball court of sorts. It's hard for me to explain or even fathom myself how crazy they are about B Ball--little kids know the names of NBA bench warmers. Even the NBA has set up shop in the Philippines, with franchised stores that sell official NBA merchandise that few can afford--but they love to go and look.

One of the nicest things you can do before leaving, is to buy a couple basketballs and volleyballs for the kids. They will totally share them and you will forever be a legend in their hearts. One time I brought brand new, shiny US pennies and nickels--thinking that the coins would interest the kids--NADA. My wife explained--"They have absolutely NO use for them--zero utility--but give them a peso to win in a basketball or volleyball game and THEN they'll get excited! They love sports and competition.

Where my wife is from--a wee small barangay (village) when her Father was still "Captain--Kapitan"--sort of like a small town Mayor here, he put in a really nice, full sized and then some, thick concrete slab basket ball court and goals. No wonder they kept re electing him! It's one of the centers of the barangay's focus--he was all about education, sports, recreation, keeping 'God in the center' and drugs and alcohol out. If a guy was heard to be beating his wife and didn't take a clear warning to quit, eventually someone was likely to put a beating on him to make it clearer!

As to candles--well.....there is an interesting mix of religion, medicine, black magic and superstition amongst most Filipinos and we'll probably go the rest of our lives not knowing the half of it--but rest assured, it's very interesting!

Personally although I respect those who believe, I don't buy too much into superstition because I KNOW it's bad luck! ::)
Whether you think you can or think you can't--you're right!

Offline Ray

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #27 on: February 05, 2015, 05:56:40 PM »

Isn't by going to the gym cheaper for you?






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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #27 on: February 05, 2015, 05:56:40 PM »

Offline robert angel

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #28 on: February 05, 2015, 06:52:20 PM »
If you're really worried, you can buy a cotton 'money belt' to go under your pants. Comfy enough to wear on one of those glorious, 40+ hour plane trips in economy class to S.E. Asia. Not sure if Triple A auto AAA still has them, but the one I have has two sections, a light, smooth nylon zipper & can hold several thousand bucks, my passport and drug stash too.   ::)

Too bad AAA doesn't sell the fairly sturdy clear passport covers any more, last time I checked--I liked them. But they're all about selling those cheesy thin covers for passports and money, credit card carry things, to ward off people who carry remote technology to scan your data and rip you off--they're some sort of thin metallic paper like shield--bet aluminum foil would do the same thing and look very 'space age'!

The hotels I usually stay at typically have a safe box system around the main desk area, where I can keep valuables I'd rather not carry around. Carrying an old 'dummy' wallet, with a few bucks and some expired credit cards and old Disney world pass is usually enough to fool thieves into not making you drop your pants--unless they're REALLY nice pants and they want the full monty...

And yeah---DON'T forget the immodium. That's one place, with the filthiest public bathrooms, where you'll be glad you did. I have a cast iron digestive system, but have been known to pop a half or whole tab 'just in case' if I'm going to be away from our home or hotel for a while over there.

Some common over the counter drugs here aren't common there or are just plain unavailable. You can get Benadryl for topical--'on the skin' use for bug bites only, but probably won't find it to take orally if you can't sleep.

If there's something that's the only thing that'll kill your head ache--like Alleve--naproxen, etc., bring it--again, 'just in case'. We send the above mentioned and more over there because as said--not available or too expensive and they really appreciate it. Things like gummy bear vitamins for the little kids--we load the balikbayon boxes with them, along with Dr. Seuss books, National Geographics etc. My Father in law has to pay like ten times what we pay here for vitamin C there and for simple calcium tablets as well, so we send a years worth at a time--they're dirt cheap here at Sams, Costco....
« Last Edit: February 05, 2015, 07:25:19 PM by robert angel »
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Offline Calipro

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2015, 07:22:13 PM »
Hi everyone.


I just wanted to drop in and say hi.  I am 35 and live in Phoenix, AZ.  Decided to try out the international dating scene in July. Met a girl and started talking to exclusively right away but after a few months that didn't work out. Met another wonderful girl and I am travelling to meet her in two weeks. I'm extremely excited and I think I have all of my i's dotted and t's crossed.


Any last second advice?


Are you going to make videos like this guy?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYyxFNiSb8M

Offline Jhengsman

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #30 on: February 05, 2015, 09:04:13 PM »
Benjio


From my understand, the research that I've done, Pasalubong ( gift bringing ) is a big part of their culture. I have been told my girlfriend that it is an expectation. She has told me that chocolate is number 1 and everyone will be satisfied with chocolate. In the case of her mother, I am giving her box of chocolate that can be shared with the entire family.
In general you don't want a box, the ants will get to it and they can't be passed around.

Offline robert angel

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #31 on: February 06, 2015, 05:04:39 AM »
In general you don't want a box, the ants will get to it and they can't be passed around.

What alternative do you suggest?
Whether you think you can or think you can't--you're right!

Offline Calipro

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #32 on: February 06, 2015, 09:17:05 AM »
Not so sure I'd want this guy coaching my date. jajaja


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCeWkbNmiA#t=83


[size=78%]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCeWkbNmiA#t=83[/size]




Offline Fosgate5

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #33 on: February 06, 2015, 11:42:56 AM »
That guy is a creeper and the girls know it just by reading their body language. They are trying to be polite but the guy seems like a sex tourist. As for the Life by the Sea guy, I have watched some of his videos and come to the conclusion to be careful about some of his advice. Notice he even moved to PH and while he has dated many, he has yet to marry and if you notice much of his intention seems fixated on dating non committed relationships. Both of these guys are the type my woman was fearful of me being as much as I was fearful of finding a woman wanting a free ride to the U.S. or scam me.


I almost forgot. If you plan on hiking anywhere grab some Mosi-Guard, OFF, stuff your socks and shoes with powdered detergent etc. It will keep land leeches and other parasites at bay and keep a nice afternoon stroll or hike nice. I myself got into them once on an another continent. Not a pleasant to deal with them or the worry of infection of an open wound in a tropical environment.
http://www.trampingphilippines.com/2011/10/pantingan-peak-dayhike.html
http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2008/01/limatik-blood-leeches-overview.html


Offline Dough333

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #34 on: February 06, 2015, 02:03:36 PM »
Thanks for the advice on the leeches. We are planning on doing a little hiking in Puerto Galera, just to see some waterfalls. I have insect repellent.. I think its like 90% Deet.. I hope that would be enough to keep off any leeches but I can pick up some OFF lotion as well if that is a concern.

Offline robert angel

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #35 on: February 06, 2015, 04:17:08 PM »
Been in some rather remote areas for extended periods and never had cause to worry about leeches. Did have more concern about the possibility of cobras and other venomous snakes,  but never saw any of them either. Hope to see the National  Bird: "The Monkey Eating Eagle", but they're exceedingly rare,  as monkeys are pretty much gone,  as are the legendary eagles. Hard to believe in such a vast nation of over 7000 islands, with huge areas still untouched wilderness and even new species of mammals and other creatures being discovered therein. The beaches and reefs are in danger there to the point where I think we should see them before they're spoiled.
Whether you think you can or think you can't--you're right!

Offline Dough333

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #36 on: February 06, 2015, 05:06:44 PM »
Any shots or immunizations I need? Will I need Malaria pills if I am going to Puerto Galera? It is fairly junglish. I think.

Offline Fosgate5

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #37 on: February 06, 2015, 05:48:57 PM »

Gato4Astrid

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #38 on: February 07, 2015, 04:31:41 AM »
Any shots or immunizations I need? Will I need Malaria pills if I am going to Puerto Galera? It is fairly junglish. I think.


You can always check on the Internet just to make sure.  Since you are an overweight person, you are more likely to get bitten by mosquitoes than skinny people.  Even worse if you are an 'O' type blood.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-some-people-are-more-prone-to-mosquito-bites-than-others/2013/07/22/0d46035c-ee34-11e2-a1f9-ea873b7e0424_story.html

« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 04:36:28 AM by Gato4Astrid »

Gato4Astrid

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Re: Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself
« Reply #39 on: February 07, 2015, 04:34:55 AM »
.


« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 04:36:45 AM by Gato4Astrid »

 

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