Hello from Colorado

[Staggo]

Hello, I have just recently started looking for a foreign bride.  I started looking on a site that was recommended to me by a friend who met his Chinese wife there.  I have been talking to someone exclusively since March from the Philippines.  She seems to be very special, and I plan on going to Manila in June to meet.  I am just here looking for people with similar experiences.

[Bear]

Well you've come to the right place then.  I married my Filipina a little over 7 years ago and now have 3 children.

How did you meet her and why do you say exclusive?  This can be a pretty long process so we recommend that you meet more and when you go to visit you pick a few favorites and take a few "just-in-cases" along.  You have to careful f the scammers, which is why I asked you how you met her.  If she is through introduction by a friend/ another Filipino the chance are you found a winner but if you just met her chatting on the net be very wary.  Never, ever, for any reason send money other the help defer the cost of communicating.  If this girl has to people sending her $10/month thats a great living over there.

The Bear Family

[Staggo]

I appreciate the advice.  I met her on the recommendation from a friend who met his Chinese wife on My Foreign Bride.  I have been communicating with her through chat and cam.  I had originally planned on traveling to the Philippines in December to tour (I am a history teacher), but have also decided to go for a week in June.  I feel a connection with her, and am going to see her to see if it is a true fit for me.  I never thought that I would look for a foreign bride, but here I am lol. 

[Jeff S]

Hi Staggo and welcome aboard. Be prepared for a really fun adventure. Personally I never thought I'd look for an American wife. My foreign bride is my first marriage and yes, has it ever been a great adventure. To quote Robert Frost, I took the road less traveled and it has made all of the difference.

Looking forward to reading your posts.

- Jeff

[Staggo]

I was wondering about something I had read in the archives.  Getting a courier flight.  I paid 1400 for my ticket in June and have found a fare for 1588 for December as well.  Has anybody here actually gotten a flight as a courier?

[Staggo]

on another note, I would like to meet Mr. and Mrs. Bear as well as Dave

[Dave H]

Hi Staggo,

I don't think you would want to meet me. I am even uglier in person...especially in my purple thong!    Just ask Fester!

I haven't tried a courier flight. But if your schedule is flexible and luggage not a problem, I think it would be worth trying it. You can buy clothes and other items are very cheap in the Philippines.

Good Luck,

Dave

[Jeff S]

Maybe you can buy clothes and shoes in Asia, Dave, but not all of us can. I had a foot massage in China last week and they talked about charging me double for my 12 EEEs.

Staggo doesn't look like a little guy, so he may find himself over there without much fresh to wear.

No I've never known anyone to get a courier flight, but do know they exist.

- Jeff

[Staggo]

lol, then what do I do, I have 14's lol.  Seriously, I would like to meet some of you folks

[Dave H]

Maybe you can buy clothes and shoes in Asia, Dave, but not all of us can. I had a foot massage in China last week and they talked about charging me double for my 12 EEEs.

Staggo doesn't look like a little guy, so he may find himself over there without much fresh to wear.

- Jeff

Hey Jeff,

You are right! I didn't see Staggo's picture. He is a big Dude too!

Hey Staggo,

Forget my previous advice about shoes and clothes. Ray is the man..he could give you better advice! As to size, I am very petite when compared to Jeff!    I wear a tiny size 11 D shoe and can sometimes find shoes and usually "slippers" (Flip Flops)  in the Philippines. As for clothes, I now wear a large/x-large shirt (lost a bunch of weight) in the US. In the Philippines that would probably be a 2xl/3xl. It has been hard for me to find shirts bigger than 2xl. In the big cities like Manila, where more foreigners go, you could probably find larger (possibly imported) shirts and pants. I have heard of a few guys who had custom clothes made by taylors very reasonably. It is easy to find someone to wash your clothes very cheap, in the barangay (barrio) or at the hotel.

Dave "Tiny" H.
 

[Bear]

Where are you at Staggo?  I'm in Houston and Fester Jr (Dave "Purple G-String" H) is in Florida.

The Bear Family

[Staggo]

Mr. Bear,

I am currently in Colorado Springs.  Used to live in Houston though lol, in the Katy area and then Needville (south of Rosenberg).  I am moving back home to Arizona at the end of May.  Tired of cold weather.

[Ray]

Hi Staggo, welcome to the forum.

Those plane fares are high because of the high fuel costs and also the time you are traveling. June-August and December are usually the highest fares, but I guess as a school teacher you don't have a lot of choice for vacation times.

If you shop around for air fares, sometimes you can save a good chunk of money. My wife just recently saved about $350 by flying Cathay Pacific RT from LA to Cebu via Hong Kong. Even their flights from LA-Manila were about $200-250 cheaper than the other major airlines for the same dates.

When checking fares, play around with the dates and you may see some big differences by flying a day or two earlier or later.

We had someone here who used courier flights before but it was a while back and I can't remember who it was now.

Which part of the Philippines does your friend live in?

Dave H is one of the few who can find clothes to fit him in the Phils. I'm 6'5" with a 13 shoe size and I can't even find flip-flops over there to fit me. If they have a big & tall men's store over there, it's probably for guys 5'8" and 150 lbs. In short, bring plenty of clothes. You can figure on showering and changing twice a day because of the heat.

Ray

[Staggo]

Ray,

She currently works and lives in Makati and is from Davao.  Her boss is  a former owner of San Miguel beer I guess, and so with her work she gets to travel world wide pretty often.  She even has a visa for the US that is valid for three more years on multiple visits because of him

[Bear]

Former owner of San Miguel Beer? A $2 billion company (last I heard)?  Maybe an investor?

My wife is from Davao also.  What can you tell us about her?

The Bear Family

[Dave H]

Dave H is one of the few who can find clothes to fit him in the Phils. I'm 6'5" with a 13 shoe size and I can't even find flip-flops over there to fit me. If they have a big & tall men's store over there, it's probably for guys 5'8" and 150 lbs. In short, bring plenty of clothes. You can figure on showering and changing twice a day because of the heat.

Ray

Hey Ray,

Jimbo and Jay never had any problems finding clothes either!  I'm a big & tall man in the Philippines.  I am definitely at the top limit of the available sizes.

Dave

[pablo]

I'm a big & tall man in the Philippines.  I am definitely at the top limit of the available sizes.

Dave

Well Dave, if you do any more growing you might look like Mr. Conehead!   

[Staggo]

I guess that I will have to pack a lot of clothes then.  Is the climate like Houston in the summer?  That is my only frame of reference to humidity growing up in Arizona and living in Colorado currently.

[Bear]

Its much worse.    Honey actually walked around with a rag wiping the sweat off me at times.  I've been around the world and lot of people say Houston bad but I just tell them then you haven't been to Atlanta or Miami and you definitely haven't been to Manila or Davao. 

My wife was 22 when she came to America and it was about 2 years till I could afford a vacation to a bit less humid and overcast area.  We went to Lake Corpus Christi and camped out for one of the nights.  For the first time in her life she saw the Milky Way because Davao is always overcast.  Went I pointed it out to her saying, "There's not a cloud in the sky".  She said, "Just that over there".  I said, "No, thats the Milky Way!"  The look on her face was a treasure.  Now at least once a year we try to go to an area where we can see the night sky without pollution and clouds.  Still I was born here and I've seen bad weather and pollution and Houston isn't that bad.

The Bear Family

[Jeff S]

Bear's right. Comparing the heat and humidity of true tropics with anywhere in the US, like Houston, is like comparing cold and snow in Colorado with the Yukon. You're going to get a lesson in what heat and humidity are all about. At first it will seen like the sweat is squirting out from your body.

[Ray]

Staggo,

There are two seasons in the Philippines…the hot rainy season and the hot dry season.

The hottest (summer) months over there are March-June probably. The rainy (typhoon) season generally starts in June/July and runs through Oct-Nov (?). December and January are a little cooler if you can call it cool. It’s always humid. Bring light clothing.

It usually doesn’t cool off more than a few degrees at night. You can wake up at 4 a.m., step outside, and the sweat will start rolling down.

If you sweat easily, I would bring a few small hand towels, or purchase some over there, and carry one with you when you go out. You will need to wring it out every 15-20 minutes or so, but it helps a little.

If you really need a break from the heat, you can take an overnight trip to Baguio where it’s cool at night in the mountains, or Tagaytay isn’t too bad either. Ask your friend about those areas.

Ray

[Dave H]

Well Dave, if you do any more growing you might look like Mr. Conehead!   

Hey Pablo,

A few more inches on the old cone and I will be as tall as Ray!  Must consume mass quantities!

Dave "Beldar" H.

[Dave H]

Its much worse.    Honey actually walked around with a rag wiping the sweat off me at times.  I've been around the world and lot of people say Houston bad but I just tell them then you haven't been to Atlanta or Miami and you definitely haven't been to Manila or Davao. 


The Bear Family

Hey Bear,

Miami definitely is about as close as you can get in the US.  Fortunately, everything is airconditioned here. My home in the Philippines is cooler than Manila. We get a cool mountain breeze in the morning and seabreeze in the evening. Having said that...it is
HOT and HUMID during the day!!! I always take 3 showers per day, often 4 and sometimes more in the Philippines.

Dave H.

[fourholesn1]

Staggo, I flew as a courier last summer New York to Bangkok $600 round trip. I know the courier company I flew for, Jaltrans, had courier flights from LAX to Manila at that time but I think Jaltrans may have gone out of the courier business. In fact I think the courier market is going extinct. Check out courier.org. Despite the great price I didn't fly courier on my 2nd trip nor will I on my 3rd because it is long trip even will good connections and flying courier added about 12 hours to the trip because of some long layovers. If you're really interested you can call the Jaltrans office in LA and see what they say.

Regarding going to meet one women instead meeting several as some have recommended......I went to meet one and while the first one didn't work out the second one did. I think you can get to know someone very well via chats with web cam, phone calls, photos, etc. You have to go with what feels right to you.

[Staggo]

I guess that I will see how it is myself in late June lol.  I was wondering about custom clothing over there.  Is there anybody on the board who has gone there and gotten tailored clothing?