My Taguig City trip report

[thekfc]

Shopping & eating

[thekfc]

more pics

[thekfc]

Ahya niece in pink & of Ahya best friend

[thekfc]

There is something in there for somebody     

[thekfc]

More pics

[robert angel]

Looks like a lot of fun!

[Ray]

Glad to see that you’re enjoying yourself kfc.

I think you are an excellent example of how to make a successful first trip to the Philippines. Keep up the good work!

And keep the pics coming…I know Stephen is enjoying them!     

Ray

[Jeff S]

Yes - kfc - Looks like you're having all kinds of fun. Keep those pics coming!

[robert angel]

Most of us know Kfc loves to shop and is very savvy at getting the good stuff at great prices. I bet though that he loves taking his new family out shopping, seeing the looks on their faces and watching them enjoy the wonderful things he brought with him more than he does getting primo stuff for himself.

In my wife's barangay, I saw kids who it's sad to say, seemed to get more joy and happiness from opening up a new hotwheels car or unwrapping a teddy bear than my USA born and raised 'Ameripino' sons get from a new play station or X Box system.

Little things mean a lot over there and I was a little worried that Kfc was going a bit over board, but I'm not anymore. I am really glad things are going so great and I think Ray really said it nicely:

>> I think you are an excellent example of how to make a successful first trip to the Philippines. Keep up the good work!<<

BUT--come clean now, kfc--how much did you go over the allotted baggage allowance weight?--ha ha--it's worth every penny and peso I'm sure....

[crashfirepm53]

I'm getting into bthis post at page 6 so I had quite a few things to quote from, but i'll just forget them all.lol

Congragulations first and foremost. There are alot of different opinions on here as to how to proceed in finding a wife. As long as it works for them then thats all that matters. I'm like you though, if it feels right then why wait? For what?

I plan on making my trip in April. If everything is as itseems now and goes as planned, we will get engaged while i'm there and start the K-1 as soon as I get home.
My girl continues to impress me without any faults so far. She is younger than I planned but it is much more of an issue for me and not an issue at all for her.

Keep up the reports. The info we get from the trip reports are very informative.
Question. I 'm putting my trip together now. How much were you spending for food and such daily, eating at restaurants? I plan on eating the local cuisine. I think I'm banking on a much higher daily expense than needed but i'd rather have more than not enough.

[Dave H]

We had lunch today at FoodLink in Landmark Food Court Ayala Makati.
Me & Ahya had the Mega platter - roasted pork, squid, bbq pork, Bicol express, sisig, salad mango with alamang sauce, extra rice  , plus on the side extra roasted & bbq pork, orange juice, ice tea & bottle water. Everything came to 419 pesos ($9 us).

Hey thekfc,

I am really enjoying your pics and trip reports! You are not only getting very close to your lady, but really getting into the food, history, and culture as well! As Ray said, "I think you are an excellent example of how to make a successful first trip to the Philippines. Keep up the good work!"

Congratulations!

Dave

[thekfc]

I just got back into New York earlier today.

I wanted to give a report before I left but I got very busy the final days.

I was at the CCP Open house festival on my final day- I have pics & video to share.

Crashfirepm53 - I will get back to you on the cost of food.

I need so rest - my last good night of sleep was Saturday (or was it Friday - depends on how you look at it).
I will give more trip details & post more pics when I wake up tomorrow - all together I took about a 1000 pics.

[thekfc]

Question. I 'm putting my trip together now. How much were you spending for food and such daily, eating at restaurants? I plan on eating the local cuisine. I think I'm banking on a much higher daily expense than needed but i'd rather have more than not enough.

The price of eating especially if you go local is very low. As some of the prices that I mention before were for a group of 4-6 people.

On my final day there me & Ahya had lunch at a Place Next to CCP (I forgot the name of the restaurant), we had Baked Oyster, Tuna Sisig, Chicken Sisig, 4 drinks, Ginger Ale,  - it came up to about 500 pesos - that was the most expensive place that we ate at.

Remember, location plays a big role in the price of food. I checked the prices of food a the Mall Of Asia & Market Market and they were higher (for the same restaurant) that wasn't in a big mall or shopping area.

As for eating local, a total meal for both me & Ahya came to about 200 pesos / $4.30 (maybe less -there were times we got change from 200 pesos) - food, drinks & extra rice included.

[thekfc]

Keep up the reports. The info we get from the trip reports are very informative.
Question. I 'm putting my trip together now. How much were you spending for food and such daily, eating at restaurants? I plan on eating the local cuisine. I think I'm banking on a much higher daily expense than needed but i'd rather have more than not enough.

I took pics of some of the posted menus.

[thekfc]

More menu pics.

[thekfc]

More delicacies 

[thekfc]

Most of us know Kfc loves to shop and is very savvy at getting the good stuff at great prices. I bet though that he loves taking his new family out shopping, seeing the looks on their faces and watching them enjoy the wonderful things he brought with him more than he does getting primo stuff for himself.

So true, funny thing is that I didn't buy anything for myself - they did. Also, I went into a few store in the Malls to check out the stuff that they have. Alot of the electronics & stuff are items that I have my possession now or are way overpriced.

Little things mean a lot over there and I was a little worried that Kfc was going a bit over board, but I'm not anymore. I am really glad things are going so great and I think Ray really said it nicely:

>> I think you are an excellent example of how to make a successful first trip to the Philippines. Keep up the good work!<<

I too thought that I was going overboard - so I left a few things behind. The stuff that I took with me - I am sure glad that I did.

BUT--come clean now, kfc--how much did you go over the allotted baggage allowance weight?--ha ha--it's worth every penny and peso I'm sure....

Actually I didn't, I was under the 50lbs allowance for both luggage - I should have. Last minute I took a few stuff out. I could have easily filled up 4 luggage at 50lbs each.

Now I am looking into the easiest, cheapest & most reliable way to send Balikbayan Boxes from NYC to Manila. I am looking into both LBC & Manila Forwarder. 

[thekfc]

Highlights from the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) open House Festival:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBaFF1YA-14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTrPUT9s4ZA

[thekfc]

More Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxqfUveQvic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju5aeukEk3o

[robert angel]

Kfc,

Take it easy guy--I know for me, the jet lag always nails me coming back a lot more than going over, although it's never been too bad.

Food and eating out is still a real bargain there, and I can see still is, as are rent and home ownership prices, generally.

I'd heard Baguio is really nice, but didn't realize it's comparatively expensive.

The lowest cost of living is probably Mindanao, from what I've heard and seen.

It's amazing how expensive--more than in the USA, prices on digital cameras, memory, computers--electronics in general are in the RP.  Never mind that their place of manufacture may be China, Malaysia or even the RP itself, they get gouged. Same thing with sports apparel such as Nike, Levis, etc. I guess it has to do with the parent company's national headquarters location and their monetary exchange rate compared to the RP peso. Even Timex watches made in Cebu City cost a lot of pesos right there in Cebu. Wearing a Timex watch is a fairly big deal.


Clothes used to be really cheap to buy there. I fact we'd fly there w/o many clothes and buy them over there, but now even better made clothes have gotten comparable in price to the US.

Kind of cracks me up that never mind that the Nike and Adidas shoes and clothing we bring and send over to the RP have "made in China" or other nearby Asian nation's name on the 'made in..' label, its the fact that they were sent from America that makes them 'extra special'....

The real 'modulator' has been the US--RP currency exchange rate, which of course has fluctuated quite a bit over the last ten or so years. Next time it gets above 50 P to the $, I think we'll buy a place to stay there.

[thekfc]

Kfc,

Take it easy guy--I know for me, the jet lag always nails me coming back a lot more than going over, although it's never been too bad.

Yep I am trying to take it easy - I will rest for 2 days before going back to work. Going was no problem, but the return trip was different. My flight into HK was early Sunday evening & we didn't fly out until mid Monday morning. Most of the stuff I wanted to do in HK I didn't get to do as it was raining heavy in HK when we arrived but I did get to visit the most important places on my list after the rain stopped. And I had one of Ahya's "ate" to show me around HK - She arrived the Wednesday before to work there.

Food and eating out is still a real bargain there, and I can see still is, as are rent and home ownership prices, generally.

I will second that.

I'd heard Baguio is really nice, but didn't realize it's comparatively expensive.

Yes Baguio City is beautiful & I wouldn't mind living there but the one thing preventing me from living there if I decided to live part-time in the Philippines is that it is on a mountain - not that it being on a mountaintop but the drive getting there. Me & driving on narrow roads on mountain tops do not mix.

It's amazing how expensive--more than in the USA, prices on digital cameras, memory, computers--electronics in general are in the RP.  Never mind that their place of manufacture may be China, Malaysia or even the RP itself, they get gouged. Same thing with sports apparel such as Nike, Levis, etc. I guess it has to do with the parent company's national headquarters location and their monetary exchange rate compared to the RP peso. Even Timex watches made in Cebu City cost a lot of pesos right there in Cebu. Wearing a Timex watch is a fairly big deal.

That was one of the big surprise for me: the price of electronics - I can buy the same thing (or better) here & shipped it to phil & my total cost would be about the same or cheaper than buying it in the Philippines.
I was pricing TVs & a CRT TV is more expensive there that a flat screen here in the USA.
I priced everything I could - memory cards (wow), digital cameras, DVD players, PS3, XBox 360 & computers - they are expensive in the Philippines.

but now even better made clothes have gotten comparable in price to the US.

Yep.

Kind of cracks me up that never mind that the Nike and Adidas shoes and clothing we bring and send over to the RP have "made in China" or other nearby Asian nation's name on the 'made in..' label, its the fact that they were sent from America that makes them 'extra special'....

Two of Ahya's nephews never had a pair of shoes & I was planning on buying them sneakers while I was there but Ahya told me no & to sent it to them from NYC.
 

[Jeff S]

It's always tougher flying east than west - at least that's been my experience over the past 30 some years of going to Asia.

It has been that way that goods there being more expensive than in the US, for quite some time. I found out on my 1st trip to Japan in the mid 70s, I thought I'd get some bargains on camera equipment - as there were lots of stories of cheap electronics from the Viet Nam war ear coming back from Japan, but I found out that by the time I first arrived, prices in Japan were about 50% more for products made in Japan than prices in the US.

[thekfc]

Ahya sister Ruth & her husband Ben. She is the #1 "go to" sister.

[thekfc]

Ahya, her sister Carol w/ her son Lebron & Ahya's niece Rochelle

[thekfc]

Me & Ahya at the Manila Ocean Park. Her first visit there.