Life In The Philippines

Dengue Fever in the Philippines

2010-08-15T03:00:00.000+08:00

I've become quite ill in the last week. I try to stay healthy by staying active and exercising so I don't become just another overweight, lazy foreigner who's out of shape and unhealthy. No matter what physical shape I'm in I have found my self no match for the tiny Asian Tiger mosquito. I first noticed my lungs felt like they were filling up with fluid. I began coughing a bit. I tried to brush it off as just a cold or maybe a mild flu. I developed a fever and noticed a strange pressure that felt as if something was pushing from behind my eyes. As I sat here on my computer sweating feeling as if my brain was becoming so hot I actually worried it might even cause brain damage. As I sat here contemplating my symptoms a strange word just popped in my head out of nowhere as if it were just shoved into my thoughts by some unseen force. That word was "Dengue". So I searched it and as I saw the diagram in the picture which also displayed a rash that was to accompany the symptoms of Dengue. I noticed the rash was actually developing on my chest as I was reading about it. I just knew I had Dengue fever but before I mentioned it to anyone I first decided to check online and see if there were any outbreaks of Dengue reported in my area. To my surprise outbreaks in my area were reported and described as "terrible" according to the Bohol Times. So I went to the hospital where they told me I also had an upper respiratory infection. They gave me some meds that I was to take. One thing I first noticed about the reported cases of Dengue is that even though the number of cases was described as "terrible" the actual number of deaths from the virus seemed relatively low to me. Out of 623 cases only 8 people had actually died from Dengue. There are actually 4 different types of Dengue and if I were to catch a different strain of Dengue after already being infected then that could easily lead to Dengue hemorrhagic fever which would be much more serious and possibly kill me. Dengue is also known as break-bone fever because it causes great back pain and joint pain but as painful as it is it's easily survivable as long as you don't later contract one of the other three Dengue virus's which you haven't already been infected with. The first couple of days is really the most difficult part. Once the fever breaks then you get this crazy rash. For me the rash started on my shoulders and rapidly spread down my stomach to my upper thighs. I still have it by the way. I would say I'm about 8 days through it and on the road to recovery. You can learn more about Degue here.

Dental Work in the Philippines

2010-06-28T16:37:00.005+08:00

I have never been a huge fan of dentists. When I think about drills in my teeth I tend to put things like that

off for a very long time. So needless to say I have been way over due for a dental checkup. I knew I was living with a couple of cavities and they certainly weren't getting any better. I talked to this Australian friend of

mine about his experience having dental work in the Philippines and he recommended a place to try. He told me about how he had two teeth pulled here and he had nothing but good things to say about his dental experience. I decided to go and take a look inside and see just how a dental facility compared to the facilities I had been accustomed to in America. I haven't looked at any other facilities than the one my friend had suggested. When I entered the place was a little cramped. The girl at the desk asked me to fill out a card which only asked me for my name and address. I handed her the card and she asked me why I had come in and I explained to her that I was pretty sure I had a cavity or two and I needed to get them filled. I was then asked to take a seat and I waited about 15 minutes. I was then directed into the dreaded room where the drills were kept. When I entered the room it had three dental chairs which two of them were already occupied by other patients. They just made due with the space they had and positioned as many chairs they could get in one room. It kind of reminded me of a haircut parlor where you can watch other people get their haircut along side of you. I asked about the sterility of the equipment also and was told they used a Autoclave sterilization system and assured me it was safe. Although Autoclave really meant nothing to me I decided to take a seat and get it over with. I can't remember a single time of ever having a cavity filled without being injected first with Novocaine. Here in the Philippines they didn't seem to require it to do any drilling as long as your not feeling any pain which makes a lot more sense to me. So as it turns out I actually had 4 cavities that needed to be filled and all went pretty well. They didn't use any mercury in my mouth. I was patched up with just some white filling which was hardened by one of those blue light things. I'm pretty sure blue light thing is the technical term used.

One of the best things about the whole experience was the price. When I was all patched up and ready to leave I was charged about $40 for the whole process. I don't think I would even be seen in a dental office in America for $40. I don't have a list of everything they do with the prices but out of curiosity I did ask about veneers because I know they're pretty expensive. They told me one tooth would be about 7000 PHP/$150.

So anyways..

That was my dental experience here in the Philippines and although everything went well and I was in and out with a good price I still hope I never see a dental chair as long as I live but I know I will.

Finding Love in the Philippines

2010-03-11T02:19:00.006+08:00

My wife's niece is 20 years old, hard working and never really had a child hood. Sometimes my wife misses her family back home so we decided to fly her niece over here to our island. Her mother agreed to let her come but would make these requests to find her daughter a nice foreigner to marry. It never really occurred to me to take her request seriously but she kept calling asking how things were going and if we had found one yet. As I started to get to know my wife's niece Mary I learned that she had been working 16 hour days for about 100 pesos / $2.50 a day. I also learned that Mary has some kind of heart condition and has collapsed from exhaustion at her job before. I had this banner up on this blog for awhile promoting cebuanas.com and I have never made any money off it but as I was sitting here with nothing to do I thought it might be interesting to have Mary create a profile to see if there might be anyone that she actually might be interested in. After all, it was my pc she would be using to browse potential suitors and I could always pull the plug if things got out of hand. We started with just a couple of simple photos and waited about 24 hours for her profile to be approved. Even though I had a banner up on my blog of this Filipina dating site I had no real clue as to what it was actually like. It seems as though the Filipina gets to use the site for free but the foreigners must pay a fee to use it. We could have went to any one of the social networks out there to find some random guy but this site was a better option because all the men were actually paying to meet the filipina of their dreams. We all know the internet can be full of wackos and perverts and so my wife and I decided that all interaction would be monitored by us from beginning to end. Once Mary's profile was approved the 3 of us started browsing men's profiles and looking for anyone that might catch her eye. Right away messages were beginning to come in of men interested in her. There were a few people I blocked right away. Some men looked to be much too old for her and whatever reason she had at the time for not liking them were blocked. I was hesitant but we moved on to cam chatting with no audio. Mary like many Filipinos was very nervous to be speaking English because it's not her first language and would be dreadfully embarrassed to say something wrong. The cam was pointed only at Mary and the men had no idea we were watching out of view of the camera making sure nothing crazy happened and helping her with her spelling. We had a couple chats with a couple different people but no one really liked. We checked for new messages and looked for new profiles from time to time. After about a week she found a guy who interested her and she made contact with him. We'll call him Bob. Bob and Mary began Silently cam chatting and getting to know one another.

After observing their conversations for a few days we decided to let him know that my wife and I were present during these conversations and became acquainted with him. He seemed very polite. He wasn't the least bit rude or perverse. After awhile cam chatting became a regular thing and I began seeing the two of them chatting everyday at the same time. Bob said he had some vacation time coming up from his employment and we decided to have him come to our island and visit us. As Mary counted the days for Bob to arrive I started to question whether I did a good thing by allowing this to happen and what I would do if it all went horribly wrong. Never the less what had been done had been done and Bob was on his way. We waited at the airport and I think all three of us were a bit nervous. I kept telling Mary "I think I see him!", just so I could see the look on her face. She had never even had a Filipino boyfriend because her mother had her mind made up about Mary having a foreign husband who could give her a better life.

Finally Bob's plane had arrived after about a 10 hour flight. Bob appeared to be much taller than Mary and even taller than I am. He had issues with his hearing due to the altitude of his plane ride and seemed a little pale. Despite Bob's exhaustively long flight and his temporary hearing loss he seemed very nice and was a gentleman. We helped Bob get a hotel room and a bite to eat. The next day we helped Bob find a motorcycle to rent and began taking the two of them on our tours. I was surprised at how well the two of them got along and how quickly they took to one another. They quickly became inseparable. Only a few weeks later they were married. Bob made me his best man. They spent Bob's last week here alone together and Bob came by today to say a proper goodbye. I honestly can't imagine a nicer guy to be her husband. He plans on going back to his country so he can return to work and prepare for his new bride to live with him there.
It's been an interesting couple of weeks...

E.A.T. Danao - Bohol Adventure Park

2010-01-25T22:56:00.004+08:00

If your looking for a fun filled outdoor extreme adventure then Bohol's newest attraction in Danao is for you. E.A.T. Danao or Extreme Adventure Tour Danao also known as Eco Adventure tour Danao or Educational Adventure Tour Danao but I'll just refer to it as Extreme. Some of E.A.T.'s Extreme activities are

Sky Ride
Plunge
Suislide
River Trekking
River Tubing
River Kayaking
Wall Climbing
Village Tour
Organic Farm Visitation
Camping
Rappelling
Root Climbing
Caving

Book A Tour Here!

The Sky Ride is basically a cable ride that holds up to 6 people at about 200 meters from the ground.
The Plunge is like a death drop where you are harnessed to a rope and you drop about 45 meters and then swing out over a gorge.
The Suislide is where you would lay down flat and and glide hanging from a zip line superman style 200 meters over a gorge.
River Trekking is actually a combination of Trekking, Climbing and Swimming ranging anywhere from 2 hours to an entire day along the Wahig River.
Wall Climbing consists of an artificial wall with fiber glass grips for hands and feet. There are three different levels of difficulty and to date there hasn't been a single person to make it to the top on the first try of the extreme wall.

Here is some video we took of the suicslide!

Bohol Butterfly Garden

2009-12-16T21:53:00.003+08:00

I stopped in at Simply Butterflies conservation center here in Bohol today. I've always been interested in checking them out and finally got around to it. There was no parking fee and no charge to enter. They seem to simply operate from donations and internet orders for butterflies. We were approached by a guide who gave us a tour of the place and educated us on things like the difference between a moth and a butterfly and what it might be like to live as a butterfly. The place was well kept and they have a very nice habitat for the butterflies to live in. The butterfly garden has some of the strangest flowers I have ever seen. Some looked as though they could have been from another planet.

They take orders for butterflies so you can release them at wedding occasions or whatever precious moment you might be having that would call for such a thing. What I have learned about ordering hand raised butterflies is although it may be beautiful to have them flying around you, their chances of living very long are slim. Without have the appropriate enviroment in which they were grown in they will die rather quickly. Being so warm here in Bohol all year around is very good for the butterfly business here. A large number of butterflies are also released back in the wild to prevent the loss of rare and dying breeds. I didn't notice any vendors and no one tried to pressure me into buying anything. It's just a great place to take some pictures of some beautiful butterflies and it is a great cause. I think its well worth a visit. It is located in Bilar on the way to the chocolate hills.You can Book a Tour here.

Daks and Gams, Bohol Philippines

2009-12-02T21:19:00.004+08:00

I decided to stop by Daks and Gams here in Bohol. I took this picture because I wanted pictures of cute little animals. I can only assume that this monkey, cat and dog live together in one cage because they can tolerate each other. I have no idea how things go when it is time for feeding? I have never really taken the time to stop in and see what kind of animals they have. They are located in the center of Panglao. Admission charge was 30 pesos per head and we were free to walk around on our own with no guide or information of any kind. In fact, the only information I can really gather from Daks and Gams is on the internet and it is minimal info at best. We were the only ones there and once we had paid for admission there was no one in site the entire time we were there. It was quite and looked as if it would be a nice place to come to as a group. There are plenty of chairs for lounging in. From my understanding the words Daks and Gams basically mean big and small. They had a couple of beautiful civet's and some very nice sea turtles. The animals themselves seemed healthy and looked as though they were well taken care of. I didn't hear of any complaints from the animals except for the monkey, cat and dog who told me they'd prefer to live alone. I would certainly recommend paying Daks and Gams a visit. Book a Tour Here.

The Hanging Bridge - Bohol, Loboc

2009-10-25T15:55:00.003+08:00

It was such a beautiful day today that I just couldn't let myself sit in front of the computer. So I decided to put on a pair of shorts and take a trip to the Loboc Hanging Bridge. I didn't know just how many people would be there when we arrived. I'd guess there was somewhere between 30 - 40 people. I was charged 10 pesos to park and 20 pesos for entry. The bridge itself is approximately 20 meters high. It is essentially built with steel cables and woven strips of bamboo to walk across. The steel cables and the overall length of the bridge seem to give it a bit of a bounce and sway as your walking across. The Hanging Bridge was built in 1972 and is 37 years old. The steel cables were last replaced back in 2001 and look strong in appearance. Not that I'm any sort of expert in the longevity or durability of steel cables but at no time did I fear for my life. I inquired about the strips of bamboo and how often they were replaced. The told me every six months. It only took a couple of minutes to reach the other side and when we arrived there were a group of children playing musical instruments for donations along with the typical souvenir shop. I should also mention one of the coolest attractions about the place is a local who dehusks coconuts with his teeth. I guess he was off doing something else today but hopefully I will catch him next time around. Loboc is about a 30 minute drive from my place and I could spend all day just driving around and soaking up the beauty of this island.

Cebu to Bohol, The Friendship Bridge?

2009-10-18T14:14:00.002+08:00

I have recently stumbled onto some information of how the Philippines Government is planning to build a bridge from Cebu to Bohol. The bridge is supposed to be 90 kms/55miles long. The Economic Development Cooperation Fund of South Korea has apparently pledged a whopping three million dollars as a grant for a feasibility study provided they follow through with the actual building of the bridge after the study is complete.The competed project is supposed to cost 20 billion pesos and that is $427,350,427!!!

This is lunacy to me. I just can't think of a good reason for this. They claim it will be easier for them to bring water to Cebu from Bohol. I personally hope that they don't build this "friendship bridge". People who live in Cebu come to Bohol to get away and relax and take in the beauty of this island. If the bridge does successfully get built I think it will destroy this island and those who used to come here to vacation will have to find a less crowded island. I know I will.

Philippines - Inspiration and Messages of Hope

2009-10-12T22:50:00.004+08:00

One thing I love about the Philippines is, no matter how oppressive their government is and how poor most of the people are there are messages of hope graffitied all over the country. I find either quotes from the bible or messages of peace everywhere. It can sometimes feel as if I'm living in the bible itself. Where I can just walk down any random street and find what seems like a message from God written in black paint on a brick wall. In America you'd be arrested for that. I have also seen what looks like the usual gang type graffiti as well which in my opinion is just something that was learned from American movies.

The Philippines consists of mostly Catholic's but whether your Catholic, Christian, or even Atheist the messages are still messages of being good and doing good and treating others as you'd like to be treated. Police officers in America used to be known as peace officers who were there to protect and serve the people. Now they are known as police enforcers who enforce the laws of the government.

I have personally paid police officers here in the Philippines to leave me alone. It seems like it takes a typhoon or a huge disaster before police realize we are all the same people and then they will roll up their sleeves and try to save someone from drowning. Until we learn that we are all the same and no uniform changes that then we will all continue to live with a hope for something better. The problem with the word "hope" is that there is no action in the word. Its not much different than wishing for things to change. Nothing will change until we change it. We have become so programmed to believe we have to do things the way we are told to do them.

As soon as someone does something different than what we are supposed to do, then that person is persecuted for their actions. We have to stop caring about what other people think of us. I myself am usually envied by people who are stuck in doing things the way they have been told to do them or hated by people(especially family members) and considered a loser for not conforming to the ways of an American life in America. I don't want to be American and I don't want to be Filipino. I just consider myself an earthling. I was born on earth. Lets stop thinking we are different and start living these messages of hope. Wrong is wrong even if its just a little bit wrong. Who can govern us better than us? I am just making a conscious decision to enjoy my time while we are on this planet. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi

"there is no path to peace, peace is the path."

Choco Tours of Bohol

2009-09-16T05:32:00.012+08:00

I have been writing about the Philippines and all the places I have been in Bohol for awhile now. It never actually occurred to me that I would actually be offering tour packages but I have now started Bohol Tours here in the Philippines. When it comes to Americans offering tours in Bohol I think I’m the only one. Your tour guide will be a 100% genuine Filipino who I have known personally for over a year now. He has lived here in Bohol all his life and he has been giving tours to people from all over the world for a few years now. He isn’t too internet savvy so many of his clients are Filipino’s who come from the island of Manila. He speaks English well and I would describe him as a mild mannered family man. He owns the apartment I am renting and lives right next to me.

We will make sure you are booked into a hotel of your choice and can offer recommendations.

Destinations Include

Baclayon Church
Blood Compact Monument
Loay Local Industry
Hanging Bridge
The Python Sanctuary
The Butterfly Garden
The Chocolate Hills
Loboc Floating Restaurant
Tarsier Monkeys
Dauis Church
Daks and Gams Exotic Wildlife
Shell Museum
Alona Beach
Bohol Bee Farm
Hinagdanan Cave
Panglao Watch Tower

For Prices, Contact Information and even more information Just Click Here

How long can American's stay in the Philippines?

2009-08-27T19:07:00.007+08:00

A person can enter the Philippines with just a passport for 21 days. If your planning on staying longer than that you must go to the Bureau of Immigration and apply for an extension of your stay. Once you've completed your 21 days of entering the Philippines with your passport. You can apply for an extension of another 38 days. This first extension will cost you 3,030 pesos or $62.00. So with your 21 day entry and your 38 day extension that is a total of 59 days. When your 59 days are up you are now able to apply for 2 month extensions from here on up to 16 months.

After 6 months of stay you are now required to obtain an ECC-Emigration Clearance Certificate. I'm not sure at what point in time that an ECC was required for leaving the Philippines? It wasn't required the first time I left the Philippines but it is now required to have one after 6 months of stay. It's not too time consuming to get it but I would recommend not hiring anyone to help you get it taken care of or you will probably pay alot more money than necessary and your presence will be required anyways because they will take your fingerprints. It cost me about 500 pesos and the form was very easy to fill out.

When your 16 months is up you are required to leave the Philippines for at least 3 days and then you can return starting the whole process over again. Plane tickets can be a bit expensive so if you don't want to pay for a plane ticket all the way back to America you can just choose a country that is a little cheaper to fly to. I left the country after 12 months just because I wanted to get it out of the way. I decided to go to Hong Kong because it was cheaper. A ticket from the Philippines to Hong Kong cost me 11,246 pesos or $230.00. I'm not a huge fan of flying. I don't know what it is about planes but I can't stand being on them. The flight from the Philippines to Hong Kong was 2 hours and I booked a room in Hong Kong from a Cebu travel agent for 3 days at the Dorsett FarEast Hotel. The room cost me about 8,000 pesos or $164.00 for 2 nights. That also included breakfast and free bus travel to and from the hotel to the airport. The room was small and the bed was a little too firm but the shower was great. It had everything I needed and i wasn't there to do any shopping. There was a seven eleven and a McDonalds within walking distance. I watched some crazy Hong Kong TV and that was about it.

One thing you must be sure to have when returning to the Philippines from whichever country you decide to go to is an ongoing ticket. What I'm referring to is purchasing another plane ticket again leaving the country of the Philippines. When leaving Hong Kong I was asked if I had a plane ticket to leave the country of the Philippines. I was also asked once I arrived in Cebu. I made sure I had an ongoing plane ticket. Basically this shows them some evidence that you are not intending to live in the country and you do have plans to eventually leave. While I purchased my first plane ticket to Hong Kong I also bought a second plane ticket the same day. The second ticket I booked is again, leaving for Hong Kong but doesn't leave for about 6 months from now. I will also change the ticket to a later date about 6 months from now so I can stay a total of 16 months.

So I'm glad its over and I'm back home in the Philippines for another 16 months...
For more information on Immigration Fees click here for the Philippines Bureau of Immigration Fees.

From Bohol to Cebu

2009-08-08T13:08:00.008+08:00

It is great having an immigration office on this island because its never busy and I can always get in and out with no waiting. One thing that can not be obtained at the immigration office here as of yet is an ECC (Exit Visa). So that requires me to take a speed ferry to Cebu. When traveling from Bohol to Cebu there are two choices of speed ferries. There is Ocean Jet, or Weesam. I wasn't sure which ferry was better but I was recommended the Weesam Express. I booked 2 seats to leave at 7am. I booked under a promo sale and I paid 1000 pesos round trip for 2 people. It was 500 pesos per person. I also had to pay a boarding pass fee of 25 pesos. The trip itself was relatively comfortable. I should also mention that the weather was overcast the entire day when I went. It might be hotter on a very sunny day. There is a first class seating with air conditioning and I don't think it costs much more to book. There are no drinks or meals served but we got to watch a Bon Jovi concert on the way there and a bootlegged version of the transformer movie on the way back. We left at exactly 7am and arrived at 8:45.

We were able to accomplish everything at immigration have a quick lunch at SM mall and book a hotel in Hong Kong from the Cebu Travel Agent Office. When I arrived at the immigration office in Cebu I noticed they were checking everyone for fevers. The guard would hold a little scanner to your forehead to see if you were sick. I think it has something to do with the swine flu. It actually took longer to come back to Bohol than it did to go to Cebu. Just estimate the trip to be somewhere from an hour and a half to two hours. It was my first time in Cebu and I didn't spend much time site seeing. In fact every trip I took in Cebu was less than 10 minutes. Everything I needed was relatively close to the Ferry. No one tried to overcharge me and it was a good trip. If you do need to go for immigration reasons then make sure you take the early boat out.

Skin bleaching in the Philippines

2009-07-26T21:52:00.007+08:00

So apparently people are interested to know about why and how Filipina's bleach their skin. It really isn't any different than a white girl using a tanning bed. The very white skinned Filipina's are referred to as Mestiza. I find this interesting because Mestiza is a spanish feminin of Mestizo. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was used in the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin America. So as the white American girls are laying on the beach working on that awesome tan. The Filipina's are bleaching their skin and hiding from the sun. Walking under an umbrella on a hot sunny day. I have looked at some of these soaps to see just what the active ingredient is in the soap that whitens the skin. I expected to find one common ingredient among all the soaps but to my surprise, there doesn't seem to be just one common magic ingredient. I find most of these soaps are actually made right here in the Philippines. The ingredient content of the soap displayed in the picture contain Calcium Carbonate, USP and Magnesium Oxide. USP seems to be associated with Hydroquinone which does appear to actually whiten skin but some soaps appear to contain a bleaching ingredient that no other soap has. I imagine its just a cocktail of some kind that gives the soap company the ability to have a magic ingredient that no else can say they have. I've never personally used the soap nor do I intend to. There is a bar soap made in Cebu that I really like from the Lacto Bacillus PAFI Techno Resources Corp. I won't go in to all the details of the contents of this particular soap. I will say that I would certainly take some with me if I were to go back to America. If you're interested to learn more about it then you can do so by clicking here.

Paypal in the Philippines

2009-07-06T15:54:00.010+08:00

One way I get my dollars here to the Philippines is to have them sent via paypal to the Philippines. Paypal is available in the Philippines and I can send, receive, and withdraw funds from paypal depositing them into my bank account. Not all banks here are paypal friendly at the moment. I have heard that paypal works with Banco De Oro(BDO) Bank in the Philippines but I use Union Bank of the Philippines. I would recommend using Union Bank simply because I know it works there. When signing up with paypal in the Philippines they will require you to provide a bank code number. I am providing a list of bank code numbers for Philippines banks. It usually takes me about 3 days to make a withdrawal to my bank account. You will also have to verify your physical address. Click the picture to see a shot of the fees for paypal Philippines. Click the banner and sign up...

ASIA UNITED BANK - 011020011
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS - 010030015
BANCO DE ORO (& EPCIB) - 010530667
BANK OF COMMERCE - 010440016
BANK OF THE PHIL ISLANDS - 010040018
CITIBANK N.A. - 010070017
DEVT BANK OF THE PHILS - 010590018
LANDBANK OF THE PHILS - 010350025
MAYBANK OF THE PHILS - 010220016
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST CO - 010269996
PHIL BANK OF COMMUNICATION - 010110016
PHIL TRUST COMPANY - 010090039
PHIL NATIONAL BANK - 010080010
PRUDENTIAL BANK - 010150018
PHIL VETERANS BANK - 010330016
RIZAL COMML BANKING CORP - 010280014
SECURITY BANK & TRUST CO - 010140015
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK - 010050011
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK - 010299995
UNION BANK OF THE PHILS - 010419995
UNITED OVERSEAS BANK - 010270189

Peso vs Dollar

2009-07-04T05:25:00.008+08:00

I get the occasional email now and then from random people who want to know how much money they need to live here. It's not a question I can just throw a number out to answer. I have noticed an increase of visitor's to my blog who seem to be looking for a place to escape America due to the declining economy. So I decided to give a quick post about how much I spend on living in the Philippines. So I'll put it like this. Many Filipino's make $2.00 a day and live here. Could an American live off of $2.00 a day? That sounds great to the average American but you have to consider that most Filipino's live in large families and use the money to support everybody under one roof. The dollar as I'm writing this at the moment is worth 48 pesos. $100 would then convert to 4,800 pesos. Sounds like alot but what can 4,800 pesos buy? Well let me try to make this easier for the mind of an American. Last time I was in America I think a can of coca-cola costs about .75 cents. That same can would cost you about 21 pesos here which is .44 cents USD. A pack of cigarettes is around $5.00 in the US but here on my island you can get a whole carton of cigarettes for 300 pesos which is $6.23 USD.
My apartment I'm living in at the moment is a 2 bedroom 1 bath. Its two story and has all the space I need. I am paying 7000 pesos/$145 a month. I then have to pay for water and electric. My last water/electric bill was 3,500php/$72 and I run my air conditioner constantly because its hot here. I live in a gated community and its quite and I've never had any trouble with anyone living here. Eating here is another matter. Most of the foreigners I know living here seem to eat much like myself. I'm lucky enough to have a Pizza Hut and a McDonald's here and frequent them often.
How Much is a Pizza at Pizza hut?
My last meal there was a medium pepperoni pizza, 1 order of garlic bread, 1 personal pan, 2 Pepsi's and I paid about 550pesos/$11.43USD.

I spend about 150 pesos/$3.12 to fill up my motorcycle.
So as long as you can keep dollars coming in to the country you can live relatively cheap providing that the economy in the US doesn't collapse all together.

I hope this helps give you an idea of what your going to need...

My Philippine Puppy

2009-06-23T13:55:00.008+08:00

I just recently had to upgrade my PC. I think the Philippines can be very hard on a computer due to the heat and the dust that collects. My PC was in need of an upgrade considering it was going on 5 years of ownership. I just ended up getting a new motherboard and processor which seemed to do the trick. I also decided to give this blog an upgrade. I know its a little buggy still but hopefully I can iron out the wrinkles here shortly.

I woke up early one morning to drive down to the fish market. You can get some really great deals on some very fresh fish if you can get out of bed. As I was driving I realized I took a wrong turn and stopped my motorcycle to go back from whence I came. As I was just about to head back I noticed there was a little puppy on the side of the road. My wife has been wanting a puppy for awhile now but I have been against the idea because I prefer to see a dog have more room than what I can provide at the moment. I always see these animals tied up with about 3 feet of available movement. So anyways, my wife gets off the motorcycle and grabs this puppy and get back on like nothing just happened. So I look at her and I say "what are you going to do with that?". She tells me she will take care of it. The puppy doesn't move or make a sound. It just sits there resting on her lap as she sits on the motorcycle. So against my better judgement I drove back home with little guy who is in poor health. I'm not sure where that puppy even came from. There were no homes along this highway and there were no other dogs that even resembled this one. I'm not sure if he would have lived through the day if we hadn't taken him.
We made sure to have the vet here check him out and we got him his shots. He had a nasty case of worms as well. I think he's all better now and he is like a completely different animal. He is full of energy and I spend alot of my time trying to train him to pee outside. I wish he wasn't so time consuming but he is. So here is a picture of my crazy dog "Barker".
More to come...

The Transforming of America

2009-04-22T13:31:00.005+08:00

I haven't been to America in some time now but I do still look into what is happening in my home country. It seems as if Americans are becoming less free everyday all in the name of the war on terror. I find myself very concerned about this. It actually affects my sleep. I often wonder about whether or not the Jews saw it coming. I mean one day they were just living their lives in Germany and then the next thing they knew they were all living in prison camps. I've personally been through the airports and had been treated like I was some kind of terrorist just because I came from the Philippines. When I see videos such as this one, I am completely amazed with the scare tactics being used on anybody and everybody. I really wanted to post this video because this is a guy who understands that he does have rights and lives in a free country. I think most people would have given in and submitted to the will of the officers and let them search their property. Most Americans today are simply uneducated about what rights they do have and what the laws are in their own country. They have just been so absorbed with movies, football, and the night life that they have all become lazy on important issues in the world. Just letting the people at the top run the show while those people at the top work in the shadows to turn their world into some kind of Nazi Germany. This is the kind of video you won't see on mainstream news. These are the kinds of things that are happening everywhere all across America. I see on average at least one video a week of someone being harassed or beaten by officers of the law. Check it out and draw your own conclusion..

Loboc - The Floating Restaurant

2009-04-17T00:22:00.009+08:00

I am officially a whopping 30 lbs/13.6 kg heavier than when I arrived here in September of 2008. It really seems like just a couple of months ago I was complaining about how I couldn't find anything to eat in this country. I always thought I was supposed to be a larger person but just never ate to my potential. I took a trip today to the famous Loboc floating restaurant. We actually ran into a couple earlier who just happened to make the exact plans we did so we thought we would hang out.

The Loboc Floating Restaurant in my opinion wasn't bad. We caught the last boat out at 2pm. I enjoyed it because it wasn't over crowded and the food was actually decent. We paid 300 pesos per head. That included one meal and one beverage. I should mention that they were quick to charge us 30 pesos for any additional beverages. I enjoy the Loboc river because they are very good at keeping the river clean. They provided us with some live entertainment. I describe them as atmosphere music. It wasn't too loud or obnoxious. It was just something nice to listen to as we spent an hour conversing and snapping off some pictures of the scenery. In my conclusion I would definitely recommend scheduling it in your things to do list if your coming for a visit. Book a Tour Here!

The Inevitable Ending

2009-04-14T02:19:00.007+08:00

I often think about how everything in life has an ending and I can't help but think about all I have in this life and its inevitable ending. I try to absorb as much as I can here in the Philippines although, I often get so caught up in my work routine that I forget to go outside and enjoy it. Like everyone else I still find myself a slave to money. I try to imagine what it might be like to be completely free from money. Living off of land I own and living in a house I built on it. Growing my own food and living completely off of the land. It seems strange to think that this sort of life was one time completely normal. I have no idea where the food I buy from my grocery store comes from and have no idea what chemicals are in the food I'm eating. I think we've lost something of ourselves with the convenience of all our technology. I love the internet and my cell phone just as much as the next guy and some would argue that its brought us closer because we can stay in touch with one another. I'm not sure I agree with that at least on every level. We are at a point where one job just can't support a home in today's economy and we spend so much time at work that the people we work with are seen more than family members. I don't know what the answer to this world's problems are but something seems very wrong with this world. I just want to see what its like to live without the system we are all so dependent upon. A system that seems to be failing us all more everyday. There are so many people living here in the Philippines on so little I don't see why I can't live the same way. So I'm working to remove myself from the desk so I can see what the world is really like.

the godfather

2009-04-08T03:03:00.006+08:00

What is it about power and control over others that changes people from being one of us? A suppression that is somehow good for the benefit of the people. Where 1% of the world hold 90% of the money and meet behind closed doors to decide the fate of the whole. I think the devil has his fingers deep in all these governments that certainly don't speak for its people. We have police that are beating up and even shooting kids for minor traffic violations. There was a time when police were referred to as peace officers but now they are law enforcement. Enforcing their law or their will upon us. These laws that exist because we believe they do. We all know right and wrong.

I don't think any of us are going to make it out of this world alive. So if I'm right and we are all going to die then I propose we stand up for the things that right and good no matter if we are threatened with the loss of life. This world is never going to be what it could and should be as long as we continue to read tragic stories and choose not to be involved simply because the problem isn't at our door. Wrong is wrong no matter where its happening or who its happening to. We all need to speak up and be involved before the problems are on our doorsteps and its too late.

I know this isn't my usual sort of blog posting. I'm ok with that.
I haven't taken any photos in a few weeks. The baby in this photo isn't mine. I'm not really good with baby's. I am the godfather of this one though. I don't entirely understand the concept of being a godfather. I don't have to do anything and there are no papers I have to sign to be one. So I guess I'm ok with that too..

A Place to Plant My Flag

2009-03-16T11:27:00.006+08:00

I've discovered this tiny little bar called "Martins". I really didn't think much of it from the outside but it has a really nice atmosphere inside. I've been their twice now and have even been so bold as to participate on stage with the live local bands. I like it because the music is good and I can still have a conversation without having to yell something like "what did you say?". I wouldn't say I'm a bar person really. I have just seen too many instances of macho ego's fueled by alcohol. So far I haven't had any problem with a single person on this whole island. I think that's pretty awesome.

I'm still driving around and hunting for a good piece of land to buy. Of course, everyone wants beach front property but I'm not even going to look at it. I know it's the most expensive land for sale here. I just want something away from the city where the air is clean and there is a whole lot of nothing to do. I really want to start some kind of farm out here and grow my own food. So far I have found some land as cheap as 60 pesos per square meter. That's pretty darn cheap and I believe I can find even cheaper. I'm thinking about taking a look for some land in Sagbayan. Filipino's I talk to about buying land don't seem to believe me when I tell them I want to live so far away from the city. Sure it will be nice to go to the city and get things I won't be able to get living so far away but I'm really focusing on learning to live off of the land. I've never done it before but I will...

The Interested are Interesting

2009-03-13T13:02:00.007+08:00

I have just decided at this moment that I will be putting more attention into this blog. I've have only been looking at it when ever I feel like looking at it. The reason I will be putting more time in it is because of you the readers. To my surprise, every time I log into this blog I see comments waiting to be published. A couple of months ago I switched my settings so that all comments must be approved by myself before being published. I always forget to log in to see if anyone is even reading these posts of mine. So I will be checking everyday now. I don't have a problem letting people post leave comments about whatever they want to comment about but I had to switch it because someone did something to my comments and google reported my blog as an attack site... But I fixed all of that. Yay me!

I'm starting to think that majority of my readers are not people interested in visiting this place at all. I think the majority of my readers are Filipino's who are interested in how I see the Philippines. I have been trying to write about things to do here for foreigners and what they might expect to see based on my experiences. I try to do that without sugar coating anything but often feel like I'm selling a product when writing about places like the bohol bee farm. In my mind, for the foreigner who travels here it should be about experience and as a foreigner who lives here I do my best to spend as little money as possible. I love living here and I have a great time doing it without spending a load of money. I do that through the Filipino people and the foreigners who live and visit here. The tourist attractions here are great but you don't need to empty your pockets on all of them. The best thing about this place is the people. In my country, I find most people are stuck in a shell. They are afraid of expressing themselves because they might somehow be seen as weird or different. So they do what everyone else does and keep to themselves. I feel like I can really be myself here and there is a certain comfort in that. If I had to choose a country to spend the last of my days in it would certainly be here. That's my truth..

The Bohol Bee Farm in the Philippines

2009-03-08T09:54:00.012+08:00

So just where the hell have I been?

Well I have been here in the Philippines and I now have a new apartment. I'm living in a much nicer place here and I am on a mission to secure a good piece of land so that I can start building a house. So why did it take me so long to post something? That's a good question and I don't really have an answer to that. After my friend died I just didn't feel like writing. I have been active and am still enjoying this place. I think this island is a lot like moving in at disney world. Not everyone will see things in the same light but not everyone sees the same art even when standing next to each other. One of my favorite things to do here is to just hop on my motorcycle and drive all over the island and stop at places I have never seen and talk to people I have never met. I really do love it..
I have these ideas in my head. I can't decide if I should actually share them with you guys or keep them secret. I sometimes feel as if I were to even dare speak them aloud to anyone that perhaps they would not manifest into my reality. Maybe another time..
So today I will talk a little about the Bohol Bee Farm. I was curious to check it out. Its actually only about a 20 minute drive from where I live. When I arrived I noticed a small work shop where about 10 ladies sat and made handbags and assorted things. They have really done a nice job. Everything is natural and they even have their own small worm farm. You walk down a stair case where they have a restaurant setup with lots of honey dishes. The restaurant over looks the ocean and its very beautiful. They even have rooms you can rent out and stay for the weekend if you like. It is just a really nice place to relax and take in some beauty. They grow lots of their own herbs and grasses. I noticed they even have butterfly pupae that hangs from the leaves of the trees. You can watch butterfly hatch right in front of your eyes.
For Tour Info Click Here!

Death in the Philippines

2009-01-08T17:40:00.010+08:00

This has been a tough week for me here in the Philippines. I have never really had to deal with death. I know people who have died and even family members and friends of mine have died but I've always managed to somehow live far away from them whenever something like that happened. On January 3rd 2009 my very good friend R.R. died on impact when his motorcycle slammed into an illegally parked bus. The bus driver was fined 250 pesos. R.R. was like a little brother to me and I miss him very much. We lived together under the same roof and I have countless pictures of us together as I took him with me everywhere I went. He was 18 years old, polite, and always smiling. My mind is still having trouble believing that he is gone. I feel like I'm stuck in a dream that I just can't wake up from. So he is having his wake now and will be buried on January 11th. This is my first wake in the Philippines and his family stays with his body for 7 days. I'm not Catholic and I'm not a member of his family so I stay in the parking area just outside. Anyone is welcome to go inside to pay their respects but I just don't have it in me to see him in his coffin. I think if he is watching then he knows I'm there even if I don't go in the room. Seven day's seems like a long period of time to have a wake but it is the tradition here. His family members seem to have some strange fear that his ghost may haunt them. One of them even told me that because he died with his mouth and eyes open that it was a sign he would take someone with him. I try not to contribute to such superstitions because I don't want to add fuel to the fire. I can honestly say R.R. was my best friend here in the Philippines and I think the world was a better place with him in it.

My Day at Valencia Falls

2008-12-26T19:41:00.006+08:00

Just when I thought that I had seen all the tiny multicab's and jeepney's in this country I found a new variety in the town of Valencia. It took me almost an hour to get there from my place and it rained until I arrived. Its a fairly small town and looks about the same as the rest of this island. We spent the day at some kind of resort that was probably very nice when it was built but appeared to have no one maintaining it. It was right on the ocean. Swimming pools and even a water fall for the kids to play in.

I was surprised at the amount of people there were considering the size of the town. I met an Australian who invited me there to enjoy the day with him and his family. He spent the entire day telling me about his marital problems and how he thinks his wife is cheating on him while he is away but has no evidence to prove such a thing. Being a foreigner I can understand his need to discuss such things with someone such as myself because we both speak the same language. Not being able to speak the language here and having reasons for such suspicion is probably not the best feeling to have. I listened to him for the whole day. Things didn't look good from my perspective but I told him I hoped things would get better. Him and his wife hardly communicated the whole time we were there. So it was a somewhat awkward day but my wife got to do some swimming and we ate their spaghetti. When it comes to Filipina's deceiving their loved ones I have learned a lot about this and plan to write more on this topic in the near future. Stay tuned..