788 replies to this topic

[thailover57]

And just think, you can either sell the bubblewrap at a profit or organize a party to burst them all.

On a side note, I remember arriving at International in Manila and haveing to head to domestic for my Cebu connection. They put us in a bus with side seating and the back of the bus was packed to the rafters with huge boxes people were shipping home. Every time the bus would brake the boxes would slide closer and closer. A bit scary - my first introduction to Asia (before the dog beating).

Your report is good because it's helping bring back some memories that are more vivid now - thanks.

[xyzzy]

Nice to follow life in the PI Macman. I have spent a few months there.

BTW, guys, if you like cocks, they are constantly crowing here. I’m getting used to it. It’s like birds singing to me now. (Oh, you thought I meant the other kind of cocks. Sorry.)

I stayed in Ermita once in an urban setting and saw a cock as I walked a few blocks to the now defunct LA Cafe bar. A bit surprising for me especially during the bird flu thing.

We make our way about on tricycles, those motor bikes with cabins mounted on them.

Trikes! Trike drivers are such a rip off in AC. Hope they are better where you live. But it does help to have a local with you. Avoid the livestock trikes.

[Legend]

you seem to be getting in your stride macman, thanks man, this is the best read this week.

i wouldnt fancy being woke up by cockerells. but i suppose i get the same thing here with the amount of dogs barking , because some lazy bastards dont take em out.

"jaywalking".?
that is one strange law i,ll never understand.

[Macman]

I haven't seen a livestock trike yet, xyzzy, but I'll keep my eye out so I can avoid them. Thanks, Anthony. We have plenty of barking dogs too, though. Everyone considers New York City to be noisy (and it is), but it's pretty loud here, a cacophony of animals, motorcycles, tricycles, kids, etc.
We went to the bank the other day. I wanted to see if I could open a joint account. Angel already has an account there, so I thought it would be easy. I'm getting killed with bank charges from the ATM machines. It's funny - they will not dispense more than 10,000 PHP in a transaction (about $230 U.S.), but you can put your card right back in and get another 10k. Problem is that there's a transaction charge. I thought I could open an account, deposit the amount of our monthly budget via check, and withdraw it as we need it. I was told I can't do it until I get an ARC (Alien Registration Card), which I'll do in a couple of weeks at the embassy in Cebu. I asked if I could deposit a check drawn on a U.S. bank into Angel's account. Yes, I can, and it only takes 45 days to clear. I don't get it. I was just outside the bank withdrawing money. It is done electronically and hits my account immediately. So a check - what? They're not exactly going to be sending the check to NYC and then physically transporting the money here. This is a techie country - everyone is walking around with I-pods, I-pads, I-touches, laptops, etc. A bank transaction like that could be done in 2 minutes. 45 days!!!
Back home, if I don't play golf (I always walk the course), I walk 4 miles a day. I just came back from a walk and feel like I'm going to die. This heat - whew. And we're not in the hot season. I'm going to have to start taking some photos to post soon. It's just a little overwhelming right now.
Well, my love is cooking right now (chicken livers and rice). I have to wash up. We'll just watch a DVD movie and hit the sack early tonight. Zipline trip on Saturday.

Macman

[Surin Nix]

Great reporting Macman! Very interesting read.

So, I did the conversion and your rent is about $207 U.S. This is precisely the reason I look forward to retiring early in either SE Asia or a certain part of Latin America. Is your place comfortable and reasonably well-constructed? Do you feel safe in the neighborhood (where I imagine you are one of few, if not the only, foreigner in the 'hood). When you start posting pics (and we all hope you do), hope you'll include a few of your new environment. I just can't help but think what a departure from NYC this must be.

Angel's cooking sounds great!

Have you had Shanghai Lumpia (with the sweet sauce on the side) yet? ....that is a personal favorite of mine. Garlic/Shrimp Gambas were always a favorite too.

Just curious, but are you transitioning in this Phillipine adventure of yours from full-time employment to full-time retirement? Or, have you been retired for awhile and this is just part of your ongoing retirement adventure? Had you planned on doing this for quite sometime? Hope not too many questions....just native curiosity on my part. I really admire you for taking this exceptionally bold step to go where you have gone, and to be with whom you have chosen.

Nix

[xyzzy]

I'm getting killed with bank charges from the ATM machines. It's funny - they will not dispense more than 10,000 PHP in a transaction (about $230 U.S.), but you can put your card right back in and get another 10k. Problem is that there's a transaction charge.

Like in Thailand this pisses me off. But it's even worse than Thailand as you get charged a 150p ATM fee to withdraw only 10,000p. If there is a Citi Bank branch near you might see if they charge the ATM fee. They don't in BKK but some have questioned their exchange rate as being a bit low (they get you one way or another).

Joint back account! You are a brave man.

[Macman]

Hey, TL, I found out that bubblewrap is damn expensive, at least in the States. You're right, maybe I should try and sell it.

Last night I had my first real pang of homesickness. It came out of nowhere, and was like a flashback. Angel and I had a light dinner after church, and then went for a walk. When we got home, we talked for a while until it was time to watch the finals of PGT (Pilipinos Got Talent). About half way through the program, I started to feel hungry, and BOOM - I had this overpowering craving for a couple of ham sandwiches on rye bread with lettuce and butter. I don't know about Manila or other large cities, but here they've never even heard of rye bread, and the ham and lettuce are different. It was no big deal, and it passed quickly, but I'm sure it was only the first of many of those bouts to come. I was able to explain it to Angel by having her imagine living in New York, and suddenly wanting some kwek-kwek or balut. She doesn't eat balut, but she got the point.

I plan on an early-to-bed evening. Tomorrow I'm up at 4:00 AM for golf, and then we have the finals of Angel's friend's beauty pageant at 8:00 PM. We'll go out after the pageant for "party-party", so like the old f**k that I am, I hope to hit the sack around 10:00 PM tonight. Back in the day...

Macman

[petesie]

I'm thoroughly enjoying this blog maccers!

[Surin Nix]

fairly large, and the charge is by piece, not weight. I sent 4 boxes. I could have fit the stuff into 2 boxes, but they would have been too heavy for me to handle, so I used a lot of bubble wrap.

Macman

That reminds me of the time I was going to send a buddy of mind a shipment of bubble-wrap. As I was doing so, I thought, "Hey, what the hell do I wrap this in?".

[sunnydaze]

hi macman...good luck in phils..its completly different to thailand as u know.
anyway,you can buy those things u was after in cebu at SM mall.
they have many good malls in cebu.
also if u have time,check out mactan island ,there is some very nice beaches there.its about 20 mins from central cebu.

[Macman]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Petesie. And, Nix, if we ever feel like having corn, I now know where I can find some.

Just a quick example of the small inconveniences to which I need to adjust. After I posted this morning, I decided to go for a walk. Angel was still sleeping. I knew that she planned to make pancakes for our breakfast, so I decided to stop at a local store where I knew they sold frying pans. I wanted to pick up an extra pan because we only have the one, and Angel usually makes 4 pancakes, which she has to do one at a time. I got to the store at a little past 9:00 AM. It was open, but the housewares section was roped off and not lit. There was a sign that said that housewares opens at 10:30. It's a really small area of the store, usually manned by only one person. Okay, so I'll walk into town. I went to the department store. No pans. I went to the supermarket. No pans. Now I'm starting to get really hungry and I'm sweating. I was going to take a tricycle back home, but decided I needed the exercise. So I walked a total of about 6 1/2 kilometers (4 miles), with a feeling of satisfaction that I got in my exercise time, but still no frying pan. I was wringing wet by the time I got home. Angel was already up, but I headed straight for the bedroom and that blessed air conditioning.

The pancakes were delicious. Damn, she's a good cook.

Macman

P.S. I showed this post to Angel when I previewed it. She wanted me to post a picture of the pancakes (she takes photos of everything). I said, "It's not really that kind of site, hon. I don't think the guys care that much about seeing pancakes. It's not Facebook."

[thailover57]

Your "Back in the day..." comment reminds me of the Toby Keith tune - I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. Good reading, glad you're having a positive time. BTW, are you using glow in the dark golf balls? 4:00 AM?