788 replies to this topic

[petesie]

Definitely not boring Macman...this could provide an interesting contrast to Puty's life in the fast lane...

It could vary from day to day with the differences in culture, reactions to your relationship from others, how your partner copes with it....I'm guessing you've got it all coming matey!

[thailover57]

In 1992, I made my first international trip for my company to Cebu. It was only for a ten day period, and I was married and not aware of LB's at the time. So there was no hanky-panky on my part, but the one thing that stood out for me was a trip from my hotel to the Data Center for my company. As the taxi driver was going along, he slammed on the brakes and started laughing. There were two men chasing this undernourished dog with sticks and just beating it to death. I was almost sick watching this. He explained to me that any dog not tied up was fair game and would make a great meal. My first introduction to culture shock and there have been many others since.

I was doing some training in this warehouse where they had blocked out a little classroom. Down one side of the room there was an open crack and it was the sewer line. The smell was awful! Their solution was to tape mango air fresheners to the A/C unit. To this day, I won't go near a mango!

Sorry for the diversion...

[Macman]

Don’t be sorry for the diversion, Thailover, but I sure hope that I never see any of those sights. As for “water-buffalo syndrome”, Filipinos are like Thai people when it comes to family. In her case, some of her family are reasonably well off, but most are not. We’ve talked it over, and I hope we’ve come up with a solution. She realizes that I have my own family obligations in the U.S. We’ve set up a budget. It’s considerably more than most make in this area. We will try and save enough each month to cover the cost of helping out when needed. At least we are able to talk about it and recognize that it’s something that can cause friction.

Crackerjax, I’m hoping that the cable system we’re getting will be sufficient. They seem to have enough, including the NBA. There’s a lot I’ll miss, but I have a feeling it’ll be worth it. The guy was supposed to come yesterday afternoon, but we had a power outage. (More about that sort of thing later.)

Surin, we pay 9,000 PHP for a 2-bedroom, partially furnished apartment. Air conditioning in our bedroom. We are about a 5-minute ride to the bay. The guy across from us is very wealthy, and has 2 horses. They are usually the first things I see when I open my front door. 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.)

Thanks for the encouragement, Petesie. And speaking of day-to-day, I had a surprise bonus. Angel is a great cook. In my previous visits, we always stayed at my hotel and ate our meals out. I’ve always been a picky eater, but there are a lot of Filipino foods I like. Last night she made chicken and pork sasarasso. It’s a simple dish, but so damn tasty. It’s chicken, pork and potatoes cooked in a delicious, tangy sauce and poured over rice. I mentioned that I’d never seen it on any menus, and she said they don’t usually serve it in restaurants. Ahhhhh, home cookin’.
I guess I’m going to have to buy a car eventually, but I’m scared to death to drive here. There are no traffic lights and only a few stop signs to which nobody pays any attention. We make our way about on tricycles, those motor bikes with cabins mounted on them. It’s like mayhem, but they seem to know what they’re doing. I sure don’t. Last February I was in Tacloban (about 2 hours from here). They have no traffic lights either, even though it’s a city of 175,000 people. No lights, but we got a ticket for jaywalking. Honest.
One of the things that really surprised me was how much I could not buy here. I have yet to see paper towels. I asked Angel, and she didn’t know what they are. Also, I’m sure they are here somewhere, but I haven’t been able to find a beard and mustache trimmer. I even looked in Cebu. Speaking of Cebu, we will probably have to go there about once a month, just to buy some of the things I can’t get here. It’s a nice city, but it’s about 3 hours each way door-to-door. I mentioned that we had a power outage yesterday. They are quite frequent here. I had already known that because there were many times Angel called me on the phone in NY because we couldn’t Skype because of the outage. The big problem with that for me is no air conditioning and no fan.
We’re having some friends over for lunch so I’ll cut this off for now. Speaking of friends, Angel has a nice bunch of friends, most straight, some gay and a few ladyboys. They are a lot of fun, and seem happy for us.

Macman

[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.

[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]

Surin, it's a nice neighborhood and I feel completely safe. And you're right, very few Caucasians in this town, but oddly enough there's a Kiwi (I hope that's not a derogatory designation) living here in my apartment building. He's married to a local. The accommodations are quite comfortable except for one thing - NO HOT WATER. Actually it's not so bad. Back home, I lived in a suburb just outside New York City. The water there was very cold, and if there was no hot water, it would be brutal. Here, because of the constant heat, even the cold water is luke-cold, to coin a word. One thing I will probably never get used to is the staring. Everyone stares at us. It's not because I'm foreign. Last February I went for a long walk by myself, and hardly anyone even glanced at me. When I'm with Angel, we're like a freak show. Angel is fairly tall for a Filipino (5' 7" at least),so most locals know the score, and our age difference is another factor. She's also quite attractive, so guys will stare anyway. Women stare discreetly, kids stare innocently, but guys just plain out-and-out, no bones about it, STARE. So far, no one has made any loud comments or made any kind of threatening gestures, but it's slightly uncomfortable.
Surin, I've been retired for a few years, but this is definitely NOT something I ever planned on doing. Angel and I had a connection on line (Skype, Yahoo Messenger) that started out friendly, then flirtatious, then progressed to romantic, but I assumed that it would remain a cyber romance and go no further. She kept urging me to visit, but I had no plans in that direction. Then a young women I had worked with suffered a massive stroke and died. She was 38 years old. Life is too short. I had airline miles that I was hoarding for God-knows-what reason. I decided to take the plunge and visit, not really expecting much. We hit it off right away. A few visits and I decided to give this a chance. I know it's strange, but my 2 sons know all about this. The younger guy cautioned me to make a few visits before I decided, and he was right. BTW, he thinks it won't work; that I'll get too homesick. My older son encouraged me right from the start. He said that we both deserve to be happy. (Coincidentally, Angel is sitting here, writing a letter to him right now.)
Hey, I have something I want to share that I think will strike a chord with you guys, but we have to get ready to go out soon. I'll pick this up again.
One aside - does Pampamsam still own LaBamba? I sent him a PM when I decided to do this. I know he picked it up, but he never replied. I'm not sure if he remembers me. I've never been to LOS, but Sam and I spoke on the phone in New York a couple of times. It was about the Franck fiasco. Oh, man, those were weird times. Pentire and I were playing a game of intrigue, with me as the spy, conversing with Franck's "son", Felipe. Anyway, if anyone knows Sam, give him my regards.

[Macman]

Oh, shoot. I meant to respond to xyzzy and sunnydaze, but forgot.
x (if I may call you by your first letter), here it's 200 PHP per transaction by the P.I. banks, and I'm pretty sure that the U.S. bank has a foreign transaction fee of 3% or something. There's a Citibank in Cebu, but it's not really a bank. It's a business office, but it does have an ATM. Fortunately, one of my best friends is also my broker. I've transferred my money from Citi to his brokerage firm. They pick up most of the charges.
Sunny, I think you're right. I'll be going to Cebu in 2 weeks. I've been to 2 of their malls, and they're spectacular. Thanks.

Macman

[dixon cox]

... but guys just plain out-and-out, no bones about it, STARE.

It seems to be more the case in asian countries outside of Thailand and I agree and know exactly what you mean. I find the blatant and continual staring intrusive and rude (must be a western thing), but to those staring and the ladyboys themselves it's not so much of an issue, I guess they're used to it and immune.

In Thailand it happens sometimes too and my LB GF at the time said a Thai word (she didn't know the English equivalent) which later online translated to "a work of art".

I often carry a camera around with me and sometimes smile at them broadly as I take their picture, they're not so keen on that and commonly look away immediately.


Loving this thread and reading about your life Mac, keep up the excellent commentary