Just posted some new pictures to the Moving to Philippines Dream Home Makeover Binan Laguna. Also an introduction to one of the neighbors. Follow the link here.

Not much really going on right now with the building of our houses in the Philippines although I see alot of money getting sent there. I’m waiting for pictures and will update this site when they arrive. From the comments and email I receive many readers here are as eager to see the pics as I am so I try to get them uploaded quickly.

We have been in the planning stages of booking a flight to the Philippines and I have noticed one thing different than previous times. It seems that airlines are now including many more stopovers on flights between the U.S. and the Philippines. I believe that it is because of the economy and lack of business that this is being done. Many flights, depending on the airline that you fly, are making stops in Hong Kong, Korea, and even Shanghi. The standard flight I took for years basically stopped in Detroit, then Japan and then to the Philippines but this flight has all but disappeared. Now it’s not unusual to have more than one stopover before you even leave the U.S. places like LAX or Dallas Ft-Worth are showing up quite frequently. I don’t mind stopovers but from my experience in the aviation industry stopovers seem to bring on more mechanical problems which then cause delays.

The change in flights/stopovers may just be something I never noticed before so if I’m off base on this please comment and set me straight. I’d like to know also if anyone else that frequently flies has noticed the change. The comment box is open! Salamat Po  P.S. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE

Planning for vacation save big on International flights. Use coupon code INTLFLY15!

NorthWest Airlines Everyday Low Fares on Orbitz!

I was looking through some old photos of my younger days when I lived in the Philippines and in a couple of photos I noticed I was wearing T-Shirts made in the Philippines. Back in those days if I wasn’t in uniform my fashion consisted of mostly blue jeans and t-shirts with some saying or a place I’d been on the front. One I had was from my stay at the Hyatt Regency Baguio which  was destroyed by an earthquake a couple years after I stayed there. And to think that my room was on the 13th floor! Another which was my favorite shirt had a picture of a Nipa Hut on it and simply said “Philippines Bahay Kubo” I kept that shirt for years and hope to find another someday much larger than the one I had then.

The point of this post is an observation that may or may not be right but in my opinion this is how I see it. In the Philippines I can usually pick out the tourist in a crowd not by the color of the skin but by the logo or saying on the front. If the front shows a particular place in the Philippines it usually means that person does not live in the Philippines. I have many such shirts mostly from the Hundred Islands area where my wife’s province is. This is because I was sold many of them by one of the cutest little t-shirt sellers on the pier one day. She just kept shoving them at me and flashing that cute smile and my pockets emptied and I had a wardrobe for the next year. Anyway back to what I was saying, even in the states I have been to public places where Filipino T-Shirts are being worn and you’d think that you were in Manila but actually you are about 8,000 miles away. I know what you are thinking and no it’s not just my family members. But I noticed more Filipinos wearing shirts with state side logos than Filipino logos when I’m there. I’m sure these people are just as proud as the tourists of being in the Philippines but prefer to wear different types of clothing. Anyway the foreign logo t-shirts are probably produced in the Philippines also. I’ll just close in saying if you see me on the street and you want to sell me a t-shirt especially one with “Bahay Kubo” make sure you can give me the correct change.

Over the last weeks my good friends Bob Martin of Live in the Philippines and RT Cunningham of Untwisted Vortex have had posts on their sites concerning toilets and toilet facilities in the Philippines. They have covered things such as how long you spend in the toilet to how the toilet facilities in the Philippines rank in cleanliness. My post on the subject will not go to any of those topics or at least I hope. My only take on that is I believe Americans have a much deeper fondness for their toilets and bathrooms than does just about any other country.

What I’m here to talk about is the problem with toilet bowls in my home in the Philippines. Last year when my wife traveled to our new home prior to us semi-moving in, I told her to make sure that the toilets had seats on them. As we know, many places in the Philippines don’t have toilet seats and I have not mastered the art of the squat yet. When I arrived a couple weeks later everything was fine and the flusher actually worked rather than depending on the tabo for flushing. But recently the bathroom has been redone and painted and it seems the connection from the pipe in the floor to the toilet has broken as well as the seal to the floor. Now not being there right now doesn’t give me an idea of what happened but my suspicions are that the workers used the toilet as a ladder when reaching the higher places in the bathroom. So of course they aren’t insured which means I have to purchase a new toilet.

The problem with buying a new toilet is I want a quality toilet and want it put in by quality workers. That doesn’t necessarily mean I want it at a less expensive price but then again we are dealing with someone who values getting the job done at the least price rather than sometimes the best quality.

In the past you know we have went to our local Ace Hardware here in the U.S. and picked out model number and priced it and transferred that info to our people in the Philippines and they have went to the Ace Hardware in Laguna and purchased exactly what we wanted. The problem here is the local Ace Hardware is not so big on toilets and toilet bowls, so we will have to rely on what is available on the local economy. In my experience most of the flush toilets I have used in the Philippines have not matched up to the quality I’m looking for. In the homes I have used the toilet it seems the flusher has been broken most of the time especially the ones that had the button on top of the bowl. Now I’m not looking for the expensive Toto Neorest bowls featuring hands free wiping or heated seats just a good quality such as American Standard type. Does anyone have a suggestion of something like that sold in the Philippines?

Are you thinking of retiring in the Philippines, or even thinking of making the big move before retirement age? If so, you may be in need of making some additional money while living here to keep you living a good life! If so 49 Ways to Make a Living in the Philippines is for you!

Good Monday to all of the readers of this blog, and how was your weekend? I spent mine on Saturday at a local amusement park with my one year old granddaughter and my family. Although my granddaughter was too young to enjoy the rides she loved being around the crowds and getting wet from the water rides splashing her. We hope to go back soon when she will be able to ride some of the kiddy rides. Other than that we have just been keeping up on the makeover of the Dream Home Binan Laguna from thousands of miles away. If you haven’t had a chance to see the work yet please visit my previous posts.

I have heard and read many people on the Internet saying they would love to live and retire in the Philippines and some have never visited there before. Like my friend Bob Martin says you should never move anywhere without visiting first. This includes former U.S. service members who haven’t been there since the bases have closed. Believe me guys, I was there for almost ten years and it is not the same now. But many people who would love to visit the Philippines have no idea on how to make their first exploratory trip. What do they need such as visas or paperwork, immunizations, and government clearances?

As far as immunizations, none are presently required but it is a good idea to be caught up on your immunizations anyway. Just as in the U.S. anything could happen and having that tetanus shot might just save you some pain and suffering. And while I’m on the subject if you would need health care while in the Philippines rest assured that it will be more inexpensive than the U.S. and the quality will equal just about any care you would receive at home. In fact, my wife and I are going to get some minor cosmetic surgery and dental work on our next trip there.

There are 3 things that you will need to travel to the Philippines if your stay is less than 21 days. They are:
1. Passport
2. Round trip plane ticket
3. Living expenses

A passport is now required to travel to just about every country in the world. You may be able to get out of your home country but not back in so I think this would be a little important. To get a passport in the U.S you must apply in person to an acceptance facility such as a Post Office, Courthouse, or other named facility. There are also approved agencies that you may apply for a passport in. Please visit the following site for more information on obtaining a passport and locations where you may apply. How to Apply for a U.S. Passport

You of course must have a round trip ticket when arriving in the Philippines with a fly out date from the Philippines. There are other ways in which you may stay longer but I will address that later in this post. Airfare can be relatively cheap or expensive depending on factors such as desired dates, time of the week, and particular airlines. I usually book my flights as early as possible from either CheapTickets.com or CheapOair.com

The last thing you will need is living expenses. The companies I listed above for airlines tickets have package deals for hotel rooms and airfare combined which many experts believe is the less expensive way to go. I would recommend you try that for a couple days until you get settled but the Philippines is such a beautiful place that you don’t want to limit yourself to one area very long. After a couple days you will probably have a good idea on where you are going and you can make lodging arrangements then. As far as food and entertainment Filipino food is very good and inexpensive as long as you stay out of the high class restaurants. If you are planning on using your first trip as an the basis for picking a location to live in the Philippines you definitely want to spend as much time living as the residents of that area live rather than hanging out in the touristy spots. Whatever you decide to do please enter the Philippines with a positive attitude and most likely you will leave with a love for that tropical paradise. For more information on the requirements of visa you need to live in the Philippines or even stay for an extended time check out Bob Martin’s latest book Philippine Immigration Guide: What Kind of Visa Do You Need to Live in the Philippines

A total of 668 foreigners were barred from entering the Philippines in the months of January-July this year  according to the Bureau of Immigration in an article I read recently on the website Philippine-Portal. Among the countries these foreigners came from are the United States, Korea, China, Japan, India, Taiwan Singapore, Malaysia, Britain, and Australia.

BI Commissioner Nonoy Libanan was pleased that the bureau’s immigration officers are doing a good job of turning away undesirable aliens at the port of entry and stressed the importance of them not relaxing their guard especially in these times.

The article and news release pointed out that most of the excluded aliens were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) but some were barred from other ports in the Philippines such as Cebu, Clark, and Davao.

The article goes on to explain the reasons and the purpose of these people being barred and the importance of the Philippines and other countries in being vigilant on who is allowed to enter their countries at the borders. We can only hope that other countries will be as trained and skilled at reading traveling documents and picking out suspicious characters as the Philippines is. And to the Americans who plan to move to the Philippines this is also a good sign that we can feel safer. To read the full article from Philippine –Portal please click here.

Retire Like a King and do it on a reasonable budget! That’s right, even if you have to retire on a fixed (and limited) budget, you can do so while still maintaining a good life! You can do it in the Philippines! Bob Martin is an American who is also a long term resident of the Philippines! Bob moved here when he was just 38 years old, and he knows the ins and outs of living in the Philippines.

The workers have been working long hours over the last couple of weeks to prepare this house for it’s occupants. We have 90% of the painting done and it sure is colorful. Notice the good work done on the stairway. We were not so sure if the color would work there but we are very pleased with the results. I am planning to have a house warming party of some of my closest friends, subscribers, and commenters when this home is done and we are moved in so if you’d like to be part of this group feel free to subscribe, comment, or bookmark this site. The latest pictures can be viewed at this link Dream Home Makeover Binan Laguna

Have you read the latest book by Bob Martin called Philippine Immigration Guide: What Kind of Visa Do You Need to Live in the Philippines

Just received a few more pics of the inside of my house in the Philippines. Believe me after looking at the paint actually on the walls there will be some changes. The painters remarked that the inside of the house was one of the most colorful they had ever seen. To get a look at the pictures just click on this link: Moving to the Philippines Dream House

Pick up Bob Martin’s latest book Philippine Immigration Guide: What kind of Visa Do You Need to Live in the Philippines.

Sorry to all the faithfull readers but I have been working on getting my house in the Philippines painted from thousands of miles away. Seems my wife wants a different color for each room and the painters mixed up the colors and rooms. Well I only wasted two cans of paint at PHP 1500 per gallon but it would cost me US $40 per gallon in the states so I’m saving around $10 per can.

Anyway, I am sad to say that Thia Megia was booted off of America’s Got Talent. The judges as much as said she was more talented than Arcadia Broad and she would go a long way but personally I think that show is more about who has the best sob story rather than who is more talented. Well I now have 2 hours per week free since I won’t be watching on Tuesday and Wednesday. Really I’m not bitter LOL! So there is your update on how my week has gone. Please feel free to twitter me anytime and I’ll promise to follow you back My twitter id is dan1658

Thia Megia, the 14 year old singer of Filipino blood performed last night in the quarterfinals of America’s Got Talent and receive many accolades from the celebrity judges as well as the audience. Her performance was outstanding and she should be in the semi-finals after voting results are reveled in tonights show. It just goes to show the talent that Filipinos are born with. To watch her performance click on this link Thia Megia’s America’s Got Talent performance.

If you go to the Philippines there are so many beautiful things that you must have a video camera to record because people who haven’t been there cannot imagine what you see. In the past, that would mean dragging a camera bigger than a regular camera around, and having to worry about it getting stolen or broken. But with the release recently of the flip type video cameras the size of a cell phone, you can record hours of videos on your trip. I prefer the Flip UltraHD because of it’s size and weight plus it’s capability of recording HD video only restricted by the size of your SD Card. The one I have will hold over 1500 pictures or 2 hours of video which is quite enough for one day until I download it into my computer, which is very easily done. Check it out or have a look at other flip type video cameras below.