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“All I want for Christmas” – is Power

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It’s been nearly a week since Typhoon Odette hit the Visayas region of the Philippines. Bringing Cat 5 winds and an ocean full of rain it devastated many parts of the country and was gentler to others. The following are my experiences and general impressions at this point in time.

“What me worry”

Dumaguete rarely gets hit by typhoons. The last one to really hit the area was about 10 years ago. It’s basic geography; we are further sound than the typhoon belt which routinely slams the island of Luzon (where Manila is located), hits the Visayas less often and Negros Oriental, where we live, infrequently. We’ve seen storms heading our way before but invariably they shift enough to miss us, just drenching us with rain. 

But this time the storm tracked toward Negros from the beginning and never wavered. By Monday it seemed likely to hit us. That said almost everyone I knew seems nonchalant about it. Few people were in the kind of panic or preparation mode that you might see in Florida as a hurricane approaches. Everyone seemed to think “what can you do. It’ll either hit us or it won’t.” But as the days approached not only did it not change direction it went from a Tropical Storm to Typhoon to Super Typhoon.

Up until the morning of the storm even Janet wondered why I was worrying and asked why I was so concerned. We had workmen doing a project in our home. Come Thursday afternoon they still were not finished but continued (no doubt wanting to get paid) until after 5:00PM. Getting the cash seemed more important to them than getting home and batting down the proverbial hatches.

Our neighbor has a successful construction supply company. They were preparing for their annual Christmas party. About 5:00 workers arrived for the buffet style meal. By 5:30 the winds picked up considerably and no one seemed worried as they filled their plates; that is until close to 6:00 when power throughout the Province was cut off. The party broke up quickly after that.

Let’s talk about the power for a minute. Our island is fed by a nationally run transmission line. My guess, and I can’t prove it and no one will admit it, is that the line was cut on purpose to save the system and potentially save lives from downed power lines. 

So by 6:00 we had no Internet or power. Our emergency lights kicked in and I turned on my battery powered fan – an essential for me.

Between 6:00PM – 10:00PM the winds picked up to the point of a serious storm; something I had experienced often. At 10:00 Janet and I went to bed determined to at least try to get some sleep. And that’s when the fun began.

I Can Sleep Through Anything

I have always told people that I am such a good sleeper that I can sleep through nuclear war; that night proved it. We had been told that the brunt of the storm would hit early in the morning but apparently Odette was not informed. Between 10:00 – 10:30 our 2 story houses was battered by winds that did not resemble any storm I had ever experienced. And then conveniently I feel asleep.

I woke up at 11: 30 and while the storm was still raging it wasn’t raging as hard as an hour before. I thought, ‘maybe that was the worst of it,’ and fell asleep again. I am told by Janet and friends that between 1:30 – 2:30 it was pretty damn bad. But I was asleep so it couldn’t have been that bad lol.

I must admit that I wish Odette had hit during the day so I could see what was happening. Since I couldn’t see anything, sleep seemed the best thing to do. I woke again at 3:30 and this time stayed awake; not because the storm was so powerful (the winds had definitely tailed off with an occasional big gust) but because I knew that in a couple hours I could see the aftermath and was scared and excited to see.

At 5:30 I went downstairs and checked Facebook, which was down, along with my cell phone service. I waited till 6:00 and tentatively went outside. The house has survived, my shop in the back of our property survived. Literally not a drop of water had seeped into the house or shop. Apparently I had worried for nothing.

There were a few tree limbs down and a neighbor’s tree had fallen onto our wall; the next day it was cut up easily and efficiently.

Rumors started but with no cell service, Internet or power they were just rumors. By the next day my cell service returned (if poorly) and I could see on FB the devastation. While Dumaguete had gotten by relatively well, surrounding towns in Negros Oriental were severely damaged and other islands just to the north had not faired so well. Cebu, Leyte, and Siargao in particular were devastated.

Janet’s home town of Alcoy, in Southern Cebu was hammered. The family’s old house before they moved 3 years ago into a stronger concrete home was hit by 2 coconut trees and destroyed. Flash flooding killed a number of their neighbors from their former home area. Janet’s newest nephew (under a year old) got swept away by the floods and was saved at the last minute. 

The family’s new house was hit by a coconut tree and the roof damaged but fixable. 

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All this took days to piece together. The day after the typhoon I had enough connectivity to contact my sister and children and tell them I was OK. It was another day or two before the real effect of the storm became clear.

Is Modern Communication Really Better?

Back in my childhood storms meant that power might be down and possibly (though rarely) phone service. If there was a natural disaster somehow local newspapers still managed to get printed and distributed. Many of us had battery powered radios which told us what was happening.

But after Odette, with no power, Internet or cell service, life was chaotic and I couldn’t help but wonder if communication’s really better today. OK it probably is but for 24 hours I wished I had a damn newspaper to read.

Disaster Olympics

Perhaps it’s cynicism but I notice that there is nearly a competition to determine who has it worse. “My power will be out for X weeks/months,” people proclaim. There are towns and entire islands where the estimate is many months. Those who chose to live in remote areas are likely to have far more downed trees and will wait much longer for power to return.

In Valencia, where we live, a suburb of Dumaguete, power has returned to part of the town; unfortunately not our part. We have been told maybe this week but I am doubtful. There is a downed and destroyed pole not too far away, surrounded by shattered trees. They’ve put up a metal pole to replace it but for whatever reason have not transferred the lines. 

Get a Generator

I have debated back and forth for two years about buying a generator. It was in our original house budget but when the budget – well, went over budget, that was cut. 24 hours after the storm I had had enough and announced to Janet that it was time to get a generator. I went to the local Honda dealership hoping to find the Honda generator I was wanting two years earlier. They were already down to one remaining generator and not the model I had lusted after. It was actually on sale and I said I would take it. “Cash only,” I was told. “How am I supposed to get that much cash in the middle of this madness? “ I asked. Shrugged shoulders and sorrys.

Janet and I split up to find a working ATM. We found a couple but both had huge lines. My guess is that most people in line were trying to get food, not generator, money. An hour and a half later we remarkably had withdrawn the money for the generator and its needed accouterments (these things suck gas big time). We got it home set it up and fired it up. So for the past 5 days we’ve powered our devices, chargeable lights, my battery operated fan, kept the fridge cold, etc. We can’t run an aircon, but if I get desperate I can go in the car and cool off temporarily.

A Minor Success

Just as bad as the power, was the Internet situation. Our fiber lines were down and I noticed that our box about a block away was destroyed. Now that I had connectivity via phone I went to the PLDT website and waited in a queue for an hour before a representative chatted with me. It was late at night but I was determined to at least put in the request and inform them our box was destroyed. To my delighted surprise about 24 hours later they called me and a pair of technicians came over. What were the chances they would have a replacement box, I wondered? Excellent as it turned out and within less than an hour we had our Internet back – and thus I can post this tome.

Christmas Movies

For years I do nightly Christmas movies as the holidays approach. My list has grown to the point I have enough that I have to start about December 1. There are the classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooge, and Miracle on 34th Street, the modern kick ass Christmas movies like Die Hard and Home Alone, and the comedies like Bad Santa and Christmas Vacation. This week all the movies are getting watched on my phone. Ah, the sacrifices we make in the Philippines lol.

It’s Christmas

Some of Janet’s siblings and nieces had planned to travel to Dumaguete for Christmas. This was a big deal since with the pandemic they haven’t been here in two years. Unfortunately Odette changed that plan and so while the family cannot come some of our friends can and we intend to have a great Christmas Eve feast. Of course we decided that lunch would be more practical than a dark dinner. Hopefully Santa will understand.

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How Much Cash for a House in the Philippines?

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Here’s an addendum to my interminable series, Why the Hell Would You Buy a Lot in the Philippines. The most common question I get asked is – how much?

Now, if you’ve followed this blog much you will notice that I try very hard not to talk specifics about money. I suppose it’s the generation in which I was raised, where you weren’t supposed to talk about money. When my son was a kid and even as a teenager, he frequently tried to find out how much I earned.  I never told him. He’s a young software/hardware engineer now and I suspect it won’t be long before he earns more than I ever did. I will continue not to tell him what I made – but now out of embarrassment!

But I understand why people are asking how much. Maybe you are considering building a house for your retirement in the Philippines, or a house for your wife’s family, or a shack on the beach. Maybe you already live here and are genuinely curious what it would cost. And maybe you’re looking for a loan from me lol!

While Janet and I still won’t be telling you exactly what we spent, I will try here to give you some details to help you make a determination of what it might cost you.

The overall theme here is that range of home costs are determined in ways not dissimilar from the way you might determine it in your home country. The old saying “location, location, location” applies to the Philippines, just as it does to your Western country.

Property: Everything is priced per square meter. I’ve seen lots in the provinces go for 200P/sq. meter and even less. I have also seen lots here in Valencia go for 6000P/sq. meter and more. The cost difference rationales are similar to your home countries. Factors include town or city, lot location, size of lot, beach property, overlooking property, and are the sellers desperate or not, etc.  Additional factors to consider include road location. We found a number of cheap lots in Valencia where there was no direct access to a road, but a contracted right of way. While these lots were invariably much cheaper, in the end we decided we had to have direct road access. So the conclusion is that you can get a cheap lot in the provinces with right of way access or a luxury beach front lot for big bucks.

House Construction: There are many variables here including size, construction style (native, Western or luxury Western), number of stories, and where you are building. Just as with the lot, house building is generally priced based on a price per square meter.  Construction ranges here from about 10k pesos/square meter – 25k pesos/square meter. I’ve known some guys who have done it for less than 10k, but assume that the houses at that price were very simple. Realistically in the Dumaguete area I would estimate 14k and up for a “foreigner home.” There are certainly luxury houses here over the 25k peso range but those probably include items I can’t imagine or high end Western fixtures and finishing.

When calculating the number of square meters for a house in the Philippines, understand that things like patios, balconies, car ports, etc. will be considered part of the total square meters here. In our case, the house we are building in Valencia is 180 square meters plus a 10 square meter balcony on the 2nd floor. So that equals 190 square meters of house. So don’t be surprised when the 180 sq. meter house you designed is priced based on over 200 sq. meters because you have a car port, balcony, etc.

When talking about a “foreigner” house the biggest cost factor (and possibly the biggest headache factor) may well be the finishing. Finishing work in the Philippines is generally considered everything but the actual structure. This means doors, windows, bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures and appliances, tile, paint, air conditioners, lighting, etc. The finishing work on a higher end “foreigner” house can be 50% of the project. So you can therefore save money or spend lots more depending on the type and quality of interior finishing you want.

One other factor is whether you hire a contractor or do the job yourself. As I’ve mentioned often, Janet functioned as her own contractor for the house in Alcoy but for our house in Valencia we have a contractor.

If you have a contractor, the finishing work is generally negotiated into the price, but we did interview one contractor who split the job between the basic building of the structure (which the contractor handled) and the finishing work (which the owner took care of). If the contractor is handling everything, you will want to be very specific about your requirements. Don’t expect him to understand that you need 3 AC units and all Moen fixtures.

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Also remember that there are some additional costs that either you will pay or that you may factor into your contract. These costs include blueprints and permitting costs. And of course most people in the Philippines want some sort of fence or wall surrounded their property and a gate to enter. This can add considerably to your cost, depending on the size of your lot.

There’s one other factor to mention, although I am reticent to do so. We all have different notions of what is acceptable housing. I know guys who brag about how inexpensive their house was to build or what a cheap rent they have. I go into the house, look around and think, “you couldn’t pay me to live here.” On the flip side I’ve seen 15-20 million peso mansions and I again shake my head. In short you have to know yourself well enough to know what is necessary for you to have, nice to have, or unnecessary and price and build a home accordingly.

So there you have it. The lot can cost nearly any price and so can the house. It’s the Philippines and you have many options.

BTW, I have been posting videos of the construction process in Valencia. For those interested in following the progress, you can see the videos starting here.

Addendum to the Addendum: While I covered some of the specifics of the two houses being built in other posts in the series, they aren’t here, so I thought I would capture them.

House #1 (Family house): Location – Alcoy, Cebu. Lot size – 500 sq. meters. House size – 70 sq. meters. 4 small bedrooms, 1 bathroom, small porch, 1 small kitchen. The family built a dirty kitchen outside the interior kitchen.

House #2 (Our House): Location – Valencia, Negros Oriental. Lot size – 1355 sq. meters. House size – 180 sq. meters + 10 sq. meter deck on 2nd floor (yes, it’s a 2 story house). 4 bedrooms (including master), 3 bathrooms (including master), living room, dining room, kitchen, sala area on 2nd floor. Concrete and iron wall around the perimeter of the property. In addition there will be a 20 sq. meter shop at the back of the property.

I should add that we agreed with our contractor that all fixtures and amenities should be purchasable in the Dumaguete area. This is significant because I know guys who used imported tiles, plumbing and fixtures. If you require all Western brands or the best there is, you have to realistically expect the price to go up – way up. Now, we will end up with nice tile, bathroom fixtures, etc. but I’m not expecting my contractor to pay for imported Italian marble lol.

2nd Addendum to the Addendum: For those genuinely interested or beginning the process of building a home who need more information or details, feel free to email me through the contact page on this blog or through Facebook, if we’re FB friends.

 

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Province Kids

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Pillazo Family Building Their House

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Kids Playing in the Philippines

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This Kano Broke a Trike

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First thing to tell you is that the trikes in Janet’s hometown of Alcoy, Cebu are very small. They make the trikes in Dumaguete look like SUVs. The main passenger bench can fit two smallish Filipinos or 1 Kano plus his bag. Janet was sitting across from me on the mini seat, which on the Alcoy trikes barely accommodates a child.

We were on our way to the local fiesta; actually it was the band performances and competition part of the fiesta activities. Because of this the National Hwy. was blocked off and the trike driver, along with everyone else, was forced to take a dirt and stone road detour. He must have been annoyed because he was driving along the dirt road at the same speed he would have been driving along the highway. He hit every rock and bump and Janet and I were bouncing pretty good. But we were close to our destination and it is after all a trike – so I wasn’t complaining. Finally the driver hit one hard bump. I levitated a couple inches and landed on the bench pretty hard. Now these benches are sort of upholstered; there’s a little padding but not much. As we stuck the landing the bench seat sagged and I knew something had broken; I figured a spring. I told Janet that my seat was broken. She translated to the driver who tried to feel what was wrong with the bench, while still flying down the dirt road. Finally he pulled over just at the place we were going to get off. He pulled up the bench. All that was holding the thing in place was one rusted pipe welded at either end. The left weld had given up the ghost and the pipe has separated from its connecting piece. I was amazed that only one pipe held the trike seat in place. There was a conversation between the driver and Janet in Visayan. I just pulled out some change and gave the driver the normal fare.

Later Janet told me that the driver looked at us saying “My trike is broken. What am I going to do?” While he didn’t state it directly, Janet was under the impression that he was implying that the great big kano was responsible and we should share in the cost of the repair.
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Now for those of you who don’t know me personally one of the advantages I have in the Philippines is that I am somewhat vertically challenged. I used to be 5’6″ tall. I say used to be because at my last physical exam, I stretched myself as tall as I could and managed to get measured at 5’5 1/2″. Apparently we do shrink with age. And while I am not as svelte as I was in my youth I am not one of those huge guys who break chairs and benches just by sitting on them. As I say one of my advantages in the Philippines is that I am small enough to be only a little bit taller than the average Filipino and thus can fit in most things here. This includes the faux leather chairs in our apartment, which wouldn’t handle many American butts (loboot in Visayan). My size also means I can fit into a trike without causing damage – that is up until now.

Since in the Philippines all information is passed though an extensive grapevine, I am worried that all the Alcoy drivers will soon know that I am the huge kano who broke the trike seat. I might have to take out insurance!

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The “Outdoor Plumbing” and Bladder Retention Issue

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Note: We’ve got a shiny new (ok, not so new) YouTube Channel, called, Married a Filipina. Please check it out and subscribe as I post more videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1lUo3tR9-JQK3gXLRkYag

I spent part of this morning reading some of my old blog postings. I know, I know – spending time reading my old scribblings proves I have a thrilling life! My readings included a piece called, Meet the Parents. Feel free to go back and read it; it’s a good ‘un.

I described the first time I met Janet’s family and her fear of my reaction to the home she grew up in, her “old” parents (who were younger than me). She also warned me about the lack of indoor plumbing in their home, and here I’ll quote what I wrote a couple years ago about the experience. “Of course there was no indoor plumbing and I was told by Janet to avoid using the outhouse. Thanks goodness that at my advanced age bladder retention is still – well, retained.”

I found, as I described in that previous blog, that her modest home was perfectly nice and her parents were not old looking or acting, or at least not as geriatric as the guy she was going to marry 🙂

But I avoided the “outhouse” and continued to avoid it for years and the many times I visited the family home. And Janet continued to mention over the years that I should avoid the bathroom. This led to a curious, though effective scheduling scenario every time we went to their home based on the fact that I was confident that bladder retention could be retained for perhaps  half a day. So, if a late afternoon dinner was planned, we might arrive in the early afternoon and leave in the early evening, just in time for me to get back to our hotel, the famous BBB (Bodos Bamboo Bar) so that I could do my best imitation of Tom Hanks in the Green Mile.

I suppose that if asked I would admit that I was afraid of what I might find or what I might smell in that large concrete structure. Honestly, images of the kid hiding in the outhouse in Schindler’s List came to mind. And no, I will not post a video of that scene; no need to thank me. That image kept me far away from the bathroom. It also kept me from drinking too many San Miguels at Janet’s ancestral home, which disappointed the men in the family, who might have wanted to see the kano get hammered.

But over the years I had my doubts. After all, I was now married to Janet and knew her to be a very meticulous, cleanly person. I had been around her sisters enough to know that they were the same way. So how, I wondered, could they stand it? Poverty forces difficult sacrifices, I told myself as I forced the Schindler’s List image out of my mind for the hundredth time.

This past April, we spent a week in Alcoy. The last day lunch was scheduled at the ancestral home with the required lechon. I had always expressed a desire to see how they did it and Janet asked if I wanted to go early and see what the lechon guy did. So, we arrived around 10:30 and watched the lechon guy perform his magic. You can see a video of that and some other Alcoy fun here. By 12:00 the happy barangay was being fed.

Me and my lechon friend.
Me and my lechon friend.

After lunch, I proceeded to consume 3 glasses of Red Horse with my father in law and Lolo; a bit more than would normally be prudent, but it was my last day in Alcoy. Games happened, talk happened. 4:00 arrived and Janet and I actually took a mini nap. Upon awakening at 4:30 I knew I was in trouble and woke up Janet quickly and said “we have to go.” Janet awoke and slowly complied but of course, since this was our last day in Alcoy we had to say our goodbyes – to everyone. I felt embarrassed by how quickly I was saying goodbye to the family.

Now you might be wondering, this being the Philippines, and deep in the provinces, why I didn’t just head off and find a place to do my business. I mean that’s certainly culturally appropriate in the Philippines.

The reason is that my mother in law and everyone else in the family keeps an eye on me like a hawk. Just the day before I was going to go back to the BBB and Janet was going to stay for dinner. I got up to leave. My MIL insisted that I have the kids accompany me to the main road where I would get a trike. I assured her that I knew the way and had been successfully walking on my own since my 30s. No dice. Ten kids accompanied me.

So I knew I could not just sneak off to find a place to pee.  I rushed Janet, we quickly said our goodbyes, hit the trail toward the main road, accompanied by the kids, and grabbed a trike. A little bit after 5:00 I was back at the BBB again pulling my Tom Hanks impression. OK, “pulling” is a bit inappropriate 🙂

But Janet was upset. “Why did you have to rush us,” she demanded to know.

“Because I had to pee – badly!” I said.
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“So why didn’t you just use the bathroom?”

“What!” I yelled. “Because you’ve told me for years that I should never never use it – that it was awful.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” she shot back, surprised.

“It doesn’t stink?”

“No.”

“It’s not like, you know –  Schindler’s List?” I asked.

“Huh?”

So, first I insisted that Janet acknowledge that she in fact had repeatedly told me over the years that I should never use it. She finally laughed and admitted she had said that. I then screwed up my courage and asked her to describe the environment.

Turns out my image of splintery planks with crude holes in them was not quite accurate. In fact there were standard toilets and no smell. The only adjustment you’d have to make is that, as in many places in the Philippines, including a couple of hotel rooms we’ve stayed in, a bucket of water and a ladle sits next to the toilet and that’s what’s used to get it to flush.

There was no sense in busting Janet too much for her deception. I understood that just as she had described her home as poor and terrible and her parents as old and poor, this was her way to protect me from the reality of her upbringing.

Next time I go to Alcoy I’m going to overdo the San Miguel and do my best Tom Hanks impression right there. Just don’t expect a video 🙂

 

 

 

 

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Alcoy & Cebu City ’16 Gallery

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Alcoy ’16

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Snipets from our Latest Trip to the Philippines

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We’ve been back less than a week from our 3-week vacation to the Philippines. Our itinerary was: 1 week in Alcoy, Cebu; 1 week in Dumaguete; 1 week in Palawan. It all went by too quickly. Here are some impressions.

I need to work on my drinking:

IMG_2494

I had the opportunity to meet three expats for lunch while in Dumaguete. They were guys I knew online from a Philippines forum I frequent. Good guys, not an American among them, and it seems clear that when we move to Dumaguete, that if I want some expat friends, at least a few good ones live there.

But when it comes to drinking San Miguel I am woefully lacking. Had my standard 1 beer while two of my new friends were plowing through a 6-pack each. The waitress was running full speed to and from our table to take and then deliver the next beer run. Somehow the guys had the energy to flirt with her every time she arrived – which might have been the purpose. Finally I ordered a 2nd San Mig just to keep from looking like the lightweight that I am.

Afterwards Janet took one look at me and asked how many beers I’d had.

Is the Philippines the noisiest or most romantic place on earth:

IMG_3059

Janet and I were in El Nido, Palawan – a beautiful place. We’d just had dinner and were walking back to our hotel. Janet spotted a cart with her fave grilled chicken intestines on a stick; and no I did not partake. I like Filipino food but there’s a limit. She is waiting with baited breath for the grilling to finish when suddenly we hear a dog yelping in extreme pain. Like most places in the Philippines the streets of El Nido are narrow, trikes, motorcycles, and cars rush along with little concern, and we assumed the dog got hit by something. Everyone was looking in the direction of the cries of pain, which did not stop and if anything intensified. Janet and I feared the worst and approached the dog. I was expecting to see massive injuries. Instead we witnessed two dogs humping happily. “Must be a virgin,” Janet remarked. Only in the Philippines!

Janet takes on the trike drivers:

One of the gripes for most expats is with the taxi and trike drivers trying to overcharge. In many cities trikes are regulated and there’s a flat rate wherever you want to go. For example in Dumaguete the rate is 6.5p/person. In Puerto Princesa, Palawan it’s 8p. During our stay in Puerto Princesa we went out to dinner and had no problem with a trike driver taking us from our hotel to the restaurant for the 8p x2 plus a small tip. On the way back we flagged a trike. Janet told the driver in Tagalog the name of our hotel. “40 pesos,” he said. “No way!” responded Janet and we didn’t get into the trike. She flagged the next one. “50 pesos,” he immediately told her. Now she’s pissed. Traveling in the Philippines, knowledge is power. We knew what the rates were and she would not pay more. Finally the 3rd driver took us home and we paid him the correct amount plus tip.

I am lazy enough that I probably would have overpaid, but do not mess with Janet!

Palawan really is that beautiful:

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Palawan has been on the list of the most beautiful islands in the world many times and finally we decided to go. As a cynic I know that such lists are exaggerated. For example, despite the hype, Boracay, which I do like, is far from the best place to vacation in the Philippines.

But Palawan is beautiful. El Nido has to be seen to be believed and we just scratched the surface. Even the 5+ hour drive from Puerto Pricessa to El Nido was extraordinarily beautiful.

There are so many mountains on Palawan that they haven’t bothered to name them all.

We will be returning!

Yes, sometimes there is progress in the Philippines:

The Philippines is not known as a place where change happens quickly. We spent a week at our favorite resort in Alcoy, the BBB (Bodos Bamboo Bar). Ok, truth be told there aren’t a lot of options in Alcoy so every year it’s the BBB. The 1st time we stayed there some years back, we had a very nice cottage. The cottage had a fan, but no aircon, which was doable. The cottage had no hot water in the shower, which was not doable to my standards. I don’t need luxury but even in  a  place like Alcoy in the summer, I want hot water. But worst is that while the hotel advertised free wifi, the wifi only worked in public areas, not the cottages.

But sometimes, if rarely, things change in the Philippines. This year the cottages were equipment with aircon. Modern hot water was plentiful. And what’s best is that the wifi worked everywhere and the connection was reasonably fast. At the end of our stay I approached the owner, told her we’d been coming for several years and appreciated the improvements, particularly to the wifi.

Of course the rate for the cottages was increased 50%.

Everything is crispy in the Philippines:

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In the Philippines “crispy” is king. Lechon must be crispy. Anything grilled is only good if the skin is crack in your mouth crispy. The first time Janet had KFC in the US I ordered Original Recipe. She tasted it and crinkled her nose. After that we always ordered Extra Crispy.

There is no such thing as rare meats in the Philippines, Most meats are cooked to death – probably for health purposes. But that’s the taste that people are used to.

But it seems that this crispy thing was taken to an extreme when I saw that all the cigarette ads advertised the flavor of the cancer stick in question as “crispy.”