# I Made it to Mindanao and now back home in the US



## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I jumped through all of the hoops and made it to Davao City in Mindinao. Spent roughly 27 or 28 days there. We're engaged and have met in person now so I can apply 
for a fiancee immigrant Visa with the US government now. Tons of pictures and a bag full of receipts.


I jumped through the same hoops coming back. Slightly easier coming back.

THanks for telling me about the airport tax to leave. It was 748 php at the Davao Airport.

It's the middle of the night in the Atlanta airport. Catching a short hop flight on the last leg this morning. 

I love the Philippines. Mati was a bit dicey. Davao was excellent.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Now to get the Fiancee Visa process rolling. Sorry that the title for this thread sounds disjointed, it's because I'm a little disjointed right now.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

AppalachianBiker said:


> Now to get the Fiancee Visa process rolling. Sorry that the title for this thread sounds disjointed, it's because I'm a little disjointed right now.


I worked on the Title if you want to change it let me know. So I guess your Fiance "Congratulations" is from Mati?

I was a little curious and did some searches on Restaurants in Davao and see that there are several and also an S & R Grocery (Costco) and their own restaurant.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I would have thought in an international setting such as the airport in Atlanta, there would be some sort of 24 hour food service. Not so however.


M.C.A. said:


> I worked on the Title if you want to change it let me know. So I guess your Fiance "Congratulations" is from Mati?
> 
> I was a little curious and did some searches on Restaurants in Davao and see that there are several and also an S & R Grocery (Costco) and their own restaurant.


Just around the corner from my hotel was a little open air Korean food place open 24 hours. First place I ate when I arrived, last place I ate the day before I flew out.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

She lives in Davao City but is from Davao Oriental out in the province but in Mati we kept meeting her cousin's that she hadn't seen in 5 years. Naturally they all wanted to meet later and let me buy supper for all of them😉 and give me the once over. I didn't really mind at all.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I am thoroughly impressed with the service from Singapore Airlines. W O W. I flew round trip economy and I couldn't believe the high quality meals that I got in the price. I'll fly with them again.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

AppalachianBiker said:


> I am thoroughly impressed with the service from Singapore Airlines. W O W. I flew round trip economy and I couldn't believe the high quality meals that I got in the price. I'll fly with them again.


Yes we have flown Singapore Airlines a few times, always a good experience although not a cheap airline. Enjoyed a 2 day stopover on one trip. The only problem is that from Europe it a couple of hours extra flying time as Singapore is well south of Manila.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

That is true. It was worth the cost to experience that level of service.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

I flew Singapore airlines once. Didn't have to stop in Manila. I think that was in Cebu city or Davao city before. I really enjoyed flying with them. I was treated like royalty. 

art


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## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

Gary D said:


> Yes we have flown Singapore Airlines a few times, always a good experience although not a cheap airline. Enjoyed a 2 day stopover on one trip. The only problem is that from Europe it a couple of hours extra flying time as Singapore is well south of Manila.


The stopovers are the killer these days, as if the country you are visiting requires some type of covid test it’s difficult to get the timing right. We are flying to see one of our kids in Australia in July and the cheapest flights are with Singapore airlines but the stopover in Singapore made us choose another airline as the flight is direct.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

Magsasja

I agree about the lay overs. It is worth paying extra money for a direct flight, but they don't have them for that flight. When I use to fly there from Los angles, calif. I would get there at 12:30 am and not leave until 8:45 am. Same when returning from the Philippines. At that time I flew Philippine airlines. I haven't been back to the Philippines since 2012. I am sure a lot have changed since then.

art


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Our stopover in Singapore was planned, Singapore Airlines had a good deal on the hotel which was on Santosa Island. We also went on a day trip up into Malaysia which was interesting.


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## Danward (Oct 14, 2021)

We are glad you are home and had a wonderful trip. Could you share with everyone which Insurance Company you used for the required Covid medical. As well as the ease or difficulty using the One Health Pass and Traze App and Spass.
Thanks.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Danward said:


> We are glad you are home and had a wonderful trip. Could you share with everyone which Insurance Company you used for the required Covid medical. As well as the ease or difficulty using the One Health Pass and Traze App and Spass.
> Thanks.


The traze app is pretty much redundant now. Spass is straight forward but you need a confirmed hotel or address, you don't seem to be able to do day trips. Depending on the alert level, 2 and above over 65 and kids can't travel.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Congrats! 

On my 2nd visit to the Ph I was still such a rookie and in my excitement told the gf that id treat all her nieces and nephews to a meal. Realize that at this time I had only seen 3 of them running around. 

Fast forward to next day - theres 17 of them. Count it. Seventeen. Oh that wasnt counting their parents.

Never again. It was actually mentally exhausting at the food court.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Congrats!
> 
> On my 2nd visit to the Ph I was still such a rookie and in my excitement told the gf that id treat all her nieces and nephews to a meal. Realize that at this time I had only seen 3 of them running around.
> 
> ...


Your lucky half the neighbours didn't turn up as well.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

If I had flown through LAX it was close to a 16 hour layover and there's no way I can tolerate LAX for that length of time. I went from Atlanta to JFK, 8 hours of lay over, JFK to Frankfurt and a two hour lay over, Frankfurt to Singapore with a 5 hour late I er then 12 hours in the air to Davao City. In order to get a boarding pass in JFK from Singapore Air I had to show proof of the extra insurance coverage. The Expedia trip insurance did not have enough coverage dollar amount so I went through AAA as I'm a member and got a kick ass plan for $89 for the whole time I was gone plus one week.

The One Pass sucked big time and I found out from others that it's a very difficult thing to get done because it shuts down and you have to start over and over and over. On about the eighth try I managed to get it with a confirmation. Back everything you can up in paper and carry it with you.

Singapore was the least expensive and I would do the same again because they were nice to me and the Airbus A380-800 is a nice ride. I think that I'll splurge and go at least business class next time because she will make the return trip with me.

Take screen shots and save to your phone or Google photos also of every required document.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I would not and did not mind feeding the families quite a few times and her close girl friends so I could pass inspection.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)




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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Yes I ate this. I think it was a test for my reaction. I passed the test, it was good.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Gary D said:


> Your lucky half the neighbours didn't turn up as well.


Such truth! I have heard about that happening to others! 

I have learnt my lesson now, I just lie low, very low and on the next visit will rent a small apt well away from her place and nosy relatives.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

what is that????????????

art


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I don't know Art. I was invited to dinner at a native chicken bbq place and there's no meat.on a native chicken and then they laid this on the table so rather than offend my benefactors (I didn't have to buy this one time) I ate heartily. It wasn't too bad really.


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## cyberfx1024 (May 21, 2015)

AppalachianBiker said:


> If I had flown through LAX it was close to a 16 hour layover and there's no way I can tolerate LAX for that length of time. I went from Atlanta to JFK, 8 hours of lay over, JFK to Frankfurt and a two hour lay over, Frankfurt to Singapore with a 5 hour late I er then 12 hours in the air to Davao City. In order to get a boarding pass in JFK from Singapore Air I had to show proof of the extra insurance coverage. The Expedia trip insurance did not have enough coverage dollar amount so I went through AAA as I'm a member and got a kick ass plan for $89 for the whole time I was gone plus one week.
> 
> The One Pass sucked big time and I found out from others that it's a very difficult thing to get done because it shuts down and you have to start over and over and over. On about the eighth try I managed to get it with a confirmation. Back everything you can up in paper and carry it with you.
> 
> ...


I was looking at that flight to fly from RDU to Davao later on this year and I was worried about the stopover in Frankfurt then onward to Singapore. So the flight wasn't that bad?


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I'm of the opinion just getting out of RDU and I-40 traffic would be a blessing but no the layover in Germany is tolerable and there's only one food vendor in that section of that airport so hint, get some German marks in JFK over in Terminal 1 just take the sky train over there. The Singapore Airlines check in doesn't open at JFK until a couple of hours before the flight. There will be an online health thing you'll need to fill out at JFK and then a paper version on the airplane to the Philippines from Singapore. Make sure you verify your departure gate in Singapore as soon as you arrive because they probably will be far apart in that airport and may require a lot of walking ( not an ADA compliant terminal). The stewardesses and male.stewards on Singapore Air are the best, so is the food. Just be prepared to answer a lot of questions when you get into.the Philippines. Have all of.your test results on paper or anything besides your phone unless you are high tech enough to make.sure your.phone works there, I wasn't. The Airbus 380-800 is an awesome aircraft. Buy a neck pillow and sleep. I'll try to answer any other questions you might have. Economy is fine on Singapore Airlines. The board of quarantine in Davao will drive you nuts or at least it made me crazy when you arrive. Davao is a nice town. Food is good. People are friendly. Buy a preloaded Visa card with American dollars from your bank and you can use it to get Philippine pesos when in country. Don't freak at the ATM when it says they're charging you what seems like an extravagant service charge. It's typically 250 php which is roughly $2.50 usd and you can get 10,000 php at a time. I preloaded two cards with $2,500 each and brought one back with me and stayed a month but I carried cash too. 


cyberfx1024 said:


> I was looking at that flight to fly from RDU to Davao later on this year and I was worried about the stopover in Frankfurt then onward to Singapore. So the flight wasn't that bad?


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

When flying half way around the globe you have to be patient was my experience. The world is slowly returning to normal after COVID which hurt a lot of businesses abroad. Carry extra face coverings because they're still required there unless things change when Bong Bong Marcos is president at the end of June. If you venture out into the.provences, watch your back. Plan a day trip to Eden. The tour is quick and the buffet lunch is good. There are areas controlled by Muslim "extremists" and Anglo Christian boys are juicy targets. Forget trying to contact the American consulate in Manila. They're self consumed and will tell you to go ask the Philippine government and.good.luck with that one.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Make sure you have about 800 php when you leave. There is a departure tax and it was 748 PHP when I left and it's not covered in your airfare. You'll have to pay it at the Davao City Airport about the third time you show your passport and you'll show it a couple of more times just to leave.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

The flight is long but the aircraft is smooth. You change to a smaller jet to go from Singapore to Davao. Tolerable.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Singapore Airlines changes the entire crew and reloads with food and fuel in Frankfurt before departure for Singapore. Look closely and you may find a few Let's Go Brandon stickers in Davao. I made sure I posted a few around town.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Since you're a cyber guy, protect your cards with a sleeve to prevent someone from reading your chip. WalMart sells a leather wallet cheap for the same purpose. I'll be thinking of more and posting. Davao City is safe because the Duterte family is and has been in control of Davao City for a while. No nonsense allowed.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

I have never heard so much noise in my life then in the Philippines. Are most of them deaf? They have no respect for others there either.

art


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

It is noisy but apparently my hotel with concrete walls and my hearing damage from 40 plus years of construction and motorcycle operation made it possible to sleep. 

I found the wet markets very interesting and we went to four large ones on different days in Davao City. I was absorbing their culture. Noise and all. Now Emily Post never set foot there so don't expect Southern style good manners and you will get a fork and a tablespoon at 99% of restaurants and knifes are virtually non existent . Learn to love calamansi, they come with almost every meal.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

I stayed at a hotel just outside of Tagum city north of Davao city. the owners have 4 doberman dogs in cages just out side of my hotel room. I complained I couldn't sleep for their barking. they did nothing to calm them down. Why does the people there allow this noise to happen?

Art


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Well now in Mati the hotel was next door to a karaoke bar and they go all night and get louder as they go. It's their country and their rules and as Americans we are not guaranteed any rights or equal treatment under their laws. Be cautious and travel with someone that is from there that you can trust. Watch a lot of videos before you go. Know what a taboo is and how it's used. There are new laws in place that can be abused if you tick off a Filipina and they don't have to prove their accusation. Careful.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Tabo


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

AppalachianBiker said:


> Don't freak at the ATM when it says they're charging you what seems like an extravagant service charge. It's typically 250 php which is roughly $2.50 usd


Closer to $5. Since the Peso always fluctuates close to PHP 50=+/- 2 to USD 1, the quick way to figure value is to double the peso number and then move the decimal point 2 places to the left. Then the PHP 250 = $5.00. At todays exchange rate PHP 250 actually is about $4.75.

Just something to keep in mind.

Fred


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Semantics


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

art1946 said:


> I have never heard so much noise in my life then in the Philippines. Are most of them deaf? They have no respect for others there either.
> 
> art


Sure beats living in a cemetery right Art? At least you know your alive and the benefits of very little law enforcement and annoying noise outweighs a mundane and very solitary lifestyle.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

That's the truth MCA. Folks ask me why I ride my motorcycle in the rain........... because the sting of the raindrops on my skin is fleeting but it reminds me I'm alive and free.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

I was a visitor there and I want to return so I just went with the flow which is what my fiancee kept saying, go with the flow.


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## cyberfx1024 (May 21, 2015)

AppalachianBiker said:


> I'm of the opinion just getting out of RDU and I-40 traffic would be a blessing but no the layover in Germany is tolerable and there's only one food vendor in that section of that airport so hint, get some German marks in JFK over in Terminal 1 just take the sky train over there. The Singapore Airlines check in doesn't open at JFK until a couple of hours before the flight. There will be an online health thing you'll need to fill out at JFK and then a paper version on the airplane to the Philippines from Singapore. Make sure you verify your departure gate in Singapore as soon as you arrive because they probably will be far apart in that airport and may require a lot of walking ( not an ADA compliant terminal). The stewardesses and male.stewards on Singapore Air are the best, so is the food. Just be prepared to answer a lot of questions when you get into.the Philippines. Have all of.your test results on paper or anything besides your phone unless you are high tech enough to make.sure your.phone works there, I wasn't. The Airbus 380-800 is an awesome aircraft. Buy a neck pillow and sleep. I'll try to answer any other questions you might have. Economy is fine on Singapore Airlines. The board of quarantine in Davao will drive you nuts or at least it made me crazy when you arrive. Davao is a nice town. Food is good. People are friendly. Buy a preloaded Visa card with American dollars from your bank and you can use it to get Philippine pesos when in country. Don't freak at the ATM when it says they're charging you what seems like an extravagant service charge. It's typically 250 php which is roughly $2.50 usd and you can get 10,000 php at a time. I preloaded two cards with $2,500 each and brought one back with me and stayed a month but I carried cash too.


We are all in good health and younger so walking won't be a issue for us at all. We will have small kids with us when we go (9 and 6) so walking will be highly encouraged to get some energy out before the next flight. I have been to Davao City many times while dating my now wife and a few times since we got married so it doesn't surprise me anymore at all. But I would rather go through Singapore than the cluster that is NAIA an Manila.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

mark

I guess you living there all the time you are use to the noise. Living in a cemetery has nothing to do with the noise there. hahahaha I had some living across from me in Tagum city and they made noise all night long. It is the nature of some cultures to make noise and have no respect for others. We have the Mexican and Spanish coming here in the states doing the same thing. But we have laws to stop it. I agree the law there is weak and they don't want to make a scene.

I used ear plugs when I was there. I also used a headphone set and play music to sleep. worked wonders.

art


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## Dten Cfive (8 mo ago)

AppalachianBiker said:


> Since you're a cyber guy, protect your cards with a sleeve to prevent someone from reading your chip. WalMart sells a leather wallet cheap for the same purpose. I'll be thinking of more and posting. Davao City is safe because the Duterte family is and has been in control of Davao City for a while. No nonsense allowed.


Except for the Marina, where the two Canadians and Norwegian where kidnapped. Was there a Gaisano that "accidently" burned down with people in it? A bomb at the market(could be several locations).


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

This is true but none of us are immortal. When it's our time to go, it's our time.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Just like riding a motorcycle. Keep your head on a swivel and assume everyone approaching is a threat.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

AppalachianBiker said:


> Just like riding a motorcycle. Keep your head on a swivel and assume everyone approaching is a threat.


Wise advice but is that any kind of life.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Gary D said:


> Wise advice but is that any kind of life.


I suppose that I could live like a mold spore, laying dormant in a dark place and only growing when conditions were optimal but what kind of life is that my friend ? The world is a dangerous place. Given a choice I like my chances better in Mindinao than Chicago or Los Angeles or Detroit and not because of the number of guns here, because those names places have some of the strictest gun laws in America. It's the total disregard for human life and the prolific use of drugs here that create the chaotic murderous conditions in urban America. Fentanyl and our dear dear friends that supply us with tons of cheap nondescript manufactured junk and the lack of respect for our sacred institutions that nurture lawlessness here. I'll take ideology differences and watch for clues with my head on a swivel. I choose to live in a natural setting where the word of God is still respected and murder for no reason is non existent. We have murder but usually it's for cause and usually you know your attacker personally


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

AppalachianBiker said:


> I suppose that I could live like a mold spore, laying dormant in a dark place and only growing when conditions were optimal but what kind of life is that my friend ? The world is a dangerous place. Given a choice I like my chances better in Mindinao than Chicago or Los Angeles or Detroit and not because of the number of guns here, because those names places have some of the strictest gun laws in America. It's the total disregard for human life and the prolific use of drugs here that create the chaotic murderous conditions in urban America. Fentanyl and our dear dear friends that supply us with tons of cheap nondescript manufactured junk and the lack of respect for our sacred institutions that nurture lawlessness here. I'll take ideology differences and watch for clues with my head on a swivel. I choose to live in a natural setting where the word of God is still respected and murder for no reason is non existent. We have murder but usually it's for cause and usually you know your attacker personally


Just because there are dangerous places in America doesn't make it ok to live in one in the Philippines. Where I live in the Philippines and the UK for that matter I'm not required to be constantly on my guard.


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## AppalachianBiker (10 mo ago)

Well don't identify your location there and I won't identify mine here. Wink.


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