How difficult / expensive is it to get the visa extension?
Outside of the Philippines, I inquired about a visa longer than the standard 21 days. The cost and paperwork were such that I just shortened my holiday.
X Man
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How difficult / expensive is it to get the visa extension?
Outside of the Philippines, I inquired about a visa longer than the standard 21 days. The cost and paperwork were such that I just shortened my holiday.
X Man
[QUOTE=X Man]How difficult / expensive is it to get the visa extension?
Outside of the Philippines, I inquired about a visa longer than the standard 21 days. The cost and paperwork were such that I just shortened my holiday.
X Man[/QUOTE]
I beleive you can apply for an extension over the 21 day visit in country, you have to go to Immigration with all your paperwork and of course pay the fee which I beleive have increased since the last year or so. You should be able to send your passport to the Phil embassy in whatever country you are Xman and apply for a visa that way. Dont think its that much and I recall they have a quick turnaround.
Spamhog
Is it true, you can slip the immigration guy at the airport p1000 for a 60 day stamp?
[QUOTE=X Man]How difficult / expensive is it to get the visa extension?
Outside of the Philippines, I inquired about a visa longer than the standard 21 days. The cost and paperwork were such that I just shortened my holiday.
X Man[/QUOTE]
It is easiest to just drop by consulate, leave passport and you will have it ready in maybe 4 business days.(I applied on a Thursday, it was ready on Tuesday) That is how I have done it in Los Angeles.
Single entry valid for three (3) months: US$30.00
Multiple entry valid for (6) months US$60.00
Multiple entry valid for twelve (12) months $90.00
[QUOTE=FireWalker]It is easiest to just drop by consulate, leave passport and you will have it ready in maybe 4 business days.(I applied on a Thursday, it was ready on Tuesday) That is how I have done it in Los Angeles.
Single entry valid for three (3) months: US$30.00
Multiple entry valid for (6) months US$60.00
Multiple entry valid for twelve (12) months $90.00[/QUOTE]
Gentlemen, this just in from the national news, it seems someone with rare intelligence has established an immigration post at Boracay, this way tourists will be able to re-up and spend all their money on the Island should they elect to stay longer than three weeks, smart. No mention of fees or costs
SPamhog
[QUOTE=Spam Hog]Gentlemen, this just in from the national news, it seems someone with rare intelligence has established an immigration post at Boracay, this way tourists will be able to re-up and spend all their money on the Island should they elect to stay longer than three weeks, smart. No mention of fees or costs
SPamhog[/QUOTE]
Yes, I think it is at Villa Camilla.
When I was there last August it was only operating on certain days of the week. I was told it was around the area where the main road goes by the entrance to the mall. If you're down to the last day or two I'm not sure I would count on this one.
I always pay £600 to travel from London to Manila Return, I decided this is way too much money and did some research.
I have come up with the cheapest way to get to Manila or Cebu, Gentleman I hope this helps.
London to Manila Return for £330
[url]www.oasishongkong.com[/url] (London To Hong Kong Return)
[url]www.cebupacificair.com[/url] (Hong Kong To Manila Return)
I do not believe anyone can find a cheaper price!
Trip report of 40 days from Feb 20 until March 30. I landed in Manila late at night to be greeted by the longest line at immigration that I had ever seen. Waited over an hour and a half to clear customs and immigration and after a 22 hours of flights and 3 connecting flights it was not a pleasant experience. Had to pay 500 p for what should have been a 140 p metered ride but I didn’t care at that point. Checked into Cherry Blossom hotel and after a shower my spirits were revived and headed out for a stroll on Baywalk and a few San Migs. Met a cutie named Trisha and her cousin ( why do they always travel in pairs ) and invited them to sit and listen to the band that was playing all oldies music at an open air bar. I invited them back to the hotel to watch tv and they accepted. Trisha and I were getting along so well by now that the cousin was nice enough to say she was tired and was going home. After she left the tv was off and Trisha and I enjoyed each other for about an hour. I asked her to spend the night but she had work early the next morning so she declined and said she had to leave. She never asked for anything but I gave her 600P which she happily accepted.
The next morning I took a PAL flight to Cebu to meet a chat mate from Filipina Heart that I had been chatting with for about a month. Checked into Metro Park hotel in Lahug which used to be a inexpensive but adequate hotel but seems now to have really gone downhill. Its still inexpensive at 900p a night but the rooms are not maintained very well. TV and hot water did not work even after telling the front desk to send a maintenance man. Their answer was “ in a while “ which in the Philippines can mean 15 min to next day. After one day I checked out and went to the Crowne Garden Hotel close by on Salinas Street. Only a few years old and nice rooms at a promotion rate of 1300 P with a free breakfast for two. My chat mate was sweet and we spent 3 days seeing the local sights and then went to Moalboal for 3 more. it’s a nice quiet resort and diving area. For some reason Moalboal has no water now and all water comes in on trucks. I heard they get water from a reservoir which is dry now. Hard to believe with all the rain that the Philippines gets but that’s what I was told.
After Cebu I took an Oceanjet boat ride to Dipolog to meet another chat mate. This girl was too sweet. For her holding hands was a major romantic commitment…lol… Oh well that’s the way it goes with chat mates .You never REALLY know how they will be until you meet them. Not much to do or see in Dipolog. No malls at all and the big entertainment is going to the boulevard at night and walk along the seawall. We did go to Dapitan one day and visit the national hero Rizal’s place where he lived for a time.
After Dipolog I took a bus ride of about 7 hours to Cagayan de Oro which has become one of my favorite cities. Smaller than Cebu but with all the amenities. Stayed at Casa Christalia Hotel at 650 P a night. Nice malls and restaurants good bars and night spots and things to do during the day too. I went rafting which was fun and visited the pineapple plantations owned by Dole. On Friday and Saturday nights they close off the city center streets and food vendors come in with portable bbq equipment . Bands are there too as well as people selling clothes .Its called “ Night Café “ Met a chat mate there who believed holding hands was just the first step to a fun evening. My kind of gal..lol..
My next stop was Davao and I wanted to fly there but there are no flights from Cagayan de oro ,so another long although scenic bus ride through the heart of Mindano. I was very impressed with Davao. The city was noticeably cleaner and you could sense a civic pride that I never felt in other cities that I visited. I stayed at Tower Inn for 900 P a night. I met a chat mate there who was graduating from a nursing school and I let her practice her bedside manner on me. She passed with flying colors. For other diversions I went to Eden Nature Park high up overlooking Davao and which is well worth the time to go to. I walked the 4 km mountain trail which wore me out but I felt good for doing it and rewarded myself with a few San Miguel’s at the restaurant, which by the way serves organically grown fruits and veggies grown right there at the park. They have cottages for rent and next time I will spend a night there. Also did a day trip to Samal island but did not stay overnight although I could see it’s very popular with the foreigners.
I had a great time wherever I went and was always treated well by the anyone I met. The country is so poor but the people are kind. Except for Manila taxi drivers I never felt I was being taken advantage of.
I have also decided after this trip NOT to fly into Manila anymore. The place always was a hassle compared to other cities but It seems to have gotten worse . First of all the taxie drivers do not want to use the meter as soon as they see a white face get in. Its always " where are you going" and then the charge is usually 3 times what a metered ride would be. I wanted to go to Mega Mall twice and could not even get a ride there as they said the traffic is too bad. Which is VERY true as the city is about 6 months away from total gridlock in my opinion. All you do is sit in traffic jams wherever you go anywhere.It's really a credit to the Filipino phycic that there is not more road rage there. And then you pay twice the amount for hotels that you pay in other places. I know it will be a little more inconvenient to bypass Manila but I have had it with that city.
I met eight chat mates in all from the Filipina Heart website. Five were good experiences and the sexual activity ranged from hand holding ( meaning non at all ) to all night romp sessions leaving me asking for a break. I am 60 plus so keeping up with a nubile 19 year old was quite a feat but one which I was happy to try and do. The three who were disappointments I cut loose after meeting them at the mall and realizing all they wanted was someone to take them shopping.
My next trip will be in Sept and I’m already wishing it were here.
Quote from Nightrider: "Checked into Cherry Blossom hotel and after a shower my spirits were revived and headed out for a stroll on Baywalk and a few San Migs. Met a cutie named Trisha and her cousin ( why do they always travel in pairs ) and invited them to sit and listen to the band that was playing all oldies music at an open air bar. I invited them back to the hotel to watch tv and they accepted. Trisha and I were getting along so well by now that the cousin was nice enough to say she was tired and was going home. After she left the tv was off and Trisha and I enjoyed each other for about an hour. I asked her to spend the night but she had work early the next morning so she declined and said she had to leave. She never asked for anything but I gave her 600P which she happily accepted"
For all the newbies out there here is the perfect example of how easy it is to meet girls in the phils apart from the obvious bars etc.
Just pack your bags, book a plane flight & hotel and then go for a walk and keep a smile on your face and have a good attitude for all to see: They will come to you!!
Great trip report and good to see you will be back for more!
Cheers
Pete
Peat the beat and others.
The ISG format is kind of confusing and it took me a long time to figure out some things...like the "quote" function. It's just that most boards put the button in a different place and/or call it something different.
Anyway, in the bottom right hand corner of a message is a box called "quote". Just hit that.
Now, I've seen some people who quote, put some message, then quote, more message..... all in the same post.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
X Man
[QUOTE=X Man]Peat the beat and others.
The ISG format is kind of confusing and it took me a long time to figure out some things...like the "quote" function. It's just that most boards put the button in a different place and/or call it something different.
Anyway, in the bottom right hand corner of a message is a box called "quote". Just hit that.
Now, I've seen some people who quote, put some message, then quote, more message..... all in the same post.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
X Man[/QUOTE]
They do it manually. It is disabled for automatic quoting in public messages. I've exchanged PMs with others and it works there.
An example of doing it manually:
[QUOTE=some poster]First quote here.
[QUOTE=Finrod]Inner quote here.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
Hope Jackson does not mind me showing that, but most people could figure it out. Disabling all but the first quote is actually a good policy. It keeps posts from getting bloated like I've seen on other message boards and that is representative of the tight ship Jackson runs here.
Nightrider,
Great post. Can you tell us more about Moalboal? What hotel did you use? How was the swimming / snorkeling? Do you have any pictures of beach / hotel / etc?
X Man
[QUOTE=X Man]Nightrider,
Great post. Can you tell us more about Moalboal? What hotel did you use? How was the swimming / snorkeling? Do you have any pictures of beach / hotel / etc?
X Man[/QUOTE]
For Huskey and X-Man
I stayed at Cora"s Palm Court at Pasagama Beach in Moalboal which is low budget at 650 P. There are better places but this place was ok. Lots of restraunts to chose from. Snorkeling was ok,I do not dive. I did rent a mountain bike from Planet Action for a couple days and that was fun. German guy and his Filipino wife run it and he has good action adventures to take you on, Rappelling down waterfalls is the best I think. Best beach area is called white Beach and the charge 25 P per head to use it . I heard Filipinos get in free,, but filipinos get in free,Go figure..lol.. There are also a few bargirls working the night spots there but quality is hit and miss.Better to BYOB. As far as my P4P I did hit LA Cafe once when I was in Manila and in Davao there is an active streetwalker scene as well as Cagayan de Oro. They start at 1000P but most will take 500 P.
I'll be in Makatai and AC for the next couple of weeks.