new here

Give yourself time

I am from Southern California, and my son lives in South Lake Tahoe so I am also familiar with your area. I would wait until you get here to decide on the type of a vehicle you really need. If you have a family, then a full car/mini-cab may be the thing for you. It would also depend on how "young" you feel, and how much adventure you look for. I am 65 and decided to stay with one motorcycle for the first year here after retiring with 7 cars, which I think owned me.
The advantages of the motorcycle in town is that you can get there and park quickly and it is fun. I had race cars and the street traffic is like a un-disciplined race here. So for me the motorcycle works.

The disadvantages of a motorcycle is weather protection from rain. However unlike Tahoe the rain is the same temperature as the air which seems never to change temperature. There is significant driving dangers, so it is not for the weak at heart. There is a load capacity but I usually hire my favorite trike driver to deliver large items to my house when necessary to solve that problem. You may find you wife does not like riding on a motorcycle, since I am not married my gfs usually like it, and endure the rain with a smile. I do not recommend a motorcycle for long rides, but he bus systems are great here.

The friendly economics of the motorcycle and commercial travel system can not be touched by a four wheel vehicle. I went for 5 hours in a bus a couple of days ago for $5.00 usd. I figure my motorcylce costs me about $1.50 usd a day amortized over a two year period of time. A Trike can be more expensive unless you dye you skin, hair and shorten your nose.

My suggest is that you wait to see what works for you when you get here. When I came from the US I brought a lot of answers of what is right, only to find that many of my beliefs did not really hold water when applied in the Philippines. Give yourself time. Focus on bring your medicines, spices, almost anything else can be bought here and is cheaper because the shipping cost do not including shipping all the way from the US, the Philippines is closer to China. IF you are larger than average Filipino then bring larger sized clothes. Develop a good system system of getting money here. Check out the Social Security information on this site.

You will find that "The Philippines is more fun."

 

hi dave
thank you .your reply is very helpfull..i think it is good advice..WE will wait to see what our needs really are...my wife is from dauin and love rideing motorcycles.. I think at ssome point it wil lbe nice to have four wheels ..we bought a house in zamboanguita very near to well beach resort and really like it .. like I said earlier in this thread it is a hugh move and i am nervous about it but also very excited it will be ahole new life... I will be retireing form the carpenters union after 33 years and look forward to a much easyier life..any sugestions on getting money here ..I was thinking direct deposit to my bank in usa then withdrawing tru ATM..and can you recommend a motorbike dealer..we are tying up loose ends here and are trying to be there by sept. i hope we can meet someday thanks again dave...john

 

hi kelpguy
i was really thinking multicab..but btw you and dave i think i need to rethink...guess i will wait to see what we really need..everytime we have went to duma we rented motorcycles and have got by just fine thanks so much for you advice ...I hope we can talk much more

 

There are lots of brands of motorcycles here. I rented a motorcycle from a fellow across from the Shell Station in town and a little south. My costs were about 233 pesos a day. I rented for a month before I decided what to buy. For me the decision was between a Honda 125 (sport bike-XR{something}) and a Yamaha 125 YBR. They essentially cost the same, and had good resale and dealer support. The Yamaha frame is a little bigger for me, and it is more of a motorcycle than a scooter. I picked this model because they can be ridden off road. Many roads here could be considered off road. My other concern is that someday I may need to take a defensive turn and end off of pavement and wanted a bike that could handle it. The other alternatives are china bikes, and I heard many not so good things about them but they are cheap there is a lot of them around. It really depends on you. I chose a 125cc because they have enough power to get you anywhere, without too much power. I had raced motorcycles in college, and was afraid if I got pissed off here at someone, I would accelerate out of anger. I dont not recommend losing control of your emotions on these streets. Driving these roads are very different and different from the Tahoe area. The dangers come from both sides(motorcycles which join the road without stopping), the rear (as in big trucks and buses) and the front ( the guys driving on the wrong side of the street). If you are living south of Dumaguete you really want to think about when you drive there, as that part of the road gets a little faster than in town. If you plan to travel at night, I would recommend a vehicle as there are two many motorcycles and trikes with burned out light (no lights) on them at night. You have to have good vision to see a motorcycle or trike without any lighting. In town, it is my opinion a small motorcycle out performs everything, but you do not live in town.

The Money thing was more difficult for me here. You can read threads here (Paypal) which are good advice. I finally established a peso and dollar account with BDO. BDO has a remittance center in the Lake Tahoe area, if someone from there has to send money. You can look on the internet for the location, it is at some small Asian market. It is large enough to have connections with most financial institutions in the US. It is a modern bank also, while I found one that was at least 10 years behind here in technology. Presently I am using Xoom to transfer money here, but sometimes it takes 4 hours and sometimes it take 7 days for large amount ($2,500.) or more.Western Union is good for "Money in minutes" but is expensive. One thing you will learn here, and accept fast: Everything here takes more time than you are use to it taking. Once you get ahead of the game, you can write a check to your bank here and it will take 21 business days at BDO to clear and there is almost no charges for that. When you have enough money here for your 21 business day waiting period you may use that method of money transfer.

Regarding time, I use to make a list of things I wanted to do during the day. I soon realized that the list was good but the timing was wrong. I now make the same list for things I want to do in a week. The things are the same size as on the day list, but my expectations are just not as high for getting them done in American time.

I feel like a kindergartner here, because everything is a new learning experience. You are starting over in life, but it is one great adventure if you look at it that way, or one great pain in the butt if you look at it that way...it is your choice. When you get here, connect with as many expats as you can. They are friendly and very helpful. Sometimes the information you get from one to the other is conflicting, but it is all good. We have all experienced what you have gone through, including the nervousness and fear, so don't be shy about asking questions. The forum is a great source of information and you are wise to be using it prior to moving here. The "University of McDonalds" meets every morning at the local McDonald's Restaurant, an informal meeting of expats. The topic changes to what ever question you ask if you are not shy, if you are shy, just listen and you meet many good people and learn a lot about surviving and experiencing a great life here in the Philippines.

Also read as much as you can about the culture, so when you drive down the street and see a guy peeing on a wall you do not fall off your bike. You will learn to look at a bill in a restaurant before you pay it, and count your change before you leave. It is the little things you have to accept, you are in a country that is called 3rd world country and there is a reason why they call it that.

Lastly is start packing now. You can send the "B" boxes to the Philippines quite cheaply, about $55 usd for me from Orange county. They take about 4 to 6 weeks to get here. but you can send things ahead. Again the biggest thing to send is spices for me. Also I sent ahead about a 2 year supply of vitamins and prescription drugs from Costco. They sell vitamins one at time here. An aspirin one at a time for an outrageous amount. I purchased the small aspirin with a two year count there at costco for about a penny a day. The ones they recommend for prevention of heart attacks. You can look on a topic here "What do I miss the most" to get other ideas what you need. I sent along a hard boiled egg cutter only to find that they are available here much cheaper. You may want to consider good cookware or dishes that you like. I bought a lot of things at costco and sent them to myself. Remember your 110 voltage things are almost useless here because of the higher voltage here. However check thing there at home, many things like cell phone charges etc are dual voltage. I had one TV that would work on both voltages but the cost of shipping and possible custom bribes made it too expensive to send. Electronic items are the same price here as the US, because it is an international market. Do not buy a printer there and send them until you know you can buy ink cartages here, as I am having a problem with my model Canon Printer, scanner and copier with the ink refills. You can by the appropriate printer here. I did buy new computers so I would get a long life out of them, but set them up late which left me here trying to figure out the newer operating systems. I am not sure I would do that here again.

There are some of the lessons I learned so far O-|, but tomorrow is another day. Take Care.

My son, from Tahoe is making his first visit in April. I do not know if that is of any help to you.

 

hi again
GREAT STUFF...How long have you lived in duma?..I see the move there as a adventure..And dont want to be in any hurry to do anything I feel like having this forum is already so good....More questions...i want to buy a IPAD to have there...buy here or there???...Can i ask you??? not counting housing what do you think your monthly budget is? hope that question is ok. .i will be going to costco in reno tomorrow and my list just got bigger...i live in north shore of the lake not much snow this year but thats ok by me Last year we got buried I had 10 to 15 ft @ my house till may ..Look forward to going to univ of mcdonald.

 

Budgeting, Banking and Pans

I think you said you had a $2,700 USD pension. That is more than enough. The issues are US automatic withdraws. Many repetitive cost like insurance etc coming out of your US accounts. My budget, minus housing is about half your monthly allowance. I live fine, but have spent additional moneys for start up costs, which is normal. Even though I am in a furnish apartment, I have purchased additional lighting, furniture etc. Once I get settled in I have no concerns regarding living within my budget. You can live very cheaply here, or a much higher level. It is you choice and should be no one else's concern other than you and your wives'. You will not find the constant "buy more" syndrone here as in California. I never had lived on a budget before and find it fun, although obviously in the short term I do not follow it. If you want to send me you email address and I will send you an excel template for budgeting here in the Philippines. You can put in your daily expenditures, and then you end of with a weekly total. It tells you when you are "over or under" each day and for the week. When I was doing a budget I was spending about $1,500 USD including housing. It makes adjustments easy with the over/under total because you know immediately when you over spent.....well except when you can not eat for two weeks when you had the great dinner at the restaurant...hahahahaha.

Banking: If you come over here prior to moving try to open up an account so you can send money, or bring cash with you to open an account. I was told one day that I could not open a dollar account for 6 months at BDO. A month later when I got a dollar transfer from Xoom and a stack of dollars on the counter, they told me I could open one immediately. I have found that you get a different answes for the same question every other day from the same bank, so wait until you get the answer you like, and move on it. There does not seem to be any constant banking regulations that make everyone use the same formula. You do need two types of IDs, preferrably a ACR card and passport. A drivers license is good to get right a way, even before you come permanently, and you can spend about 4 hours at LTO and get a laminated one that same day. You will be transferring your California license but California will never know.

Regarding Costco pan sets. They have about a nine piece set for $100, but an IKEA set half that size which works well for me and was half the price. Nothing here is made to go to war with, it is made light and thin for economics...but guess what it works great still. We have high standards in the US, which may not be warranted for all items.

The adventure begins.

 

John Moran, I have an almost new IPAD I can sell you, it is a Release One. Be aware the release one does not have a camera; thus, no Facetime back to the US. I need that capability so have replaced it with an IPhone.

To add to D&I's great advice, you should keep an active US Visa or Master Card, you can get a local debit card here for shopping rather than carrying cash, if you like.

 

Medicine, Inoculations, barbecues and Spices.

Get all your inoculations complete, as well as checking with world health on line to see what they recommend for the Philippines. Typhoid was one issue, and there is two solutions offered, a shot in the butt good for one year, or four oral pills taken over a period of 8 days. The pills last for five years, and the inoculations sounded like a pain in the butt so I chose the pills. The pills must be kept refrigerated. Costco has the four pills in Southern California for under $50 but you need a prescription so call Costco pharmacy to see if they have them in stock and the name. My doctor was not even aware of the 4 pill alternative but was happy to write the prescription. Hepatitis is also important. Hepatitis B requires and a 3 month period between the first and second inoculation. So these are things to be started now for you.
I also purchased all my vitamins and prescription at Costco and shipped them. There is great saving there at Costco on these items.
A barbeque is great to have here if you don’t like to clean up the kitchen, please remember I am a bachelor here. Wal-Mart has an $88.00 barbeque that I shipped here for another 60 dollars for a total of $140 usd. The barbeque is not Ferrari model, but more like a Ford Fiesta but it works great. I was looking to simplify my life and this barbeque was one of those simple things. The cost here for a similar barbeque at the hardware store: $400 usd.
Spices I would recommend from Costco include: Grill Masters Montreal Chicken (they have beef also but there is little good beef available here so chicken is my staple meat,) McCormick’s Zesty Lemon & Pepper seasoning salt, Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning (very good), Amazing Taste Roasted’s Garlic and Rosemary Seasoning. Difficult to find is Chef Meriot’s Chicken Seasoning (similar to El Polo Loco) and the Chef Meriot’s Fish season which are both excellent. Walmart sometimes has these two items, also check the local Mexican super market. You have enough time to try all of these seasonings before you leave and you can ship what you like ahead. I have a couple year supply of each of these for myself. If you don’t like them, you could use them as barter along with Peanut butter which is very expensive here.
The remittance center for BDO in LAKE TAHOE is the Lake Tahoe Asian Store, .2660 S.LAKE TAHOE Blvd. South Lake Tahoe. I am willing to believe that have boxes available to ship to the Philippines, or could give you help there. Remember the boxes take about 6 weeks so ship them early and they can arrive when you do also. Most ship right to your door.

By the way Imp is my Persian cat, who along with his half brother, Uggy made the trip with me. The have acclimated well here. They seem to endure the air condition climate here as well as they did in Southern California.

If you want to make friends, offer to bring or ship things for other expats who live here, if they ship them to you. Of course reserve the right to know what you are shipping under your name. I did that and got a lot of extra help when I got here. I developed many good and long lasting friends with my offer.

 

Yes, I am a fisherman, and I am into aquaculture, and fishkeeping in general. I would use the public transportation here for a (long?) while before deciding to buy a vehicle. That way you will see where you frequent, how much you would use a vehicle, the condition of the roads you like to travel, the price of fuel here, and the vehicles that are available that would suit your budget, before puchasing one.

 

i find shopping with a moto difficult cuz you can't leave your stuff with the moto and some stores require you to check your bags to enter, where with a car, you can lock your stuff up. parking with a moto is easy tho, cuz you can squeeze into tiny spaces between cars or... park on the sidewalks : )

norm : ))~