What you need for travelling to the PI

That's what I thought. The bottle was sent by relatives all the way from Manila and imagine my horror when all my mother-in-law found afterwards was a very empty bottle! (This was big bottle,mind you )So just as a precaution I had her checked just in case she ingested some oil...

Anyway, I recommend bringing a bottle or two home next time you visit. Check out local Asian groceries in your neighborhood to see if they carry them(expect to pay an arm and a leg though :bang: ) Either way, it's a good thing to have around to ease the aches and pains from training and dealing with the l'il ones as well .

Regards

 

Leave to an English guy to break the English only rule.

 

Hey bro someone beat me to answering it, anyway here it is "Take care always"

 

You might want to try 9-Ball or 8-Ball. Filipinos are notoriously bad billiards players. So if you find yourself in a bar winning seemingly every game from a local, and, just for fun mind you, he suggests that you play for a small wager.... uhm, go ahead.....

Thank you Lucy. This is great advice. Whenever I see groups of foreign men travelling around the Philippines without family, I suspect that they're: American soldiers on furlough; martial arts guys training here; surfers and backpackers; and, pedophiles. Granted, most foreign men travelling here in the PHilippines are None of the Above, but that's just the image many of them give off.

 

Shooto ,wee bear,

Ta much

 

that sheets the bomb. I swear by it. Works for me all the time. Not to be mistaken for birth control though.


While is the Phils. , might as well test your skills by flashing your expensive mobil phones and see how well you can handle muggers who usually use knives. .

just kidding.

 

Haha! Imagine what he would do for ice cream and tokens to the arcade. :Angel:

 

sticks and stones..

JoeStaffie is my colleague, We are being facilitated at the airport by GM Rene Tongson and IMAFP so lets hope it works out. We use specific tools such as the Gunting blade and the Abanico knife designed by Bram Frank so it's not something we could easily pick up at the other end...much to my dissapointment I would love to buy a hundred of each and send them home!!!

Pat and Lucy, I would have loved to have been at the MAP meet at the weekend to train with you but I had other stuff on. Please keep me up to date on seminars etc that you hold. Would love to meet up again.

Daz

 

1) remember, whwn riding in cabs, always have one person who is alert and sober sitting behind the driver, in case he tries anything funny. We were in Makati when our cabbie wouldn't let us out and refused to take us anywhere, but further into the local shantytowns to go meet his "friends" (see: homicidal business partners), He sure was singing a different tune when i showed him my brand new toy straight out of brgy balasiong. Moral is, realize that the majority will be more than accomodating, the rest will do whatever possible to get as much out of you as they can.

2) bring fibre tablets. everything is served with rice, but you will be lacking alot of brown grains and vegetables most likely. being constipated sucks in a foreign country where toilet seats are seen as a luxury. because when you gotta go, you cant be really choosy about the facilities.

 

Tama ka dyan kapatid.(translated as "you're right about that, brother") :Angel:

Bottom line is do the training, also some shopping,savor the food, take in the sites(including our beautiful women) but always be alert. These are just a few of the things one has to be wary of not just here in the Philippines but even First-World countries as well...

 

You could try taking your martial arts licence and some pictures of you training or something to just proove their purpose, however if you have any doubts of their liklihood of getting through the airport controls, take a drawn design with measurements with you and have it made when you get there.

There are some places that will make you proper folded steel knives with all precious stones in the handle and engraving all down the blade and buttress. It is expensive for the PI, around $50 and up dependant on size. But you will have a far better knife than you could ever imagine and they will blunt it off if you want it for training....they make them sharp first though. But there is cheaper alternatives too.

You have to be carefull sending too much home as they will then expect a VAT number at customs along with company name...they are quite strict now (if it looks like you are intending to sell on). As long as it seems to be for personal and a few gifts you will be alright. You would probably get away with 2-300 sticks but loads of knives....they would want to know where they are going and probably would not believe they were all for personal use, if of the same design. They can be very quick to confiscate in customs without someone like an agent fighting your corner.

And don't foget there is currently a knife amnesty in the UK....they are taking it seriously too and will happily make an example or try to proove how serious they are taking it.

I am not even allowed to send wooden daggers/swords via airmail anymore, thats how bad it is...apparently they resemble a weapon and that is just as bad But they will still send kitchen knives .

We could not make the meet as the kids were and still are ill and we did not have a babysitter. One of them is being sick over me as I speak ....the joys of motherhood . I need some of the great green stuff, that would solve everything.

Hope you have a great trip, wish I was coming too. How big is your suitcase? :love:

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

Christmas eve 2005, even though I am fully aware and have had all kinds of cab experiences I still nearly lost my child and all my xmas shopping in a brief distraction.

The crowds were pretty bad, waiting for cabs so when we did get one rather than the usual get someone to sit in the cab while one of you puts everything in the boot/trunk....we were trying to rush as other cabs were pulling up. One of us put the shopping in while the other was putting the kids in and the pushchair. That split moment where I am walking from the trunk to the backseat and getting one leg in the car, the driver attempted to drive off with the doors open....with the xmas shopping, pushchair and our 5 year old boy inside as I had just shuffled him in. Luckily a guard with his pump action shot gun jumped in front of the moving cab and pointed his gun straight at the drivers head.

It was really hard to get cabs over Xmas so we got in the cab and said where to go....he tried to play silly buggers over where the hotel was...so we just named a local known location and said drop us off there....when we got there he said can I have an xmas tip. We said yeah...a good tip is don't attempt to drive off with children and then you would be sure to get a bonus. Pat however being the softy he is, still gave him a small tip but said, "only because it is christmas and had you not of played silly buggers then the tip would of been much much bigger." The guy apologised.

Another time in 1998 we had a driver take us down a dark backstreet when there was no need to, as the hotel was only a couple of streets down off the main road...we said go back and he said no and got quite nasty he started to stop in the middle of the tight lane and we had to pull a knife and say keep driving. As soon as we got to the end into the lights we all got out and walked.

But they are fun too. Offer double the fair to get you somewhere in 5 minutes, it gets interesting. We had one weaving in and out the traffic at high speeds drive up the pavement/sidewalk and when we reached a police roadblock he said.."coming through, coming through VIP's..the police said stop and he said in no uncertain terms F*** Off " And drove straight through. That was in 1998 too, I would not do that now. I have children and a life to consider.

A good tip in general even if you are American say...."I am English not American" and agree to a fare before you set off and if they will not agree ask for the meter to be switched on. They will try to charge you P1000 and then it will quickly drop to P40. Big difference of nearly £10/$15.

I would much rather be constipated, as you go much less then. However when it is the other way round you have got to use the toilets on a regular basis and I have seen some sights. Bring on the constipation, please .

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

If a few of you are going out for a day trip...look into hiring a jeepney for the day. It is the best mode of transport. They are cool and loads of fun.

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

Being constibated when you're training sucks. I went from a normally VERY muscular and toned midsection to looking like i was a middle aged beer swilling martial artist, gaining 15 lbs of refuse inside me.


Also, its a good idea to bring bug spray, and watch out for their spiders... just trust me

 

Cool . So now you know what you do not want to look like as you get older. You are one of the lucky ones...you have now gained an incentive for your later days in life. I always say trips to the PI are educational.

I blame the san miguel beer. That bloats you after a few days and causes constipation. I looked pregnant towards the end of my last trip.

I was out in the middle of nowhere training somewhere back in 1998 and suddenly everybody started to run away from me, leaving a great big circle around me as no-one dare come near me apart from one south african guy who said in a very serious and deep voice 'don't move'. Course at this point you want to run around saying why not....however I stayed there while his rattan stick went slowly up my shorts, now at this point I am thinking 'oh Yea!' he flicks something down and quickly crushes it with the end of his stick. I asked him what was it but he politely said you don't want to know and walked off. Everyone said it was a spider, but what sort, I still do not know to this day. Cheers NOT to my mates that ran away (call yourselves Eskrimadors?) and thank-you to the kind man that I didn't know, you are what I would consider to be a real man.

I can tell you my life is never dull.

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

Last of all I would also suggest reading a previous thread on Filipino Culture. ( I do not know how to link it, sorry).

If possible get the book 'Culture Shock' A guide to customs and etiquette, written by Alfredo & Grace Roces.

If you have trouble finding it I do have the ISBN number if needed.

That way your trip/holiday should be the best it can be from the start, rather than silly mistakes taking some of the fun out of it. You want fun all the time.

Fun, fun fun

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

It is sometimes extremely difficult to find clothes and shoes for big folk in the P.I. therefore I advise to buy them abroad if you need them.

As for mugging/security I advise being coutious in the PI nowadays, don't go to isolate or dark places (especially in the vicinity of tourist spots) and ask the locals about military/rebel/bandit activity if you travel to the province.

As for me I'll be on the way to the region in a couple of days.

 

My dad asked for some trousers with a 34 inch waste. The whole shopping centre, staff and customers began to roll around laughing as the shop assistant blurted it out quite loudly.

Lots of love :love:

Lucy

 

unfortunately Lucy is correct in that such things do happen... more so with tricycle drivers than cabbies. Best thing to do is have a local pinoy guide or learn some phrases.

 

Ah! Trike drivers Pay them 100 Piso to go 2 miles and watch them do wheelies for you Now that was scary.

Best regards

Pat