Mabuhay from the Philippines
Hello family and friends,
We have finally arrived in the Philippines!
Since this is my first update, I’m just going to start at the beginning, which involves all the pre-trip preparation and subsequent mishaps, prior to our arrival in Cebu.
Passports
In theory, this process should have been easy. In reality, that was not the case.
Hoping to avoid the long line-ups that involved camping overnight on the sidewalk, we scheduled an appointment with Passport Canada for passport processing. The 2 month wait seemed like a small price to pay when compared to the alternative, so we waited. Shortly after arriving we were informed that short form birth certificates would not suffice, and that we would need to provide long form certificates for the kids. A visit to Vital Statistics sorted the missing documentation issue. (It is worth noting that this was accomplished by providing Vital Statistics with the exact same documentation that Passport Canada refused.)
Upon receipt of the detailed birth certificates, we travelled back to Victoria to wait in line at 4:00 in the morning. This time around we were successful, as applications were subsequently approved and submitted for processing. When inquiring as to expedited turnaround, we were advised that all passport applications would be triaged, and processing time would be based on the travel date. At this point we had accommodations booked, but had refrained from scheduling our flight. At the time, the news was rife was stories of delayed or missing passports, and airlines refusing to refund or credit passengers who had the misfortune of falling victim to this disorganized government system.
Since we are on the topic of disorganization...
The passports arrived in Kamloops the last week of September. Obviously, all four of us were thrilled at this positive development. This set the tone for the road trip to Kamloops (from Ladysmith); the only exception being the occasional back seat protest from our feline companion.
Pet Importation Requirements - Snips
For those of you who have not yet met him, Snips is our curious, albeit slightly skittish, cat. (Snips joined our family a few years ago, following Furball's passing at the age of 18.) There were a handful of prerequisites required for Snips to travel with us to the Philippines, most of which were quite simple, but very time consuming.
We were able to tick off a few boxes this summer, with a feline vaccine cocktail, followed by a very uncomfortable micro chipping. That went over as well as to be expected, with the fallout extending three days following the aforementioned vet visit.
An additional vet visit was required (10 days prior to departure) for a veterinarian Certificate of Health. Once receiving a clean bill of health, an appointment was made with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for endorsement of the aforementioned documentation. Fortunately, the drive from Kamloops to Kelowna for documentation endorsement did not involve a single snow flake!
Last step, all documentation was submitted to the Philippine government for an import permit.
Flights were also booked, as the clock was ticking on the Certificate of Health (ie. 10 days, then a new one would be required.
We received a rejection on the import permit, and resubmitted the application documents with the required Affidavit.
Flight day arrived, Tuesday, October 18th. Kamloops to Vancouver flight was delayed – flat tire. Fortunately we still made it to Vancouver in time for the Manila flight. The day had been so crazy, that we didn’t even think about looking at the Import Permit application. With the late arrival, we had the opportunity to check the Bureau of Importation website around 7:30 to 8 pm. That is when we realized the application was still “pending”... Emails / telephone call did not help the situation, so I saw JP and the kids off and checked into a hotel for a few days with Snips. I also resubmitted another application in my name, just in case there was an issue. After 2 nights of waiting for the “pending” status to update, I realized that time was running out on Snips’ Certificate of Health duration. I rented a car and drove to Kamloops to leave Snips in good hands. (Thank you Pearl!) The following morning I drove back to Vancouver and boarded my flight to Manila.
(JP later told me that he had a conversation with a Filipino Immigration Officer (off the record). He hinted that some officials in the Philippine government believed that animals coming into the country could carry COVID, and they were making things more difficult for foreigners to bring their pets. They were doing this by adding more steps or delaying the approval of the applications, to ensure that your Certificate of Health would expire, thereby barring your pet access to the Country. Hmmm ... sounds familiar, right?
To top things off, JP also lost his wallet in Manila. We did receive a text a few days later, with our cab driver stating that he had found it, and wanted to return it to us. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions based on that scenario; although, we certainly have our own opinions on the matter.
Day 1 (Danielle timeline)
After a 13 hour flight, I landed in Manila around 4:30 am Philippine time. Finally reunited with JP and the kids we decided to fly to Cebu that afternoon. Ultimately, the last minute booking was a wise decision, as the Cebu-Mactan Airport was closed shortly after we landed.
We checked into our pre-booked Lapu Lapu (Mactan) AirBNB, unpacked slightly, then promptly went to sleep.
Day 2
Relieved to finally have reached Cebu, our itinerary for the day consisted of activating the water, stocking the fridge / pantry and doing laundry. (I know, pretty exciting, right?!) The motorized tricycle rides to and from the grocery store were very... exhilarating. (Sidenote: upon my arrival in Manila, the kids likened the tricycle rides to “being in a real live action movie.” A very fitting description, considering my initial experience. To describe this, I’m going to borrow a description from Google:
Filipinos are famous for their driving habits, and the tendency to ignore traffic laws. Big cities like Manila experience traffic jams, and the honking of horns is a very common occurrence. When there is no traffic, speeding, swerving and reckless passing happen on a regular basis, especially on desolate rural roads.
There is also the added matter of pedestrians crossing the streets at random, which subsequently would trigger sudden braking and further honking. The kids also loved all the activity on the streets, which included sightings of numerous dogs, goats, cows / bulls and even a rooster.
My day was capped with the thrill of finding a bottle of Australian wine, which usually retails for $25 - $30 in Canada, at a third of the price. Woohoo!
Timezone adjustment issues have continued to linger. I passed out (literally, without even consuming a drop of alcohol) at 6:30 pm / awake again by 4:30 am.
Day 3
Fairly uneventful: grocery shopping and beach time. Kids are starting to get back into their schoolwork. We hope to start looking into tutor(s) shortly.
Further Daily Updates
We had a chance to check out the SM City Mall (holds 11th position for largest malls in the world). It is rather interesting that it is broken down into different sections ie. Cyber Zone, Kids Zone, etc.
I am also happy to report that our 29 day Visa extension has been approved. We will have to return again in December to apply for the 59 day Visa, but for now we have a bit more time. (Warning, I may cry if we have to return in December! LOL)
Initial Impressions
I absolutely love the consistent temperature (likes to hover around 31 degrees). I know some people have told me that they like the seasons, that is not the case for me. I do like fall, but fall always brings the lingering threat of winter. Spring is lovely, but I am always impatient for summer to begin.
Slowly working my way through the exotic fruit, I tried gymboree ... not a fan. Found out that I am likely allergic to lychee, but may try it again down the road just in case. Confirmed that I am allergic to kiwi (likely linked with my pineapple allergy that I developed after my daughter was born, but refused to officially acknowledge by simply avoiding consuming the fruit). Also allergic to mango, so I need to keep an eye on the ingredients in any smoothies or juices that I encounter.
I found out "Danielle" is a man’s name here in the Philippines. I have had a few horrified looks when introducing myself. The story JP tells me about his discussion with airport security when he arrived to pick me up at the airport, is priceless. “I’m here to pick-up my wife, Danielle” Complete confusion followed by a clarifying question to determine whether his wife was indeed a woman.
Lastly, it is also nice to be able to buy small portions of consumables (ie. shampoo, meat, single serve drinks etc), and not feel like I am being punished because I didn’t buy the bulk / family size portions. (Hello Costco, Superstore!)
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