Trip report...110 days in the Philippines. (long)

[Bob Dedmon]

Home after 110 days in the Philippines. I with my wife skipped the U.S. winter this year spending it in the Philippines traveling around visiting relatives and relaxing. My intent was to determine if I could uproot and ultimately move to the PI (I can). The trip began on 21 November 2023 with a "short" hop from Dulles to LAX to reduce the strain of taking mother-in-law home. We spent a day in LA and left for the Philippines on Thanksgiving day. We were to use one of my wife's nephews houses as a base of operation during the stay, more later on that. Shortly after arrival we were informed by my daughter staying at home that the water heater shit the bed and leaked soaking the attic and both floors. That ordeal was finally finished just before we came home.
We spent the first week getting over jet lag and sorting boxes forwarded to the family and settling mother-in-law back in at home. Wife and I were to be one of the sponsors at the wedding renewal for the nephew we were staying with on 1 December. We stayed at a resort near the family planned for 2 days. About 1 hour before we were to leave for the church the local constabulary showed up and arrested the bride for scamming/embezzling money. Obviously the wedding was off but the reception was paid for so the guests at the resort stayed and ate. One of my wife's brother-in-law myself and the husband of my wife's friends emptied a bottle of Makers Mark talking about what had occurred.
After a week of sorting things out we went to second sisters farm in San Carlos. Lots of fighting cocks there. At least 5 mango trees and a calamansi orchard. We were there for a weekend that nearly ended in disaster. Mother-in-law had multiple medical set backs, first she developed covid. This sent her to the hospital but they didn't want to admit her due to lack of isolation ward. As a result we had to order an ambulance for her to be taken to Bagiuo. A 2 hour ride to the hospital with sirines the whole was wasn't fun. She stayed at the hospital in Bagiuo about 10 days, after which I found out she had had 2 heart attacks in the recent past (at least 1 on the ambulance ride).
We spent Christmas in Bagiuo at her second sisters house with her family and the grand children, her mother, wife's third brother his youngest son, two daughter's and their families , and the son and family of her first brother. While there we took all the grand children present 10-12 to Burnham Park in downtown Bagiuo and took them boating on the small lake there.
We returned to Marilao, Bulikan to take mother-in-law home and celebrate New Year with drinking and fireworks. Mother-in-law seemed to gather strength once she was back home. Wife and I returned to Bagiuo for an additional week shortly after that.
Mid January wife and I flew to Cebu to meet up with a comrade in arms and his wife that we knew during my last trip to Okinawa. We spent several days there reminiscing over out time on Okinawa and events since then. My wife discovered the corner of the bed with her right pinky toe which is still sore to this day. After we returned to Bulikan we made a trip that had entered my bucket list, a trip to the memorial at the site of the Cabanataun POW camp. The memorial sat on a portion of the camp and was a lot smaller than I expected. I had found the site on google earth and thought it encompassed the entire camp. On arrival I discovered it was maybe 1/8 of the actual camp sited within the Japanese officers portion of the camp. We were there about 2 weeks before the 80th anniversary of the Great Raid to liberate the camp. Looking north to the direction the raiders approached the camp are rice fields that were flooded with young plants. If these were rice fields at that time it fries my mind that the raiders got to the camp undetected and didn't get mired in the fields.
The next several weeks were a bit of a blur between Bagiuo and Bulakan. In early February our daughters and their boyfriends, her eldest sister and her husband arrived with her uncle (mother's youngest brother) and his wife. After everyone was rested we returned to San Carlos for what had originally been planned as a reunion of Mother-in law and her surviving siblings but turned out to be more of a gathering of most of her family and most of her children and their families. While there I witnessed the stages of creating lichon (roast pig) including butchering the live pig. Then I got to process a chicken for cooking, cut throat and removing feathers. A great time was had by the attendees. Wife and I, our kids and extras, sister and husband and our host family went to Borakay for a long weekend. Our girls could only spend 2 weeks in the Philippines due to work. After returning from Borakay we spent a day in Bulakan dropping eldest daughter and boyfriend at the airport. We dropped youngest daughters boyfriend off a couple days later as he is stationed on Guam. We dropped youngest daughter the next morning, then proceeding to Tagatay with eldest sister, our host family and an extra driver. While there we went to an overlook to Taal volcano.
From there after dropping our host family off in Bulakan, we (wife and I) and her eldest sister and husband went to Bataan to visit with her uncle and check out his coffee farm. The farm was recently purchased and was run down. We went out on to the farm and assisted in harvesting coffee berries, an interesting experience. On our way to the farm I saw a mile marker commemorating the "Death March". The next morning we went to Mt Samat a concession to my history geek. There is a 92 meter cross at the summit commemorating the length of the battle on Bataan. from there we drove out to Las Casas Filipinas, a park preserving different housing styles from the Philippines. One of the houses preserved there was moved from next to the house of my wife's grandfather. There is a meeting building there that had some incredible wood work within.
After we returned to Bagiuo to return the driver and the van we said our good byes to second sister and her family and returned to Bulakan. After returning eldest sister and her husband to the airport most of the remaining time was spent at Baringy offices or banks. The first weekend of March was spent at a "resort" with the Bulakan families. It appears most anyplace with a private pool is called a resort. Lots of eating, drinking, and swimming. The following Monday was spent using the credit day we had accrued from December to celebrate my birthday with our host family. We then began our packing process and spent the last weekend at her mothers house to spend time with her before going home.
We departed the Philippines on 12 March after 110 days. Headed to the airport it almost seemed like the PI didn't want us to go as our hoste car got a flat tire on the way. We managed to get it changed in about 15 minutes and made it to the airport in plenty of time. The flight home was one of the shortest and most comfortable I've made. Clearing immigration and customs in Chicago went very smoothly. My only complaint was United changed the gate for our flight home about 45 minutes before boarding and sent us to a different terminal at O'Hare that wore me out. Our flight left the Philippines at 1000 local on the 12th and arrived in Richmond at 2145 local on the 12th.
Despite the trials and tribulations in the beginning it was a most excellent trip.

We were informed last week that the scammer was arrested last week. She's stated she will not pay bail which makes us wonder where she's hidden the money nearly half a million U.S.

[jemhouston]

Depending on the bail, it might worth paying and skipping.

Thank you for posting

[Nathan45]

Ah yes, the classic united airlines O'Hara "just one concourse over...aka impromptu marathon race". My Dad worked for united and we had that fun expierance several times.

[jemhouston]

Ah yes, the classic united airlines O'Hara "just one concourse over...aka impromptu marathon race". My Dad worked for united and we had that fun expierance several times.

In my case, it was the DFW Dash for American.

[pengolod_sc]

Is gate assignment the airline's decision or the airport's decision?

[MikeKozlowski]

Is gate assignment the airline's decision or the airport's decision?

Drunken chimpanzee with a dart board.

Mike

[Bob Dedmon]

Depending on the bail, it might worth paying and skipping.

Thank you for posting

The bail there is progressive, last count there were at least 8 counts. My estimate on the bail would be close to one million pesos, around $100,000. That doesn't count victims outside the family.

[Bob Dedmon]

Ah yes, the classic united airlines O'Hara "just one concourse over...aka impromptu marathon race". My Dad worked for united and we had that fun expierance several times.

It's O'Hare as in Butch O'Hare USN.