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http:www.geocities.com/peterandmaricel

Hello everyone Jeff helped me on this site for the pictures.  I also sent it to noname who is also helping she is trying to clear up the pictures with the originals before I changed them and messed them up.  Most of the time it was raining and cloudy so they were very dark.  

That should end the whole 54 day story of Da Trip.  I was not sure if I was going against any of the rules posting such a long trip.  I made the many pages so you didn't have to read the whole thing or take it a bit at a time.  I learned a lot about the real Philippines and I will be a different person for it.  Now the real journey begins getting the paper work to get Maricel to the US.   I want to thank all of you to get me this far.  Little things like the ATM card to get my wife money in an easy way and the many warnings of things to watch out for.  There were countless things I used from this forum on the trip.  Knowledge is power, Ray has just outlined what I should be doing next and Jeff and Noname are helping to get the pictures of this trip so you can all see it.  Now I am among the dredged ones who wait for the mail to come.  But today the clock started ticking the first round of papers are sent off.  I have found that I have a lot to learn yet and I am trying as hard as I can to make things work in a natural way.   Keep up the good posts!
Peter Lee  

geocities.com/peterandmaricel

... in response to Da Trip Pictrures, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 23, 2003

How did you enjoy palawan in general, i guess it was the rainy season,

Is that where the underground river is. Palawan?
what place did you enjoy most of your stay

... in response to great pics, posted by outwest77 on Sep 24, 2003

Hi,
I have to say that Palawan was for the back packers from Belgium.  Once you got out of Puerto Princesa and off that beautiful highway that looked new, you were on your own.  Maricel could not wait to leave that Island place.  Resorts were not resorts but Nipa huts with toilets.  When I was there outside of the big city it was tourist dead.  On the way to Roux we seen the sign Port Barton and almost got off the highway again to go west.  But common sense told me no, not again.  The roads off the highway are ok for the special jeepneys but for a motorcycle it was hell.  Don't get me wrong I loved every minute of it.  But I had a whole different picture of Palawan than what I saw.  Once the shock of disappointment was over I started to really get into what Palawan was all about.  Jungle, isolation, inexpensive resorts, mangrove jungle monkeys, the underground river was worth going all by itself. I think the natural beauty will stay untouched for a long time.  What did I enjoy the most besides the monkeys with the little babies?  Jolly Bees, no, no just kidding.  It had to be the underground river.  Now all the tourists that went to see the underground river came from a Hotel in Puerto Princesa.  Fat, rich mostly European tourists in air con private vans.  They also paid through the nose playing tourist.  They would stay for half a day go to the underground river and go back to their air con hotel and fly back to Manila the next day.  This is not what I wanted, that is why we were back packing on a motorbike.  Because of the mountains the weather was cold, rainy season added to that.  But the mountains were breathtaking, I have seen mountains all over the world but these were especially beautiful.  White cliffs higher than you could see straight up.  That meant no radio, cell, e-mail cafes and few sory, sory stores.  The only reason I would go back would be to run in the jungles with the natives like Peter from Belgium did.  He said there was nothing like it.  I couldn't see your honey running through the jungle fighting mosquitoes.  So Outwest, buy a nice backpack and strap on your bolo knife.  That is the way you will see the real Palawan.  Puerto Princesa was as modern as any other big city, kinda like Iloilo, the air was cleaner than most cities and it was easy to get around on the motorbike.  Maricel was a trooper staying with me and only complaining once in a while by saying "when we gunna leave Peter?"  She was tough and  an adventuress, but she missed civilization.  That is saying a lot for a girl who was raised in the country in Mindanao whose job when she went home when I left was to carry water to the house from an underground spring.  Palawan to her was what the Philippines are to us.  So to cut it short, when you go get a jeepney and go west to any of the resorts there.   Do the underground river and mangrove jungle.  Then stay in the resorts and enjoy the isolation and beaches.   Don’t expect fresh fruits outside of the big cities and don’t expect to be like the other islands you were used to.   Hope you go and give us a trip report.  

Peter Lee

... in response to Re: great pics, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 24, 2003


 A nipa hut with a toilet is a five star nipa hut!

Who needs all them sniveling tourist anyway, most of them sit around complaining about this or that They fail to see the simple beauty of a nipa hut on a quite beach.

The problem is 99% of most filipinas damned sure don't want to stay in a nipa hut on a quite beach! Lol
Most filipinas would rather stay at Club Panoly on Boracay or The plantation bay at Mactan I ect.

Hum

... in response to Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Humabdos on Sep 25, 2003


Hey Hum, nice to hear from you!

When we were in that Nipa Hut with the toilet on the beach for 300 peso a night Maricel was sweeping the floor and cleaning the toilet.  This is after we were recuperating from raw butts from going through the mountains for hours each day in the rain on the motorcycle.  I woke up one morning it was poring rain.  Maricel was not in the bed, I looked around she was practicing swimming in shallow water in the ocean in poring rain.  The Marines were watching her from their base on the beach with binoculars and one came out in the rain to see if she was ok.  She was ok just having fun before breakfast.  When I go to take my shoes off it hurts my hip, she helps me put em on and off.  She also washes me when I am in the shower.  I thought that once married that would all end.  So I enjoyed it while I could, after we were married she still continued to do it.  Well once here in the US she will change.  Oh well, the good times can't last forever LOL  About the tourists, not many to begin with and there were the backpackers who made me look like a tourists coz they would set up camp on the beach and not even rent a Nipa hut with a toilet.  Other kinds of tourists were the rich Europeans.  I did not see any Americans till I got back to Cebu.  The euro has a lot of power in exchange rate in the PI.  When I was there it was 65 peso per euro, a dollar is 55 now I hear.   Any one know what is up with that?  There is nothing like a rich European tourist to kill your day LOL.  They don’t want to talk to you, they always get the best of everything and they seem to be very informed coz they always have some booklet in German that tells them where to go next.  No matter what you do or say they have been there and you’re a total idiot coz they did it better.  
Maricel in our last chat still wants me to retire in the PI, maybe she feels insecure as I am surrounded by women in my Tao Bo classes.  Maybe she is not comfortable fitting in.  I know once here she will like it, she will adjust quickly.  She says she wants to be with me where ever I go but prefers the PI.  Has any one come into that situation before?  So Hum I will say bye for now.

... in response to Re: Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 25, 2003

IMHO,  your best bet for her not "changing" is for you to live in the Phils. Some women adapt well to America, and many do not. Especially with a large age difference, your odds of a successful marriage are much greater if you move to the Phils.  Plus, she stays close to her friends and family.  I am only 40, and i love living in the Phils.

My opinions only

Don

... in response to Re: Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 25, 2003

Ya them Germs are all over the PH. I've  met a few nice ones who weren't too obnoxious but seems like most are loud mouthed drunks with daghan kwarta.

Maricel sounds like a real trooper to put up with 50 days of motorcycling in the rain and init lol
I wounder if she lost that tan yet :-)

Hum

... in response to Re: Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 25, 2003

The shower thing will be the same here also,and she may not change at all after being here Jessica didn't after 5 years of marriage,she still takes COLD showers in the winter and wants to give the cat a bath every week since that is her job there with the pigs,another one of her jobs there was getting water every day for the family and about 10,ooo roosters when i call her all i hear is coock -a doddle-do or is it a little cock will do.The first year she was in the USA i had a plastic plant about 8 feet tall outside she watered that thing every day for over a year before my mother spoiled the whole thing
tneal

... in response to Re: Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 25, 2003

I've been narried for 17 years now and my wife still washes me in the shower. She also makes microwaved hot towels when I come home from work and massages me with them just before she pours me a drink. She also takes off my shoes and massages my feet if they hurt. Just because your wife comes here and gets used to life in America, doesn't mean she'll turn into Gloria Steinham. Mine didn't anyway.

On the other hand, she's a city girl and doesn't like camping, bugs, mountain climbing, boating, hunting, fishing, or bicycling. That doesn't mean that she objects to me doing those things, though. We do take long walks on the beach, vacation in real resorts, visit cities, museums, concerts, resturaunts, and the like.

My wife was quite homesick for the first couple of years even though she went back a couple times a year. We investigated moving back there, but we'd have to take a substantial lifestyle cut considering the only jobs I could get there in comparison to my career here. Now, though, she's content to go once every two or three years and has no interest in living there again.

- Jeff

... in response to Nipa huts with toilets, posted by Humabdos on Sep 25, 2003

Hi Hum,

I guess I got lucky too! My wife and I enjoy the simple things. :o)

Dave H.

... in response to 1%, posted by Dave H on Sep 25, 2003

Nothing like a nice warm bath in a nipa hut! he he he ;-))

Hum

... in response to 1%, posted by Dave H on Sep 25, 2003

Simple is what simple does LOL

I guess you can understand going sailing for weeks at a time.  That for me is simple and free

... in response to Re: 1%, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 25, 2003

Hi Peter,

I have owned several small sailboats over the years and did a bit of cruising. I have surfed and lived on the beach in tents for months. I also hike and tour by bicycle.

Dave H.

... in response to Yes..., posted by Dave H on Sep 25, 2003

Im ready for another African hunt in Botswana or Uganda with my wife just think round nipa huts with a bowl of cold water to wash with in the morning and babboons spiting at you from 50 feet up now thats a dream life
tneal

... in response to Re: Yes..., posted by nealt on Sep 25, 2003

N/T

... in response to To each, their own... (n/t), posted by Dave H on Sep 25, 2003

...I grew up rather poor, having to work before I was 10 to help support my family. Probably why I appreciate the simple things in life.

Dave H.

... in response to Re: great pics, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 24, 2003

Wow thanks for that long report on Palawan, it sounds definitely worth the adventure, heck anyone who can jump on a plane to the phils, is used to surprises, i wont be going in the rainy season like you did,

I have really only stayed on Luzon, and we went to Mindoro Puerto galera, The funnest thing we did there, was renting a barca, for the whole day, with driver, for snorkling,
and island hopping, that was fabulous, Its kind of like the freedom you get when renting or riding a motorcycle, but
having your own private 18 foot barca with driver, to go where you want is so thrilling, the highlight of my trip.
Man i miss the phils, i cant wait to get back
Hopefully my next trip will be more pleasure and less business, which my last trip was mostly business.

I will give a trip report also, especially Palawan, would love to talk to you more on Yahoo about cebu etc, would like to try there this time

... in response to Re: Re: great pics, posted by outwest77 on Sep 24, 2003

Hi again,
I am on usally after 11pm but I go invisable coz I get so many gals who want to talk to me.  I don't want to be rude coz I am so busy.  Just call me on the chat i will usally be there ok.

... in response to Da Trip Pictrures, posted by Peter Lee on Sep 23, 2003

:-)

... in response to Nice Lizard!   n/t, posted by Ray on Sep 23, 2003

Ya, there was 5 of them and I didn't let em get too close.  Unlike the lizards in the Bahamas these had toungues like a snake.