Here’s how things went down on my lazy Tuesday (lazy in the sense that I take a day off from hiking).
It’s grocery shopping day, and my driver picks me up at 8:30. Part of my weekly routine is to cash up at the BPI ATM at Harbor Point Mall. I’ve gotten into this habit because the only BPI ATM in Barretto is so predictably unreliable that I don’t trust It with my debit card. I use BPI because it allows a 20,000 peso withdrawal limit (the other banks have 10,000 max). So, since I only have the convenience of a functioning ATM once a week, I make two 20,000 pulls (around $800. total) and that’s usually enough to cover my bills and expenses for the week. The only downside is that BPI charges 250 pesos a pop, so my cash infusion costs me ten bucks. Yeah, there are cheaper ways to wire money but they have drawbacks too. Anyway, I’ve been using this method since the move here and it generally works out alright.
So, yesterday I make the first withdrawal, put the 20,000 in my wallet, and reinsert my card for the second pull. I can hear the ATM whirring as it prepares to complete my transaction, and then nothing comes out. The screen says “unable to dispense cash”, my card pops back out, and I get a receipt saying “transaction canceled.” Okay, I figure the machine just didn’t have enough money left in it. Still, I had a bad feeling so I had my driver take me to the BPI branch on the old Navy base. And when I tried to make a withdrawal there I got a “non-sufficient funds” message. As I feared, the first ATM had withdrawn the funds from my account but didn’t dispense them. Shit.
I had my driver take me back to the Harbor Point BPI branch so I could seek to have my money returned. Arrived at 9:20, but the bank didn’t open until 10:00. So, I went to Royal and did my shopping, then came back to the bank. Got there shortly after they opened but still had to wait my turn in the customer service line. When my turn came, I explained what happened, showed my “failed to dispense” receipt, and asked for my money back. I was given a form to fill out and when it was completed I was told I should see my money returned within two weeks. Alright, well, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I did report what happened to my bank in the USA too. This is not the kind of excitement I’ve been looking for in my life!
Got home and just lazed around waiting for darts time to come around. I usually try to arrive by 4:00 so I have time to practice/warm up before the tourney starts. A little after 3:00 I heard the ominous rolling of thunder. Looked outside and saw storm clouds on the horizon. Decided I’d best head for Alley Cats sooner rather than later so I could avoid getting soaked.
I hustled as fast as these old legs would carry me and almost made it to Alley Cats before the raindrops started falling on my head. I was lucky because a few minutes after I arrived there was a cloudburst with drenching rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning. Geez, it seems like only yesterday I was complaining about the heat. Oh wait, I was.
Did my darts warm-ups and just wasn’t feeling it. I probably wouldn’t have stayed to play except it was still raining outside. Oh well, I figured I’d just get my ass kicked, get out early, and start using some of those coupons I won at the raffle. Alas, I played well enough to stay in the tourney until the end.
I’m not sure what got into me, but I was hungry and planning on doing my Sit-n-Bull thing, so I blurted out “anyone care to join me?” And the entire Alley Cats crew responded affirmatively. So, I stood by as they shut down the bar, then we headed up the highway for some grub.
I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t have enough cash for the meal. I saw owner Ron and asked if they took credit cards and he said “no, but we can work it out. If need be, come by and pay me tomorrow.” Well, okay. That’s an option. Then I remembered there was an ATM outside. I got on my bank’s phone app and transferred some money into my checking account, then went to the ATM. “Out of service”. Hmm, just not my day for electronic banking I guess. Oh well, I’d just work out any shortage with Ron later.
When the bill came I was indeed about 1500 pesos short (the total was 5700 before tip). Kevin (at the far end of the table) chipped in the difference and we were good to go. Dinner for nine for about 120 bucks ain’t bad though.
I went home alone as usual and woke up alone again. That may not be the case tonight. That gal I met from Angeles a couple of weeks back wants to come to visit again. Plans to arrive today. Not sure how long she is staying, maybe through the weekend. We’ll see how that goes.
In the meantime, I’ll just continue to live the life of a single man.
Stay tuned for more adventures!
That’s certainly an adventurous day.
Glad to see that Kevin covered the shortfall in the bill. Even if he hadn’t, you’re still a jovial familiar face around town that everyone trusts you.
Taking the entire crew out to dinner , and them closing the bar means you’re probably their best customer π
I’m always excited to see you interact with the menfolk…I think all your readers would like to see you make some friends π βΊ male and with similar interests.
You may have the lifestyle of a single man,but you never lack any female companions.
My question of the day is
Are you permitted to actually just walk around on the old base? That would be an epic hash just walking through the streets of America in Philippines π΅π
As usual
Thanks for your excellent writing β
Sorry to hear about the money troubles. Surely, there’s got to be an easier way to access your own $$$, no?
Weird to see a back-scratcher without the usual “ν¨μμ” (hyoja-son, the good son’s hand) written on it. Pretty much all the bamboo back-scratchers that you can buy in Korea are labeled this way; ironically, almost all of these scratchers are made in China.
You live quite well, and really do not want for anything. Which is a good thing. I get the impression that you do not “budget” per se, but if you feel comfortable sharing, what would you estimate is your average monthly expenses? 5K?
Re: ATM – do they have “check your balance” button on those? That may have given you some idea of if the ATM gods took away your money, or if it was just “ghosts in the machine”.
“…them closing the bar means youβre probably their best customer”
Well, once the darts tourney was over I was the ONLY customer. They likely would have closed a few minutes after I left anyway.
The old base, which is now known as SBMA, is a wide-open tourist hot spot. Restaurants, hotels, and beaches attract lots of visitors. There is also a lot of permanent residents living in condos and villas. I checked out some of the old base housing as a rental option before moving here but in the end, decided I didn’t want to live on SBMA because it really doesn’t “feel” like being in the Philippines. In certain less developed parts of the old base, you can still see remnants of the Navy presence–Quonset huts and some fortifications, but it doesn’t have the feel of being on a military base anymore. We’ve done a couple of hikes in the backwoods of SBMA (it’s massive) and it is very nice. We’d hike there more often but transport is an issue (no Jeepneys or trikes are allowed). A private vehicle or taxi is the only way to get around.
Kev, I tried to open a local bank account when I first moved here but it is very difficult to do on a tourist visa. I finally just gave up. Another option is to send myself money via a wire transfer service like Western Union. Waiting in line to pick it up isn’t that appealing either, but if I continue to have issues with ATMs might be the best alternative.
Interesting info on back scratchers. I never paid that much attention before. I don’t even recall purchasing mine, but I assume it was in the Philippines.
Brian, yeah, I pretty much live as I please and don’t watch my nickels and dimes. My overall budget is indeed $5,000 a month. I have some subcategories for managing expenses (rent, groceries, charity, etc) although I don’t strictly adhere to them. Most months I come in a little under budget and put the difference in my savings account. One pending change on the horizon will be my ability to travel again. I’ll need to make some spending/lifestyle adjustments to facilitate having the funds for two to three international trips each year.
Yes, you can check balance on the ATMs. I always check my bank account directly prior to making a withdrawal, that’s how I knew when I got the “insufficient funds” message at the second ATM that money had been taken, but not dispensed, at the first ATM. Anyway, the good news is my account has already been re-credited, so it’s all good.
Seems like you are living a 100K/year lifestyle on about half that. Good on ya!
I guess that’s one of the advantages of life in the Philippines. Although truthfully, inflation could put a damper on things. I currently spend about $200 a week at the grocery store, but the prices on some items (like cheese) have almost doubled since last year. And imported stuff keeps getting more and more expensive. On the other hand, I’m paying $700 to rent a nice place in an exclusive subdivsion–I’d be paying at least twice that much back home.
Beer is cheap, women are hot. Life is good.
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