Greetings from the heart of the big city! I’m no fan of Manila, but if you gotta be here I reckon Makati is the place to be. Getting here is a real bitch though, Manila is notorious for its traffic jams.
Other than traffic the trip went smoothly. Marissa’s mother lives in the area so I invited her to ride down with me. Gina (my helper’s friend) also wanted to visit her family in Manila and asked if she could come along for the ride. I said “sure” but didn’t mention to Gina about Marissa until we were about the pull out Tuesday morning. But they got along fine which was somewhat of a relief.
Anyway, they got dropped off in their neighborhoods and my driver then proceeded on to my hotel. Got checked in and hoofed it over to the offices of the Philippines Retirement Authority. Honestly, I was not real impressed with level of service. I mean, I was given prompt attention but the bureaucratic processes left me feeling befuddled. For example, I need to provide proof that I have a pension of at least $1000.00. So, I brought in my latest Office of Personnel Management Annuity Statement. I also provided my 2017 income statement from the Internal Revenue Service showing the amount paid and taxes withheld. These weren’t copies, they are the original documents. The PRA rep said I would need to have those documents “certified” as authentic by the U.S. Embassy! I was incredulous but they assured me it wouldn’t be a problem and they would even schedule the appointment for me. Alright, whatever. Then they come back and tell me the next available opening at the embassy is December 7. Well, bullshit. I’m NOT making the trip back down here in December.
And then I find out that the $10,000 I’m required to deposit in a Filipino bank must be wired from the USA (I had planned to deposit cash). Well damn, last I checked my credit union will not do wire transfers to other banks. So I could be facing a classic catch-22 scenario. This morning I was supposed to pay the visa processing fee of $1700. and get my physical exam. I decided not to do so. I fear if I pay the processing fee and can’t get the money wired here I’ll be out the fee. So I’m not going to move forward unless and until I get that wrinkle ironed out. I did keep my appointment at the NBI for fingerprinting/biometrics. I’m thinking it may be just as easy to stay here on a tourist visa. We’ll see.
Here’s a few photos for your viewing pleasure:
What the hell? We passed this park like place coming into town with “KKK” signs up all around the perimeter fence. I’m sure it stands for something innocuous here, but it was still a bit disconcerting…
The view from my room.
Now, Makati is the upscale area of Manila with lots of high rise high end condos. And this one street called P. Burgos has a strip of girly bars. And coincidentally, that’s where my hotel is located. No, I wasn’t surprised I’ve visited the area a couple of times in the past. And honestly, I’m not all that interested in dancing girls. I can get my fill of that back home for half the price! Instead I sat down in a nice open bar/resto, drank beer, and people watched. Lots of freelance hookers, some of who were obviously transgender (bakala as they are called here). And in the bar restroom I observed this sign:
Welcome to the danger zone!
I did opt for a legitimate massage which was good enough for me. The masseuse did give me her number in case I wanted to experience an “in-room” service where as she put it, I “could massage her too”. Hmm, what did I do with that number?
Not sure what my next move will be. Really nothing else to do with the PRA this trip. Could go home early I suppose, but I have paid for the room already. Decisions, decisions.
As long as you (1) make it out of Manila alive, (2) with a clear plan of how to handle whatever paperwork remains, and (3) without contracting an STD, I think that’ll be a clear win.
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
—Obi-wan Kenobi, reminiscing about his time in Manila
Oh, yeah:
I sat down in a nice open bar/resto, drank beer, and people watched.
So it sounds as if people watched you while you sat and drank.
Slight change:
I sat down in a nice open bar/resto, drank beer, and people-watched.
Behold the power of hyphens.
Kev, Ha-Ha!
Yes, I see now how powerful a hyphen can be! Thanks for the catch. Although truth be told, the hookers and ladyboys across the street were indeed watching me. And smiling. And waving. All in a fruitless effort to entice me over. Luckily I had already peed so I had been warned!
NFCU allows me to transfer into another bank. You just have to have a routing and account number. I don’t know if there is a limit on funds or what the difference between wire transfer and traditional transfer, but I have done both. We had to wire our down payment into a lawyer’s bank.
Thanks Lauren. I’m going to email them for guidance on how to proceed.
I sent an email just now which explains a solution to your transfer woes that will hopefully work. Something I’ve had to deal with over the years myself. Best of luck.