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They give out a free SIM at the airport as a welcome gift. You just insert it into your phone and load it. They also sell prepaid load cards at the airport. Hope this helps!

A while ago I went to a few casinos near the airport in Manila. I got out of City of Dreams and decided to take a taxi waiting outside to Okada Manila, which is less than 5 minutes away. As soon as I got in, the driver chatted and joked around, and everything seemed normal, but I noticed he hadn't turned on the meter. I said, "Bro, turn on the meter," and he said, "Of course, of course, sir!" but never turned it on. About a minute later, he openly said, "Just give me 2,000 pesos." I actually laughed. ₱2,000 for a trip under 5 minutes? I said I'd pay at most ₱200, and he immediately lowered it to ₱1,000. "Look, I've been coming to the Philippines for years. I don't pay more than 200 pesos." In the end he agreed and let me out. I'm used to the Philippines, so I immediately knew what the scam was. But a first-timer who doesn't know the exchange rate or the usual taxi fare might actually pay that ridiculous amount. Travelers, especially near the Manila casinos, make sure to check that the driver turns on the meter before you leave. If he refuses, get out and flag down another cab. Or just use Grab. I love visiting the Philippines, but it's a shame that some drivers rip off tourists like this.

One thing that's great about Conan is that he only cares about whether the bit is funny. If it helps the bit, he's happy to play the straight man and let someone else be the star.

Why don't you try World Vision?

I'm also a 100% service-connected disabled veteran and a former U.S. Marine. I've been living here for 17 years on my pension, and for the last 5 years I've also been receiving Social Security (SS). I'm living very comfortably in Iloilo. (I highly recommend this area.) There are several hospitals nearby that accept FMP (covers all military service-related conditions), TRICARE, and CHAMPUS, and the VA outpatient clinic is in Manila, about a 1-hour flight away if you have the time. I've saved far more than I ever dreamed of in the U.S. In just 7 years I bought a house and land, a car that I paid off completely, and a condo that I'm still paying installments on. I had a Filipino wife, and although I lost her to cancer last year, life here is very comfortable, and the people and culture are amazing. Here, if you show respect, you can go far, and people respect you back just the same. For the military SRRV, you only need a $1,500 deposit in a bank and a $1,500 processing fee. Since I've been here the whole time on a tourist visa and renewed it whenever needed, that's possible too. Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message.

Gigachad among gigachads.

Spray only works on the spots where you spray it. The key is to get rid of the queen ant and her workers. Boric acid takes a while, but I've been getting rid of ants for 30 years. It takes about 3 days to get rid of the culprits. If you kill the worker ants too quickly, the queen will abandon the nest and move, and you'll have to start all over again.

Nord is very good, and if you catch it on a sale, the 24-month plan is really cheap. Express VPN costs a bit more but is easy to use, and it's nice if your family members want to watch American Netflix or other streaming services at home. Both block ads and trackers. Proton is also excellent, but it's more expensive. That's because you're buying the whole security package: email, storage, and VPN. I don't like using anything without security, so I'll use something. You never know when your phone might connect to public Wi-Fi.

Interneighborhood ballistic missile

They often have no tools or materials, and no expertise or curiosity to look things over before starting. Welcome to the land of 'destructive improvement.' Anything newly installed breaks the existing work, as long as the fix looks like it solved the problem. So they magically join pipes together and expect liquids and solids to flow the way they want, regardless of angles, bends, or fluid dynamics. No matter the gauge, they expect current to flow just by connecting two wires together, regardless of voltage. An air conditioner that needs 32A is connected to a breaker that can only handle 16A... and the house's meter can't handle more than 16A. Tilers ruin the paint, painters ruin the tiles. Dust ruins everything. Tools are left outside to rust. Parts that aren't installed vanish overnight. They take only the copper and wire, and garbage and cigarette butts are strewn everywhere. And that's assuming a proper worker shows up at all. 🙂

If you want great beaches, Dumaguete and Iloilo aren't the places. Consider Boracay, Bohol, Siquijor, or Siargao, or stay in Luzon and go south to Laiya or north to Zambales. Rombloon and Tablas also have beautiful beaches.

Wooooowww sluuuuurp!!

I'm going to pay in cash! I have PhilHealth in the Philippines, and it's not useless like some people think! There are discounts depending on your age (65 and over), veteran status, whether you're a resident, and whether you pay cash up front. Not long ago I had a burst appendix and was hospitalized for 4 days. When I saw the final bill at discharge, I was shocked! It wasn't even 20% of what I paid with Medicare in the US. I looked into private insurance here, and at my age I couldn't find anything under $400 a month! That's about $5,000 a year, roughly 250,000 pesos. 250,000 pesos a year. If I stay healthy for 4 years, I'd basically be handing the insurance company 1 million pesos for nothing... for no reason at all!!!

If the dog plus crate is over 70 lbs, it has to go as cargo. It's best to depart from places with flights, like Seattle, SFO, LAX, Chicago, or New York. We sent ours last June. I liked the PAL cargo forwarding agent in Seattle, and it's a direct flight. Tip: when picking up your dog from PAL cargo, book a van on Klook. The Bureau of Agriculture and customs are at the end of the PAL baggage conveyor. You have to go back and forth between the PAL cargo counter, which is 5 miles from the airport, and the Bureau of Agriculture and customs, so renting a van while you wait for your dog is the best option. A van with a driver is only $50 on Klook and you can use it for 8 hours.

I've almost never seen an animal express betrayal this relatably

Either one is fine. Palawan is really great, and you can do a 2-night, 3-day island hopping trip all the way to Coron, which is very good. El Nido is lively but it's quite touristy now. Still, if you're a woman traveling alone, there are plenty of chances to make friends. Moalboal is nice too, but it can get boring after a few days. The sardine run is really amazing, and diving at Pescador Island is good too. If I had to pick just one, I'd go to Palawan. Port Barton is also worth a visit. It's unspoiled and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Going from El Nido to Port Barton to Puerto Princesa is easy. (Puerto Princesa is only for the airport, not really a place to sightsee. I don't think it's great.)

If you have the Balikbayan stamp, you don't need an ECC. That only applies if you've stayed more than 12 months, and that's only possible by extending your Balikbayan visa.

I also need to renew. Are there any additional requirements or documents needed?

I just want to say congratulations, sir, on still traveling at your age 🙏🏻