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If you accept this side quest, you might end up locking yourself out of the main quest.

You're using it knowing it too, right?

If you have a local person do things for you, they often end up paying more too. The term "skin color tax" is also a bit inaccurate. It's not about skin color, it's about whether you look wealthy. Filipinos who look rich, like those driving expensive cars, often pay more even when the seller has the same skin color.

Rockwell (Makati) and BGC (Taguig) are the two best condo areas in Metro Manila. BGC is pretty big and you can't walk everywhere. Rockwell and Eastwood (Quezon City) are basically about 1km x 1km. I used to own a condo in Rockwell but lost it when I got divorced. Now I live in Eastwood. The rent is half of BGC or Rockwell. In BGC you sometimes have to take a Grab to get around. You can walk in Eastwood and Rockwell. You don't need a car in Eastwood, BGC, or Rockwell. In Rockwell you can walk to Makati Ayala Avenue, but I'm not interested in that. Both Rockwell and Eastwood have decent-sized small malls, dozens of restaurants, and events. When it rains, you can get around Eastwood mostly under covered walkways. In Rockwell, only some buildings are connected like that. Both have cinemas and churches. Rockwell has one supermarket, Eastwood has two. Eastwood has a bowling alley and a billiards hall. The family-friendly bowling alley has good pool tables. There's also the Repertory Philippines theater in Manila. I like that Eastwood sets up an outdoor stage. They hold concerts and events: small anime conventions, band performances, New Year's events, even Easter egg hunts. I think Rockwell has a Mexican restaurant too. Eastwood has a good place called Agave. All three areas are safe. No old-style jeepneys, no tricycles, no beggars. Everyone speaks English. There's a small-town charm to living here. One night around midnight I ordered at McDonald's, but it took so long that I said I had to leave for a work meeting. When I came back at 3 a.m., the manager recognized me and placed my order again. When I'm looking around Robinsons (supermarket), a staff member tells me where my wife is in the store. The cashiers even know all three of our kids' names. I'm known as the 'red backpack uncle' and the dad who pushes the twins side by side in a stroller. I take a Grab maybe once or twice a month. Sometimes I go 3km to Opus Mall to eat at Red Lotus or Tim Ho Wan dim sum. On Thanksgiving I went to Dave & Buster's there (the only one in the Philippines). I also take a modern 15-peso jeepney (shuttle bus) to Cubao to eat at Shake Shack. On the way back I take a 3-dollar Grab. Eastwood has Chili's, TGI Fridays, Wendy's, McDo (McDonald's), Kenny Rogers, Popeyes (rumored to be closing), Pho Hoa, Pollo Loco, Italianni's, and Modern Shanghai. You won't regret choosing BGC, Rockwell, or Eastwood. Eastwood is a bit older, the cost is half, and it's self-sufficient (like Rockwell). The best food court is in Rockwell. It's amazing. If you come to Eastwood, you'll probably recognize me. It's because of my famous mixed-race twin daughters. Eastwood furnished studio/1-bedroom is 18,000 pesos. Furnished 2-bedroom (including maid's room) is 40,000 to 45,000 pesos. All these areas are non-smoking. Eastwood is a bit farther from hospitals than BGC, but it has Medical City and other medical facilities. Only St. Luke's BGC is missing (I gave birth to the twins there). Feel free to DM me.

Google Voice is really good. Nothing beats it on price.

There's a Bacolod expat group on Facebook you can look up. Quite a lot of people are active there 🤙

This would be delicious with a plate of Filipino food.

You can make them yourself too. Order a food dehydrator from Lazada.

Why did you choose Davao? I went for a week, stayed two days, and got bored and left. I hope you meet someone nice. Good luck.

Go visit Samal. It's a 15-minute ferry ride and costs 20 pesos. There's a restaurant bar called BAUM where expats hang out, and it's run by a German guy.

When you go through Philippine immigration, show both passports. It also helps you avoid paying the Philippine departure tax. When you arrive in Australia, show your child's Australian passport. When you come back to the Philippines, do the reverse. It's really simple. 🤷🏻‍♀️

How some people describe the Titanic door scene

The reason we want to stay in the Philippines even if we can't move on our own is that we don't want to go into a nursing home. We can just hire a 24-hour caregiver for our own home. All we need is family or someone trustworthy to take charge of the care. Let money take care of you. Really, everyone will look after you well, because you're their source of income.

I live near I.T. Park. Yes, Cebu has lots of fun things to do and nice people here.

GEHA is the best. I've used it in the Philippines for the past 23 years and the coverage has been excellent. Starting this year, anyone with Medicare A and B gets almost 100% coverage with no deductible or copayment. I'm on GEHA Standard and get 100% reimbursed.

Honestly, nobody watched it to the end lol

If it's a small amount, I just let it go. Most of the time people aren't acting out of malice; those with lower incomes are simply seeing a chance to earn a bit more. And honestly, if the situation were reversed, I'd probably do the same… For big purchases, I have a trustworthy Filipino friend buy things for me so I don't get overcharged. To be fair, this isn't really about skin color. It's about where you're from and how wealthy you look. Airlines have been doing this for years too. That's why when buying plane tickets, people use a VPN to appear to be in a different (poorer) country and save hundreds of dollars.

No, TRICARE pays up to 75%. You still have to pay the fees and deductibles yourself. You need to submit a TRICARE authorization form. At facilities like Medical City in Pasig, they sometimes handle advance payment with TRICARE once you've met your deductible for the year. To keep TRICARE, you also have to keep Medicare.

I'd keep Part B if I were you. It has its advantages.

OP, As for the landlord's explanation, it's technically possible since IPTV can use Ethernet. But they might also be sharing the internet with another tenant over the same line. Things worth trying: 1. Log into your PLDT router (usually 192.168.1.1) and check for any unfamiliar devices in the connected devices or LAN clients list. 2. If your router supports it, check the traffic usage on the Ethernet port leading to the other tenant to see how much bandwidth they're using. 3. Ask PLDT whether your service includes IPTV and whether that Ethernet port is configured for IPTV. If you gained 5 to 10 Mbps in speed after cutting the line, something is using bandwidth, but that doesn't necessarily mean someone is web browsing. It could be real IPTV. I'd check the router before confronting the landlord.