Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

Moving notes – Updated

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Well, as most readers are well aware, Feyma and I are in the middle of moving right now.  Because there is a lot of work to do, I will keep this article a bit short, but I think I have a few interesting tidbits of information to share.  I want to tell you a bit about what it is like to move in the Philippines.  I am not talking about moving to the Philippines, I am talking about moving from one place in the Philippines to another place in the Philippines.  Believe it or not, it’s probably a little different in some respects to what you might be expecting.

Feyma and I signed the lease, put down our deposit and such on Friday, October 29, 2010.  The lease actually goes into effect on November 15.  We do, however, have access to the house now, and have permission from the owner of the house to move our things into the house during the period before the lease starts.  This is because of a few things, mostly because the home owner was in Davao for a short vacation at the end of October, but they live in Manila.  So, it was convenient for them if we took care of everything a bit early, and we were happy about that as well, so that is what we did.

Feyma and my original plan was to start moving our “rarely used” stuff immediately, and have our move completed on November 15.  Our plan was to move as much as we could ourselves, using our SUV and our Pickup Truck.  We figured we would need to hire a moving van to haul the big stuff, as we had done in the past when we have moved.  We were surprised though.  As our “a little at a time” moved progressed, we realized that we had already moved the bulk of our stuff over quite early.  We also realized that we would be able to move everything (including the big stuff) in our own vehicles and save on hiring a truck to move our big items.

So, with this in mind, we have already finished moving everything!  We finished a week early, and it took only one week to complete the entire move!  We are still organizing our things, but I must say that I am very happy with the way it worked out.  Well, let me change that a bit.  We do still have a few items over at the other house, but mostly just “outside stuff” like plants and such.  Probably 2 more loads in the truck will be needed.

Manpower

With any move, grunt work is the hard part.  You need young, strong people to carry the stuff.  You need capable people to unpack the boxes, and arrange things in an orderly way.  Since labor is inexpensive in the Philippines, it’s not expensive to hire people to help out with this.  However, you don’t want to hire just anybody off the street, because these people are handling things that are important and sometimes valuable.  To address this problem, we talked to our maid, who has been with us for some time already.  She recommended people who were family members and neighbors of hers.  We hired 3 or 4 ladies to help with the unpacking, cleaning and such.  We also hired 3 or 4 men who could carry heavy stuff and do the more “manly” chores that needed to be done.  Yes, I realize that might sound sexist, but hey, the Philippines is a a society where men still do certain types of jobs and women do other types of work.  It’s not a place where you see female construction workers and such like it is in many parts of the world now.  Anyway, we paid these people P300 per day for their help, and they really did a good job for us.

Internet Access

Since my business is Internet based, we basically needed to have Internet Access from the minute we moved our computers over to the new place.  This is not easy, because getting Philippine Internet Providers to do things on a schedule is quite difficult.  For example, we have applied to have a Globe DSL line installed in the house (with 3Mbps speed, nice!).  They promised us a week ago that it would be installed in 4 to 7 days, but first they had to do a “site survey” to make sure the speed we applied for is available at our house.  Well, it’s been 7 days, but so far they didn’t even come out to do a site survey.  So, when it will be hooked up is anybody’s guess.  Secondly, we will keep our SmartBro Canopy system that we have at our old house, since we are still on contract for that for another 14 months.  They were supposed to come to our old house yesterday to move the antenna and equipment to our new house.  They did not show up, despite their promise to do so.  So, when will that be done?  Who knows.

So, how can we keep our business going?  I purchased a “Globe Tattoo” 3G wireless USB dongle, which allows my computer to access the Internet from the Cellular towers.  Works great.  Access is expensive, P5 for 15 minutes.  That sounds cheap, but if you are online 24/7 like I mostly need to be for my business, that is P15,000 per month to access the net.  We are cutting back our access somewhat to keep the cost down, and hopefully we will have more permanent access in place in a few days.  But, even if we don’t, at least we can still access the net and keep business going.

After I purchased the Globe Tattoo dongle, I found out that there are WiFi routers that you can buy where you can plug the Tattoo into it and share the connection on a WiFi network!  So, I bought one of those, and now all of our computers can share the Internet Access from the Globe Tattoo, which makes it even easier to do business on the net even while moving.

Boxes

When you are going to move, you need boxes, right?  In the US, whenever I moved there, I would do one of two things:

  1. Go to stores and they would generally give you their used boxes for free.
  2. Go buy boxes from a place like “U-Haul”.

Well, here in the Philippines, did you know that if you go to the store and ask for boxes, they charge you for them?  That’s right, used boxes that merchandise was in when it was shipped to them… boxes that you would think they are going to throw away anyway, they charge P30 for those!  Need newspaper to wrap fragile items in?  That’s P20 per kilo!  Nothing is free in the Philippines!

Feyma is the hero

I must say, during this move, Feyma has really been the hero!  Me, for the most part… I have just been in her way.  She has really made this move so easy and painless.  I have to give it to Feyma, she has really become an expert at moving, and my hat is off to her in every sense!  So, thanks to Feyma for making the move the smoothest and most painless move that I have made in my life.

So, that is an update on our move.  Another week or so, and I think we will be totally settled in, and everything will be back to normal for us.  I have to say, so far I am really liking the new neighborhood!  It is so quiet here!  We rarely even hear a car pass by!

I thought this would be short, I even said at the beginning of this article that I would keep it short.  It didn’t turn out that way, though… I hope this didn’t bore you!

Update – 12 Noon Philippine time, Monday November 8, 2010

SmartBro showed up at our old house today and moved our Canopy system to the new house!  I guess they came about 9am or so to the old house, and everything was all installed at the new place by 12 Noon.  Great Service!  The only downside was that they did not show up on Saturday as promised, but I am used to that kind of thing, I suppose.  So, anyway, now we have the SmartBro Internet Connection all installed and working.  At least we are not having to use the Globe Tattoo full time now.  Just waiting now for the Globe DSL line to be installed.  We will be following up with them today to see what the status of the application is.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob;
    Is sounds like your move went smoother than even you anticipated, put that in the plus column of life. Very novel idea using a pick-up truck and your SUV to move, I’d envisioned a fleet of overloaded tricycles flowing like ants from the old to the new house, as I’ve seen many times in my purok. (lol)
    I dream of the day when I could use something as high tech as a dongle, wait a minute is really the name of that Tattoo thingy? Here I am 2 months away from the year 2011 and I’m still dangling (kinda’ like dongle) my 3G Cell Phone out a window, Some day I pray the the P.I. will find a cure for the Y2K bug. But most of all, I’m pleased your move went that well!

    • Hi Paul – Indeed, things went very smooth. We are still doing some unpacking and arranging, but more or less we are in the new house. Been sleeping here at the new place for 2 nights already!

      Yep, it’s called a “dongle” – and it’s easy to use, my friend. If you are using Windows, just plug the dongle in to the USB jack, and in about 2 minutes all of the software will be automatically installed, and you’ll be online! I am pretty happy with it, except the cost to be online is high compared to what I’m used to!

      • Bob;
        Last year I bought the Tattoo thingy, and gave it to my daughter two weeks later, It put my Puter on line and then would cut out 3 to 4 times an hour, and I was getting a tad miffed over that, so I reverted back to my trusty 3G Cell phone. Globe could not figure out why the phone was dependable and the Tattoo wasn’t. I think they said something like
        “Out of stock as an answer!” My computer “Guy” was also baffled also.

        • That’s interesting, Paul. I also wonder why it would be like that. My Globe Tattoo works great, and when you combine it with that WiFi Router that I bought… well, we’ve got a nice connection all over the house now!

          • Bob: I experienced the same issue when I tried Tattoo in Abulug… I-phone and Blackberry worked fine, Tattoo was slower than dial up and intermittent, at best. No answer from Globe (not surprised), but in remote areas, I think it is due to the capacity of the towers and distance from the towers (my guess, anyway).

            • Hi John – That’s quite interesting! I admit that at times the Tattoo gets a little slow on me, but usually it is quite good. If it gets slow, I just stop it and reconnect, and the speed is generally back to normal again.

        • Paul..with your great sense of humor I am thinking you should write a post some day and start it out with…….”out of stock”…maybe that is a saying that the fillipinos use for a lot of different things or a way to make a explanation short on something……

      • Bob – For info, you can buy 50 pesos load for your Globe Tattoo then type SUPERSURF50 and send to 8888 – this will allow you access to the Internet for 24 hours. I believe there’s also SUPERSURF220 which allows you access for 5 days.

      • Bob,

        I’m happy to see you are all moved in with no problems. Hopefully it will stay quiet for you. By the way how much does the Globe Tatoo cost? Appreciate the info. Good luck.

  2. Bob, good morning. Short, eh? Long article actually. Not boring. At least you’re readers will have an idea what needs to be done to make the move from one house to another house. Article was sweet in the end. Lucky you, you have Feyma. Hooray for quiet neighborhood!

  3. Bob
    Good article, I am glad you used local cheap labor for the heavy moving.
    I cant imagine doing household moving there in such a hot climate. I would probably be leaving a sweat trail along the way and have a sweat towel around my neck.

    Only in the Philippines would they call something a “Dongle”
    I recently switched to a MAC I really like it but I have not mastered all of the applications yet and I love no constant anti virus updates. Are there alot of MAC users there and are there any difficulties with internet connections with a MAC??

    • Ah, once you have been here for a while, Neal, it is not really hot here anymore! 😆

      Dongle is not the Philippine name for that device… that name is used all over the world, in fact I think the name was invented in the USA.

      There are not many Mac users here, but there are some. Should be no problem in getting online, though.

      • Bob
        Just shows you the lack of depth in my computer knowledge/skills.
        I thought the Dongle was a Filipino thing.

        • Ha ha… you know, Neal, I had never thought of it before, but “dongle” does sound like a Filipino word! I can’t argue on that one! It could be somebody’s nickname!

    • I’m a MAC user. I have an Time Capsule connected to a SmartBro canopy. Some fiddling with settings and it works fine. Wireless network is on Airport Extreme 802.11N.

  4. Bob..

    Glad your move is going smoothly!!

    Moving is not easy….I liken it to going to the dentist.

    I have the globe service you mentioned and I think you will like it. They said on a Monday they would have me up and going by Thursday and by Wednesday I was hooked up and running!

    I don’t know how many Mac users here Neal….but connecting is no different than a PC.

    On a side note PLDT goofed up a friends connection and he is running 5 Mbps and downloading like crazy.

    I would be interested if anyone has had experience in an island to island move and what resources did they use in the move. In my case Cebu to Bohol.

    Again congrats on your move, as moving can be stressful for all involved.

    • Thanks, Greg! I have never moved island to island before, but I would imagine that could turn into a logistical nightmare, especially if you have a lot of stuff to move!

      I wish my experience with Globe was like yours! So far, in over a week I have not heard back from them at all.

            • We got more good news this afternoon, Cheryll. Globe notified us that 3Mbps service is available here at our house, and we are on the schedule for installation! I can’t wait!

              • It seems strange to hear someone being excited by 3Mbps, but it’s all what you are currently used to I suppose. Actually, since I don’t download much really, 1Mbps would probably work just as well for me and I’d not notice the difference. Is that about as fast as you can get in the Davao area then Bob?

              • Hi Jim – In my life, I the fastest internet I have ever had is 1 Mbps, and that is here in the Philippines. When I lived in the States, that was in the 90’s, and we lived outside the city. The best Internet we had there was 28.8 kbps dial-up. I am very, very excited to get 3Mbps! Yes, that is the fastest available in Davao.

              • Hi Jan – My Globe DSL was just installed this afternoon. Speedtest.net results range between 2.8 Mbps up to 3.5 Mbps. I’ve probably done 25 tests on the site to different servers all around the world. My slowest speed was 2.8 Mbps. I am very happy with the Globe Broadband DSL so far, and I hope it stays like this! I could not be happier!

  6. Glad to see you got moved well and your methods made sense . Stateside i would just rent a U – Haul and buy a case of beer or so . 🙂 Here , our stuff usually gets moved hanging out the back or off the top of a jeepney and my wife insists i don’t do directions .. 🙂

      • ROTFL! I have a lot of those boxes you know SM gives them to me every Wednesday hahahaha no bags on Wednesday they stuff everything in boxes, toilet paper boxes etc, hehehe. But i think the maid throws them out.
        I know she keeps all the balikbayan boxes as I saw them stacked in our garage, LOL!

          • It’s CLOSER! hahaha
            the boxes are free every Wednesday save the earth something, LOL! No plastic bags you can have as many boxes as you want, hahaha!

            Park & Shop is CHEAPER! hahahha

            I run to SM if I run out of stuff during the week.

            The weekly grocery is at Park & Shop, I call it in and someone goes to pick it up.

          • Bob – SM in CdO recently started to charge 15 pesos if you want your groceries packed in a box.

            Glad to hear the move went well. I bet Feyma has already put the xmas tree up.

            • Hi Marilou – No Christmas tree yet! Both Feyma and I prefer the American tradition that the Christmas tree goes up at the end of November, right after Thanksgiving! So, it will be 2 or 3 weeks yet!

  8. Hi Bob,
    Congrats on your move.I’m glad you found a house for your family with quite neighbourhood.Moving is very difficult specially when there is no helpers. I don’t let my husband do the packing because he doesn’t believe in marking boxes. At the beginning of winter, we moved from Melbourne to the country side ( just below the ski field ) 8 years ago, we moved our stuff in stages, we had nowhere put our stuff we were still building the house and staying in a rental cabin. We left Melbourne that day and we decided to go back to Melbourne ( 3 hours drive) in 3 weeks to pick -up more stuff. We arrived at our destination 3 hours later, unpacked the car, had a shower, opened the suitcase and it revealed summer clothes. He picked up the wrong suitcase. So for 3 weeks I wore summer clothes with tights and sandals and I did not dare leave the cabin.I was so mad at him and told him not to interfere with the packing and loading. He said he was in a hurry. He always want things done yesterday. We have been married 16 years,we moved 11 times. I had to put my foot down at the end, if he come up with big ideas and involves moving, he is on his own because I’m done being a Gypsy.

    • Thank you Susan! I am happy with the place that Feyma found for us. Ha ha.. your husband does not mark the boxes! I am very particular about that, and I always want the boxes marked with where they should go! It makes the move much easier!

      • Maurice read your reply and corrected me. He said we moved 14 times! ha ha…Oops my mistake.Just as well I have a lot patience.

        • Hi Susan – Wow… that’s a lot of moving. I know how it is, though… when I was a child we moved a lot like that. Just about the time I started making friends in school, it was time for another move!

  9. Interesting you are talking about the Globe Tattoo, I just bought one a few hours ago to use while on vacation with a Lenovo ” Idea Pad ” netbook and just got it working a few minutes ago. Basically plug and play with minimal setup.

    Will the Globe Tattoo work in the USA and can I buy load for it in USA ?

    Best of luck with the move Bob

    • Hi Bob – I do not believe that you can use the Tattoo in the States, or if you could it would be quite expensive, paying roaming rates.

      Thanks for the “good luck” I think we are getting it!

      • I have never heard of Tattoo here in the USA…but that does not mean it is not here…I would think like you said Bob the roaming rates would kill you….really in most places you can do WIFI and do it for free…as long as there are those that are running unsecure routers…you can have all the free high speed internet you want….4.5 to 8 mbps is not bad for free….or 562 kb/sec that is for the 4.5mbps….to lazy to fig out the 8mbps in kb/sec…

      • I kind of thought it may not work here in the USA although some place I read it may work in parts of the West Coast USA. I had a one night stay over in Manila because of airline scheduling. The ” executive class ” hotel had in-room wired internet and WiFi but at a cost quoted to me at 500 PHP per hour. ” Fooey ” on that I said. I had one of my Filipino friends with me and we went to a nearby shopping mall where my friend told me about the Globe Tattoo. I knew I would only have a few hours but I thought I would try it and if not usable in USA, it would be something I could bring with me on my next visit to Philippines. ( Wishful thinking maybe ? ) . It came with 24 hours of load. I tried it and it worked although I could not access my Yahoo Messenger with it, it would not sign in. It worked fine using IE8. I liked it so much I am going to try and get a USA equivalent of it if I can get one on a pay as you go basis with no monthly charges or time limit on load, such as use load within 30 days or you loose it. Might be nice to have during a power failure or if my broadband cable goes out which is rare.

        Anyone have any experience with the USA equivalent for the Globe Tattoo ?

  11. Hi Bob,

    Congrats on your recent move. It was nice of your new land lord to let you moved in early and i’m sure that helped a lot in making sure that everything that needs to go to the new house goes in order of needs. Just wondering (I have never rented a house in PI), on your last day at the house, do you have to have a sort of walk-thru with the owner to make sure everything is in order? Cleaning charges and whatever the owner can think off before you’re off the hook?

    • Hi Jun – We are unlike a lot of renters in that we do clean up the house that we are leaving. It is my personal policy that I leave the house better than it was when we moved in. That’s just the type of person I like to be. We will have a walk through with the owner, or her representative, when we turn the keys over. I suspect that everything will go smoothly, and we will be given our deposit back, because they are honorable people and have always treated us well.

  12. good news on the move. just wondering how easy it is to get other services transferred, water electricity etc, or is that another article for another day

    • Hi paul – No need to transfer the water or electricity, they were already operational in the new house. In the Philippines, for such utilities, normally they are just left in the house owner’s name, and the tenant just pays the bills.

    • I don’t know, Phil. Here in Davao I was charge P1,495, and then it is P5 for 15 minutes service. As far as I know, they do not offer a monthly unlimited plan. I hope I am wrong, though! 😉