Online I found statistics for 2006. In this year, the number of registered motorcycles was 2,409,363 whereas the amount of cars was 792,373. I do not know if this number includes public vehicles known where there is a miniature bus powered by a motorcycle welded in the middle or a sidecar that seats four to six passengers.

There are many motorcycles with a welded attachment on the side like a flat bed for delivering merchandise. I have even lately seen what looks like a small delivery truck from the rear and once you see the front, it has a motorcycle seat and handlebars and powered by a motorcycle engine.

Besides these modified motorcycles, many times you see a normal motorcycle with anything imaginable being transported. I have seen a rider, facing the rear, holding a large TV on his lap.

Thanks to a friend of mine, he allowed me to use some photos he has collected over the years showing a normal motorcycle delivering many different items. As you might noticed, not all or maybe any are from the Philippines. Many are from Viet Nam, China and other Asian countries.

I know this is not one of my in-depth and thoughtful observances, but something I hope you will enjoy.

A while back he mentioned that once he retires here, it there was something he needed from the States he would ask friends planning to visit to bring some items or have them ship it through a Balikbayan shipper.

Balikbayan shipping is a way to ship personal items and the shipping cost is based on box size and not weight.

Well, I joked, if he visited, I would like some Seagram’s 7, which has not been available in Davao. The next comment I received was just one word, “done”.

Since electronics are imported in the Philippines and with that a import tariff, I asked about purchasing for me an external disk drive to have for backup and then replacement if my large external drive ever crashes. He informed me a good system available that I did not know about was a docking station where you can just insert an internal drive. The price is less than the external drive type that I use and with it; I can have multiple drives to use. I was interested in a Terra drive, but he convinced me to get two 500 GB drives so I can alternate for backups.

There were a few other items I asked for that is not available, one being the PM type of non-aspirin pain relievers, like Tylenol PM. Again he said no problem. Well Monday evening they came to our house for dinner and with them all the items I requested. The price was even less than I expected. Since I am not a big drinker and rarely ever drank at home I was shocked to see two 1.75 liter bottles of Seagram’s 7.  I hope I can finish these bottles before the alcohol evaporates.

The main point of this article is to show the help, assistance and friendships that can develop over the internet. Here is a couple that read my site for the information I provide, and at times comment with any agreement or even disagreement. They planned a trip here and were willing to purchase and bring items I wanted and needed.

With an article about having hobbies, he decided to open his own site Philippines or Bust (Retiring in the Philippines) http://www.philippinesorbust.com/

I have met other readers from this site, some who live here and some that visit. One of the most memorable was meeting Evelyn, a Filipina from General Santos City that works as a Caregiver in California. When she came back to visit her family, she invited us to visit her city and gave us a tour. She and her friends were so friendly, gave is gifts and would not even let us pay for anything during the day.

This is one of the most delightful ways that shows how the internet makes the world smaller and the connections and friendships that can be formed.

omeone asked me to elaborate on situations and problems with the relocation here to the Philippines.

I mentioned about appliances and electronics. If you’re coming from America, the electricity is 110V-120V. Here in the Philippines it is 220V. I do not know about the electrical systems in any other countries so I am no help there. Both US and Philippine power is 60 Hz.

In America the way the electric system is set up, there are 2 flat prongs and sometimes a round ground. One is 110V, the other is Neutral or 0 volts and the round ground is there in case there is a short, it will sent the electricity to the ground. In the Philippines there is no neutral. The plug looks the same, 2 flat prongs and sometimes a round ground. Both flat prongs carry 110V. You get 220V because they are opposite phase. For the round ground, hardly any house is wired for ground.

Before I moved here I bought (3) 220V to 110V converters. They were about $30.00 each. All they do is reduce each leg or the power from 110V to 60V. I destroyed an electric drill charger using it.

Many Electronics, such as computers, monitors and chargers are dual voltage. If your device is a dual voltage type you will have no problem. Just look at the sticker on the device or the information on the charger. If it has something like “110V-220V” or “120V-240V” you will be safe. If it is only “110V-120V” you will need a Power Transformer or a Power Regulator.   The differences is the Transformer steps down or regulates the voltage to 110-120 and creates a neutral. The regulator has circuitry to regulate the voltage incase the voltage varies. Such as when lights dim when an Air Conditioner or Refrigerators compressor kicks in.

On American 220V devices such as ovens, clothes dryers I am not sure. If you’re going to bring such a device, consult an certified electrician or electrical engineer here once you arrive.

It was strange for me, my desktop computer did not have a switch to change the input voltage settings but my monitor was dual voltage. I also brought a few kitchen small appliances such as a rotisserie, Stand Blender, Immersion Blender. One thing I needed to make sure was the Regulators I bought had a high enough amp or wattage rating for the needs of the devices.

Regulators come in many sizes. I know someone who bought a huge one and is running a refrigerator and other appliances from it.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially when you fly here, airlines restrict the weight of each piece of luggage or box and has limits of free baggage and limits of how many pieces you can bring, even if you’re paying for the excess. There will be things you want to bring with you so you have when you arrive.  There are also things you would like to have until it is close to your departure date. Remember again, most shipments travel by sea. They also first arrive in Manila and then shipped again to your location, especially if you are on a different island and not Luzon.

Most shippers require an inventory of what you’re shipping. I listed everything as personal items. I did not have to pay and VAT (value added tax). Make sure you know what charges you might have to pay once your items arrive in the Philippines. I thought all customs and fees were covered in the shipment. I also thought my boxes were to be delivered to my local address. When the shipment arrived in Manila, I was contacted by the agent in Manila and was informed we needed to send approx. 4,000 pesos to get my boxes released and then shipped to Davao. Being on Davao, I had no choice to send the money, even though I thought all charges was covered. Once the boxes arrived in Davao we were called and told where to pick them up. Again, how do you argue that they were to be delivered? They would have delivered them but probably we would have to pay an inflated trucking charge. Our neighbor had a friend with a Jeepney offered to go with us and all we had to pay was the gas usage. When we arrived the boxes were no longer on the palate and most looked like they were dropped or sat on.  Luckily nothing was damages except the one ceramic vase.

As I mentioned in the previous article, most houses here do not have closets or storage rooms. They day the boxes arrived and we were loading the Jeepney, and then again as we were unloading at the house, I was thinking “Oh my God, where are we going to put all this stuff?” I had 17 boxes. Well to my surprise and the exceptional work of Elena, in 2 days, all boxes were opened, unloaded, items put away. I also realized, since we would probably move in the near future since the lease was up and we needed a bigger place, we flattened the boxes and stored them under the beds and behind some cabinets.

After all was done, and with the use of the regulators, I wish I would have brought some other items as my electric grill/Panini maker, my convection toaster oven and my Tivo box.

Something also to keep in mind, electronics, in most cases, are more expensive here than in America. You can find good deals on computers, external hard drives, even some TV’s in the states. If you’re going to buy new, or will need them here, check the price differences. Buying there and shipping over might work out cheaper.

Best advice is using your computer, do lots of research and then plan your move. Remember, unless you have good support from someone back home, once you’re here it is hard to get the things you left behind. It is also good to have someone you can send money and they will ship things here. Before you leave visit Asian Markets, some will have Balikbayan shipping service where you, or someone once you’re here ship things to you. Shipping this way, you are charges by size of box, not weight. This will save you a lot of money compared to using the Postal service.

Any comments are appreciated since I am writing from memory and things I have heard from others.

Are you ready to pack up and move here? There are many things to consider. What to bring. Over the years you have collected many possessions. You probably own a home, condo or maybe renting. You have furniture, appliances, electronics, clothes, and some personal items you felt you could never do without. Now you need to decide what to bring, sell, give away or just toss in the trash. If you have a lot of stuff and money is not a problem, you can get a shipper that will bring to your home a 20 or even 40 foot shipping container. Just remember most houses here do not have closets and storage can be a problem.

Some shippers will let you use part of a container,they or you will just build a wall separating your shipment from the other shipment. There are shippers that will ship boxes by sea. Depending where you live some will pick them up for a door to door shipment. If you’re on or near a shipping port, you can bring to them or you might need to ship some domestic ground service to the shipper.

International shippers ship by volume, not by weight. You can ship the boxes as individuals or pay a little extra for them to be put on a palate.  One thing I will recommend, if possible find double corrugated boxes. Those are boxes with 2 layers of corrugated paper. Also use enough packing materials that the box is tightly full. Anything damageable, make sure it is protected well.  I had just used boxes from U-Haul. I used towels, pillows and even sleeping bags as packing materials. When the boxes arrived, most looked crushed. Luckily for me, only one ceramic vase was broken.

One thing to remember, this shipment can take 2 to 3 months to arrive. So with this in mind, make sure you bring necessities with you when you travel here. At the last minute I shipped a few boxes with the postal system. They took 2 months to arrive also. In the boxes I had packed some dress shoes. When I arrived Elena told me we were asked to stand up for a friend of hers sons wedding. Here it is called Ninang (female) and Ninong (male). We went out and bought a pair of semi dress slacks and a Barong. A Barong is the Philippine formal shirt. It is a long sleeve shirt worn out of the slacks. It is a thin material so you need to wear a T-shirt under it. Then we realized I needed black dress shoes. I knew I would live mainly in sneakers or flip-flops here and I had a pair of shoes in shipment. I was not about to go spend a lot of money for a pair of shoes I might need once or twice a year.

One day we were downtown and I mentioned to Elena about checking out some of the Ukay-Ukay shops. Ukay-Ukay is stall type shops that sell mainly used clothes. You sometimes can find items that might be out of date sold and shipped here still with tags on.

For the Philippines, I have trouble finding shoes my size. I am a size 12 E. Well the first stall we looked in had a pair of Florsheim black wingtips, my size and looking at the smooth, unscratched soles, were probably never worn. With a little bargaining I got them for 60 pesos ($1.50 USD).

That brings us back to moving here. If you have any special needs, clothes sizes, shoe sizes, maybe it is better to stock up and ship over.

Another item to think about is your money. What and where is your income coming from? Where will it be deposited and how will you get it here? Most credit cards will work here, just make sure you contact them to let them know you will be out of the country for a while so they do not see a lot of charges from the Philippines and put a stop on your card. ATMs work here too. You can use most credit and ATM cards at ATM machines here. For mail, there are mail forwarders available too. They give you a mailing address or box number and once a month, or how ever you set it up, will package your mail and ship it to you here.

I set up a bank account in the US where my investment payments are directly deposited and then I transfer it to my back account here for a small fee. There are also Philippine Banks that have remittance centers or affiliate banks in the US where your deposits will just be transferred to your account here. I do not have any experience with that yet so I cannot tell you who to use.

My mother is still alive and well so I am using her home address as my American address and things go through her. If you do not have a family member you can use, I recommend a trusted accountant or lawyer with your power of Attorney to be able to take care of financial and legal matters.

There are so many things to consider, I know I am forgetting things, or I have not experienced to mention. If there is something you need to ask, just add a comment and I will do my best to find the answers.

When I thought Elena would be moving to Florida, there were things I wanted for her and some things she wanted to make cooking easier.

So, here I was, looking at all these new kitchen things, never used. I decided I might as well ship them there. Immersion Blender, new set of pots and pans, a flatware set and a rotisserie. She told me about a “Turbo” she uses there to cook chickens. I thought it was their name for a rotisserie so I bought her one of Ron Popiels “Showtime” units.

Then there is books that I had not read yet, lots of towels and bedsheets that make great filler and packing materials. And so many items that I wanted to help remember home, such as photo albums, pictures in frames and figurines and knick knacks.

Well I first thought I would have about 5-10 medium boxes. And it ended up being 17 boxes at 1.4 Cu Meter.

I hope there will be still room in Elena’s House for me too.

I also ordered my plane tickets. Unfortunately I am flying there on a tourist visa so I must show a round trip tickets. The US will not let you leave and the Philippine immigration will not let you stay without proof you can return home without being a burden on either countries.

I also have an appointment Monday at the Philippine Consulate on Monday to get a 1 year visa.

Once I am there, Elena and I will marry and then I can apply for a resident visa.