Of course, this Forum is a godsend to anyone contemplating a relationship with a Filipina. It helped me greatly to understand the country, its people, their customs and characteristics.
Three months after meeting on a chat site (Filipina Heart) I was flying out to meet my gf. I had booked a flight to Manila before meeting her, and at a time when I had no one to visit out there. After endlessly reading the Forum I knew I wanted to see the Philippines, even if I was alone out there.
But then along came Shirley, we chatted, we got along so well. Wouldnt it be nice if you could visit the Philippines she would say, and it was not long after we first met that we both cancelled our FH accounts, chatted on Messenger, and both knew (hoped) this was not just a casual friendship.
I held out for a while, not telling her I already had a flight booked, but as it became apparent we were serious I told her. It was worth waiting, just to see her reaction on the webcam!! Fortunately she lived only 2 hours from Manila, which was fortunate. How annoying if she had lived near Cebu Airport!
Of course the Forum came into its own. I knew I had to take some gifts out, meet the family. I had a wealth of experience to tap into to help me, and planned accordingly. I had updated my phone to a tri-band one so we could sms and chat, but what I did not know was that as it was not on a contract it would not work over there.
Came the day, and came the flight. I had booked the cheapest flight I could, Kuwait Airways, and knew thay had a bad reputation. But everything was fine. The flights showed up something interesting. The leg from London to Kuwait was mainly composed of people from Arab nations, and the flight from Kuwait to Manila mainly Filipino. The contrast between the two sets of passengers was noticeable. The filipinos were a happy bunch, mainly younger guys and gals, happy chatting.and already I felt at home around them.
Landing at Manila the formalities did not take too long. I had read the sticky with its description and photos of the arrival area, but it was quite small scale there, with no problems. Following the instructions I exited on the right, crossed the road, and down the sloping path to the meeting area, where under the letter G would, I hoped, be Shirley - wearing a bright red teeshirt. For myself - I had a pre-arranged baseball cap.
I reached the bottom of the slope, and was about to walk to letter G, then remembered by cap. Pulling it on I glimpsed across the road, at people behind the barrier, I thought I could see a glimpse of red. It was hot and humid, and I melted my way along to my letter.....
And more to follow ..