Gina and Pete's Philippine travel diary - No Reservations

[Tish]

I once been in the Philippines with one of my 'ex-filipina friend' and she spent half a million pesos in just 2 weeks

I tried to make her see sense by quietly reminding her of the amount she has spent at that time, but all i got was basically mind your own business kine of reply!

It wasn't my intention at that time to make her feel 'bad', but she took it the wrong way

[Tish]

BTW, I'm really enjoying you blog Pete.

I look forward to the next one.

Tish

[aposhark]

I once been in the Philippines with one of my 'ex-filipina friend' and she spent half a million pesos in just 2 weeks

I tried to make her see sense by quietly reminding her of the amount she has spent at that time, but all i got was basically mind your own business kine of reply!

It wasn't my intention at that time to make her feel 'bad', but she took it the wrong way

£7,000 (500,000 PHP) in two weeks is a very big sum to me, but if she has it and wants to spend it, then I suppose it is her business.

I generally work on a 1:10 ratio between the Phils and the UK.
That is to say, if you give £100 in pesos to a family member there, it will probably have the equivalent spending power of £1,000.
My ratio may not be correct, it is just something I use in the province.

I cannot afford to be a "soft touch" when I do go there, it is hard enogh for me to keep up paying the bills in the UK.

I suppose though it is always down to being rich and being not rich.
There are hotel rooms in London that cost £10,000 a night

Some people have the money to afford that, and this has always been the way.

[trader dave]

i have read every word of petes blogg and have relived every step it has bought a lump to my throat at times

i am not going to make a big story here as its petes blogg
but as always a word of caution

i have just married pilipina wife number 2 and they are as different as chalk and cheese

but i am not going to talk about number 2 i am going to talk about number 1 and the pilipino family

i met number 1 in uk she was an overstayer run away from her employer we met got involved i spend lots of money making her legal in uk got british passport the whole lot

i supported her i helped to support her family ,invest in this send all the children to school the whole works we went there a few times the family as pete said was fantastic i like pete thought i had the best pilipino family in the whole world

i was warned by other ex pats ---friend you are there investment if you fall out with your wife THEY WILL DROP YOU LIKE A STONE

and that was exactly what happened i made one mistake and the divorce papers where on my doormat within 4 weeks would the family help me then NO all they could say was WE ARE GOING TO ENJOY SPENDING MORE OF YOUR MONEY

FORTUNANTLY FOR ME the house me and my then wife occupied was still in my 79 year old mothers name otherwise it would have been goodbye £125.000.00 quid

so i picked number 2 wife with great caution SHE NO FAMILY AT ALL hard to find i know but it was our fate

BEWARE even after 10 years of a somewhat happy marriage you can still feel like you have been scammed