Hi Desiderata,
When i first met my wife , after our run of internet meetings, we arranged to meet in Manila and for various reasons decided to hire a van (minibus) for the duration of the visit (the van proved extremely useful for everything). So on the very first minute of our very first face to face meeting, not only did I meet my wife face to face but also the van driver and her uncle. To this day i remain uncertain but it was a good idea from my wifes point of view as she therefore had a chaperone for that initial meeting face to face (just in case I was dodgy!) . We got engaged that afternoon and flew to Boracay. But perhaps not a bad idea to have someone else with you when you first meet?
Also, importantly, before I even boarded the plane to the Philippines, I agreed to comply with her moms and her wishes on celibacy. Because I loved her and agreed.
Hope that helps.
