Oops, I did not see the last 3 commenters....sorry and thank you so much for the advice. I am just in the process here of making copies of all the comments and I am going to go through them and highlight, what I feel, are the important elements.
Again, thank you all who have taken the time to contribute your thoughts, wisdom, experience, and advice.
Thank you Riz...very informative. It is nice you showed the pictures too. You are right that the 1000/100 can be confused if solely going by the color of them.
I know you are just being funny. I don't want to beat down a whole country. It is sad that there exist this sort of widespread behavior in any nation....but, I sincerely feel terrible for the genuine loving people within those nations....and I would never want to stereotype a whole place.
Robert, I am sure it is not that bad....each and every area of the world one is a stranger to needs to be informed of their environment they are about to travel into.
Thank you so much for the great advice. I am planning on traveling as light as possible, and like you mention, I heard that cell phones are a prime target over there. BTW, I am happy to hear you got approved for your visa.
Pepps, that is a good idea with buying clothes there and blending in. Also about learning a few words too. I like that. Believe me Pepps, Robert was not even on my mind when you mentioned about calling friends for survival advice. Just teasing Robert.
Riz, thanks for the additional advice regarding converting money. I did know about carrying a minimum amount but didn't realize about the huge stack of pesos and also the poor exchange rate.....good info.
Pepps, you are so right about studying all this information and being well informed. I did plan on traveling light, but from some of the suggestions, it sounds like I should travel extremely light. I will see what I can do. Thank you Pepps about keeping current locations broadcasted to friends and family.
It is nice to see you again Pepps...hope life is all and well for you.
Hello Riz, I can really tell you know what you are talking about...and as Pepps has suggested right after your post, I will indeed be making copies of everything here and will be making sure to follow much of it. Thank you for taking the time with sharing your experience and knowledge here.
Thanks Sea...phone communication was a huge thing for me. In fact, thinking of that has caused the recent change in travel plans...and had prompted the realization that maybe I did not dot all my "i's" and cross all of my "t's"....hence this blog.
Thanks so much. I do need to look into my calling plan and my lady did bring up a phone charger...but good point with how do you charge the charger once that is gone.
Actually typhoon Merc...:)....fair concern and thought about that...January is suppose to be outside the typhoon season. As far as huge tidel waves...I will be crossing my fingers.
Thanks Molly. Thankfully I am a light traveler. I think one medium luggage should do and one carry-on....perhaps a backpack would be better, rather than a carry on. My lady suggested that...it makes good sense.
RE: It Ain't Paradise any longer
Hello Molly,Travels are going to be in the end of January time. :)
Thanks for asking...hope all is well with you.