Palace

i haven't lived in cebu but have travelled there and the surrounding islands a lot. (btw, i'm a filipino working/living in th)

cebu is at the heart of the visayan islands. if you're looking for leisure activities, diving is the rage there. it's very close to other magnificent islands popular to marine eco tourism (e.g. bohol, boracay, palawan, negros etc).

can't say much about day-to-day life. all i can say is the people there are generally friendly. you'll also find that cebuanos will be more conversant in english than in the national language, tagalog.

hope this helps.

some of my colleagues were able to buy Philippine Airlines tickets for about THB6,500, all in, for BKK-MNL (Ninoy Aquino Intl) and return. i believe there are ongoing promos for this time of year.

besides the airport difference, PAL is also a full service airline, with meals and amenities on board.

it's a great season to fly to the Islands. PR and 5J (Cebu Pac) is cutting each other's throats for a greater share of passenger seats.

in my home country, the Philippines, there's a town a few kilometers south of Angeles City, callled...

SEXMOAN

Does anybody know if there is bus service from Clark airport directly to Manila after Cebu Pacifics Bangkok-Clark flight. (which lands around 20.35 in the evening)

I know there are busses after other flights but is there bus after this flight?

there is. it's a Philtranco shuttle service to Manila.

just in case you couldn't catch it, you may proceed to Dau from the airport. From Dau, there are dozens of bus services going to Manila.

there are only 4 airlines flying from BKK to MNL;

1. PAL - two flights daily (morning and red eye)

2. Cebu Pacific - one flight daily (red eye only)

3. Thai Airways - two flights daily (morning and early evening)

4. Kuwait Airlines - one flight daily (BKK outbound in the morning and BKK inbound midnight)

of the four, CebuPac is the clear cheapest. Thai Airways is most expensive.

PAL though now offers EconoLight (no meals on board) so some seats have comparable prices to CebuPac.

these are their online booking sites;

www.philippineairlines.com

www.cebupacifair.com

i have this same problem and the cable guy from ubc offerred me a solution :

my main receiver is in the living room tv. from the receiver, he attached a coax cable (using the house's discreet outlets) running to my bedroom tv. at the other end of the coax cable, he installed an infra red receiver that is then attached to my bedroom tv. result, i can use the same remote to switch channels in the living room tv or in my bedroom tv. if both tv's are on though, it'll be on the same channel.

i assume it's legit as the guy gave me a receipt for the whole thing - around THB1,000 for the cable and the IR receiver.

all f1 races have always been shown live in Southeast Asia, India and HK by Starsports (at least for more than a decade now).

the typical coverage is the live qualifying on saturday (for singapore gp, it's 9pm BKK time), a one-hour pre-race program on sunday called "Race Day", and right after that, the live race coverage itself (again, for sg gp, it's 7 pm BKK time). after the race, there's another 1-hour wrap up program, the "Checkered Flag".

as a special coverage for the Singapore GP (singapore being the hub of Star Asia tv), they are showing the Friday practice sessions starting at 8pm BKK time.

Hi.

Can anybody share their experience of travel requirements for a Filipina girlfriend.

How about longterm stay in Thailand for a Filipina? I have noticed a few here, as well as some have applied for work with me. Is it easier for them to get longer or permanent visas for Thailand?

if they're working, they need to apply for a non-resident visa and a work permit.

if not, another option is for a student visa.

if neither, they need to apply for an extended tourist visa. shouldn't be a problem as long as someone's going to sponsor their stay here.

davee,

while we're on this subject, and since your gf now has a philippine passport, you might be interested to know which countries you can take her without the need for visas. here are your choices :

Africa

Burkina Faso 3-month visa issued upon arrival for XOF10,000

Burundi Burundi visa issued upon arrival

Cape Verde Cape Verde visa issued upon arrival

Comoros visa issued upon arrival

Djibouti 10-day visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000; 1-month visa issued upon arrival for DJF5,000

Egypt (South Sinai only) 14-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Kenya 3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Madagascar 90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA28,000

Morocco 3 months

Mozambique 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25

Niger 1-month visa issued upon arrival for XOF25,000

Saint Helena visa issued upon arrival

Seychelles 1 month

Tanzania visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Togo 7-day visa issued upon arrival

Uganda 6-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Zambia visa issued upon arrival for US$25 (single), US$40 (double), and US$80 (multiple)

Asia

ASEAN

Brunei Darussalam 14 days

Cambodia 21 days

Indonesia 30 days

Laos 30 days

Malaysia 1 month

Singapore 30 days

Thailand 30 days

Vietnam 21 days

Non-ASEAN

Bangladesh 90-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Hong Kong 14 days

Iran 17-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Israel 3 months

South Korea (Jeju Island only) 30 days

Macau 30 days

Maldives 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Mongolia 21 days

Nepal 60-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Sri Lanka 30 days

Timor-Leste 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Europe

Armenia 21-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Azerbaijan 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$100

Georgia 3 month visa issued on arrival for US$10 ~ US$200

Oceania

Cook Islands 31 days

Fiji 6-month Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Marshall Islands 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Federated States of Micronesia 30 days

Niue 30 days

Palau 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Samoa 60-day Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Tuvalu 1-month visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Vanuatu 30 days

North America

Bermuda 6 months

Costa Rica 30 days

Dominica 21 days

Haiti 3 months

Saint Kitts and Nevis 14 days

Saint Lucia 6-week visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 month

Turks and Caicos Islands 30 days

South America

Bolivia 59 days

Brazil 90 days

Colombia 90 days

Ecuador 90 days

Peru 90 days

Suriname 120 days

My Filipina girlfriend has had big problems getting her passport. Finally after more than a year, several failed attempts, and a dfa training course?, she is due to collect it on Tuesday morning ($$), the Philippine bureaucracy is a nightmare.

Am surprised it took her that long. Philippine passports are now common for most Filipinos thanks to the government's effort to make it more accessible (online application, satellite processing centers, express lanes etc).

If you have the required documents (govt certified birth certificates, several sets of accredited IDs and a certification from the NBI - our FBI), the whole process shouldn't take more than a week, 3 days at best if you avail of the premium express lane.

The problem is if you don't have one of those documents or one of those documents are in conflict with the other, then the process could really drag for months, even years for some.

The most common problem for first time passport applicants is securing a certified birth certificate. THis problem is common to Filipinos who were born on remote towns whose records have been destroyed by natural calamites or other reasons. Another problem is if the given name in the records conflict that of the current IDs that the person is using, thus requiring legal proceedings to change the name in the records.

THe second one is a nasty case. My ex-gf had to hire a lawyer for that one and took her almost a year of hearings before a judge to finally have the records set straight and match it with the name she has been using.

Otherwise, the whole process should be a cinch.

Safe provided you avoid the area of the demonstrations (Rattanakosin Island, including Sanam Luang, Khao San and the Grand Palace).

Grand Palace? that true? is this near any of the demonstrations also?

What other tourist places are near "hotspots"?

These claims are based on the incorporation of the Sulu Sultanates into Malaysian Borneo. Though these claims are not actively persued, it is my understanding that they have not been formally abandoned either

it's not Malaysia, or Sabah, that claims the Sulu Sultanate, but the Philippines (via the Sulu Sultanate) that used to have a claim on Sabah, now 'dormant'. It's more or less been relinquished now. A referendum was held some time after independence and Sabahans decisively rejected the notion of becoming part of the Philippines.

...

as far as I know Malaysia doesn't claim any Philippines territory, though they do share a dispute over the Spratly islands with them, together with Vietnam, China, and Brunei.

haven't been in the forum for awhile.

thanks callipposhots for clearing up that bit about territorial claims on mindanao and sabah.

we filipinos may have come from the malay race but we were never a part of malaysia. the centuries-old rebellion in mindanao is a call for an independent state largely borne by years of neglect from the national government seated in manila. it has less to do with geographical and religious issues although some people use that as a front.

thanks to the thread starter for his concern on the peace and order in RP. I don't think this will escalate into a civil war. for one, this recent attack is coming from "rogue" commanders of the <deleted>. mindanaoans, both muslims and christians, are condemning this violence. i fear more for the overall health of the country, which is in danger of getting shredded because of the policies of the current administration.

by public transportation?

i have people from back home (Phils) asking me if there are tuktoks or taxis that can take them to nong nooch garden from the pattaya bus terminal.

i only go there by private car and i've only lived here for about half a year so not very familiar with public transport here in pattaya.

thanks.

thanks jackiem. can't wait to try the new terminal when i get my annual home leave.

fyi, right now, only Cebu Pacific (5J) is flying international flights out of and into Terminal 3. all other airlines (including PAL and Thai Airways) with international flights remain on T1.

T3 is also hosting domestic flights for PAL Express, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines.

If I think of it I'll ask next time I'm at my local guitar shop in BKK.

Thanks mate.

What's an Ebow?

I can't think of any other forum category to put this, so I posted this question in Bangkok forum.

For those playing electric guitars, do you know where can I find an Ebow (Energy Bow/Electronic Bow) in BKK?

I checked out the music shops here in Pattaya but the sales guys didn't even know what this thing is.

Good news to TOT subscribers, YouTube ban has now been removed!

I checked only last saturday (July 26) and it was all working fine.

Dunno though if this applies to all ToT subs. I live in Nongprue, Chonburi.

Connection speed also "seems" to have improved a lot this weekend.

actually, the reason i need to convert is i sent the .mov file to someone on Windows XP. she doesn't have QuickTime and cannot be bothered to install, i guess.

anyway, i'll try your suggestion to use iTunes.

thanks a lot.

Need quick (pun intended) help on how to convert a .mov file created by a video camera into a Windows readable video format like mp4.

Can this be done in QuickTime (Mac version) running on a Macbook or do i need to install a freeware converter?

Thanks.

^sadly, it's one of the worst indeed.

but hopefully, the new one will be up to your standards.

Jets start flying out of NAIA 3 for the first time

By Abigail Kwok, Tarra Quismundo

INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 05:25:00 07/22/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- After being in mothballs for six years, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) began partial operations Tuesday with a total of 16 domestic flights on schedule, an official of the Manila International Airport Authority said.

Tirso Serrano, MIAA assistant general manager for airport development and corporate affairs, said these would include eight inbound and eight outbound flights, all from Cebu Pacific Air (CEB).

As early as 5:15 a.m., a CEB plane ferried the first NAIA 3 passengers from Manila to Caticlan in Aklan.

“This is a culmination of years of hard work,” said Serrano, adding that they had to repair many structural defects.

Aside from Caticlan, CEB will fly to four local destinations: San Jose in Mindoro; Naga in Bicol; Laoag City, and Tuguegarao City, Serrano said.

CEB will field its 72-seater ATR 72-500, light turbo-propeller planes to these areas.

CEB agreed to pioneer domestic operations at the controversial terminal after airport authorities finally resolved some safety concerns.

Serrano said flights from Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines would be introduced within the week, while international flights from CEB and PAL are expected within the year.

PAL is also expected to begin operations of its budget brand PAL-Express at the new terminal.

PAL and CEB will field planes that do not require the use of aero bridges—terminal tubes that connect to plane doors for boarding or deplaning. In a dry run last month, one of NAIA 3’s aero bridges malfunctioned as it was being tested on an Airbus A-340.

But for small aircraft, all systems were working during the dry run, said CEB spokesperson Candice Iyog. “The terminal will be more comfortable for our passengers,” she added.

CEB’s wide-body operations to major cities will remain at the old Manila Domestic Terminal until further notice.

For its Tuesday flights, CEB said it would use three check-in counters at NAIA 3’s main hall, Iyog said.

Its first flight carried at most 72 passengers to the Aklan island, gateway to the country’s premier beach destination, Boracay. All flights for Tuesday are expected to carry around 500 passengers, Iyog added.

The new terminal is twice as large as NAIA-2 and thrice the size of NAIA’s Terminal 1, he said.

Serrano added that NAIA-3 could accommodate as many as 13 million passengers a year (or 35,000 passengers a day) and 28 flights at any given time.

"[The new terminal] will bring the country's overall airport capacity to 25 million a year," Serrano said.

Meanwhile, Angel Atutubo, assistant general manager for security and emergency services of NAIA, said they have patterned the security of Terminal 3 after that of the Los Angeles Airport.

K-9 units and 500 airport security personnel have been posted for Tuesday's opening, Atutubo said.

More than 50 security checking equipment were also set up in key areas in the terminal, he added.

Atutubo called this the "four-level security screening," which would consist of a comprehensive security system designed to detect all kinds of explosive and illegal devices.

"Level 1 and 2 consist of the explosive detection system 5000 (eds), level 3 with the ctx 9000 that detects all kinds of prohibited items, and these will be redirected to level 4," he said.

Atutubo said these equipment cost around P3 million each.

"Our security here promises comfort and convenience to passengers and passes international standards," Atutubo said.

The terminal was mothballed in 2002 after the Supreme Court voided the multibillion-peso contract for its construction because of onerous provisions. The terminal was 90 percent complete at the time, throwing the government into a legal morass.

Airport officials said partial operations would initially involve only 15 to 20 percent of the facility.

The agency said it hoped to keep domestic operations running for six months to a year before shifting to full domestic and international operations.

At 11 a.m., the MIAA will host simple inaugural rites for VIPs, among them, Sen. Richard Gordon, Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, recently appointed NAIA 3 task force chief Mike Defensor, lawmakers and agency officials.

NAIA-3 to finally open later this month

BusinessWorld

MANILA, Philippines - An over 10-year wait for the mothballed Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) to open will end in less than two weeks.

Tirso G. Serrano, Manila International Airport Authority assistant general manager, on Wednesday said the opening of NAIA-3, delayed numerous times since legal troubles and completion issues hit the project, will finally open on July 22.

"The pronouncement is to start with domestic operations with PAL (Philippine Airlines) Express, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines," he said.

"Our ultimate goal is to pursue our strategic plan of utilizing the terminal largely for international operations so as to optimize the features of the terminals."

International flights some six months after the opening, or sometime in January next year, Mr. Serrano added.

The terminal’s opening is expected to help alleviate overcapacity at NAIA Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the old domestic airport.

The current terminals have a combined capacity of only 18 million passengers annually but are being used by more than 20 million.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, along with 400 others flying in from San Francisco, was one of the first passengers to use NAIA-3 when she came home following an official visit to the United States.

The terminal will initially be used at half of its capacity, Mr. Serrano said.

NAIA-3 has been held up as an example of how foreign investors’ fortunes can suddenly change in the Philippines.

Initially conceptualized in the early ’90s with a group of tycoons interested in putting up the funds, it was finally won in 1997, via bidding, by the Philippine International Terminals Co. (Piatco) consortium.

The project broke ground later that year, and both Piatco and the government set 2002 opening target.

Allegations of impropriety led to the Supreme Court nullifying Piatco’s contract in 2003, with the decision ruled as final the following year.

Questions over the legality of the move, and the compensation that needed to be paid, led to the filing of lawsuits in both local and international courts by Piatco and its German partner, Fraport AG.

The cases have yet to be decided with finality.

The government, meanwhile, reached an agreement with contractor Takenaka to finish the facility, with an opening scheduled for 2006.

That plan was shelved after part of the terminal’s ceiling collapsed, and a subsequent review said rehabilitation work had to conducted. — P. L. G. Montecillo, BusinessWorld

are you limited to Samsung or LG only because of a possible discount from your friend?

if so, Samsung is the right choice.

if not, you might want to check out Sony also.

i have both Sony and Samsung and i've seen my friends' LG up close. Sony, by far, is the best in terms of pic quality. The base model 32" Bravias are not that far off from Samsung's price tag.

nice story there, dave.

btw, does that price include a monitor?

i'm thinking along the same line last year when my box got RROD'ed but because of the new titles coming PS3's way, I chose the latter.

nevertheless, there are just some games on pc that are just simply better than it's equivalent on console. my current laptop is just not up to task anymore. so i'm seriously planning to get myself a gamer-spec pc. i originally budgeted for THB25k with a decent sized LCD monitor, but reading your post, i'm having second thoughts if my target is achievable.

thanks a lot guys. wil try those suggestions.