Archive for January, 2010

Naval Revisited: Philippines Places I Have Been

Monday, January 18th, 2010

In September 2009 I made my second trip to Naval Biliran. It was typhoon season so I didn’t see the blue skies of my first visit. Instead this time it was overcast and a rained at least part of everyday. (Note to self: next time stay home in the storm season) We had a pretty good time anyway we arrived in Naval in the lull between two typhoons.  Most of the typhoons turn north to the east of Samar and usually just dump rain in the Eastern Visayas. This was one of those times fortunately for us.

On our first stay in Naval we stayed at Marvin’s seaside resort.  Due to the sea being rough and the fact that Marvin’s hosed up our reservation we stayed at another resort this time. The Biliran Garden. This is located a little way up the mountain from Naval just off the road that crosses the island. It is indeed a garden. The grounds are well maintained and have a variety of plants and flowers. The room rates are quite reasonable. It has two swimming pools. (I didn’t want to swim in the storm so we didn’t try them) The resturant had a good variety on the menu. They were out of lettuce but the resturant staff got pretty good at crafting salads for me out of what was available. :)

The resort area was quiet and restful. I took several walks around the area in between the rain. We enjoyed our time there very much. So I would definitely recommend either of these resorts if you plan a stay in Naval. They offer a good contrast depending on what type of atmosphere you prefer. 

We also walked around the town a little more and took some pictures. We paid a visit to the Provincial Capitol which is along the highway. They were having their town fiesta while we were there. There was a parade which we didn’t get to see much of because we were trying to get up the hill to check in. Due to the stormy weather not too many other outside activities were occurring. I will be back to Naval again. It seems like a nice place to kick back and relax.  8-)

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How Do I Send My Stuff?

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

When you are ready to move how do you send the stuff you really can’t live without? There are several methods of shipping goods to the Philippines. If you have a lot of household goods you might want to send an entire container. Unless you have an exemption be prepared to pay an import duty on your stuff. This can amount to several times the actual cost of shipping depending on what you have sent. Be sure you deal with a reputable company that will clear the container through the customs yard for you.

If you have less you might just ship a few (or quite a few) boxes. You can send boxes through the post office or through a number of commercial package companies. (Like DHL or FED EX) These methods tend to be costly because they are sent by air. You do get your stuff faster that way. If you don’t have a lot to send or if you have some things you will need right away you might want to use this method.

Another common way to send your stuff. (Or just to send goodies to your friends and family) is via Balikbayan boxes. These are available in several sizes (custom sized boxes are also accepted by many of the carriers) and travel by surface shipment so the weight of the contents doesn’t usually affect the price. The time it takes to arrive varies due to where it is sent from and where it is going to. From the west coast of the US to Manila is normally three to four weeks. (Don’t ship cheese)  :)    There a number of companies who ship these boxes so you should be able to find a convenient carrier in most parts of the US. Many countries in Europe also have carriers that will ship these kinds of boxes.

So what are you waiting for? Get a box pack your stuff and get over there.  8-)

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