Thursday, August 8, 2013

KEEPING BUSY RAINY SEASON

Pinoy Boat Yard
Port Carmen, Cebu
Philippines

We have started another day here with liquid sunshine falling from the sky. Not the "cats and dogs" type rain but steady. Hey it is the rainy season. We are fortunate in that the work we have underway is all on the inside of the boat. There are others here who are trying to have outside paint jobs done and the weather is definitely not cooperating.

The wood siding in the v-berth has been finished, except for perhaps another coat of varnish or two. Esmer, the carpenter, spent several days completing it along with the trim pieces. With the trim in place the headliner looks a bit better, still not good but better. Of course after the trim was fitted it was then taken down again for sanding and varnishing which Calvin is doing on the land side work area.

Kathy has not gotten involved in to much actual work since returning from the states but spends a great deal of time supervising both me and our workers. She has also undertaken the job of keeping their work area clean. Her next project is more sewing. Covers need to be made for our new saloon and cockpit tables. We are having the people from Hyde Sails redo our cockpit cushions and Kathy has already planned to visit their loft to keep an eye on their completion.

Next we are looking forward to a trip to Hong Kong. Since Kathy's arrival back in the Philippines she got a 21 day visa which we would then have extended out to a total of 59 days. The problem is that she and I would then be on different 59 day rotations and need to head off to immigration for extensions at different times. To solve that we will take a short side trip to Hong Kong and then both visas will be in sync. Since I have been here in the Philippines longer than six months I require an exit visa to leave. Now this cannot be done simply at the airport but requires a trip to the main immigration office in Mandaue as suburb of Cebu city. Great fun!! First a one and a half hour bus trip, 50 pesos. At immigration one must wear appropriate attire, long pants, collared shirt and no flip flops or slippers as they are referred to here. Out front sweat pants and tennis shoes are rented for those that don't comply. For the exit visa 3 photos are needed, that also can be taken care of just outside the door, 150 pesos. Inside the first line is to receive the proper form to fill out, once done it's checked and then you head back outside to find the notary and lawyer for the signing of the form and have several copies made of both the form and various pages of your passport, this time 156 pesos. Back inside to the original desk to have the forms checked again and then you take then to another window. That persons looks at them again and you are sent of to the receiving station where everything is left and you proceed to sit. Your name is called and you then take the papers to the cashier, 500 pesos and you return the papers to receiving and sit again. Time passes and your called once again this time for two thumb prints. Sit again and on the next call you are cleared to leave the country. Now if you do not have the proper papers and you show up at the airport you do not pass go or board your plane but are sent to Mandaue immigration for the correct documents. On leaving immigration my first stop was to find a cold beer and then taxi to the bus terminal for the return bus ride back to Port Carmen.

We are now looking ahead to a short time away from the boat.

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