This is the 12th of
September and we are still checking out parcels of land for sale. We
have a constant calls from people who want to show us their
properties for sale. It's amazing how word spread out so quickly
around here. In spite of the many tours, as of today, we still
haven't found one.
The first week of September we made a
trip to Sogod where we opened an account with one of the big and
stable banks in the Philippines. Everybody was helpful and the
transaction was a breeze. Because Michael's I-card was not available
yet, we opened the account in my name. We will add Michael's name to
the account once immigration sends the card.
Since it was late in the afternoon and
there was no van going to Hinunangan around that time, we took a
3-hour bus ride. It was already full so we have to stand halfway to
our destination. After an hour of standing, we finally got a seat in
the town of St. Bernard. Michael told me the bus was a 26 person
seater (apparently he counted the seats) yet there were 60 of us
(more or less) jammed in this bus, young and old, it didn't matter as
long as they can squeeze you in. It was an exhausting ride to say
the least. We definitely need to look for a vehicle so we don't have
to make that kind of trip again.
The second week of September we decided
to get our driver's licenses. LTO (Land Transportation Office) that
issues driver's license is four towns away (about an hour bus ride).
As long as you present your current, unexpired driver's license from
the US, they only require you to submit a completed medical form
signed by a physician. Each town has a Rural Health Unit where this
medical form can be obtained. It only cost P50.00 per person. We
opted for Foreign Driver's License Conversion because our licenses
haven't expired yet. It didn't require any tests or exams, we only
need to have our pictures taken and signatures and it cost us a
little over 600 pesos each. Another requirement was a copy of the
arrival date stamp page from our passports. I noticed that every
government offices (whether Manila or the provinces) doesn't have
copier and it is your responsibility to bring copies of the required
documents when transacting business. We learned we will get our
actual driver's license in three months so we will be carrying with
us a temporary one in the meantime. Again, everyone was very polite
and helpful, customer service with a friendly smile.
On September 18, we purchased a parcel
of coco land up in the hills of Calag-itan, Southern Leyte. This is
an income property that should give us cash flow every 3 months. We
hiked up to the property one morning and we were treated with a
breathtaking view of the ocean and the beautiful Hinunangan Bay. I
regretted not taking my camera with us but we plan to go back next
month so I should be able to share with you via pictures on my next
blog what we saw. We retained the caretaker as he is very familiar
with the land.
We planned to travel to Ormoc City
September 23-24 to look for a vehicle, then head to Cebu City for a
couple of days should we not find one in Ormoc. We might as well
make this a sightseeing trip while we are at it.
We received word that there is a
vehicle for sale in my mother's neighborhood. September 22 we test
drove a 4-door Toyota Revo. This was not what we planned to get but
after looking into it, and weighing our options, we decided to
purchase it. It sat in the garage most of the time, hardly driven
except for a couple of weeks once a year when the owner, who lives
in California, comes home for a visit. Apparently since the parents
passed on, they do not plan to visit yearly as they did before so
they wanted to sell it. This is our new ride:
Our plan to go to Ormoc and Cebu is
tabled for now. We will still go and visit these cities some other
time.
Two exciting things happened this last
week: 1) we found a farm that meets our needs and we plan to purchase
it; 2) JJ was allowed to sit in at a nearby school everyday starting
today, the 26th. He is not officially enrolled but it
didn't matter much to me since all I really wanted for him is
language immersion. I will teach him at home with the basics just so
he would not be left behind once he is enrolled next year. Here he
is in his school uniform. Isn't he cute?
That is all for now. I pray you will
continue to follow my blogs and journey with us for however long the
Lord will let us in this adventure. Please pray for us as we are for
you. Until then - MIZPAH!
No comments:
Post a Comment