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17th November 2013, 11:05 PM
#1
Memory Pages so we can recall Tony !
In Memory of the late Tony Wilding, Rest In Peace now Tony!
69787_4786198333882_987142289_n.jpg 944289_395250100577852_2107289479_n.jpg
22/4/1939 - 20/10/2013
R731801
Ex Watts Watts and Company sigpic3234_1.gif 403987_264000690369461_475874986_n.jpgto be confirmed (Ship Ixia)
Greetings from Cebu
Greetings from Cebu, i arrived in Cebu 11 50 am Wednesday, what a journey, 11 hours to Hong Kong, Was 3 hours there, late departing. then i am sure we must have taxied for 30 minutes before we took off, . was 2 1/2 hours to Cebu, *we get there on time, thought my luggage was lost at Cebu, it was last item to arrive on the carousel, big panic ! ! Immigration so easy. but security in London was *so hot, and i was leaving. *was cold in Hong Kong, no Sun . Cloudy, *Cebu was 30 degrees, *usual touts at Airport, all on the make, but Annie was there waiting, she soon sorted them out, well have known Annie over 2 years on line. talk on Skype. but when i meet her for real first time. could not believe how special she is, she waits on me *hand and foot. was worth the long wait and long journey, just need to relax and rest a few days. Cathay Pacific Airline is best i have travelled with, allways use economy class, service and food was excellent. good legroom on seats, better than Virgin Atlantic , looking forward to exploring when i recover. Tony W and Annie.
THANKS VERNON, well mate i dont envy u in that long flight, *must admit i was completely knackered, *how do i change my address ? was strange Vernon, after 5 minutes with Annie felt completely at home with her. she is a great cook. wont let me do a thing. seems strange after living alone and having to do everything, am not complaining, * best wishes, Tony W
hello to all. *yes will continue my daily visits to BMN, *Same as befor, *still *more than willing to share my photos, nothing changed there, *9pm here now still 30 degrees, packed away my long trousers, and socks, got some shorts *today 2 pairs for a fiver and they had cheaper ones, heard a strange sound earlier, Annie said it was a lizard, *quite noisy, and big i imagine, have *yet to see it, a strange language here, a mixture of Spanish, American /English and *original Language, they sleep early here and rise around 5am, gets dark same time all year round, *Cebu is A big City, second only to Manila, *my English friend here has recently moved to a *small Town outside Cebu, has rented a brand new 2 bedroomed house with a garden and room or 4 cars *100 pounds a month, *apparently the electricity *is cheaper there and prices for food in the *local market is much cheaper as it is grown there, *to drive in Cebu is suicidal, but where he lives its fine, *worst drivers here are the taxis, Jeepneys ( local buses) very clourful, *have some strange passenger transport here.*
Cheers Glen, cant wait to visit the dock area, look at the local ferries. from past safety records i dont imagine i will be sailing on them. no sun here today, stormy with thunder. but still warm. still recovering from the long journey, lots to see here. am getting lots of nice food, getting spoiled, best wishes, tony w.
Hi to everyone, * *have been here exactly *6 days now, just about recovered from travelling, *ventured out for for first time, to a shopping mall, was going to go by Jeepney, but were like sardines in a tin, so took a taxi instead, *all metered fares, so no haggling like India, YUK. ! *so hot outside, but Malls all A/C *Used ATM for first time, big panic , said refer to Bank, my fault did it incorrectly, *panic over when cash came out, *then went to Chow Burger in Mall , similar to Burger King, for *A Nice cool drink, Malls are huge, so clean, have Armed Security Guards , everyone so friendly , so many smiling faces, never seen so many pretty girls in my life, could sit there all day watching, bought a new mobile phone , was 1000 Pesos, 64 to a pound, *VAT *is 10 % here, *and its a Camera Phone *and radio also. Taxi Fare was a pound for a 15 minute journey. Cebu is so big. allways busy, Annie was with me guarding me like a mother hen, was good to get out and explore, but up to yesterday had heavy rains here, , Annie is a good Cook, *at least i dont have to suffer Curry any *more, *Filipino *food is OK, , NEXT INSTALLMENT SOON. REGARDS TONY W
Another warm day, the weather pattern seems to be nice and sunny up to around 3PM, then cloudy and heavy rain, another visit to the Shopping Mall, mostly Chinese owned, was going to go by Jeepney, but again all packed like sardines,, every other Vehicle seems to be a privately owned Jeepney, if they see you standing by the kerb all hoot and slow down, taxis the same, best not to look at them, fatal to make eye contact, was like that in India, but worse here, only good thing here is all taxis are metered, so no haggling, most taxis are air conditioned, so paid another 60 pesos to the mall, 8 pesos by Jeepney, boughT my medication at the Pharmacy in the Mall, about same price as UK, OK for me but a fortune to a local, you can buy 1 Ibuprofen or Paracetamol , all many can afford, when i asked for a box of 48 they were shocked, all the staff in the shops in the Mall are immaculate in there dress, Security Staff all over, again with immaculate uniforms, men and women. raided the ATM again, no hiccups this time, bought some fresh prepared Fruit Salad to take home, you pick and mix, sold by weight, very cheap, went to a food outlet like Burger King, had a nice cool drink, the salary of the sales assistants is 250 Pesos for an 8 hour day, thats £4. 00. Annie tells me if they are 1 minute late pay is deducted, if they work extra time, that is unpaid, yet all are so polite , never seen so many smiling faces, all so courtious, i dont know how they survive on such low pay, Annie likes to go there with me, to show off her Western Boy Friend, so crazy, apparently its the ambition of most girls there, to better there lives, think i should have come here 20 years ago, still better late than never, Annies Birthday on the 22nd, so got to dream up an idea for that, maybe a beach party if its nice, she want to invite her girlfriends, all are honeys so i dont mind that, am suffering with eyestrain allready, regards to all, Tony W.
the diet here seems to be Rice with everything, my breakfast was rice, fried eggs and thin strips of Bacon, quite tasty, for dinner Annie cooked a kind of stew with vegetables big chunk of meat in it, also Rice again if i wanted it, then cold fresh fruit salad. i eat a juicy fresh Mango every day, so much sweeter than the ones bought in the UK, 1 kilo in the Market is less than a pound, there is a huge difference between the rich and poor here, the average worker really struggles, when you question them , the reply allways the same, No Choice,! so many new cars here , cost a fortune with the goverment Tax,so some are wealthy, cheapest vehicle to buy here is a Suzuki Multicab, imported from Japan in pieces as spares, no tax then, then totally rebuilt here look as new and converted to left hand drive, a good one with 5 speed gearbox costs about £1500
you would not believe the different versions there are of it, there is a stretched version that is the smallest jeepney here, has a bench seat either side that seats 8 people, so 16 passengers being pulled by a 660 cc engine. the one shown is a standard one, quite nippy and run on fresh air, regards, Tony W PS a stretched 16 seater, same 660 cc engine.
Tomorrow Sunday go to a Beach, rented a Chalet for the day, its Annies Birthday, so a traditional philippine celebration, Roast a whole Pig, and Cook a giant Fish, bought enough Charcoal to flash up a Ships Boiler, last night at the mall shopping for groceries, was struggling to carry to the taxi, outside the mall many men waiting just to help you carry, just to earn a few pesos, really sad what you see, today another mall, ladies boutiques, to buy new swimming costume for Annie, was getting smiles from all the young sales girls, Annie looking at costumes,asking me what i liked, was so embarrassed i waited outside, more laughter and smiles, was glad to escape, at least no one rips you off here,unlike India, sit out front a lot just watching the world go by, never boring, lots of traffic, so many buses, all privately owned, all brightly painted, not 2 the same, then taxis by the thousand, all white, many modes of transport, used by people of different status, lowest is a bicycle with a sidecar, then a motorbike and sidecar, then jeepney,s of different sizes,( buses) from 8 seaters to around 24 seaters, all with one entry and exit at the back, some rural areas use horse drawn carts for buses, or even ride a Carabao, like a Buffalo, a colorful Country, should have come here 20 years ago, you could go blind here looking at all the pretty girls, got a large Lizard living on our roof, a noisy devil, about 15 inches long,apparently very hard biters, wont let go, lots of stray cats here, one seems to have adopted me, now sits on my chair, still, better than India, nothing but packs of stray dogs there howling all night. still have not ridden a bus , too crowded, that changes in the morning have hired a big Jeepney to take us to the beach and collect us later, got a good haircut today 50 Pesos, 67 to the Pound, its strange with Annie, know her over 2 years on line, see her every day, most days voice call not working so we text, Annie can read and write English perfectly, but a few times cannot understand what i say, so we revert to texting, so funny at times, will never understand her language, apart from the Spanish words they use,San Miguel the Spanish Beer is everywhere here, Filipina Ladies are amazing, have never been so well looked after in my life, nothing is too much trouble for them, cant really believe i am here, all happened by accident. thankfully. no more cold weather, or council tax or tv licence, , will continue another day, regards to all, Tony W.
hi to everyone, well the Beach Party was a success, good time had by all, so much food to eat, a whole baby Pig, fish of all kinds, squid, and some strange shellfish, had a great time, was a built in bar b q at the beach,well the photos will explain all, had my first swim for 5 years since India, water was great.
2 am here, raining cats and dogs, have got a Super Typhoon warning now, will hit Mindanao further South then veer north to central Philippines, Cebu, ! my first one, Tony W.
thanks for your concerns, all OK here, no damage in Cebu, the Typhoon for some reason by passed us, Mindanao was where all the damage and fatalities were, really did get hit there. , regards to everyone, Tony W.
Was on the News here today that the President of the Philippines may ban Cigarettes, will be a revolution here, i bet he is a non smoker, have some strange customs here, at Christmas all the relations expect gifts, and come asking for them, people you have never met, but they dont exchange gifts, quite funny really as i never knew of this, had only bought for Annie, and her Sister, another very nice Lady, who unfortunately lives in a very poor area, but you would never know to look at her, makes a living doing washing, many like that here, you would not believe the living conditions, She has one small room , i mean small, her and 3 children share it, its much like India in many ways, thousands of tiny shops everywhere, u can buy just one cigarette or paracetamol tablet, and yet much wealth here also, so many big 4x4 suv,S Well over 1 1/2 million pesos to buy, most big busineses are either Chinese owned or by Chinese born here. all the Hospitals also. extremely rich. when u walk out of a Supermarket laden with shopping a man will ask if you want a taxi, he will stand in the road and stop one, then open the doors and put your shopping in the back, expects 5 pesos for that, 65 to a pound, thats how he survives, there all day , every day bicycle rickshaws with a sidecar , often 3 persons sat in, the fare for quite a long distance is 10 pesos per person, must have leg muscles like an ox, hilly in Cebu, solo motor cycles all waiting outside large stores, have seen up to 4 persons on one, they charge double a bicycle call them Habal Habal bikes, but many are not licenced, and no insurance, 3 times Annie has been in accident on them, so now she is not allowed to use them, a taxi from my house to the mall is 60 pesos, roughly 90 pence, bus or jeepney 8 pesos, motor bike 20 pesos, tricycle 10 pesos. a good 40 minute walk., all taxis are metered. miss english cheese and a few other things, , but dont miss the council tax, heating bills and tv licence, life much simpler here, ,my pc got a virus, had a man come here to fix it, took 3 hours, cost £7 certainly new his stuff. cars and electrical goods expensive here, but thats all. my OAP here allows Annie and myself to live well, go everywhere by taxi eat out every day, and pay for private school for her little girl, and more, well more news another time, regards Tony and Annie.
PRICE COMPARISONS, My Rent here for a nice single story 2 bedroom apartment with Patio and flat roof area is £30 weekly, no Council Taxes, Water £1 weekly, Electricity 75 pence per day, Gas is Bottled and cheap, petrol is 80 pence per Liter, no Road Tax, no TV Licence, SKY cable TV is £8 per Month, my Internet with a landline phone is £17 Monthly, food is cheap as is transportation, an Air Con Taxi into Central Cebu is £1, by Bus 8 pence, its at least 5 miles from here, i live in a quiet side road, 5 minutes walk to main road, many shops there, 15 minutes walk to Macdonalds and a big Shopping Mall called Shopwise, we use Bicycle Rickshaws to go there about 5 pence, many Rickshaws pass my house , Taxis also , a few buses, never have to wait for one, if yoy buy from a big Mall say a large item its delivered within 30 minutes with you also, service is fantastic and so polite, end of next week we take delivery of a Yamaha Mio Automatic Scooter, a one year old Finance repossession, looks brand new, will have taken me 8 weeks to save and pay cash for it, by Christmas i hope to buy a new Rebuilt Suzuki Multicab Pickup Truck with rear Canopy and seats, £2,100, all being well, so in just over one year i will have completely bought everything for our home, a motor scooter and a truck, all paid for cash, i could not save in the UK, just fighting to pay bills, i have forgotten what its like to feel cold, but best of all i have the most caring Girl looking after me, arrived here with a few clothes and my laptop, does not seem possible so much has been achieved.
the only way to but property here is if you Marry a Filipina Girl, unless you buy in her name, they check to make sure you are divorced, for £16.000 UK Pounds you can buy a new 2 bedroom bungalow, small by Australian standards, but nice with all mod cons, including garden area and parking area, some real nice ones here, cheaper if you buy a lot of land and pay local labour to build, maybe half that price, i was lucky if i could save £30 a month in the UK, now i can save £300, we live well here, but many con artists here, am lucky i have local people as friends, so i am wise to them, in many Goverment offices , traffic dept, immigration there are men known as Fixers, they say they will fill all the forms in for you, which they do, then ask for the appropriate fee for whatever you are applying for then disappear, notices in all the offices, BEWARE OF FIXERS, can be a lot of money, am lucky Annie is allways with me. but Shops and Taxi Drivers no problem, unlike India. all are Rogues there. still you live and learn, one thing here is if you are with a Filipina Girl the whole Family will try to ask for money, you have to make it clear you are not a Bank, reletivesi have never seen will visit, you know what they want, just say no. upsets a few, tough
Hi Tony, well i miss not being able to visit my Brother and my Sons, miss not having a Car yet, but definately miss some favourite UK Food , Mcvites Digestive Biscuits, and there Jamaican Ginger Cake, Mature Cheddar Cheese, English Tea, Biscuits here tasteless and the Cakes far too sweet, can get Liptons Teabags here but not like PG Tips, and the Bread here is sweet, does not taste right, i think that is all i miss, but what i have gained is much more, i used to eat a , lot of Mangos in UK, but sometimes a pound each, here 2kilos for a pound,
hi john, many squatters areas still here, you dont need to look far to find one, often many houses destroyed by fires, as all wooden and close together, recently a big fire not far from me, 80 houses destroyed, one room shacks really, was over Mactan Bridge the other day going to Lapu Lapu, many nice Beach Resorts on Mactan Island, i go there, i live in Punta Princessa, Cebu, close to the big hills that overlook Cebu, bus drivers are still suicidal, best wishes, Tony.
Getting a Drivers Licence in Cebu. My other half Annie went to the local Traffic Office to get a Students non Professional Licence, was issued one valid for a month after paying a small fee, after one month She goes back there has a Urine Test for drugs and is issued with a full non professional licence, to drive a Car or Motor Cycle, no Test no Highway code, no wonder so many crazy drivers here, because my UK Licence is valid i can convert it to a Philippine one by taking a Urine Test, you can drive on a UK Licence for 90 days only. Taxi and Bus and Truck drivers take a test. the driving here is still better than India, they were Kamikaze Drivers. in India they think nothing of driving the wrong lane in the wrong direction on a dual carriageway, or going around a roundabout in opposite way, just to cut a corner. i spent 42 hours on a bus there from Delhi to Katmandhu, going round mountain passes with sheer drops and raging rivers below, hairpin bends all the way, at speeds that were crazy. you were so close to the edge when you looked out of the window all you saw was a River a few thousand feet below. lots of wrecks also.
like all ex seaman John, we got used to that, was an everyday occurrence, we could give and take it, found it different when i came ashore, a different breed of people, never felt at home. still feel more at ease with ex Seaman.
latest photos from Cebu, ln Sibonga 2 hours drive from here, taken yesterday on Annies Dads Farm, some lush tropical trees and plants, up in the mountains, cooler there, may brighten your day
And a few more
so peaceful out in the provinces, still use traditional ways, a buffalo for a tractor.
I have to admit i sometimes think i am dreaming, cannot believe my good fortune, In the UK i had a very lonely existance, seemed hopeless at times, untill one day i got a message on a social website, it said , HEllo, i am Analyn from the Philippines, was talking on Skype for 2 years, trying to save the money to come here, i was working part time as a carer for Mentally Disabled Adults, then 9 months befor i came here my job ended, so even harder to save, Annie had same problem, her contract for work ended, could not get another job, at 35 here you are considered old for work, so i could not let her starve, so i kept her and myself and saved a little, in the end i sold my collection of model ships, that got my ticket, came here on a wing and a prayer, now 8 months later i have a nice apartment, everything paid for inside, get our Yamaha Scooter tomorrow, so doing good now. my life has been like the rise and fall of the Roman Empire many times, got to say i have never been so happy, and contented, miss a few things from the UK, but the pluses here far outweigh the losses, No doubt about it, Annie is Number One., allways happy, and laughing, so funny at times, now life is good. allways i look forward to tomorrow now, The People here are so friendly, very hardworking, very clever at improvising, there outlook on life is so different, if questiond why they dont have something, there reply is NO CHOICE, but still able to smile. they work for so little money.
i have a great Neighbour here, runs a Restaurant next door and a small shop, his wife runs that, he also imports and sells guns, legally, also he is a musician, played in China, Thailand, Malaysia, very interesting to talk to, the stories of bribery, it never ends, he was telling me about life under Spanish Rule, how badly they were treated, and the final revolt that got rid of Spanish Rule, almost all here have Spanish Names, which were not there own, the Spaniads refused to educate them, called them Indios, took everything and gave nothing, its nice to learn the History of where you live, yesterday literally thousands walking the streets with candles and Effigies of there Religion, a very Catholic Country, seems strange to be on a Jeepney/ Bus, and it pulls into a Petrol Station for Fuel, everyone is privately owned and a different colour scheme. all have designated routes, lots are rented, pay the owner a daily fee, same with the bicycle rickshaws, pay the owner 50 Pesos a day, 90 pence, then its a lot of peddaling to make a small profit , but they are a great bunch of guys, really look after me, yesterday afternoon must have been a rickshaws convention, all parked up near my house drinking, they like there Beer here, allways get an invitation, have very little but willing to share, am really impressed with the Philippine People, sad when you see Street Children going through Trash Sacks, looking for plastic to sell, or even Cardboard, some 5 or 6 years old, by the time the Trash is collected at 4AM every day, half has disappeared, thats it for now, 1230 am, bed time.
hi Alf, i wish you a speedy recovery, they have a lovely nature and such sweet smiles, work for peanuts here,
hi Alf, would be great if it worked like that, believe me Filipina Girls are extremely jealous, especially if they have a Foreign Boyfriend, they know many Girls will try to take there place, they really do try, i have had many flirts, sometimes even if i am with Annie, you have to tread very carefully, dont even smile at the checkout operator in the supermarket, iff Annie goes shopping without me they all ask where i am, i get a warning befor she goes out, dont talk to girls, am not interested in them anyway, but all are so friendly its hard not to say hello if they speak first, the other day i waited for Annie outside a shopping mall, was there about an hour, a young girl asked me the time, i told her, then she said was i waiting for my wife, i said no, then asked me if i wanted a girlfriend, i said no, so she asked why, i said my girlfriend was inside shopping, with that Annie came out and said something in her language to that girl and she went, Annie said its not safe to leave me anywhere, luckily a girl who was sitting near to me told Annie what happened, that girl was in her very early 20,s, one huge supermarket i am not allowed to go there alone, a certain girl there allways making eyes at me, when Annie is standing next to me, Annie said she is jealous of her, about 20, slim, very pretty, i suppose Annie feels threatened, , am more than happy with Annie, i told her they may want, but you allready have, problem here is the men here are not very faithful, she thinks all are the same. no way would i spoil what i have. the grass is not greener the other side of the hill.
Message from cebu, i was showing annie round london using youtube, she could not believe the london eye. Wants a ride on it now, also showed her london underground, a couple of train rides, she was scared, when she saw the fast virgin trains she said it was like a dream to see them. She had a cab ride in the tube train. And the new london buses had ride, a bit different to a converted truck here, you tube is a great tool for showing your own country to a stranger.
HI KEITH, THANKS FOR THAT INFORMATION, DID NOT REALISE YOUTUBE DID HELPFUL DIY VIDEO,s. WHEN I GET BORED I USE IT FOR STUDYING WW2 SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT . REGARDS. TONY W.
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And that sadly was the last post that Tony made,i hope all who read these posts enjoyed and helped to remember him!
Sadly missed by all i am sure!
NB Any Pictures that are mentioned in these writings can be seen at the following Link,unfortunately I cannot put all his Pics on,as the site only allows so many in one post@
Thanks
http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/p...ings-cebu.html
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 21st November 2013 at 11:04 AM.
Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website
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