Including travel time and barring any changes in the current plans, I expect to will be in Manila for approximately 5 months (on and off) between December 2005 and October 2006.

Ground rules and other important notes:

• The purpose of this trip is business, but the purpose of my journal is to keep my friends and family informed on how I’m faring. While there will be the occasional mention of people from the Philippine office or cultural differences between work environments, there won’t be anything specific to my roles and responsibilities.
• I will have access to the internet on a regular basis, but will be working long hours and might not have as much time to work on this journal as I did in India. In addition, many things in Manila are unexpectedly similar to North America, so I’m finding I have less to say that I had expected. Unless you’re fixated on what I’m doing, you probably don’t need to check back more than 2x a week for updates.
• I’ve decided to change a few things in the Philippines journal. I’m separating sections out into trips (yes, I know that will make for long pages to read.. but it’s less work for me in the end, so *thupppppt*. The future dates will not contain information at this time. If you’re curious, the links all work.. there just isn’t any information on those pages at this time.
• I’m equipped with a digital camera on this trip. Pictures will be updated regularly in the Photo Gallery.

Preparation:
If you’d like to visit the Philippines, there are a number of things you’ll need to do before you can start off on the 28+ hour journey. It’s best to begin by contacting the Consulate General of the Philippines and reviewing the Government of Canada – Travel Advisory.

In order to travel to the Philippines, you’ll need the following:

• Passport
• Visitor Visa – Canadians can visit the Philippines for a total of 21 days without a visitor’s visa. If you’d like to stay longer, contact the Philippine Consulate in your are for assistance.
• Vaccinations – Required vaccinations will vary depending on your country of origin. Lucky me, I had all the vaccinations I required when I went to India in 2003. Contact your health care insurance provider for additional details regarding your limits of coverage.
• Travel Insurance – Not all personal and health insurance plans will cover travel to international countries. It’s best to contact your healthcare provider and ensure that you are covered in case of emergency prior to leaving the country.

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