Well, we just got back from an extended vacation in the Philippines. We stayed there from the end of November to past the middle of March. It was supposed to be a business/pleasure trip that would get us away from the ravages of a Minnesota winter and hopefully accomplish a lot at the same time. Unfortunately, when we arrived back here on March 19th, it was 12 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of the day, -6 the next morning and we had six foot snow piles in our yard. Somebody forgot to tell old man winter that it was supposed to be spring by then.
The really bad news was that my optimistic plans to do business in the Philippines were quickly dampened after one disappointment following another occurred there. I might go into an extended explanation for what I consider to be a terrible business climate there despite all of the current hype to the contrary in a future blog but right now I really don’t feel like being that negative. I am just glad to be back home in one piece after a physically and mentally draining vacation?
Terminal Case of Jetlag
After eleven days of suffering through what at one point I wondered might be a terminal case of jetlag, we both seem to be getting back a little energy but are still not totally out of the woods yet. My brother who flies a lot, told me that it usually takes about one day of recovery for each hour of time zone difference so hopefully one more day and we will be fine. For those of you who have never suffered from jetlag, let me just say this, jetlag is a B…H. If you are planning an overseas trip, you should make sure you don’t have a lot on your plate right after you get back.
There really were some bright spots that happened during our trip. I have been having severe dental deterioration over the last couple of years and needed extensive work that would have cost me from $10,000 to $20,000 here in the US. I wanted to wait till I got to the Philippines before I decided what I really wanted to have done and ended up getting all of my problems fixed there for about $900. I had seven teeth filled, six pulled and a partial upper and lower plate fitted and delivered.
Save Money on Dentistry
The work was excellent and the dentist was the best I have ever gone to. The amount we saved on dentistry alone more than paid for the entire trip. She was a friend of my wife and she also ended up being our landlord for some brand new apartments that she and her husband were just finishing up while we were there. They are easily the nicest by far of any fully furnished apartments we looked at. The pictures here show what nice work they did. The outside shot was taken before the nice decorative railing was installed just before we left.
Carol, our dentist and landlord, treated us more like her own personal guests than clients. We were invited to multiple parties and dinners at her house and met many of their friends while there. She and her husband and their hospitality were by far the best part of our entire trip.