Back Home From My U.S. Visit

Well, I'm finally back home with my filipina wife n her 2 kids after having to return home for 1 month. Law here, as a foreigner, I had to exit for at least a day or 2 before 36th month mark. I decided to go home to Calif, sell my honda civic sport coupe I left, and bring back 2 checked bags of tools whewwww that was rough making the weights right. Not to mention the traffic has gotten so much worse in Cali and the Cajon Pass like OMG! hahaha

Fix a couple of cars for my best buddy of 57 years, since he is more of a brother, than my 3 half bro's ever were. Visited my parents grave at the Riverside Veterans Cemetary again, maybe my last time to do so. Since I really don't plan to go back, unless of some emergency. I really seen how bad Cali has gotten and have NO desire to go back anytime soon!

Talk about inflation back home jeezus louise ! Marlboros went from $8 a pack (at same place) to $12.50 yikes! Only bought 1 pack on the way to Ontario airport to fly home. I bought 1 carton of the cheapest I found for $65 lol , here I can buy 3 cartons for around $65, and made by Marlboro company!! Not to mention food, 1 cafe we used to frequent, went so a pastrami deal for 2, $45 w/ a 20% tip.

Anyway I couldn't wait to return here to my new home/life, plus they missed me. I did finally get thru the hoops to get married here, that was 1 helluva journey !! The outgoing Mayor of Cebu City married us, and 2 other couples before leaving office 6/1/25, on 5/28/25.

Now that I am home, I will work on the spousal visa, which will cancel out me going to immigration every 2 months to extend @ $50 a pop, saving around $300+ a year and the travel expenses. And just 1 annual check in with around a $10 fee lol. I'll tell ya, the Ontario Airport in Cali is sooooo much easier than LAX to arrive and depart from!

Time flies, seeing I've been on TT 11 years now, wow ! Even though I'm not driving now, I still enjoy coming and reading up on things going on and with some of you long timers hahaha , and the originator of TT, Mr Brett !! Thanks guys and gals for the tips n tricks over the years a lot of them helped me during my short 3 year tenure on the roads of the USA

Peace and health & safety to 1 and all

Welcome back (home) and congrats on getting married officially over there… hope it’s not too difficult acquiring your new visa. I too have made my home abroad (Ecuador), and can confirm these 3rd world countries have some wonky rules when it comes to foreigners immigrating to their land. I can’t complain though, considering how the government is treating immigrants here in the good ‘ole U.S. of A.! Hey man, I know you didn’t ask my opinion, but re: the cost of cigarettes, in this country or yours, packs or cartons, it all becomes a moot point when you don’t smoke. Please please try to give that up. My mom has smoked pretty much her entire adult life, refuses to give it up, and so now is suffering because her body has broken down, causing her constant pain, everywhere, and yet she still refuses to give it up. So she’s going to spend the rest of her life suffering, for what? It’s addictive, I know. It’s a habit, I know. But whatever temporary fix it provides, find something else. Happy you’re home, good that your family missed you. By the way, how heavy were your checked bags going home? How many pounds of tools did you bring with you?

Pete, well, cigs here are from $2.50 up to $3.30 for Marlboros, I splurged headed to airport, and bought 1 pack of Marlb's for $12.50 figured last time so why not lol.... I smoke Mighty's which are made by Philip Morris(marlb's) My last trucking physical in early '22 the Asian Dr was shocked after my 50 years of the habit, I had good lungs, no copd etc. I told him "it's genetics bro......I buy them by the carton/ream as they call em, for 1500 pesos / $24USD now they went up a bit in price.

Gas is colored, 93 is green-96 octane is red. Diesel is cheaper here than gasoline. As far as tools, I got 2 suit cases at Wal Mart $50 each, and maxxed em both with 50 lbs of tools each. I did have to pay $200 for the 2nd checked bag (airline allowed 1) After researching shipping a box, I found I would pay way more than in checked bags. Plus a strong possibilty, I might lose them to theft, once they x-ray and see my snap on/ mac tools lol.

There would be a tarriff/import fee of 30% + the VAT tax of 12%, as well, as the value couldn't exceed 10,000 pesos ($175) which 1 set of my metric S-On wrenches cost well over that amount years ago ! So I figured was safer to just bring em in checked bags. Besides my Mac set of pliers, channel locks needle nose etc pliers cost me $150 back in 2018 alone.

Glad I made it with no snaffus, and all my tools were with me lol.....Can't afford to ship my big ass box and the rest of my tools, oh well. Maybe another $60,000+ in my shed in buds 2.5 acre lot, he can use em if needed, but he ain't into much mechanical except basic stuff hahaha.....

Yep, shipping items is a cash cow for the gov’t too in Ecuador. When we moved there back in 2013, I left behind a box of my favorite T-shirts in our house… Left it upstairs and forgot to put it on the truck. Contacted and had my neighbor across the street ship it to me, big mistake! Cost them $75 to ship it, then Customs in Ecuador charged me a $75 fee to release it. $150 for 10 T-shirts! I mean, they were my favorite T-shirts, so I guess it was worth it, but definitely wasn’t expecting that.

LOL yeah well, part of the paperwork process to marry here, I had to Fed Ex my divorce paper(2 pages) to Calif. $70 for a paper to be "apostilled" (certified) by the State Dept, being a legit doc from 1988.

Buddy n his wife went to L.A. court for a copy of the paper. Becuz I sent a photo copy by mistake to a notary dude to handle it. They got another copy from the court, walked around the corner to the state dept to certify. another $50 for those 2 pages.

Then, it cost them $127 to Fed Ex the same 2 pieces of papers back to me here in Phil's !

I have my VW collectibles too packed in a big tupperware type tubs, I've collected since 1980. from 1/18th scale to hot wheels. Beetles and buses, a LOT of em are 1 of a kind now, and can't be replaced. I figured well over $1,000+ for all, couldn't even sell em for $500 in 2022 pffft.

I did make sure to grab my chrome original, German VW Bus front emblem from 1968-1970's it's worth $150+ all day long. Took it off my old side box door, I mounted that in 1983, when I found it in a trash bin at work. Used to dumpster dive when I worked for Waste Mngmnt found LOTS of good "trash" Even a pair of pre 1967 beetle full bumpers I grabbed and put on my '66 custom fast bug those were worth $150 each back in the day.lol