Billy's email of 6/12/09

hi everyone...
 
i wanted to say hi and let everyone know i arrived in the philippines safe and sound, after 
approx. 30 hours of traveling on wed june 10th...i was certainly exhausted.  the flight from 
l.a. to hong kong alone was over 14 hours...all well worth it so far.
 
what an absolutely fascinating place, with an abundance of cultural diversity, the good, 
the bad and the ugly and sights so strange to my eyes i am constantly being surprised.  

when i finally saw the archipelago that is the philippines i was totally amazed by the 
size and magnitude of over 7000 islands stretching over hundreds of miles in the middle 
of the sea...everything i had researched and heard from emily and others was taking shape.
 
so after a few days of much needed rest and relaxing at a beautiful resort we're staying at, 
i was ready to tackle the business of settling in and taking care of all the priorities one 
must deal with when moving to a strange foreign land.  you know, banking, housing, learning 
the currency and metric system too...no choice anymore on the metric system.
 
as some of you already know i shipped off dylan kitty about a week before i left and emily 
has taken great care to acclimate both dylan and yours truly.  she's just the sweetest and 
most adorable person and has already done so much to help me get plugged in to my new home.
 
today we looked and will hopefully buy a brand new home, 3 bedroom/2 bath for approx. 47 k, 
i know it's unreal...there's lots of foreigners and expats over here and many more moving 
here...cost of living is obviously a huge factor...then there's the tropical environment, 
beautiful beaches and abundance of tropical flowers and flora.
 
tonight we went to a great italian restaurant and spent $15 with tip...i can hear the gasps 
from here. 
 
so far the worst thing is the unbelievable traffic and chaos driving in downtown or rush hour,  
it's like driving in a spectacular race track...very few traffic lights or signs, an endless 
stream of merging, turning, and total disregard for safety...pedestrians that walk within inches 
from all the traffic...narrow streets...my kind of driving.  there's a gazillion motor scooters, 
cabs and other previously unknown vehicles to even me.  but for the most part i won't be driving 
much anyway, especially at those times, so i'm not too concerned.
 
anyway, i hope all is well with everyone and i will keep in touch.  have a wondeful summer, 
i know i will.
 
for those interested, once i get a new laptop, i can be reached free via webcam at zcycler@yahoo.com, 
my regular email will remain the same.  i will also be getting a new cell phone and will post that soon too.  
in the meantime, if you need to reach me, call emily's cell at 999 999999999999.
                                                               
 
love,
billy, emily and dylan