Going to the Philippines.

I have been talking to a woman from Caloocan City for about 9 months through email, instant messenger, phone, web cam and now we are going to take the next step. I am going to visit her in a few months to meet in person.

I am going to stay for a little under a month so that we really have a chance to get to know each other, and I can get to know the Philippines better.  I am self employed so I have no trouble getting the time off of work, besides I can do a lot online.

What are my options for a place to stay should I just stay in a hotel, or should I try to find a furnished/efficiency apartment?

Any input you guys can give me would be great.

Congratulations! That is really exciting. Please find out where she works or if she is planning to go on leave while you are there. That way, we will be able to give you some options to stay. If you are staying for at least 2 weeks, it might be best to stay in some condo's for rent where it is fully furnished. Let me know so I can send you some options to stay. Caloocan City is not the best place to stay because it is one polluted place. But, if you need to see your loved one everyday, it might be okay since you will be staying hopefully inside airconditioned places like the mall or plan to go outside the metro area. There is a place that I go to if you want to have a safe place to go and spend more time discussing some important issues in life with Carmelite nuns running the place. Filipinas are very conservative. So, going out of town by yourselves might be something that might not be allowed by some families, unless accompanied by a chaperon. Or, unless she is old enough to take care of herself. When my American husband first came to see me, we spent days of discussing the book, His needs, Her needs. We spent a day in La Union and spent time in prayer and counseling with the Carmelite nuns. Then, we went just for a day to Baguio.
Please check my http://worldlinks4u.com/blog/2010/01/15 … ipinos-ii/

Let me know :)
Pinay mentor.

I suggest that you visit subic whenever you got here. We have available units that we also use for daily rentals. SBMA or Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is a former American base here in the Philippines. We can assure you that SUBIC Bay is one of the cleanest and safest place here in the Philippines.