Letter from Manila - Santol - of course!

Corr, he's got half a title, doesn't he. Just needs to add a PHD on to the end for the complete effect.

I bet he didn't get through all 136 before he snapped the hammer!

PHD = Philippine Highschool Diploma?

Well, what can I say?

Some of you will have read of my earlier abode moving shenanigans before. If so, you’ll understand what an utter, utter pain it is in this part of the world.

We’ve had agents who don’t talk, agents that show you places completely different from what you want and agents who don’t even listen to where you want to live!

We’ve had owners who lie, don’t honour deals, owners who are plain and simply bloody loco!

My advice, phone a friend.

Now, as an aside, I like a nice watch. I’m not a snob about it, doesn’t have to be Rolex (just as well, I’m not keen on most of them) or Omega, but do I like TAG Hueur. They’re good quality, sensibly priced, not stupid big and have one or two models I really like. To this end, I connected with a girl who deals in second-hand (or pre-owned in the latest parlance) and have over the last couple of years, equipped the family. I’ve always bought from Debs, she describes accurately, isn’t stupid on price and does everything she says she’ll do. So we’ve got quite matey over the time.

Now, it’s moving time again. We need to be further south than we are now, due to My Little Darlin’ wanting a career in aviation, so Parañaque (pronounced Para-knee-a-key, the ñ giving the knee sound) was our target.

I got in touch with three agents. 1, used Viber almost exclusively to contact me then, when she dicked me around, claimed it wasn’t her fault as she hardly ever checked her Viber account. 2, promised to call and I never heard from him again. 3, was very willing, great at contacting me, fit as a butcher’s dog, but the houses were nothing like I’d asked for.

In the meantime, I’d contacted Debs. “Looking at moving down your way, know any agents?”

“No, but a friend of mine is looking to rent one.”

Off we pop on last Saturday morning. Saw the house, it was everything we’d asked for. I said what I was prepared to pay and Debs negotiated a deal that both me and the owner was happy with (so a good one for all). This morning, met the owners, signed up, paid deposit and security and get the keys on 12th March. How easy is that?
























The place is vast. The main bedroom has a dressing room and en-suite and we've two rooms (over and above kitchen, dining and lounge) at the front we don't know what to do with yet! Garden for the dogs, always in shade from trees, massive garage and a couple of handy outbuildings for storing my car bits and bobs. Happy with that. 


So yeah, phone a friend. 

Looks terrific!

Good news, I hope.

Looks good though.

And it looks like you’ll be blessed with God as your co driver everytime you leave the garage! Hope the move goes smoothly!

Looks good. Will you need to chicken wire the bottom of the fence so the smaller mutts can't get thru?

Yes, and for one of them, the smallest mesh they do!

I'm surprised he's not taken a header off the balcony yet.


There's plenty but, given the lockdown and the fact we've only been there in the mornings, I don't know which are open yet. Doesn't help that each city within Metro Manila makes their own rules up.

However, my pal Fritz, fellow P38 owner who runs an excellent garage specialising in European motors and is also partial to a beer, apparently lives about 750m away from our new place. I'm sure he'll be an excellent source of guidance.

I'm not panicking yet, put it that way!

Looks good George...moving house is such a pain!