In Quarantine Hotel

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

Jovy and I left Atlanta at 2:30pm on Delta. The girl at check in asked if we scheduled a hotel and swab test and date of our return flights but didn't ask to see anything in writing. The plane left on time and was 20 minutes early into Incheon which was fortunate because we only had a 55 minute layover as scheduled and we needed all of that because we had to show hotel reservations, expired Philippine passport, marriage license and passports to board the plane. The Korean Air plane landed in Manila right on time at 10:05 pm but had to wait a half hour for the gate to clear.

There was a lot of confusing things to process through at NAIA but Jovy took care of all of that, it was obvious that she was back in her element. We are staying at the Bayview Park hotel. The rate is P4,400 a night with all meals included but they allow cohabitation so we only had to book one room. I wasn't able to sleep on the planes and haven't slept very well for the last couple weeks so I passed out at 1:30 am and woke up at 3:30 pm the next afternoon. I slept through breakfast, lunch and a 6.6 magnitude earthquake. Eight more days to go before our final flight to Leyte.

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Michael P. Carter Contributor

102POSTS

4 years ago

congrats

Jackson4 Serial expat

714POSTS

4 years ago

Does the hotel have any activities to keep you occupied and entertained? Or does it feel like detention?

Michaelm54 Contributor

101POSTS

4 years ago

Thanks for sharing that information. We will be flying to Manila in mid November. We have our hotel booked for 10 days, but I didn鈥檛 schedule a swab test yet. Was that done through the hotel or what?

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

There鈥檚 no activity we can participate in since we can not leave the room.

Jovy and I stayed at the Bayview Park in 2007 for her K1 visa interview. Looks like it went downhill a little since then. The carpet in the 9th floor hallway is worn out.

The meals that are included so far have consisted of a scoop of rice and fish or beef for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was not bad though.聽

We went to the trouble of having our marriage certificate apostilled for the balikbayan visa and didn鈥檛 have to pull it out.聽 It was almost midnight by the time we reached immigration the girl looked tired and disinterested.

Jackson4 Serial expat

714POSTS

4 years ago

Moon Dog wrote:
There鈥檚 no activity we can participate in since we can not leave the room.

Jovy and I stayed at the Bayview Park in 2007 for her K1 visa interview. Looks like it went downhill a little since then. The carpet in the 9th floor hallway is worn out.

My wife and I also stayed at the Bayview Park back in 1999 to process residency at the US Embassy. I thought it was decent back then. They had a real brick oven going at the breakfast area and a wide variety of Filipino and western dishes. It was breakfast buffet. I remembered the room was small.

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Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

The swab test is supposed to be scheduled ahead of time but I believe there was a station for scheduling. My advice is to schedule AND pay for it online before you travel. Print out all pages which includes receipt of payment. We were asked more than once if we scheduled and paid and when they saw the receipt we were able to bypass a long line of people waiting to pay.聽 You can find a link on Philippine Airlines website.

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Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

The Bayview Park was nice in 2007 also. I was on the Mag Anak forum back then and there was always spirited discussion about Cherry Blossom vs Bayview Park so we stayed one night at Cherry Blossom. We didn鈥檛 like the noise of the mufflerless motor bikes coming and going in the inside parking area which was were our room was located. It became an echo chamber. I think they may be doing some renovations on Bayview Park.

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Michaelm54 Contributor

101POSTS

4 years ago

Did you schedule the swab test with the hotel? Also, you need a swab test prior to take off in Atlanta?

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#10

Michaelm54 wrote:
Did you schedule the swab test with the hotel? Also, you need a swab test prior to take off in Atlanta?

I scheduled, and paid for, the swab test a couple weeks before we traveled. You can't leave the airport without the swab test scheduled and paid for. Paying in advance will speed up the process at the airport since you won't have to wait in line to pay.

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pnwcyclist Philippines Expert

1489POSTS

4 years ago

#11

Great info - thanks Moon Dog.

GuestPoster144846 Guest

0POSTS

4 years ago

#12

How and where did you schedule the swab test ahead of time?

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#13

nosredna wrote:
How and where did you schedule the swab test ahead of time?

The Philippine Red Cross handles booking the swab test. Here is the link I used.

PhilRes Active member

85POSTS

4 years ago

#14

Hey thanks - sitting at Hyatt SFO for today flight and had prep'd the immigration thing but couldn't figure out how to book the test so I followed your links and sorted - I hope - I have my red cross QR Code and email saying they processing my payment...hopefully that will go through and I all good.

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carlisom78 Active member

76POSTS

4 years ago

#15

Mabuhay! Congratulations, you've taken action to enjoy your life on your terms. That's something many people aren't willing to do.

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Rex71 Member

12POSTS

4 years ago

#16

When I came back a little while ago found the prebooking with the red Cross QR was a was of time. Never used it. Made to sit down fill out a form and wait to be tested. Luckily
because I was one of the first off the plane I was number 3 in line. Pity number 150

Michaelm54 Contributor

101POSTS

4 years ago

#17

Thanks, we鈥檒l do that!

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dadof3at1ce Active member

29POSTS

4 years ago

#18

Want to go back in November as well, but will not sit through quarantine. We both have been vaccinated with Pfizer and have only 3 weeks vacation. We are not going to spend it stuck in a tiny room.

frankanderson Contributor

114POSTS

4 years ago

#19

Good Info, thanks.

Hang in there. Hope you got good reading material or if internet is good, time to catch up on those worthy episode binges.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#20

frankanderson wrote:
Good Info, thanks.

Hang in there. Hope you got good reading material or if internet is good, time to catch up on those worthy episode binges.

Thanks,

I brought a wireless keyboard and a HDMI cable and hooked my laptop to the TV which is working. Our US Netflix is working here also. I'm coming up with new ways to exercise and learning where the bones are in milk fish.

If there is a bright side it would be getting over jet lag before we go to our new house on Biliran Island. We will likely have a few days to quarantine there and I have all the kitchen appliances to install, dining room set to assemble, a split air conditioner to install in our bedroom and a long honey do list I'm sure.

We thought is wise to enclose the dirty kitchen to preserve the wooden doors on the main kitchen and maid's quarters (which is now the laundry room) and allow Jovy to cook there on rainy days. It should have the roof on by the time we arrive so we can design the cabinets and have them built after we are cleared to do such things. It is the last job of the foreman who built the house so he can go back home to Cebu until we are ready to replace the shack on the back of the property with a nice little bungalow for her parents and visitors. He has been there 14 months and is like part of the family now. Photo of dirty kitchen enclosure construction so far.

[img align=Enclosing the dirty kitchen]<a href="https://imgur.com/1EIlP8g"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1EIlP8g.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>[/img]

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PhilRes Active member

85POSTS

4 years ago

#21

Just to update - the Red Cross works as they not testing at the airport so having that sorted put a different sticker on my passport and I skipped a whole lot.

In fact I had confused the immigration CR Code procedure PAL pointed to days before (can do up to 3 days before travel) with PAL's OWN CR Code they wanted done at the airport of departure (SFO). I got stalled to get that done at NAIA airport off my smart phone...took a couple of tries.聽 I should have made it clearer what I had done to the SFO staff but I was in the dance in case there is an issue mode.

I will say give yourself lots of time if flying out of USA as not a slow process AND I had upgraded to Biz class, the amount of wheel chairs on that flight was insane but made sense - everybody that can fly to USA and get vaccinated, esp. over 65, I am sure has done so as its basically walk-in.

My takeaways

- getting all CR codes done before airport but prepare to have to give the same info all over again at airport...funny how PAL just assumes we all have smart phones, etc.聽 I pretty sure if I had it would have been faster than usual as would have hit immigration with few in line.聽 As it is one hour from touchdown I was in Hotel car.聽 Yeah I was like the 10th person out of plane so went from like a 15 min to curbside to an hour...

-So it was Red Cross, Immigration聽 & PAL - they also asked about the Traze App which I聽 had on from domestic trip to Boracay before and they wanted it but then didn't USE it...there should have been a QR code at the desk for me to use...so my guess is if I said NO they wouldn't have cared.

Anyway - be prepared to need smart phone for sure AND I had nothing printed out, did all by showing them, that was fine by them. I would do everything but PAL before you hit the airport as then they check your temp and give you forms to fill out, including the PAL QR code.

And 100% - no need for a Test before flight - as of today anyway.

At airport military ran the logistics of getting out and into you pre-booked transport - they effectively working as if everybody is infected and not a bad way to do it from a Public Health standpoint.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#22

Just goes to show that not all incoming flights are the same. I had no traze app and was never asked to show anything on my phone. I had the printed receipts of prepaid swab tests which I was asked to produce twice. We entered NAIA in about the middle of the pack but was one of the first to clear immigration.

Michaelm54 Contributor

101POSTS

4 years ago

#23

Was your wife traveling with a Philippine passport? My wife is with a Philippine passport and the old protocol was seperate lines for foreign and Philippine passports. If I can only enter with spouse, it would make sense that we have to pass immigration together. We鈥檙e flying on JAL, Seattle to Tokyo then on to Manila, which may have its own set of craziness.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#24

Jovy is a naturalized US citizen so we processed through the foreign passport lane. We asked for and received a 1 year balikbayan visa so she had to show her expired Philippine passport. We were one of the first to arrive in immigration so there was no line. If your wife is traveling on a Philippine passport I think she will have to process through the Philippine passport side and you will probably have to also if you're coming in as a balikbayan.

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Rex71 Member

12POSTS

4 years ago

#25

You need to go through the same lane if you want a balikbayan visa

Michaelm54 Contributor

101POSTS

4 years ago

#26

The follow up question is which lane? I would only suspect it鈥檚 the Philippine passport lanes even though I鈥檓 US passport and wife is Philippine passport.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#27

If you're coming in on a balikbayan visa you have to process in along with your wife. Both of you should go through the Filipino citizen lane. If I'm wrong it is no big deal, you will be directed to the proper lane without penalty.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#28

We are on day 8 of the quarantine and still no swab test? Hopefully we will be tested this morning and the results will be here by tomorrow. We have a flight scheduled at 7 am Sunday (10th day) and our dog should be on that flight also. The poor thing is in a kennel in Makati wondering what happened to her world. It cost $5,500 to bring her to Manila and another $600 for the paper work and airfare to get her on our flight to Tacloban.

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PhilRes Active member

85POSTS

4 years ago

#29

On swab test - I got emails to set it up while I was here in my Q hotel- check your emails, including spam?聽 they have scheduled mine.聽 I had to complete and excel form and submit it back as email.聽 I came in Monday morning and that counts as Day 1 so mine is sched for Sunday as my day 7.聽 Means I get to go home Wed.聽 Assuming negative...which it better be after Pfizer in the states.

NOTE - hotel had me booked and extra day into Thursday and I first assumed that correct - when called they agreed - I can get out a day earlier...so keep that in mind - they count arrival as day 1...so really test is on the 6th day leave 9th day here.

Also - as I live in Makati I've had stuff delivered to me, to supplement the food which not enough for me, plus comfort stuff like decaf teas & such.聽 So if you coming in BE SURE your hotel not playing games to say you can't get deliveries as I have see that, its not true聽 - NOTHING聽 can go out - stuff I have for friends have to wait till i am at home, but i've had driver drop 3xs - he serious ex-Marine Recon Sgt so often he gets stuff done with a smile but I checked official policy for here.聽 I read for another that said they not allowed to accept deliveries.聽 They will NOT let you get Food Panda, etc., which is fine - they protecting their room service.

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bigpearl ViP

4328POSTS

4 years ago

#30

Boots on the ground info Moon Dog, very helpful for all. Sorry it cost so much to bring your pooch but it's family.
Have a safe flight home and have fun setting up the new house.

Cheers, Steve.

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Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#31

Good news, day 9 and we have the results of the swab test and both of us are negative. I paid for the test online on July 6 and received confirmation that we were in the system on July 8. We also filled in the hotel info on a clipboard at the airport. The swab testers came by yesterday before noon and I checked many times during the night but it wasn't until I sent a message asking politely to expedite the process that progress began showing up in the system and just a short time ago we received our certificates.

The hotel will send a runner to pick up local eats if requested but it is a one-way deal. I tried to send the runner down to hand some pesos to the guy taking care of our dog but it wasn't allowed unless I could show negative test results.

Tikla should be on our 7am flight in the morning, can't wait to see her face when we claim her in Tacloban, definitely a Kodak moment. We left her on the 22nd and she began her travel on the 26th and landed in Manila on the 28th after spending a day at the Pet Spa in Amsterdam.聽 She is just a little stray Georgia mutt that came out of the forest 6 years ago and decided to stay.

[img align=Tikla]

[/img]

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bakedbeans Active member

36POSTS

4 years ago

#32

I thought if you have a swab test.it can be done in 15 mins...surely it would be alot cheaper to pay for test rather than pay much more than the hotel fee and food for 14 days.!!

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#33

The swab test cost us P4,000 each and it takes "24 to 48 hours" for the results. 24 hours would have been OK but 48 would have been past our flight time since they swabbed us on the 8th day instead of the 7th day. The team collecting the specimens have to stop at many hotels each day and it took more than 8 hours for our specimens to even reach the molecular laboratory.

I was thinking about what to do and I remembered 14 years ago I was here in this hotel and my then fianc茅 just had her interview for the K1 visa.聽 She wanted to return with me but for some reason every seat on every flight was booked up for the next month or two except 2 first class seats on my flight. I put a hold on one of those seats on a Thursday but they would only hold it for 48 hours which was noon the following Saturday. I found out the embassy will consider emergency situations if submitted by fax. I wrote a nice letter explaining our dilemma and faxed it over. Saturday morning came and it wasn't looking good but then I got a call at 10am that Delbros was here with a package. We went down to the lobby and received her visa. I asked the Delbros currier if they normally delivered on Saturday and he said no, he was called in for an emergency delivery and that is how they do in the Philippines if you are sincere and courteous. Worked twice for me now because I sent a nice message to the Red Cross late yesterday evening and at 1:10am the specimen began to process and was completed by 3:30am which is 17 hours start to finish.

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Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#34

Day 10! We're outa here in a couple hours. Board the 7am flight to Tacloban and reunite with our dog Tikla. We decided to spend a little time with Jovy's brothers who live in and around Tacloban then off to the Island in the L300, first class all the way!

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manwonder ViP

1904POSTS

4 years ago

#35

Moon Dog wrote:
Day 10! We're outa here in a couple hours. Board the 7am flight to Tacloban and reunite with our dog Tikla. We decided to spend a little time with Jovy's brothers who live in and around Tacloban then off to the Island in the L300, first class all the way!

Congrats....& Enjoy your fffrrreeeeddddooommmm.

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Jackson4 Serial expat

714POSTS

4 years ago

#36

Congratulations Moon dog!
Facemask: don't leave home without it.

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Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#37

We are flying PAL and unless I read it wrong they require masks as well as face shields on domestic flights. I will know for sure when I check in at 6 am.

PhilRes Active member

85POSTS

4 years ago

#38

Moon Dog - appreciate riding your coat tails as I sit in QHotel here - just got text from Red Cross they coming sometime today for mine...which will be day 7 so I will not sweat the lag in result if there is one as stuck here to the 10th day no matter.

I am also truly glad you got OUT on domestic flight before they go into lockdown on the 6th as sound like all domestic flights out of MNL are going to be suspended. So people coming in planning on hopping on a domestic flight after your quarantine BE PREPARED AND READ THE NEWS - GOOGLE NEWS HAS A PHILIPPINE OPTION.

I agree 100% about approach here - I came here after very long run in mainland China and had to seriously reverse my approach and realize the default setting here is to be help, may not have the power to do so or may feign helplessness but you very likely will deal with somebody that will respond to kindness with kindness.

So get to where you going and hunker down till Delta sorts itsellf - Phil is proof that crude simple measures will protect you more than any vaccine - mask up, distance, limit contact - this is an entirely new disease and you are now in a country where nobody really is vacinated and if so provides no protection to Delta but poss. reduced severity.

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frankanderson Contributor

114POSTS

4 years ago

#39

Moon Dog wrote:
snip

[img align=Tikla]https://i.imgur.com/nKDi0Vs.jpg[/url]

That is so sweet of you and you are a very gentle soul. Not everyone will go thru the hassle of taking their doggo with them, let alone a stray mutt聽 when move/travel abroad.

Kudos Man, Kudos.

Moon Dog Philippines Advisor

974POSTS

4 years ago

#40

PhilRes wrote:
Moon Dog - appreciate riding your coat tails as I sit in QHotel here - just got text from Red Cross they coming sometime today for mine...which will be day 7 so I will not sweat the lag in result if there is one as stuck here to the 10th day no matter.

We got out on time and arrived at the airport early for our 7am flight and cleared all the hurdles. It is a good thing I paid to have everything printed at the hotel because we were asked for everything including the swab test certificates and the letters from barangay and municipality. Jovy's two best friends were at the airport waiting for us so they had a chance to meet face to face for the 2nd time, it was a real hug fest. They talk online every day, the sweetest girls you ever want to meet.

There was a plan in effect that got us to house after dark so instead arriving in style with a lot of fanfare we were to arrive like thieves in the night and I don't fully understand why but it had something to do will us spending the 4 days quarantine in our house instead of some quarantine facility. Anyway, we had to pull over at the check point at the Biliran bridge which connects the island to Leyte. We spent about an hour there and ended up being granted permission to quarantine at the house.

We arrived at the house at about 7pm and what a sight it was. All I had seen to that point were pictures.聽 It had been 7 years since I last visited the property. The lights were dim, the table was set, there was a huge "Welcome Home Jovy & David" poster on the wall. I'm sure my poster-making brother in law had a hand in making the poster. The table was set with a fish, rice and bico so welcome to the Philippines. After chowing down I unpacked the large frig and rolled it into it's spot just to find out it wasn't working, there was no power at the outlet but there was power to the outlet. I was able to find another outlet and got it working. That was about all we were able to do on the first night. Nanay had the carpenter temporary install a window A/C in the small bedroom so we could sleep.

We both woke at about 3am, still suffering from a little jet lag, and managed to heat some water to make coffee. I unpacked the oven/range and found some wire and hooked it up so Jovy could cook breakfast. We spent the rest of this day opening Lazada packages and balikbayan boxes. We also wrestled the washing machine into the laundry room but the water connection is just a plugged fitting at this point so I'll have to get a valve to finish that job. Front loading washers are very heavy. We had to be by a rear window to connect to the Wi-Fi at Nanay's house but I remembered I had a repeater in my luggage so that issue is resolved and I'm able to sit at the mini dining table and peck on my laptop.