bbsheng’s corner

My first time to travel out of the country…

Last January 5, 2007, Me & Tabs went to Hong Kong… We had the cheapest flight ever, thanks to Cebu Pacific Air promo… Their services were great.. we just had an additional payment of 1620pesos for the Phil. travel tax and 550pesos for the Terminal fee… We arrived there around 11pm in the evening and we started our adventure of sleeping in the airport… it’s fun and we’re having a great time… www.hongkongairport.com

We had a cup of Pacific coffee and a free wifi internet inside the airport! Rocknolds sleeping in one of the benches@ the departure area

Now we’re awake! Its already 7am, Good Morning Hong Kong! Now its time to have some breakfast!

Journey in HK starts here….

We went directly to Mong Kok where our hostel is waiting for us… When we arrived at the Sincere bldg, we went directly to Dragon Hostel…
www.dragonhostel.com

The room is small but clean w/ our own shower room… They have one filipina helper who welcomes us.. She taught at first that we’re a Thai but i told her we’re pinay.. a big smile shown in her face… nice to see a pinay in there… There’s a lot of Filipina workers there… It pity us especially when we went to Central during Sunday..

We don’t know that Sunday is a Pinoy day in HK… Many Pinays were gathering there..salo salo eating, playing cards, chikka2x and all… some were busy talking on the phone w/ their relos… I really pity them, they’ve been working so hard for their family here in Phils. but some of their families doesn’t care and some of their children are not doing good in school… w/o even knowing that their parents were working soo hard for them to have a good life here… Filipinos usually hangout in Central near HSBC Bldg.

HK is a beautiful place.. I love the skyline in Avenue of Stars, The peak where you can see all the bldgs around you, very clean… everyone is working very hard… even @ night, someone is wiping the frames in the subway…. It’s very different here… I also appreciate their rubbish bins were everywhere.. in every corner of the road.. and also it was my first time to ride a train! hehehe…. really amazing..

Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui… I love the lights and the cold weather. weee!!!

Ocean Park.. Fantastic Sharks, Jelly, Panda, and the Cable Car!!!

For more information, here are some links that I’d like you to visit:

www.sleepingintheairport.com

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/index.jhtml

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_express/intro_index.html

www.citybus.com.hk/eng/main.asp

www.oceanpark.com.hk

www.thepeak.com.hk

Hope you find this informative.. We’ve spend 4 days and 3 nights there.. and it’s not enough.. i still want to stay for a week!!! hehe I love HK! We’ll be there this April but just an hour while transferring a plane to Sydney…

Airlines

The cheapest way to buy a ticket if you’re a first time migrant is through IOM International Organization for Migration… They offer Quantas Airline only from Manila - Sydney or any other airport in Oz…

If you want to inquire to IOM, here’s the contact deails:

Nitz Delarmente

IOM International Organization for Migration
24th Flr., Citibank Tower
Paseo de Roxas, Makati City

Tel. 848-0083 / 848-1260 ext.138

Fax: 848-1272

Email: ndelarmente@iom.int

website: www.iom.int

This is the Sample fare computation:

Fare - US$390 @40.90 = Php15,951.00
Plus airline/Phil travel tax 6,336.00

Total cost of one adult ticket PHP22,287.00 (estimate only based on current airline rate)

Child fare - $34 @40.90 Php 1,391.00
Plus taxes 5,000.00 (estimate only - if you have Phil.tax exemption from DOT -less P1620)

Total cost of infant ticket PHP6,391.00 (estimate only)

Too bad for us, we’re from Cebu City.. We still have to purchase our own ticket from Cebu - Manila… So we decided a flight from Cebu - Hong Kong - Sydney… It is more convinient since we have a baby travelling w/ us…

I tried calling lots of travel agencies and we end up in Southwind Travel.. It’s the cheapest of all the travel agencies i enquired… they gave us US$550 rate each of the Adult and $257 for the infant.. Unluckily, they told us that we’ll have a 40kgs of baggage allowance, but after i purchased the ticket it was only 20kgs each of us adult! What the heck! I tried to argue w/ the agent… It felt like I was fooled…How could they not inform us that there are changes in the baggage allowance… It’s unfair! But anyway, the ticket was fully paid already.. no choice at all eh?

I still have to confirm w/ Cathay Pacific if they will add up the whole baggage allowance to a famiy travelling together.. any idea guys?

Some Airlines like Jetstar, PAL, Singapore Airlines also have a route to Australia…

The day after we received our visa grant letter, i called VIA center to have our passport picked up for the visa stamping. VIA embassy located in Manila, so i have to call them but if you’re living in Luzon then you can visit their office, if you really want to give your passport in person.. but still, they will deliver the passport to you after 3-5 days…

I used PLDT and ring the Australian Embassy… The call was not that long, it took me 15 minutes, maybe 5 minutes for the recorded operator and 10 minutes conversation w/ the agent. They will billed us 32/minute and i paid 580pesos for a 15mins call! whew!

They required the Passport number, Complete name, Passport Date issued and expiration, Place of issuance.. So, better have the passport with you when you call them…

That was friday when i called, and they scheduled to pick up the passport the next day.. Then you’ll pay 320pesos for each of the passport to the courier (air21).. then it was returned to us on Wednesday w/ the Visa label in our passport! weee!!!

Here are some important details for visa evidencing:

Street Address
Level 23 - Tower 2
RCBC Plaza
6819 Ayala Avenue
Makati City, 1200
Metro Manila
Philippines

Postal Address
PO Box 1071
Makati City, 1200
Metro Manila
Philippines

For information on mailing or couriering applications
See: Visa Information and Lodgement

Telephone
General enquiries (SDP - VIA Centre)
63 2 845 9200

Calls to this number are toll-free from within metro Manila. All other calls will attract standard NDD or IDD rates.

Lodgement of Applications (SDP - VIA Centre)

1909 3622779 (PLDT/Digitel)
1900 3622779 (Globelines)
1903 3622779 (BayanTel)

These numbers are only available to telephones within the Philippines with NDD access, or by calling 109 on a PLDT phone for operator assisted connection. Calls will be billed at PhP 32 per minute plus VAT.

Recorded information
63 2 757 8340 (DIAC)

Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Clients with ongoing applications will have an extension number for their case officer and can contact their case officer between 1400 - 1600 hours, Tuesday to Thursday.
Fax
63 2 757 8269 (DIAC Visa Office)

Email Contact
aus_inquiry@via.ph (SDP - VIA Centre)
immigration.manila@dfat.gov.au (DIAC Visa Office)

Website:
www.philippines.embassy.gov.au

Client Counter Hours
0830-1500 Mon-Fri (SDP - VIA Centre) for lodging applications
0830–1700 Mon-Fri (SDP - VIA Centre) for general information
0830-12 noon Sat (SDP – VIA Centre) for lodging applications and general information
0900–1200 Tue-Thu (Visa Office) for scheduled appointments only

Access to the Australian Embassy Visa Office is by appointment only - clients need to call the SDP Call Centre to schedule an appointment.

Client Telephone Hours
0600–2000 Mon-Fri (SDP – Call Centre)
0800–1800 Saturday (SDP – Call Centre)
1400-1600 Mon-Thu (DIAC Visa Office)

Clients with ongoing applications will have an extension number for their case officer and can contact their case officer directly during these hours.

Is this really important? Yes it is, coz as what I’ve known, if we’re an immigrant holder we must have a CFO sticker in our passport in order to get out of the Philippines.. They will hold us if we don’t have one… This is a must for the immigrant people like us and also for fiance/spouse visa holder…

We attended the CFO Pre departure orientation seminar last February 19, 2008, Cebu city around 2pm-4pm based on the schedule for OZ, NZ & other countries while USA & Canada, the schedule is from 10am-12noon Monday-Friday… The fee for the PDOS seminar is P400 each even for the infant…

My and Tabs were wondering if how long will it take coz you know government offices… We arrived there at 1:30pm then good thing they have this website because I already prepared the requirements for the seminar… like the our passports, the form that i just downloaded it from their site, 1 picture 2×2/passport size, and the visa grant letter…

We’re wondering how many are we that will going to attend, After registering, we went outside first to buy something to eat since Tabs is kinda hungry already and a cigarette break before the seminar stated…

In the room, we we’re amazed! hehe Only the two of us were attending the seminar… just me and my husband Tabs.. hehe it’s kinda funny… They played a dvd about migrating… we thought that was the start of the seminar, but when the utility guy get inside the room and turn off the tv and dvd without even saying “Excuse me, I’m going to turn it off before the seminar starts.” or even just a simple “Excuse me”… tsk tsk tsk.. no manners! We were both silent after that.. and when the guy came out the room.. we we’re laughing.. hehe what the!

Then after a minute, the lady, conductor of the seminar came in.. and the seminar started w/ a slide show… well, i find it informative and very helpful for those who doesn’t know much about the immigration… but the seminar is just kind of limited… it’s better to explore on the DIAC website: http://www.immi.gov.au for more information..

Also for the requirements of the CFO: http://www.cfo.gov.ph

Contact Informations:

CFO Cebu
Telefax : (032) 255-5253
E-mail Add.: cfocebu@cfo.gov.ph

CFO Manila
Tel. Nos.: (632) 562-3848,
(632) 561-8321
ext. 104, 105, 201- 203
Fax No.: (632) 561-8332
E-mail Add.: info@cfo.gov.ph;mieo@cfo.gov.ph

We got our visa granted last February 7, 2008… We we’re so happy and excited that we were given an extension of our initial entry date from our Case officer… From April 17 to July 17, 2008… It’s a good thing coz we still have a lots of time to prepare… BUT, there’s a lot of changes coming in our way…

Our first plan, we’ll be leaving 2nd-3rd week of June and my husband Tabs will submit his resignation on the First week of May.. then a change of plan again, tabs will be going by April and we’ll still go after by June… but they said that July is a winter season in Oz… That would not be good for me and especially the baby if we’ll come by June, so we decided to moved it by April…

We bought a ticket last week March 8, 2008… We’ll be leaving April 7… from Cebu - Hong Kong - Sydney through Cathay Pacific airline… We availed the promo for the first time migrant.. we got the ticket for about $550 each of us and $257 for Reece.. it’s kinda cheap already compared to other agent here in Cebu.. But, one thing that made me upset was the baggage allowance… they told me before that we’ll have an extra of 20kgs for first time migrant so that would be 40kgs each of us but after we purchased the ticket.. We only had 20kgs each… due to changes of Cathay Pacific! that sucks…

We have to trim down our stuffs.. or else we have to pay for the excess baggage fee.. I’m not contented w/ the information they gave me.. I still have to call Cathay Pacific to see if it’s really true… hehe

i’ll share our experienced on the CFO Seminar and also w/ the Visa evidencing on my next post…