What the guidebook doesn't tell you

Toilet Paper
Never leave home without it, as the old commercial used to say. It's a rare public restroom that has it and when you find one that does, remember it. Obviously, I've only been in the mens' rooms, but Fe says the ladies' rooms don't provide paper, either. If you can't take a roll with you, get extra napkins at a restaurant. You won't be sorry!

Roosters
Nature's alarm clocks. If you stay outside of the city, you're going to hear these. What a surprise for me to learn that they don't just cock-a-doodle-doo at sunrise and then shut up. Those of you who grew up in the countryside probably knew this, but everything I learned about roosters came from TV. By my reckoning, they start at 230 am and are still at it in the afternoon. Oh well.

Schedules
This is more of a cultural thing, but if you say something like, "Let's meet at 10," this can mean that you won't start until 1030 or 1100. People here are far more laid back and don't really see the need to rush or "punch a timeclock." I wish I wasn't so uptight about it; I'm sure if I stayed long enough I'd learn to be more relaxed, but it would take a while.

Fast Food
Cebu has all the major ones we have in the US--McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts--plus some Filipino ones as well. The big difference is that when you're done with your meal, you just leave the tray and garbage on the table. There are employees who will clean up after you. In fact, if you start to take it to the trash, they'll come to get it from you. I will never get used to this.

Traveler's Checks
I think most guidebooks will tell you that this is the safest way to carry cash and they're right. I was uncomfortable carrying $3000 around in my pocket, so I converted most of my cash to AAA Visa checks--against Fe's advice. The checks said they'd be accepted anywhere and there were even toll-free numbers for assistance to the merchant in how to cash them. No one was interested in that--they just shook their heads when asked about them. Singapore might have been different, but I needed the cash in Cebu. I finally got them cashed at a "contact" her mother had. My white-bread world upbringing screamed "Black Market!" but everything turned out fine. My advice is use them if you want peace of mind, but if you can be careful and want the convenience of cash--don't.

It's 88 F (31 C) in Lilo-an, Cebu...