Back in Westbrook for the summer, as it looks right now. Is stayed behind in Manila for a number of reasons.
Primary reason was that our inimitable State Department representatives in Manila denied her a visa. I won't go into a rant about it as they don't deserve the psychic energy. Suffice it to say that last Fall's incident with the Border Bastards has continued to complicate matters. Couple that with conflicting advice from various State Department and DHS "authorities", one-size-fits-all "guidance" from the Manila call center and the fact that no consular official could be spoken with by this citizen; and you have a dead end.
We're trying to make lemonade from the lemon(s) handed us by life. While there, Is will be closing the purchase of her lots at Tierra Alta. She also wanted to be present for the birth of her first grandchild and offer whatever help is needed. As always the case, there are a lot of other loose ends to tie up and the odd diversionary trip(s) to Bohol , Palawan or other scenic spots.
In the meantime, I'll be cooling my heels here, getting back on the bike, raising money for the MS Society, painting from the myriad ideas and sights that accumulated over the trip. working on a Spanish/Schengen visa and other residency matters.
Now a commercial message:
I'd like to thank American Express for their help in resolving a dispute that originated with a scam attempted by SOL-MAR Rent-A-Car of Spain. When I rented from them, they insisted that I also "rent" a safety kit(consisting of vests and traffic warning triangle which are required by Spanish law.) I was told that the 20Eu. rental fee would be refunded when I return the car and kit. Upon returning both, I was given the run-around and finally told that all refunds would be processed after 11:00 pm, (long after our flight was scheduled to leave) and my American Express charge would be credited the next day. I was shown a pile of "refunds" to be processed. There were at least ten contracts which would amount to 200 Eu. clear profit for somebody. Guess what? Two weeks later, no credit had been applied, so I contacted AMEX. They credited the charge and the conversion fee, and ultimately resolved the issue to my satisfaction. So, to make a long story short; I would recommend against renting from SOL-MAR rent-a-car. The branch I dealt with was in Alicante, but they have offices throughout Spain.
