I just finished putting the papers together to renew my auto insurance, I’ll go to the bank first thing tomorrow and get everything "pushed through", my renewal date is at the end of the week and that made me think about the fact I’ve been driving here for a full year now.  I’ve enjoyed it, even though driving can be frustrating for a foreigner.

Many foreigners come here and hire a driver (you cna expect to find someone decent for 2,000 Pesos per month plus room and board in the Metro Manila area, less in more remote provinces) but like my friend Bob, I have never seriously considered hiring a driver … I much prefer to drive myself.

It’s not because I consider myself all that great of a driver .. I’m ok, in one full year there are two tiny scratches on our little Adventure, on on the passenger side mirror where I intentionally tried to push my way past a low-hanging tree branch and didn’t realize there was the cut-off stub of a much larger branch concealed in the leaves )bang!, Oh s**t ), and one on the corner of the rear bumper that mysteriously appeared after a trip to the mall … perhaps from an errant shopping cart or bicycle … who can say … all in all a pretty safe and uneventful year.

But I’m 62 now, still enjoying good health but realist enough to know that my driving days are numbered and the day wil come when I do need a driver … and I’m making the most of the time I have.  By the way the full-coverage insurance bill is going to be about $390 USD, approxiamately a quarter of what i was paying for a similar value vehicle in Colorado.

What does it take to drive here, besides pataience and a little sense of adventure?

License  Your foreign license is good for 90 days.  within that 90 days you visit a convenient LTO (Land Transportation office … the Philippine equivalent to a DMV…, take an eye test a drug test and pay a few hundred pesos for a Philippine license based on your foreign qualifications.  You do not need to take a written or driving test and you do not need to give up your foreign license.  Whatever you do, don’t bother with a so-called International Driving License … technically an International Driving permit.  It is not needed in the Philippines and it is not a license to drive anyway .. it is only based on the priviledges you hold in your home country … it’s really just a legal translation of your home country license, and in the Philippines they know what a US, UK, Australian, etc. license is … even if they do sometimes confuse California with Montana.

A car   You can rent cars in the larger cities.  As in the US you just need a driver’s license and a credit card or cash deposit.  I’ve only rented a few times, in general costs seemed high to me and availability is poor.  There is an extensive used car market here and I am sure you can find good deals, but I chose to go the new car route and have all my work done at the dealer … called "casa maintained" here and again, highly recommended.

A horn  Your car should certainly come equipped.  The intelligent and proper use of the horn is a subject unto itself here, I think I’ll do a future post dedicated to my thoughts on this subject.  There are anumbe rof useful techniques and a fe no-no’s I have learned.

The Ability To Make Singit Singit is a Pilipino word that refers to the inguinal crease (Google is your friend).  If you know what a singit is, you’ll undersatnd the use of the term in traffic.

Patience  The number one reason I would suggest to someone that they not drive here is if they have a temper problem or are afflicted with a lackof patience.  In the Philippines, in driving as in many other things, you make haste slowly.

Enough for now … I have to jump in the car and go pick up my dear wife … hope someday you enjoy driving here as much as I do.

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