@Todd ********

mate you look like this guy. Sit down

@Jim *******

great to know, thanks. Definitely gonna be doing it this way when the time comes!

@Jim *******

do you get some sort of confirmation that it's been received?

@Eric *****

well, I've been here for close to a year and haven't yet been robbed or got into any situation where I felt unsafe. There are some sketchy areas but I just don't go there. And when I do venture anywhere unknown or potentially dangerous, I just don't carry anything much worth stealing. A second, cheap phone is handy for that reason.

I live in Cebu. I like it here. I'd recommend it only if you're planning to stay in the Philippines for a while. And I'd certainly recommend it over Manila in that case.

There's a direct flight from Bangkok Tuesdays and Sundays, I believe, although it's overnight at some unsociable hour.

It's a fun little city with loads of incredible places to visit, all a short hop by plane, bus, or ferry.

If you're not a seasoned traveler and/or have never been to the Philippines before, I do recommend you do some research beforehand though. It ain't Thailand out here.

@Graeme ******

"shopping for high end luxury brands"

You spelled 'dull' wrong...

@Jan ***************

yeah pretty sure buses in the UK all have those little hammers next to the back window

@Marc **********

showing what? Pictures of a burned-out bus? It's not like he's posted pictures of the corpes?

@Bert **********

they wanted a letter from a company signed by an authorized person confirming ongoing employment-- so I wrote myself a letter, since I'm self-employed... apparently that's acceptable. I'd already submitted a legal work contract I'd signed with an agency, but they wanted this as well.

They also wanted bank statements showing a closing balance of £11k. Again, I'd already submitted screenshots and highlighted the last year's worth of invoices being paid to my account, as well as my stocks & shares ISA, but they wanted actual statements with my name & address on it (my RBS digital banking doesn't have it on so had to actually go to the bank and get paper copies and then scan them).

@Tony *******

got it, thank you. And yes:

// the flight into Thailand must be filed as leaving from the country in which the embassy application is made. But [...] you don't have to stick to the info you supplied for the physical entry //

I think this is where the confusion arises. Thanks.