My Travel Ordeal To Leave the Philippines – Reekay

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Author: Reekay V.

Since 2012 I’ve been traveling through various islands of the Philippines as a full-time Expat and spent 1999 living in Vietnam.

Share with me my ongoing adventures of life in the Philippines. Hopefully you find my observations helpful in your own adventures.
— Reekay

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280 comments

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    In this video I discuss, “My Travel Ordeal To Leave the Philippines – Reekay”

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  2. …I developed a dry cough like that while in college. It didn’t have anything to do with germs, but was simply from air- conditioned air in/out of dorms & classrooms. The humidity, or lack of, caused it. I finally got over it without any medicine, but was embarrassing…

  4. Every hotel I visit I bring a disinfectant and spray the sickness out of there. Mostly the air conditioning spray spray spray and clean the tub

  5. Wow! This is all so crazy! This makes me want to wait until things are not so stupid before I leave the U.S.

  7. A good buddy of mine he has a solid girlfriend from davao too his been goin to php since the 90s he was living in davao with her for few years but now his left for Texas. Now drove to Mexico enjoying tacos etc his in similar boat as u as wen can travel back to PH .I THINK HE LEFT JUST BEFORE THE COVID? HE WAS PLANNING TO BRING HE TO THE USA BUT THEN THIS PANDEMIC HIT SO NOW THEY BOTH HAV TO WAIT .SUCKS !@

  9. Iv been a subscriber of yours for a long time and glad its worked out for u !! Here’s for a better future ! Cheers

  11. OMG what a nightmare, Igot so stressed out. Glad youare safe and home. HI to Vi.
    I had that same coughing with aircon so use a fan.

  12. I was caught in the Covid Lockdown in Manila.. March 15, 2020 until June 20,2020 until I was lucky to catch a Sweeper Flight after over 19 flight cancellations between Philair & CebuPac…inter island travel back home. I also had to change motels about 4 times. I finally ended up at a RedDoorz Plus chain in Quezon. I left one motel because there was an outbreak down the street at the Manila Lung Center. Only to find out, 2 weeks later that the one I was staying at had a doctor from the Lung Center stayed here for 2 week quarantine. About my 2nd day at this hotel, I also came up with a dry cough, especially at night, after about a week I checked the aircon filter and outside the unit. …both filthy with mildew/mold. I had them change the filters and clean outside the unit , my cough went away and along with my flu like symptoms. Here in my town, recently, a couple people requiring a swab test had tested Positive for Covid also. So they just had another test or two done which came up Negative. I have read online about countless Positive Tests being False. Especially if I was feeling fine, I would have automatically gotten tested again asap. But as far as all the documentation headache and one hand not knowing what the other is doing….I had the exact same problems. Seems protocols are changing daily depending on who you talk to. And Yes, it took many Bribes to get documentation that I needed quickly, otherwise it could take weeks to acquire.

  13. Day quill severe was the cure I had covid 20 days – no fever lost 27 pounds and ate only soup glad to hear your ok

  14. Talk about EXTREME NIGHTMARE Henry! I would of lost it somewhere between the ambulance and the 3rd day in the quarantine hotel! Just glad to know you are feeling better and that your mom has recovered. Stay safe and just relax!

  15. Wowza, shows how fast your life can change. Glad you and Mom are okay. Doubt many expats have experienced your ordeal.

  17. I am happy your mother is doing well, Reekay, hope she makes it to a 100 and beyond. My mom is 98 and going strong. Your experience sounds like a scene out of one of Kafka’s novels, real Kafkaesque. All these government agents hiding behind their desks calling you from who knows where, sending you to nondescript places where you finally end up back where you started.
    I am surprised you did not lose more weight. But I can see the weight loss in your face. OMG, what a fucking nightmare.
    “Let’s face it, man is a deplorable, idiotic creature who cares about nobody but himself. But will tell you otherwise.”
    From the book, Philosophical Ramblings, (in print)

  18. Holy crap, I watched and listen to the whole video and then at 1:15:40 it gets to me…. made me cry. 
    I’m so happy for you, you are safe there now and your mum is all well. 
    I really love the philippines, but as I said… the “officials” are a real pain in the butt !

  20. Reminds me of the movie The Out Of Towners with Jack Lemmon or Steve Martin

  25. OMG, that sounds awful. The part I don’t understand is when the airline said 10 more days for voucher why didn’t you just book a new flight on CC and use the voucher next time?

  26. Struth wat a nightmare. Stuff ups in the php was all the coughing caused by covid ?? Or something in that hotel room caused it aircon ? Maybe u was false positive?

  27. Wow sounds like a real horror story! Must have been pretty scary. Glad to see you made it safely.

  28. Reekay, you need to get in touch with a Hollywood producer. This would make a good movie.

  29. What an ordeal! totally screwed, thank God your mother is good and you get this special time together

  30. Wow crazy story maybee should have tried another covid test after your intial quartine where it would have come negative. Not at all times the virus would show up after the 10 days. My buddy got it and after 5 days he tested negative. So unless u r one of those persistent positive testers. Also with Qatar u should have asked to speak to a supervisor.Qatar is a top airline and should have issued your box her immediately but usually the general reps aren’t trained well enough to handle the change process. Or maybee the Qatar office at the airport they would have been able to reissue your ticket

  31. I am so sorry about your ordeal Reekay.
    You are the persistent guy I do so admire.
    Enjoy your time in CA with your Mom.

  33. Thanks for sharing i have had many related stories, so fun hehhe

  34. as much as I LOVE the philippines….. 
    the vast majority of “officials” or “people in charge” are COMPLETE STUPID INCOMPETENT IGNORANT IDIOTS !!! (which includes the Embassy in Makati)!!

  36. Horrible experience you were put through Henry … You probably got PTSD …from it …..the way you described your relief after arriving home in CA. ..many questions for you …I have… Why didn’t you request a 2nd covid test .. when you got your false positive results ? And a 3rd test if need be ..? Why didn’t you get a Dr. Exam ..physical exam by a Dr. ..stating you’re in good health ..despite the ..the so called positive test ? After going thru the quarantine..you were actually sick and coughing ..all the way up until you’re flight …why did they allow you to board the flight ..when it was obvious you were sick and coughing right in front of them ? And why did the Sacred Heart ..health dept ..give you the health declare pass ..certificate ..when it was obvious ..you are coughing so badly ….? I’m so sorry for what you sent thru …it was tyrannical in my view …..lessons learned for all of us here ..still living in Cebu …

  37. on the amount of weight i lost, yes… my miscalculation doing the math in my head. i went from 210-187 which = 23lbs lost. which doesn’t surprise me as i was just getting by on pho and i didn’t go back to solid foods until after 3-weeks.

  39. a suggestion was made by several why i didn’t get a 2nd or 3rd test done.

    for my test, i went to the lab at 7am and results didn’t get to my email until some time after 10pm or so. the results took a full day to get, and by the 2nd-day before my flight i was already short on time.

    another reason i didn’t do this was because the first positive test put me “into the system” and by the day-after the lab result, i had two city health departments (cebu and mandaue) clamoring to put me into isolation before nightfall. so.. again, no time or opportunity to do a 2nd-test.

    also, to get a 2nd test and even if it came back negative doesn’t erase the positive result from the system. at best, it would require a 3rd test as a tie-breaker and even that was no guarantee they’d overlook the original positive test result.

    so there was simply no time or benefit to doing a 2nd test and definitely no time to do a 3rd test.

  41. All the best to you and your mum ,Reekay.
    Really enjoy your stories.
    Victa here from Australia.

  43. What a goddamned mess authorities made over this virus…Most healthy people are not affected….

  46. My experience with Google Voice, assuming you’ve got a Google Number you don’t need VPN to make a free call to the U.S. as long as the number you are calling is in your phone directory.

  47. That is pure hell. Sorry you went through that. Makes you want to stay in the states and not travel for quite some time.

  48. Mean what you say, And say what you mean!
    MAN! I went threw all type of emotions watching this video.
    I laughed, I became upset, laughed some more. You can’t make this up.

  51. what if it was a false positive and you didn’t have to go through any of this…..do they allow another test…then maybe a tiebreaker?

  52. Glad you made it safe even with the train smash in the middle.
    As usual the saving grace in the PH is persistence and not “loosing it” even under extenuating circumstances.
    Time with your mum is now key and regrouping before the trip back.
    Cheers Henry. Take care.

  55. I wonder if the covid hotel room had either a room air freshener or air purifier… Those can give you a cough if you’re allergic to those like I am.. I was in the dentist office and they have air purifier which made me feel like I’m experiencing breathing difficulties.. Soon as they turned it off I was OK..

  58. quite the public service announcement to not go to the philippines…….everything is broken, no communication, idiots in charge, no spelling and reading and comprehension, everyone on holiday, the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, hotels are in business with no guests but no hot water……..i’ll wait….before ever going.

  59. I was waiting to hear the airline tell you: “sir, it states you are able to fly, it doesn’t say in an airplane. Sorry sir, come back later. Lol

  61. You can’t make this crap up!! Only in the Flip-jeans. I applaud your patience. You need to tell your ordeal to Paul in the Philippines and Mark Thornton. Have a great time in So. Cal.

  62. That’s the funniest story I ever heard an ambulance did they spray down your bags also

  64. Crazy story with great information for other expats that are traveling back to states. Thanks great video!! I just saw you a few weeks ago at Bo’s Ayala with “Coffee Lori”. Please help her get a channel going. Take care and happy your mother is doing well. Godspeed

  65. Omg!! When I flew out of Philippines,Manila at the beginning of COVID (March 13,2020) I didn’t even try and get a flight. I just bought a new ticket for a new ticket to San Francisco for $1900 one way! I was so happy when I got to the USA!

  66. All this for an imaginary disease. Everybody gets his cut, the ambulance company, the “compliant” hotel selling used thermometers, all the gov’t departments… and the airline gets to Bogart your money as an interest-free loan x how many other passengers they’re delaying. What a racket. Imagine if it were a real pandemic!

    You can get pneumonia (e.g. “Legionnaires’ Disease”), let alone a cough, from a dirty A/C filter. And you should see what’s on those swabs, right out of the sealed package. There are BitChute videos on it, recorded in a German lab.

    BTW you lost more than you think: From 210 to 187 is a 23 lb loss. And no matter how bad fascism is in the US, it’s worse elsewhere.

    PS Anyone who tests “positive…” Play dumb and get tested again somewhere else. It’s a roulette game. False positives can be as high as 87%.

  68. While you’re in SoCal, let me know if you need help with anything.

    PM me and we’ll talk.

  69. I have been listening to this tale all throughout my workday good stuff Mr. Reekey

  70. now get to mexico as fast as you can before it is too late the USA is not a safe place to be rents there are up THERE IN MEXICO 1000% SO DONT FORGET YOUR WALLET IF YOU WONT TO GO

  71. The A/C unit and it’s dirty filter in your so called “approved hotel” room caused your cough!

  73. Glad you’re okay. Drama happens when your country is open for unvaccinated travel during a pandemic. You’re lucky to be alive and your story should serve as a warning to some of the counter culture. I hope you enjoy you time with your Mom now. Maybe consider bringing Vie to the US on a fiance Visa.

  74. OMG, what a freaking headache! Does any of it really surprise you? You are in the Philippines. Even though Henry, anything that could go wrong did. I won’t travel over seas to Phi, Thailand, Vietnam… anywhere until this Covid garbage is over. Hope this next winter. Or, it’s Central America for my this winter. I still have 26 minutes left of your story, I’m sure there is more sickening stories to come. Sorry about all of this. BTW, getting ready to make the leap Jan 1st. next year. Have plenty, now, to do what I want… retire, travel, fun, food.. Went to Florida in March. Ended up in the hospital for 12 days. Open heart… 2 bypasses. You think I’m going to waste anymore time on anything??? Not sure I can take Philippines though. Yup, the women are the best and I have connections and a sweetheart who is highly educated… waiting (If I want) but the country is soooo messed up. We’ll see. Ok, back to your horror story.

  75. Glad you made it safely and your mom is feeling well. What an ordeal you had. We’re afraid to go back home.

  77. Nightmare. Good on yah for working through the mumble, stumble and fumble. Getting stuck in the health care and support system is what sent me home day after President announced lockdown. There are a few great healthcare providers but in a pandemic everyhting will be overrun and stuck in chaos. And I ran from the POTENTIAL for Chaos. For me…my supporters never get released from my side until I’m wheels up over NAIA. Enjoy your time with mom.

  78. Something to think about…Corruption in Philippines….who making money or kick back money from keeping this corona virus going on and on forever…What you think…..reekay ?????. Your thoughts….So happy you and mother ok….

  79. My head just exploded watching this!!! Wow! My wife and I have been wanting to go back to our home in the Philippines, but we will definitely wait until things get better in terms of restrictions. God Bless you for surviving that event.

  80. you don’t have to be sic to be carrier of the covid virus., neither does it mean that wyou will get sic from it.

  81. Reekay with all due respect. The reason why they dont tell you everything is because people think they are better than the authorities once they start asking questions.

  82. Geez reekay, it would have been easier and faster to buy a rowboat and start rowing to the U.S.

  83. This is insane. I wonder if you could have gone to the embassy in manila and explained the situation? Its probably closed tho. Go figure philippines doesn’t have an orderly system for this.

  84. WOW! …Just viewed your video, Reekay! …Gotta hand it to you for your incredible patience! Glad you survived that insane ordeal, and you’re back home in The Inland Empire, and finally enjoying good quality time with your Mom, Brother!

  85. Well that settles it; there’s no way I will attempt to visit the Philippines as long as this scamdemic exists. I can’t see traveling many other places either, but the PI sounds like the worst for exploiting the virus hysteria for some unknown reason.

  86. Your story sounds vaguely familiar! 🙂 I’m headed back to Cebu City today to see Ritchie. Glad to see that you now have the Reekay vaccine!

  87. Henry is patient 0. The hotel looks just like Hotel California beside Gaisano mall on Mactan. Maria and I have been LDR since March last year.

  91. Hi Henry
    That’s some ordeal,but after 6 years of travelling back and forwards to Cebu I totally understand. I’m actually still here in Lahug.I also had to pester Qatar for a voucher,that amazingly appeared once I sent an email to the complaints dept.Glad you got home ok.Im kinda stuck here as the Philippines and Qatar are the UK redlist of banned countries.So looks like il be here for atleast another year.You have more patience than me,but I’m slowly getting used to having low expectations and a healthy negative disposition, in other word I assume everything will do wrong,so when it does not,then that’s a bonus!

  93. I’m pretty new following you. How typical is this for the way things go in the Philippines with both business and government?

  95. Wow, that was much more than an ordeal. However, my thought is whether you actually had covid or was it a false positive. Did you check it out ( retested ) since you’ve got here? Also if so that would make you asymptomatic which your girlfriend didn’t show any symptoms she must be as well. So many thoughts must be running through your mind. Stephan

  96. That’s the Philippines for ya.I left in May. I had to wait 10 hours in a sweltering hot room for a health certificate. When i finally got it they had spelled my name wrong! My name is Bill how do you mess that up? Had to go back the next day a suffer through it all again.When I got to the airport no one even asked for it. Glad you made it best of luck to you.

  97. So I’ve just learned two things to do if I go back to the Philippines. Demand a second test be taken, don’t trust the first test. And make sure the filter in the a/c is changed before I occupy the room.

  98. Omg!!.. hope all is well and when r u planning to Return ive booked my Flights for November!!..

  100. Welcome back. Perhaps, in retrospect hiring an attorney on retainer would be the solution. They know the system. Beware too, that attorneys are just as inefficient if you are careless in your search.

  101. Many prayers for continued healing and wholeness to you and mom in Jesus’ name!!!! Welcome back!!

  102. Sorry Reekay for your bad experience. I think they ripped you . Have you ever seen your result ? They victimize you .

  103. WoooooooW- Your very fortunate to be wealthy- the average “Joe” would have been screwed many weeks ago. But- that is life in The Philippines. I had to pay for 5 flights out of there and still ended-up having to pay for a “Sweeper” flight to get out of there. It took them(the airlines) atleast 6 months to refund my monies and one airline(anonymous) just gave me a voucher- which I can not use at this point in time due to the borders being closed. “A Nightmare on Magsaysay Blvd”!!!! GOD bless you and your family- PEACE and prayers for all.

  104. You should get an antibody test in California to see if You had covid My guess is You had it and didn’t get it from Your room. Covid symptoms often don’t begin until 3-5 days after getting the virus Virus can still be transmitted to someone else even when you are in the asymptomatic phase

  105. Wow! Your ordeal makes the Movie “Planes,Trains and Automobiles” look like a walk in the park…lol

  106. With all of the travel woes, did you have a moment to worry about the possible consequences of having covid-19? I would have been scared out of my wits!

  107. Holy cow! I am so sorry you had to go through that. An absolute nightmare. Its funny nobody had an answer to your question until you greased their palms….

  108. As the song goes….”its all about the money money money”…that is some ordeal, but its just what you would expect from the Philippines. do the bear minimums and nothing more.

  109. Dear oh dear, what a nightmare, I must admit you handled it a lot better than I would have. I know how frustrating it can be there at times, but that was unbelievable. I wonder if the original test was even one of the many false positives. I’m glad that you are finally back with your mom, and that she’s doing great now. Cherish the time with her Henry, you and Vi will have many years together soon, time goes fast. Thanks for the update of your experience, enjoy your time there.

  110. It would of been horrible if Henry had lost his mother, and even worse if he couldn’t leave to bury her because of those morons in PH.

  111. I had a persistent cough from December 2019 in the Philippines. I got pneumonia after that but that cough never went away. It only started getting better about February 2021.

  112. You are going straight to heaven. You have paid off for all your pecadilloes you have committed in this life.

  113. I’ve had 9 of them when I return from the Phillipines last year . Thier always negative. . I had one last month. It was negative toooo

  115. What a NIGHTMARE. There is really something wrong with the Philippines way of doing things. There is no coordination and no straight answers and information. It was the same way when I went to the Los Angeles Philippine Embassy. The Filipino workers there are so slow and they do not give you straight answers or give you information that can help you. They do not talk to each other or coordination. Even though they are work together and just next to each other.

  118. I’m glad your mom is doing well. Kong vs Godzilla was actually pretty good wasn’t it? I thought they did a good job including the cheesey acting from the originals.

  120. Wow Reekay, what an ordeal, apparently you had a ton of patience to go through all that, shall we say “patience is a virtue” but at least you knew what to do when the going got tough, so Orville got to Jamaica finally, My ticket to Jamaica got cancelled twice as I was supposed to go in March then May, now I have two vouchers, good for one year and still don’t know when I can travel as I’m living in Sweden now and the US has banned passengers from EU countries from entering never mind if you’re just having a layover. This covid-19 thing is just complete mess as there are different regulations for different countries. I’ll just have to wait and hope things will get better.
    Glad to know you finally got home and feeling much better after all you went through. Do you think your cough was a result of covid-19? Anyway all the best to you and your Mom, I’m sure the time spent together will be quality time

  121. Damn Reekay you really did go through hell. Glad you were able to make it out. I think the aircon unit in the hotel room had to be the source of your cough. Good thing your mom recovered as well. Also especially thanks for sharing this information will be helpful for anyone else in your situation. Take care of yourself.

  122. Man thats really bad, wait im making my plans to leave Cebu city in Oct glad to hear your story and i will use the link about the covid test.good morning to you

  123. So the authorities there allowed you to fly just because you served 10 days in a isolation hotel and you were clearly still coughing and no doctor checked you out?Am I missing something?

  124. i had to say many times, oh My god, then i had to laugh,, not in a bad way, but with what a crazy Ordeal ,,,,,,,,,you were a monster in another world, they treated you like a foreign super insect,,,,,i cant believe this happened to you, Phils is a nutty place of inconvenience , super inefficiency and misinformation, i havent heard anyone go through this experience except at the start of all this crisis . But why didnt you ask more details,,,, you said they didnt tell you anything , ASK ,,,,,,,,,,,

  125. What a nightmare but you did not give up. I can tell by just watching the video. Take care and have a great time with your mom

  126. I would love to know who owns these approved hotels and how they came up with the list.

  127. Typical government bureaucracies….everywhere!
    I would have taken names, employee numbers, ask for the supervisor…all the way up the chain!
    This is what I do in every BS situation w/ government and corporations….and you would be surprised how effective it is.
    And, ask for the name of the head of the govt.
    bureaucracy or president of the company….THAT gets there attention!!!

    Just be calm and get that information (emploee names & numbers) and work your way up the chain….eventually asking for the name, ph. number, & address of the president.
    This approach has been very successful for me in the past….honestly!

  129. Philippine professionalism at it’s worst as usual. I could not retire there as the frustrations and lack of common sense outweigh the positives. Well my horrible experience at Manila airport pales compared to this.
    I would have snapped in that hotel!! The Philippines should be exposed to everyone for it’s limited backwards thinking, only then can there be meaningful change.

  132. This is unsettling, to say the least. It further reinforces the feeling I have that I won’t be able to re-enter the Philippines until 2022.

  134. One of the funniest stories Ive heard. Hopefully u tested again and your Mom will be fine

  135. Glad you finally overcame all those obstacles, to get back to see your Mum. Dose not look like I will get back to visit the Philippines this year.

  136. Now you see why I hate to travel. The stress is real man. I feel it listening to this all the way with every word. But you can’t wait to get back to Cebu huh huh?? If it was me I would have a hard time to get myself to step foot on a flight to anywhere.

  137. This is something else. With this level of concern in PH I would be greatly surprised if they open to any type of tourism until the middle of next year

  140. wow what a nightmare you had to go thru. Glad you made it home. Back in 2006 i believe there was the bird flue going around and i was in Surigao. i was not feeling good so i went to the hospital there with a slight fever. They put me in a room and said i would have to quarantine for a week. Then they send the maintenance guy to my room and i saw him taking the door knob and reversing it so that the key part would be in my room and i would not be able to open it if the door was closed. i told the i would kick the door down if they did that so they left it alone and as it was. What’s funny i volunteered to stay there. when i was going i even had to pay before they would let me go. Everything there is slow and unorganized but i still had a nice time. well my sons mother is a whole other story and nightmare. Im back in Cali now and happy taking care of my son.

  141. Sounds like it was not really the covid results that mattered, but the whole fractured protocol that followed. Better look into to getting vaccinated while here in the states

  142. Well done getting home. Trying to get there to see my girlfriend. Looks like a massive task getting there at the moment and when successful even harder maybe leaving.

  144. You were not fine when you went into the Covid hotel. You were positive for Covid. That is why you became sick. You had no symptoms until you did.

  145. You have the Patience of a Saint. You told this as a story and not a rant. Good job man

  146. This sort of nightmare is absolutely predictable everytime “the masses” are stampeded into some hysteria and give up their freedoms to some self proclaimed mastermind who professes to have the solution to said hysteria. The sheple never learn.

  147. Do you think you really had Covid? Or false positive. Several times while visiting the Philippines, before I came here to live, and before Covid, I would get a bad dry cough that would last for about 6 weeks. No other symptoms. I thought it was mold in the hotel rooms. When I came here to live I rented an apartment. No hotel rooms and no dry cough. You may not have had Covid at all. And your cough was due to mold in that Covid compliant hotel room.

  148. Sorry to hear about your ordeal with the whole trip. However, do not so quickly blame the ”Covid compliable hotel” for your illness. It takes typically 4-5 days from infection to symptoms, not just one night stay in a hotel. The timing does not fit for you to have it contracted there. I do understand the airline’s perspective of trying to protect other passengers and staff from potential Covid cases. Myself I tested Covid positive with no symptoms. These came however about 10 hours after I got the test result. But all this does not excuse the chaotic misinformation you got all the time. Good you are better now!

  149. You lost 23 lbs of weight (210 – 187), but this may be the second good result of the ordeal, the other being the explanation of the bewildering process to others.

  150. You should write a novel based on this and call it kuya Kafka’s adventures.

  151. That’s so crazy. You know.. another Vlogger.. Marker 44 had a positive test result for him and his wife and kid. And they all were perfectly healthy. Go figure. I kinda seems like a scam to book hotels so they can make some extra money… I hope not.. but well.. just ridiculous. I hope that doesn’t happen to me. They .. (Marker 44) had to go to get a written letter from a doctor that they were covid free and were able to travel. cost.. i think like 2,500 pesos.. something like that… And they had NO symptoms. crazy.. well, enjoy Wahoo’s fish taco! Calif summers are great in SoCal! I”m from Oceanside.. btw.

  152. In hindsight, do you think that the initial test result was a false positive ?
    I had Covid-19 in February, 2020. The symptoms were 2 weeks of coughing, and 1 night of fever.

  153. I am happy your mom is doing well now. I see where you made your mistake though. You should have told them please I don’t want to leave the Philippines. Then they would have gotten you out as fast as possible, then. Lol, Wait a while please sir.

  155. I’m glad you are back and healthy again; this story makes me think about the general health care situation in the Philippines and how difficult life can be in a not organized country. I guess I will need to chose between a cushy healthy life style in the west (ALONE) or a more risky environment but with some female company .

  157. Wow! That was really a lot effort for you to travel back home…
    Should we call you Papillon or Job?

  158. The feed delivery is called door -. That’s how companies deliver food now periods they throw it on your porch and run away.

  159. wow. glad you made it and hope no suicidal thoughts entered your mind during the ordeal. 🙂

  160. Son, you got bitten by old Murphy’s law bad on this trip. I think I would have made a dry run to the airport a few days before to make sure I could fly with the paperwork I had. You assumed too much on that one and it bit you hard.

  161. Seriously, send a transcript of this to the Atlantic Monthly period or some travel magazine. It will be most helpful for someone caught in this merry-go-round

  165. You did a great job turning a miserable experience to a great video. When I studied medicine years ago I was taught that if some one has an abnormal the first thing you should do is to get the test dune again. The chance of a lab error is created than the chance of having the problem tested for. I plan on traveling to the Philippines with my wife in a couple of months. My biggest fear is that if we where to change planes in a different country they could find a not perfect test. Then we would be stuck in a strang land. It seems like the whole testing thing is a big scam. A bad AC unit will make you sick.

  166. What a journey! Glad you made it. So much to even reply to. Thanks for the video and what to avoid. Let’s hope the Philippines reopens very soon

  168. Unfortunatly yours is the uncommon one. My gf is trying to fly here now. 4 tests. 1pos8tive, 1 inconclusive and 2 negative. Too bad the neg ones were to get her out of lockup not for pre flight. 5th test this weekend

  169. Fuck the ph ill find outher countrys that dont have keystone cops running the show

  170. Holy crap. I would have been livid! I woulda took it outta someone’s a$$. You’re a better man than I am. Best of luck to you and your mom. I’m seriously wondering if I ever wanna go back to the Ph.

  171. WOW! For a seasoned veteran of Philippines travel, you fell down a rabbit hole for sure. The main thing is you are at home safe, with your mom, and she is so happy to see you. Enjoy your stay, let’s do lunch someday, take care.

  174. It appears you had Covid. Positive, fatigue, and the notorious dry cough. I feel for you as it was the worst possible timing. The good part is it’s over now. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

  176. had covid twice, once in december, and again this month from the j n j vaccine. heavy bodyache and headache for 2+ days each time.

  177. Dude… You definitely deserve the “process maze award”. I would have lost my s**t in the ambulance. Glad your mom is good. Be safe..

  179. Up to 90% false positive rate. Retest with higher accuracy tests before they give you covid or poison you with black mold.

  180. Man, God Bless you Reekay! What an ordeal…Many years of Paradise, but life is never perfect. You had a lot of patience!!

  181. These tests are not always 100% correct…..if you find yourself in a situation similar to Henrys get a second test asap.

  182. Yea, but other than that Mrs. Lincoln how did you like the play?……………If it wasn’t for bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all.

  184. I’m sorry for your suffering Henry and for how terrified your loved ones were, happy you made it through this odyssey

  185. “He who endures triumphs.” This is epic and surreal, worthy of a novella except it’s a true story. You lived my nightmare. Sorry for your troubles. I’m going to renew my Cambodia retirement visa for another year.

  186. This thing should be report to the government or go to tulfo, he will help you with all your bad experience and get the money you lost from this covid scam

  187. Sounds like a nightmare Henry. Firstly, its good you are back in the US in one piece AND your dear mum is much better. The result of your virus test is a bit of a mystery, it might be worth it to have another test in the US to see what it reveals…. whether you actually had the virus. You have more patience than me …. even though I had to go through a few hoops to get back from Cebu a few months back. Take care and enjoy your time.

  188. Thank you Reekay – you are a true blessing to all of us. All the credit goes to you and your mom (for raising you to be the helpful gentleman that you are). Your news, knowledge and information is a real blessing.

  189. typical ph incompitance
    u probably got sick in ambulance
    u know its full of germs

  191. Why did Vie have to leave your apartment surely she could have stayed there. Maybe I missed something.

  192. Persistent cough, headache, body ache, fatigue, ….classic covid symptoms, the incubation period is longer than one day so that’s not from the AC, sounds like they isolated you just in time.

  193. Reekay what an experience … just to check if you were really positive have antibody test. I’m not expert .. I have friend who was tested positive in Cebu and have the same kind of symptoms as yours. His antibodies result was 36 … yesterday 63 days later had another test which is now down to 9 ..I’m not an expert… by doing this it might provide truth to the experience were you really positive.. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antibody-tests.html

  194. What a crazy story! When it came to the repeated hot water issues I couldn’t help but laugh, sorry! But I guess in retrospect you can too now.
    Regarding your terrible cough sure it could’ve been a bronchitis or something that you caught in that facility. But since you had a positive pcr test before I’d rather go with the suspicion that you were infected indeed and that the symptoms just started that morning. Since the average incubation time is given as 5-6 days it’s highly unlikely that it developed over night. You should do an anti-body test to find out if it was Covid or not because if it was the certificate showing that will serve as an entry key similar to a negative test result or a vaccination for the next 6 months at least. The philippino certificate might suffice but I personally would like to know for sure and if you plan to get vaccinated you might be able to wait until fall then and maybe get already an updated shot version. And if covid gets confirmed I recommend you to get a lung ct soon. Wishing you to spend great quality time with your family for the rest of the year! And hey, how’s about some summer vacation in Europe? ;)))

  197. Did anybody from the airline or airport call to verify the “able to fly” on you health certificate ?

  198. What a situation. Cant imagine going through this. Who is in charge here? Hope you now will get vaccine in US. I am done with Moderna. No problems. Welcome back.

  199. I thinking, if I need to get tested for some reason…. I’ll try to get tested 3 times at separate facilities, so if one comes back positive and 2 negative…

  200. Hello Henry,
    I am glad you had made it through that nightmare in one piece!
    I am also happy to see you give your dear mother a hug!!
    I watched all this video and really felt the unbelievable hard times that you experienced!! Sorry friend!

  201. I feel for you man and can relate to the frustration you experienced. However, I’m sure you could have eliminated all that plus the loss of time and money if as soon as you received that first email went and got another test, due to the fact the first test was a false-positive.

  203. When i left it took several flight bookings to get lucky flights aday before and after where cancelled Philippnese is a unorganised mess

  204. Glad it’s over.
    In hindsight, do you think you could have greased palms to simply get it done?
    “If you can get me on this flight, you get 5000p …” kind of incentive. Obviously can’t get through security, but for admin/clerical pieces…

  205. What a nightmare! Glad you made it out alive. I’ve been to Mexico twice and Colombia once during the pandemic without any problems. This type of insanity is only going to drive expats further away. Your video is a cautionary tale and also teaches people to have patience and keep their eye on the prize when traveling. Thanks for sharing your ordeal and welcome home!

  206. Man this Covid is BS they could give you this test and say u have it and there is nothing wrong with you a person is supposed to be sick when there is a positive test ok so I don’t believe all this covid stuff they are lying to us to control us

  207. Insane insane insane Story… i would Not have Had the Patience … Thx for Sharing tho. Maybe some good Lessons to avoid…

  208. I have a friend that also lost a lot of weight when he had covid, it’s a rough illness when you get it bad. I hope you didn’t spread it to your family and friends or your girl’s province.

  209. So did you have Covid or you’re not 100% sure? I would have been mad as hell on the first cancelation and all the run around you had to do, it’s bad to have to deal with professionals that have no clue about what they should know. Glad you finally made it to CA.

  210. Reekay I am so so sorry to hear what you went through. Have you figured out how much money this ordeal cost you? Ha, you probably don’t want to think about it…….

  211. While I can understand the people in the PI doing their due diligence, had I been in your position, I would have lost my mind. Welcome home.

  213. OMG, what a s**t show, if it wasn’t for the english speaking wonderful women we would never put up with it. I’m in Alaska waiting to get back to Bohol, I came back last July when it was pretty easy to get out to take care of some business here. If I can’t get back to Bohol before winter I will go to a country that is warm and cheap, hoping it’s Vietnam. Glad your with your mom, enjoy your time and be safe.

  215. Wow Henry you have lots of patience. I wouldn’t be able to control my temper. Great video.

  216. Hopefully you’ll get the covid 19 vaccine in California.. But I wonder why you get the covid in the Philippines in the first place and you become positive from the test?

  217. And you intend to return there? You are a better man than me. I never want to see that disaster of a country again.

  218. This story would be a best seller get it in print ASAP, glad you finally got it sorted and home to your Mum

  219. After 17 minutes of this video, I heard enough. My return to the Philippines is in jeopardy. It’s time to give other countries in the region a look.

  221. Must be nice to be home are you going to get vaccinated plenty of vaccines in cali now

  222. Love how he says ‘what’s gonna go wrong today’? I went through something similar just getting from iloilo to cebu last November but nothing like this scale of stupidity.

  223. i think the A/C had alot of germs they never clean them i had to ask for one of my rooms in Cebu to clean the A/C unit because you were ok before that hotel room !!! still waiting for the government to let us travel to Cebu its been 2 years since we have been there

  225. It’s simple no travel until this whole Covid shit is gone, can’t take any chances.

  226. This co-fid farce is nothing about a fire-us — it’s about keeping people at home! I’m thinking retire Latin America instead of all the SE Asian crap their leaders are imposing on travellers.

  228. OMG, LOL. I feel so bad laughing at someone else’s horrible experience but that was an epic tail.

  229. Covid-19 and a brutal dry cough,. Yep! I’m happy that you made back to see your mother.

  232. Wow, what an ordeal….that’s quite a story, I’m glad your doing well now, but I wonder, was that covid test you got in the Philippines really positive? We’re planning on going back in mid October, but I am in a different situation then you, I am married to a filipina, with a dual citizenship.

  235. OMG..
    Am so Suprises to here
    You..Really ..
    Naver Rich Phillipines.
    Stupid system..

  237. Henry your a better man than me ! I was losing my mind just listening to your ordeal. I have to make the trip next July, hopefully Covid will be a bad memory by then.

  239. What an insane tale. Do you have dark clouds following you? You are a very patient man. You needed a fixer.

  240. Sorry about your ideal. I’m assuming you took a PRC test which is a joke. The guy who invented the test said not to use it for Covid. The test has a 90 percent false positive rate, they cycle the test so much your bound to test positive. I wanted to see my mother this year also, but I will not take that test.

  241. i had a similar experience getting out of cebu. made 3 attempts.

    utter bafoonery …

  243. Reekay’s modified version of the movie “Planes,trains & automobiles “….

  244. Probably a misdiagnosed the first time…. This should scare anyone into going to the Philippines! Glad you are safe and happy at home!

  246. This ordeal sounds bad enough, but when it’s actually happening to you its something else.

  247. What a story man. Worthy of a bestseller book for imagination. Sadly, after knowing the country and people you are discribing… I know you did not have to use imagination

  249. You scared me to go back there. I m waiting for my visa. Oh boy. Hahaha. I swear they do not know that they are doing but overacting in all things. I guess is not destiny to meet you in person. Later time I came dumaguete you were in vietnam this time you are in america

  250. Glad you’re okay but geesh what a crazy frustrating ordeal that was! I would not be writing some nice reviews on that hotel that basically scammed you and lied. Unorganized chaos and you have to pay every dime for it

  251. False-positive? Who made the interpretation? What was the ct value of cycles used for testing you? The 1993 Nobel Prize winner for chemistry and inventor of the PCR test Kary Mullis stated that the PCR test is not designed for diagnosing a virus. It was made for lab use. You can set the PCR Test CT value at 50-60 and a stone will test positive. Unfortunately, you were dealing with robot-like order takers who are not the brightest bulbs in the light socket nor medical professionals. It’s a scam. And those people you were dealing with are financially desperate participants and don’t question anything they’re told to do. Sounds like you got sick staying in their s-hole hotel with the s-hole aircon. Look at the President and look at his media relations spokesman and there is your answer.

  252. Face disappearing is first sign of SERIOUS covid lol sounds like a right nightmare glad you got the hell out of there and back to your mom’s,glad to hear she’s well and on the mend that’s the main thing.

  255. OMFG Reekay! I can’t believe what you had to go through, OMG! I had to stop the video at the 50:06 mark out of the 1:24:17 because I got so angry about what you are going through, without being conscious of it, I threw my plastic water bottle at my TV in frustration. Holy sh*t man! I am so sorry for what they put you through trying to get to your mom. Anyway, going back to resume watching the rest of the video. Man oh man!

  258. I’m glad that your mom is ok and so are you after that incredible mind fck. But it’s not uncommon here. Just apply for an ACR card. Covid has given the tyrants more power over us and more circus hoops to put the plebe through. Can you give us some idea about how it is in the states now?

  260. Who won? King Kong or Godzilla? Or would that be a spoiler? Best wishes — retired Navy guy in Oregon, USA!

  262. Nothing beats Mum’s hug, please stay as long as she is well enough, Philippines will have to wait.

  265. I could go on a rant how to boost you immune system and look after your health but what the hell no one listens.

  266. Glad you’re okay! Never ever trust those people! God bless you and welcome back to Southern California!

  268. Welcome to the Hotel California…lalala…you can check in anytime you like but can never leave…hehe

  269. Man that is messed up! I would have probably just left to the airport and just paid the rapid test, and jumped on the plane. This covid is a never-ending money scam!

  273. The coof test has many false positives. A lot more than it should. Glad you made it home

  274. I can’t help but think that President Duterte is selling out to China. I certainly believe that he is in bed with the red communist country!!

  275. It’s the way the world is right now Reekay mate; you were lucky to make it to California!
    Not exactly what we think.of room service mate!
    I cannot believe that they did not give you more information and medical assistance. Diabolical!

  278. Great news. Wish both of you the best, health and joy. I cough for 1.5 years and still coughing. That time I came from Philippines and covid announcement came out two weeks after I left Philippines. Still coughing. Runny nose like hell. And true the room I was so contaminated. My cough was due to the room not covidlitrrally in the Philippines you go healthy to hospital or those type of hotel butch out dead. They really do jot know what they are doing. From top officials to bottom

  280. Good for you mate! I wish you did not have to sacrifice so much to see your mom. I hope you can get back soon to see your girlfriend

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