Well the visa is more or less in control right now. I am unable to apply for one until I have proof of exit itinerary. Fear not, the consulate made it clear that processing time is about 3 days so I'm not in a critical time crunch yet.
I am left with two options. Option one is to purchase a very expensive yet very effective "Round the World" ticket that is good for 16 flight segments over the course of a year. I intend to make my way around the world based on the guidelines of the ticket anyway, so it appears that I would be saving money. One downside is that I would be restricted to only the destinations that the airline alliance uses. The other downside is that I have to settle on the full itinerary when I purchase the ticket. I do not get charged for changing the dates but there is a fee for canceling or changing locations. I'm waiting for an email back from Cathay Pacific with answers to some very important questions.
The second option is to buy a single one-way ticket out of the Philippines. The reason i would choose this option is because with flights to Singapore for $94 and Indonesia for $118, it's not a huge financial loss to get the single ticket without the Round the World fare. Plus, if I decided later to buy the Round the World ticket, I wouldn't have to start until about Jan/Feb, thus pushing back my year of travel.
There is a lot to think, talk, and pray about here. Although the time crunch is not critical yet, I am still a little pressed and need to figure out where to go from the Philippines very soon. None of my potential contacts have pulled through for me and I'm seriously scraping for advice. If anyone knows or knows anyone who knows anything about Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, or Thailand (particularly the first two and particularly with respect to diving), please please please talk to me immediately.
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