Living in the Philippines

[stevewool]

Can i ask the members here when the time came for you to retire and the Philippines  what made you decide what area to retire too.

Was it because  your partner was from that area and it was easy to live knowing someone knows the area better then you do.

When i am looking at places and also reading from some of your post too, it comes across that many live where there partners are from, Emma is from Tarlac but it was many years ago she and the family moved from there to where they call home now Marikina.

Marikina is not a place that jumps out at me, yes there are shops and you are right near everything , a hour of so you can be at the beach , Tagatay and the hills of Laguna so as a base it could be perfect, plus Emma knows everything and everyone in that area and in her eyes thats a big thing.

Yes i have looked at Bohol /Panglao to have a place to call home and maybe have a small place to use has a bolt hole or even a rental when we are not using it,.

Remember i am not there yet and with Emma going over in a few weeks to see her dad and to get a proper update on the house and how it is ( the upkeep). i still have time to say whether its for me or not , but for the short term it could be perfect us it will cost me maybe a years rent in completing the house into our home.

With members living all over the place and having friends living in different areas too i dont want to be a burden on those if i move to that area rather then the area where Emma wants to call home but not the family home of the past.

[Dave Hounddriver]

21 minutes ago, stevewool said:

what made you decide what area to retire too.

Boots on the ground.  Tried a few places.  Found one i liked.

[scott h]

My choice was quite easy Steve, my wife inherited the house and property of her parents. All of her class mates and childhood friends live in the area. No family problems seeing that we are the same age, and her brothers are pretty successful. 

[expatuk2014]

My reason was we had been back to the Philippines 3 times after we got married.

After looking around several places we decided that where the wifes Mother and Sister lived

And the wife owned and had built the family home.

But we built our own 2 level home later, after the mother passed the family home remains empty

And is mainly used when family members visit.

Was the ideal place for us overall., short ride to loads of shops, and the large university grounds.

And the view over Laguna De Bay clinched it for me.

All the wifes living brothers and her sister all have good jobs, and so do their children.

So we dont keep getting asked for money.

 

[stevewool]

57 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Boots on the ground.  Tried a few places.  Found one i liked.

Dave did you come to the Philippines alone looking for a partner or was there a partner waiting for you.

Trying to convince Emma that there is more places to live over in the Phils is hard as she does mention that if you are not born in a certain place it is harder to make friends an even talk there language .

But for a women who traveled to the other side of the world and has made a great life , great friends , yes she had me at first to show her how to go about things , but she found work and her new friends too.its hard when she says these things .

[stevewool]

27 minutes ago, expatuk2014 said:

My reason was we had been back to the Philippines 3 times after we got married.

After looking around several places we decided that where the wifes Mother and Sister lived

And the wife owned and had built the family home.

But we built our own 2 level home later, after the mother passed the family home remains empty

And is mainly used when family members visit.

Was the ideal place for us overall., short ride to loads of shops, and the large university grounds.

And the view over Laguna De Bay clinched it for me.

All the wifes living brothers and her sister all have good jobs, and so do their children.

So we dont keep getting asked for money.

 

Laguna bay did open my eyes , what a beautiful place to sit and take in the views when you are high up in the hills.

[Dave Hounddriver]

44 minutes ago, stevewool said:

Dave did you come to the Philippines alone looking for a partner

Yes I did.  I had a couple of online dates planned but they did not amount to anything once I got boots on the ground and just started making friends.  But I see your point.  Makes a big difference if you are bringing sand to the beach er i mean a wife to the Philippines. 

[davewe]

We were scouting for a few years. My wife is from Southern Cebu and there was consideration and lots of talk about living there. Eventually I thought that Dumaguete might be good because not only is it a nice city with most of the amenities I like but it is both close enough and far enough to my wife's family. Janet can wake up in the morning, decide yo go see her mom and be there in a couple hours, while at the same time it is 90 minutes and a ferry ride to come see us.

In the end my wife was the one who decided it would be best if we were to NOT live in the family hometown. Her concern was not with the immediate family but the fact that she knew everyone else there. 

So far it's worked out exactly as planned with Janet going home for a day or two whenever she feels she needs or wants to. Sometimes I come with her; other times I don't.

Edited October 1, 2017 by davewe

[Snowy79]

I think it's the proverbial minefield deciding where to live in the Philippines and even harder if you are bringing a partner with you. I've traveled around a bit and tried the usual spots, Manila, Bohol, Palawan, Boracay and finally Puerto Galera.

You have to decide what's best for you first then take into account your partner. One thing I've learnt is they think on a whole different level to us and have a different attitude to getting off of their butts and making friends.

I've seen some places the guys live with their families and it's like being in a gated community with a large wall around it and every street and house looking identical with no views. To me that's like living in an open prison. If you add in being a foreigner and if you fall out with family nearby you can become pretty isolated.

If you move away from the family to somewhere you like you've then got to keep the partner happy. From my limited experience they tend to have mates going back to when they were at school and that's it. My partners haven't been ones for going out and getting new friends. Preferring to stay indoors watching soaps and generally sleeping then complaining they've got nothing to do.

For single guys it's easy. Travel around without getting hitched until you find the ideal place that gives you good vibes then find a local partner. She'll be happy with her mates and give you space and if she's doing your head in go for a nice walk. One issue with this though is most of the women will have an ex or know all the local gossip so if you speak to the wrong person ( usually female) you'll be in the dog house for a bit.

[MikeB]

5 hours ago, stevewool said:

When i am looking at places and also reading from some of your post too, it comes across that many live where there partners are from, Emma is from Tarlac but it was many years ago she and the family moved from there to where they call home now Marikina.

Marikina is not a place that jumps out at me, yes there are shops and you are right near everything , a hour of so you can be at the beach , Tagatay and the hills of Laguna so as a base it could be perfect, plus Emma knows everything and everyone in that area and in her eyes thats a big thing.

Was she there during Ondoy? I have friends in Marikina, stayed there many times. At one time it was one of the more desirable areas around Manila. Then came Ondoy in 2009 and another bad one a couple years later. That area is very susceptible to flooding, especially Provident Village where my friends lives. The quiet street outside their homes became a raging river during Ondoy, water up to the roofs on 2 story houses. The other one wasn't as bad but still an unbelievable mess. He lost virtually everything the 1st time but the house had insurance, the succeeding times he couldn't get insurance. That's the one big thing I would consider about Marikina.