Where In The Philippines To Live???? & How To Keep Busy

[Mr Lee]

Curley brought this up, so I thought it deserves a topic of its own. Where do you think it a good place to live and why?

I have had recommendations to look at Baguio and someone else mentioned somewhere else 45 mins outside Manila. I need to get my thoughts and requirements sorted.

Often a man will end up wherever his gf or wife is from, so that may be a huge deciding factor once and if you settle down. My wife was born in Mindanao but spent time in Cebu and her parents were from Naga Cebu, and besides that has two sisters and now a brother who live on the west coast of Cebu, so we decided on Cebu because of the central location and the international airport but we had been to Davao years ago, and I did not like it back then because there was not much in shopping back then, and on top of that there was always a lot of big shot Muslim higher ups living there, so we ruled it out, but it seems to now be a nice place to live from what other say, so we may have to visit again and then think about it some more. My wife and I also like Cagayan de Oro, since that was where I met her because that was where she was working, so it might be worth a look see too for others but since they did not have condos back then, we decided on Cebu. Baguio is much cooler and might be a nice place to think about because it might save a bunch in electricity because of the cooler temps. Arts area seems nice and we visited that area years ago and were thinking of moving there back then, but at that time they had no taxis and I did not wish to drive, but from the photos Art has shown, he is within walking distance to a lot of shopping and necessities, so for me Davao would be one to definitely look at and Arts area another if we ever decide to move out of Cebu. One main reason I like Cebu is because I do not stand out since there are so many foreigners and the people are very friendly. CDO used to be one of the friendliest cities we found but it has changed and I do not find it as friendly nowadays.

[Curley]

Thanks Mr Lee. I haven't worked out my exact requirements yet but I did have a quick look at a good Baguio website... No thanks, Misty, Cloudy afternoons are not for me and I'd rather have to get cool then to get warm. It may be good for a weekend away but that's it. My girlfriend is from Zamboanga city and apart from one small area around the Paseo del Mar and some nice new gated communities I was not impressed, plus I was "escorted" every where at night by the girlfriends family to be sure that I was safe and I'm quite a big fit lad! I did stand out like a sore thumb and was "hit on" whenever I was on my own. I've been advised to live at least 3 hours away from the family :thumbsup: Her dad was originally from Cebu. At present I work far too much but that will shortly change and I will need something to keep me occupied, at the moment it's golf but having played golf aorund the Philippines I was not impressed with the standard of the courses and coming in soaked with sweat every time may not be so attractive. I used to fish as a lad and enjoyed it, sea fishing is going to be hot and maybe lake fishing if I don't get eaten alive by mozzies etc could be something to consider. I used to sail dinghies too. I love working with my hands but with the cost of labour being so cheap why work in the sun for "pleasure". I certainly don't want my life to revolve around alcohol or bars although a nice meal and a few glasses of vino do go down rather well as does a bottle or two of Tanduay ice. Any suggestions for alternative hobbies and places to live would be most welcome, I'm originally a country lad and would probably feel a lot more at home in a house than a condo.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Curley

[Mr Lee]

Well Curley my idea would be to get some hobbies. You might wish to get involved with Amateur radio in the area you currently live because it can be a lot of fun contacting and talking to people from all over the world and getting info about the places they live. I think Lake fishing or hunting would be out of the question since most of the lakes are fished out and from what I have been told by family who are fisherman, and the oceans are not much better unless you go all the way out. So diving is a nice hobby to get involved in, so you might wish to get certified in the US and ship some gear over. Mall meet ups with other expats are often nice and you would have to look into that wherever you happen to end up. I know they have expat groups that meet up a few times a week in Cagayan de Oro, and there are quite a few I have run into who meet in Dunkin Donuts in SM mall Cebu City a couple of times a week, and also at the Sandtrap in Cebu City, and they have tennis and other sports there as well as a pool and food, and of course a bar. :thumbsup: Also I am told the group there also goes for weekly fast walking and some meet up for lawn bowling monthly. Another thing is to join a gym and work out a couple of times a week. Getting bored is always a problem when a person retires, so it is important to find a routine and stick with it as much as possible. My wife and I spend a lot of time meeting up with people and I use the computer for the forum, reading the news, emailing friends, and for contacting other ham radio people via a couple of web machines which allow talking all over the world via radio interfaced into computers, so that is a great hobby to meet people and keep busy. We also make sure to go out to the mall a few times a week and try to go to movies when they are playing something we might be interested in. So while I would tell you IMO to stay away from Zamboanga, Davao is not that far away that friends and family could visit you and your wife/gf, so depending on how you view that might also relate to where you would like to live. In our family I have seen nieces and nephews who think nothing of dropping in on family with little to no notice, so I did not wish to live on Mindanao and we decided we would rather visit them and bring the whole family together, so they could catch up with each other, rather than have them continually dropping in on us, so we picked Cebu and also a condo which most find intimidating, so they do not ever try to visit without prior approval because the guards will not let them in if they did. Choices will be many, so once you find a temporary place to settle in, then you can travel around and decide based on you complete then situation. I would seek out places if I was you, but leave the final decision until you have visited and spent weeks or a month in a place and even then ideas might change based on year round weather, pollution and traffic etc.

[Curley]

I was a certified navy diver many many moons ago. It would be difficult for me to get certified in the states as I don't live there :thumbsup: I'm certain that with the amount of diving in the Philippines I could start again with no problem. I notice that a lot of Americans talk of buying stuff in the States and shipping it out. Is it really that much cheaper or is it a matter of availability?

[Curley]

Choices of places to live..... yeah.... too many. I would certainly rent and not buy till I was absolutely certain that I wanted to commit to an area for good or risk losing a good portion of the original investment. I may need to be near a uni if my girlfriend wants to finish her bachelors/masters degrees. She graduated with honours this year.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Curley

[Curley]

Dunkin Donuts in SM mall Cebu City a couple of times a week, and also at the Sandtrap in Cebu City, and they have tennis and other sports there as well as a pool and food, and of course a bar Dunkin donits meet ups sounds like a recipe to get fat however the Sandtrap sounds ok whatever that is. Lawn bowling may be good to try, is it indoor or out?

[Mr Lee]

I was a certified navy diver many many moons ago. It would be difficult for me to get certified in the states as I don't live there :10001: I'm certain that with the amount of diving in the Philippines I could start again with no problem. I notice that a lot of Americans talk of buying stuff in the States and shipping it out. Is it really that much cheaper or is it a matter of availability?

Sorry my bad for letting my mind wonder to think the states when you have clearly said Spain. :thumbsup: Anyway they might have dive certification where you are as well and I am sure you can also get it done in the Philippines. Good hobby, I used to dive a lot but am probably too rusty to do much now with all the heavy gear, but possibly with one of those on surface floating air supplies and a 35 foot hose and then put the tanks on down below. To answer your question, yes many things are much less expensive in the states and my wife and I even find that living here costs us about the same for the same lifestyle when we live in Cebu, but of course not counting home and car insurance and property taxes. Electronic such as computer are way less expensive here than there, you can compare on a couple of websites if you wish to CompUSA.com , Tigerdirect.com their sister company, Newegg.com and even a store such as Staples.com when they run sales. I also find most foods we eat are less expensive here, so while some countries seem to be much more expensive to live in than the Philippines, many parts of the US have discount stores such as Walmart or COSCO where I have found prices of most items are less expensive when on sale so we often buy stuff and ship it to ourselves or bring it with us in our suitcases. Oh, others may disagree, so going back and forth like we do yearly, it is easy for us to compare prices.

[Curley]

Yes, most things are cheaper to buy in the states, it's often cheaper to buy in the UK (even with 20% VAT as against 5% here) than here in the Islands or even in mainland Spain. Don't forget the Spanish taught the Fillipinos to "sell for maximum profit or go back to sleep". As for getting certified before I arrive..... I'll have plenty of time once I'm there.

[Jim Sibbick]

How to keep busy Travel and see the country.The Philippines has- whale and dolphin watching- diving- snorkelling- historical sites- white sandy beaches,- hot springs- cold springs- waterfalls- volcanoes- tarsier sanctuaries- butterfly sanctuaries- crocodile sanctuaries- wildlife sanctuaries- marine sanctuariesIt also has- locals living as their ancestors have done for hundreds of years in places such as Malapascua Island- Faith healers on Siquijor- Chocolate hills, lunch cruises on the Loboc River and swimming underground in the Hinagdanan cave on Bohol- An underground river on Palawan- Hanging coffins in Sagada- Ancient rice terraces in Banaue- White water rafting near Cagayan de Oro- Swimming with whale sharks near Donsol- Surfing from Siargo IslandAttend all expat functionsYour expat friends and Filipino friends will be having birthdays, weddings, graduation parties, fiesta parties and other celebrations. If you have a large enough group of friends, you will have more invites than you have time for. Besides that, in Cebu City,- there is ten pin bowling from 1pm every Wednesday at the Gaisano Country Mall bowling centre.- Cebu Hash House harriers have a run/walk every Saturday which starts at 3pm. Usually from the Sandtrap.- there are occasional boat trips Computer/InternetI am a member of a number of groups discussing life in the Philippines. If you let it, answering questions will take several hours out of your daily life, every day. I also have my website with videos, pictures, blog and links. This takes more time to keep updated. Also, I am in the middle of writing 3 books and not getting anywhere with any of them Expat bars and bikini barsI have favourite hangouts. When in Cebu City, I arrange a membership to the Sandtrap. I can then swim for free every day. If I was interested, I could also be playing tennis, playing pool or just relax and have dinner by the pool. I have other expat hangouts i like to go to and drink with friends such as Our Place and Sesame. I also have my favourite bikini bars such as Viking and Lonestar. HobbyHave a business as a hobby or to supplement your income. Just so long as it doesn't lose money. Or do something else like build a boat.You could buy a boat and do it up to go travelling in. GamblingGo to the cockfights, try a casino or play poker with other expats. WatersportsI don't enjoy fishing. I just use it as an excuse to drink. However, fishing could be a daily hobby that takes up a lot of time. Then there is also every other type of watersport from swimming to diving.Otherwise,I enjoy reading a good book, socialising with friends every day, watching movies at the cinema, especially the Imax Theatre in SM Mall and eating out often.Regards: Jim Sibbick

[Old55]

I would get your SCUBA certifications after you move to Philippines. Moalboal, Cebu is IMO the best place to go for that. PM me once you are ready and I will help you if you like. ;^)