Mr Lee Posted December 3, 2011 Posted December 3, 2011 One topic I have read over an over on forums is where to live, and one thing for sure is that it would be different for each of us because we all have different wants and needs. One size sure will not fit all, so what are your wants and needs? I picked Cebu City because they had some top hospitals and doctors all over (because of my age 63 now and with some health issues) and within walking distance or a short taxi ride of where we wanted to live condos because that was our choice of where we wanted to live, and surely would not be everyone's choice an international airport with lots of airlines, so it is easy to get to almost anywhere and quickly if need be movie theaters and at a reasonable price large malls where just about anything could be found including some decent restaurants, bowling alleys, places to play pool or just an air conditioned place to walk around then there is plenty of pension houses and hotels close by for visitors to stay lots of different banks close by and with lots of ATM's readily available all around lots of other westerners, so not just to socialize with but to more of less not stand out in the crowd. Of course being one of a few can also work to a persons advantage, so it isall up to an individuals POV and the more comfortable a person is being in the Philippines, the less they may feel the need to be one of many, yet western type conveniences availability is usually directly proportioned to the amount of westerners in an area. Taxis readily available because my wife and I prefer them over a jeepney most times but we do take jeepneys occasionally and especially on nice cool daysetc, etc, etc Reading and posting in the topic Old55 started, made me wonder how many people take a lot of things for granted until they find that they need them and they are no longer available to them. I will always remember what Dave Hounddriver once wrote, that there was no ATM machine in the hospital when he needed to have some cash and because it was a holiday, lots of machines may have been out of cash, so that made me realize that then we no doubt must prepare and adjust ahead of a possible need, or possibly suffer the consequences, but how could we ever keep enough cash around for a real emergency where hours might mean ours or our loved ones life. What items are/were important to you when deciding where you wish/wished to live and why? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Old55 Posted December 3, 2011 Forum Support Posted December 3, 2011 A location near or very far from family members? :cheersty: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bows00 Posted December 3, 2011 Posted December 3, 2011 Yes, I agree it is of personal choice, but based on your preferences, I don't see much of an increase in my 'quality of life' living in Cebu... all the things you mentioned, I have in the US. So to me, personally, I would prefer a secure house near a beach where I could enjoy snorkeling, kite surfing, etc... better yet, a location where there is good surfing (without the crowd of course). And the icing on the cake would be a nice local bar where other expat compadres hang out...not to mention, the best benefit of all, a nice filipina to come home to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted December 3, 2011 Author Posted December 3, 2011 Yes, I agree it is of personal choice, but based on your preferences, I don't see much of an increase in my 'quality of life' living in Cebu... all the things you mentioned, I have in the US. So to me, personally, I would prefer a secure house near a beach where I could enjoy snorkeling, kite surfing, etc... better yet, a location where there is good surfing (without the crowd of course). And the icing on the cake would be a nice local bar where other expat compadres hang out...not to mention, the best benefit of all, a nice filipina to come home to... Exactly!Hopefully someone else can suggest a place in the Philippines where you can find the things you seek all in one place but I do not know of any (I have not seen the whole Philippines), and that is why we live in Florida and vacation in our Cebu City condo and travel around the Philippines when there. It had been my plan to move there full time when I reached 62, I am now 63 and no longer planning to live there full time unless something drastic changes in the US to make it much worse, or in the Philippines to make it much better. Many of us, myself included, seek out a dream that has not proven to me to be a reality, at least not in my view after 17 plus years. but the Philippines has been getting better in some ways with each passing year, but I find that at a high price. The one thing that there is no question of in my mind is the availability of many beautiful single ladies and I found a great one to spend the rest of my life with, wherever that happens to be spent. Each of us are different, so as long as we can afford to keep doing what we are doing, then that is what we will do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted December 3, 2011 Posted December 3, 2011 Yes, I agree it is of personal choice, but based on your preferences, I don't see much of an increase in my 'quality of life' living in Cebu... all the things you mentioned, I have in the US. So to me, personally, I would prefer a secure house near a beach where I could enjoy snorkeling, kite surfing, etc... better yet, a location where there is good surfing (without the crowd of course). And the icing on the cake would be a nice local bar where other expat compadres hang out...not to mention, the best benefit of all, a nice filipina to come home to...Hey Bows, Yeah, I'm a wind freak also (Hobie 16 and windsurfing). Check this out: http://www.tripadvis...orte_Luzon.html. And also this for current wind conditions: http://www.windguru....x.php?sc=286056. Although I have never beenup there (northern most tip of Luzon), I would love to play out there on the surf line. Have a good one -- Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted December 3, 2011 Posted December 3, 2011 Great topic. Besides good medical facilities, a safe place to jog or walk peacefully is a priority. Away from traffic, noise, pollution preferably by the beach. Cebu City ain't it so I'm looking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dave Hounddriver Posted December 4, 2011 Popular Post Posted December 4, 2011 This topic reminds me of one thing I came to the Philippines to find, and yet I did not find it. I had dreamt of a retirement home on a beach, at an affordable price, where I could swim every day. I tried quite a few places, (all within a hundred miles or so of Cebu), and here is what I found: Many filipinos live, (squatting), on the waterfront and used the beach as their toilet. It is not uncommon to see any available sand being used as a human 'litter box' and even in the ocean it is possible to harvest a reasonable number of 'floaters' if you get my drift. Add to that the increase in noise and crime this sometimes creates and the situation is less than ideal. The beaches themselves are usually rocky and rough, with sandy beaches being the exception and, if you are lucky enough to find one you need a security guard to keep people from stealing it, (they sell it for 15 pesos a sack to people making cement). The air is extremely corrosive at beach level. The high humidity and salt content makes things rust in weeks that would usually take years to deteriorate. Beautiful new houses become junk in a decade when built on the beach. So with these realizations, I came to the understanding that the Philippines is not exactly what I want but it'll do. My dream of living on a beach is alive but I realize now it will remain a dream unless some miracle happens. I have no great desire to swim in water where I suspect someone swimming a few meters away is 'taking a dump' 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bows00 Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 This topic reminds me of one thing I came to the Philippines to find, and yet I did not find it. I had dreamt of a retirement home on a beach, at an affordable price, where I could swim every day. I tried quite a few places, (all within a hundred miles or so of Cebu), and here is what I found: Many filipinos live, (squatting), on the waterfront and used the beach as their toilet. It is not uncommon to see any available sand being used as a human 'litter box' and even in the ocean it is possible to harvest a reasonable number of 'floaters' if you get my drift. Add to that the increase in noise and crime this sometimes creates and the situation is less than ideal. The beaches themselves are usually rocky and rough, with sandy beaches being the exception and, if you are lucky enough to find one you need a security guard to keep people from stealing it, (they sell it for 15 pesos a sack to people making cement). The air is extremely corrosive at beach level. The high humidity and salt content makes things rust in weeks that would usually take years to deteriorate. Beautiful new houses become junk in a decade when built on the beach. So with these realizations, I came to the understanding that the Philippines is not exactly what I want but it'll do. My dream of living on a beach is alive but I realize now it will remain a dream unless some miracle happens. I have no great desire to swim in water where I suspect someone swimming a few meters away is 'taking a dump' This is definitely an eye opener for me. Will definitely research and live in an area before making any permanent commitments. But I never planned on buying a house on the beach, just wanted to rent, long term. But I don't think I could handle swimming in a toilet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) After reading Dave's comments about beaches in general, I realized that was the main reason I don't swim anywhere on the coast of Luzon especially the west coast of Zambales, because IMO the coast line is extremely polluted starting from the South end of SBMA in Olongapo going up North to Sta. Cruz, Zambales! Just driving the entire Zambales coastline highway, one can see every river, creek or channel with nasty floating debris in the water headed out to sea! So, would anyone swim in those conditions? I'm not saying it's like that everywhere in the Philippines, but one has to go out of their way to find an isolated deserted island to find true paradise with pristine waters to swim in, let alone clean fresh air to breath, but watch out for those giant clams on the sea floor and alligators! The only swimming I do is in our subdivision community pool which is adequately maintained on a daily basis and cleaned thoroughly weekly, every Monday! The main question to this topic was what items were important to us when we decided to live in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Northern Central Luzon. ** We're only an hour drive from the City of Manila, the central hub of commerce, immigration and tourism with a good modern airport. Close to the U.S. American Embassy, VA Hospital, main BOI, the Dept of Foreign Affairs (DFA), BIR and POEA etc, too many to mention. It seems like whenever it involves foreigners, Manila is always the focal point of government official business! ** Modern upscale subdivisions, no flooding, clean, safe and quiet and centrally located to everything one needs! I always refer to this website below since pictures says a thousand words where we live! http://www.google.co...iw=1399&bih=794 Edited December 5, 2011 by Art2ro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonjack2847 Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 Back in the UK I work as a plumber, so sometimes my job would involve unblocking a toilet or drain. So I cant see what all the fuss is about dirty beaches LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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