City Vs Province, How Satisfied Are You In The Province?

[Panserhansen]

Yes, but is being a foreigner enough to qualify for a friend? In the city it's much easier to find friends with the same interests. In the province, most foreigners don't do sports. In the city, you can join a gym, a soccer team, a poker club or whatever interests you have. In the province it's much more limited. Most foreigners in the province don't do anything at all but to drink beer at the local expat place or at home - complaining about their pension. Believe me, it's different having conversations with working people or people that live an active lifestyle. Another thing I don't like about the province is the big gossiping. I did not experience that in the city.

I know plenty of foreigners here and see them maybe twice a month or so at the café. But my handful of close friends are in Cebu City.

Being a foreigner don't automatically qualify for a friend. However when you find a foreigner who have other interest than drinking 2 pm, one might find a foreigner with something in common. Meet 10 foreigners, and maybe 1 or 2 had similar interests, and like to stay in contact. I like to be around expats older than myself, they have local knowledge and wisdom I learned a lot from. Met a few expats age 30+ and they mostly talked about nightlife, best place to go out, not much in common. I love the local people, however one can only take so much talk about the price of rice and pork, or get asked for a load loan. This habit seems to be the same all over SEA. However I find the locals in the Philippines to be way more polite, decent and helpful, than in other country nearby.

If you prefer older expats and not looking for nightlife, you will be fine in the province. Just bring your backpack and travel around. I just came back from Bantayan and from what you say, Santa Fe might be a decent place. Some tourists, but still very laidback and prices are low. The locals were friendly, almost no crime and they spoke English pretty well. In some provinces English is hardly spoken at all.

[Curley]

I make a lot of things myself, like BBQ sauce, liver pate, bread, pickled herring from bangus etc. Some things you cannot make, like good cheese etc. It's ok but sometimes you just want to grab what you want from the ref and not spend an hour or two making it...

When making things why not make extra and freeze or bottle the rest, then you have reserves for immediate use? As for cheese, I've made goat's cheese and it's simple to make. Some cheddar or my favourite double gloucester? A small business idea for an expat?

[Panserhansen]

I make a lot of things myself, like BBQ sauce, liver pate, bread, pickled herring from bangus etc. Some things you cannot make, like good cheese etc. It's ok but sometimes you just want to grab what you want from the ref and not spend an hour or two making it...

When making things why not make extra and freeze or bottle the rest, then you have reserves for immediate use? As for cheese, I've made goat's cheese and it's simple to make. Some cheddar or my favourite double gloucester? A small business idea for an expat?

I do make extra, but sometimes you still run out. Not only talking liver pate, pickled herring or bread, but also quality meat, lamb, cold cuts, wine, etc etc. Making cheese you need a lot of stuff, including a cold environment. Too much hassle. But lacking of proper food is just one of the reasons I want to go back to the city.,

[Ashanti]

i was born and breed in the city. if i live in PI, i would never consider living in the provinces. its just too boring and limited for me. living in the provinces of PI is not the same AS living in the country in the west. it is very basic and you have few choices. mind you, even living in the west, i wouldnt consider living in the country. done that, got the tshirt - NEVER AGAIN!!!

[sonjack2847]

It is horses for courses some people like the city and some people smaller places. I live in Dalaguete which is just over 2 hours by bus from Cebu city. There is a Belgian guy down here who has a business selling food. I can get most things from him at reasonable prices. He makes stops at Talisay,Argao and he even goes to Dumagette on Negros 1 time per week. So I don`t miss out on things like good bread not the sweet stuff they sell here. I can also get cheese ham sausages etc he will even buy things in cebu and bring them back. I sometimes make the trip with him just to get out of here for a few hours and I can buy anything I need then at the city. I can`t put his website on here as it breaks advertising but if anyone wants anything if you pm me I will let you know it.

[MikeB]

This is based in part on my own personal opinion and also what others have listed on the preceding pages.

Province

Pros:

No traffic jams

Clean air

Jogging outside in relative safety

Clean(er) beaches and water

Inexpensive housing

Less crime

Very cheap public transportation

Riding my bicycle

Can actually drive (carefully)

More friendliness

Quieter

Overall much safer

NATURE

Cons:

Lack of shopping

Lack of almost all services - especially medical

Lack of schools

Lack of restaurants (besides carenderias)

Much more frequent blackouts

Less Internet and cable options and packages (reliability is a wash, ime)

More gossip

Boring

City

Pros:

Lots of shopping

Plenty of services - banks, schools, hospitals, doctors/dentists, immigration, car repair, body shops after accidents, etc.

Lots of restaurants of all types

Lots of adult entertainment

Cheap public transportation

More Internet and cable options and packages

More police (not sure if that's a plus)

Not boring

Cons:

TRAFFIC

Pollution

Dirty

More noisy

More expensive housing

Much more visible abject poverty

More crime

Expensive health club memberships

Would not drive

A lot has to do with your stage of life, I'm getting too old to deal with the latter list on an everyday basis so I'll stay in the province and visit the city as necessary for shopping, doctor, etc.

[Thomas]

I'm born in a Capitol and I find it hard to live outside a major city. When living in a province, I get bored to death. Although I have to admit I envy those who are happy in the province. I think you get better quality of life, and you live much cheaper than those of us who prefer to live in the city.

For those living in the province :36_1_68[1]: - how happy are you there, and how do you cope with daily life?

For me, western food :7_4_17[1]: is a must - 1 major reason why I live in the city.

Have you gone native, or do you stock up and fill the freezer?

Shopping is another reason, I find it hard enough to find things I need in the city, so how do you manage when you live far from the city?

In 6 months I never had a brown out, this is more or less common in the province, isn't it?

Do you sit with candle lights (or have a battery back up, or generator)?

Or have you gone total native and do same the locals, sleep early and wake up at sunset?

Meeting up with other foreigners :7500: - although most are very happy in their relationship, I still feel the need to meet other foreigners - Are you a lonely wolf, or do you find foreigners in your area?

Maybe most important, good doctors and Hospitals. Any good doctor in your area, or is a trip to the city the only way to go if you get sick?

Do you live near your significant others family, and how do you handle that? :89:

:th_thanx:

How come many "city people" believe we don't have access to city things just because we live a bit away from one??? It's just taking the car/motorbike a while and then we are in the city :mocking:

with the big difference we are there when we want to, and have the other advantages when we want to, which city people DON'T have.

I haven't moved to Phili yet, but I live 15 minutes from a town now and one hour from a city and I plan to live similar after I have moved.

Yes, go shoping and store, but I did that back when I lived in a city too, because I find it boring to shop :)

Problems:

/Internet. I hope it's better when I move :)

/Electric. I will probably solve it by having own generator..

The rest needed is just done by going to city when need to.

Other things I find BETTER in the countryside.

How come many "city people" believe there are nothing to do if living in the countryside???

I have easy access to MORE to do than if living in a big city. (If you don't count get stucked in traffic as an interesting activity :mocking:

You talked about beaches. Many province people have much SHORTER to the beach.

(One of the alternatives I have looked at a bit is LIVING BESIDE the beach :no: But more likely I will live beside a damm/lake, liking that better, or in the hills.)

Concerning kano friends, some of mine think of following me moving to the Philippines. Otherwice there are kanos in provinces too.

Plus I plan to try to learn the local language. I don't have any big need of meeting people anyway, more likely I believe I will get problem to get it CALM enough. And I plan to build a "guest room" too, because I asume family and friends from here will want to come and visit if I live nice in a Phili province :)

I want to sleep late, so I need to live far away enough from roosters :no: but I want to live some away from neighbours anyway. Then I can go and meet people when I want to.

In the beginning I will have much to do with get to know the life there, language...

(I can a little tagalog, but nothing of the local language. I haven't bothered to try to learn before I move there.)

Having access to water can give access to having boat or such too.

(Now I have a small sailing boat and a canoe, and I will have at least a canoe in Phili. = a kanocanoe :)

Plus I have some other hobbies too, which cost some to buy the equipment, but (almost) nothing to use. It can be things as table tennis, billiard, play music instruments...

Not even if I would do hobbies 24/7 I would have time enough to do all my hobbies :no:

[Jollygoodfellow]

Problems: /Internet. I hope it's better when I move /Electric. I will probably solve it by having own generator..

Your talking about living in the hills, will you really get better internet? My wife lives in the province, no internet but can get phone reception sometimes dependent on climbing the coconut tree near the beach. :)

Generator, is there a fuel supply?

Depending where one decides to live and the distance to a more major center will depend on how happy one is in my opinion but that's only my opinion. :thumbsup:

[Thomas]

Problems: /Internet. I hope it's better when I move /Electric. I will probably solve it by having own generator..

Your talking about living in the hills, will you really get better internet? My wife lives in the province, no internet but can get phone reception sometimes dependent on climbing the coconut tree near the beach. :)

Generator, is there a fuel supply?

Depending where one decides to live and the distance to a more major center will depend on how happy one is in my opinion but that's only my opinion. :thumbsup:

I want to live somewhere where there are nice view and no neighbours, so no roosters :) =Beside water, hills or some forest probably.

/Internet: If build where there are open in the mobile pole direction, then it's common can get mobile Internet, but very slow. (E g in the mountains in west Bohol they have mobile Internet from at least two suppliers, but it's extremly slow. Can need antenna to get strong enough signal, but that don't change speed, only if get connection or not. When we westerners talk about seconds, then they talk about minutes loading time... :boohoo: :)

I was told by a kano, who has build a house in east Bohol, it's planned to be installed soon an OK speed Internet cable following the highway, BUT same guy (?) told it's common Filipin Internet installers don't understand speed reduces much by distanse from contact point. So even if they install OK speed Internet in a province, they put only a sender close to the barangar offices, and if not being close to that yourself, then the speed will be crap anyway. (Where I live now in "kanoland" they say maximum 500 meters from sender to get ok speed.)

/Electric: I think of some different businesses. In one of them I would get much waste material anyway, which can be burned to make electric. If so, I can get "free" electric. Electric production unit price around 3000 USD for motor and generator, but need some more parts. Information says 220 V, 17 hp. I don't know what that mean in Amphere or Watt, but it's biger in size than the common fuel driven units, which cost much less to buy.

Or buy a diesel driven cheaper unit. Some pressed oils from common crops can be used as diesel, but better mix with common diesel than use 100 % crop oil.

But if you have e g a car it isn't any big difference in access point of view if living some away, specialy if it's a huge city, so most of the travel time will be waiting in traffic jams anyway :)

[Curley]

Getting electricity from a generator is a very expensive method, solar panels ? Wind power? Years ago I had no electricity but used my generator very sparingly because of the cost of the diesel. I had a 12 v lighting system, gas fridges and learnt to live accordingly.