Moving from Thailand

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Tommy T.
Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Viking said:

I think you should visit Philippines BEFORE you decide to move there. Moving to Philippines only because it benefits your pension sounds like a bad idea to me.

I love Philippines but some don´t and it would be sad to find it out when you have already made the move.

Good luck to you! 

An add on to that would be to visit and then travel around and try staying in a few places as previously suggested.

Boots on the ground many members have suggested - you need to get the feel of a place before you make a firm decision. Moving your home possessions is a major hassle so you probably don't want to do it often. Make a few visits here or at least one long visit and cruise around to see what's here and what you might like.

Davao offers just about everything you might want - but at price. It is becoming expensive for rent (if you want a decent space), for land, many restaurants too. Traffic is not as bad as in Manila, but it is heading in that direction - there are just too many cars and the roads are mostly not designed to handle the big Fortuners and other huge SUV's that are so popular. And the roads are mostly not laid out for a modern society of commuters.

Waterfront would be a challenge for a rental or home - likely expensive and hard to find.

I am not a bar person. I am told that most bars are girly bars so maybe that's your style - up to you...

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hk blues
Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

An add on to that would be to visit and then travel around and try staying in a few places as previously suggested.

I think from the guy's posts he doesn't have the luxury of time so maybe not feasible to do this.

Actually, I hear that advice a lot but if someone finds a place that suits them then why not stick with it - be that the 1st or 21st place they visit?    

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Dave Hounddriver
Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, hk blues said:

if someone finds a place that suits them then why not stick with it - be that the 1st or 21st place they visit?    

Agree.  Wherever a person settles they can move any time it suits them.  I settled in Cebu Metro area for the first 3 years then tried a smaller, rural island for 3 years and have been in Dumaguete for 6 years.  I moved when it suited me.

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Heeb
Posted
Posted

I think maybe Barrio Barreto in Subic Bay might be a decent fit for the OP, not as good as Thailand IMO or what it was in it’s heyday but it’s reasonably priced and has bars and the ocean.

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  • 1 month later...
AusExpat
Posted
Posted

As an exThai expat myself you'll have some adjusting to here, the problem is it is similar but so different.

When I first moved I was constantly comparing it to Thailand and it was coming up short, now i know The Philippines I can only stand Thailand for about a month, less if I'm in BKK or Pattaya.

The street food here is more bland and I prefer it, it is easier to eat on a daily basis. Mostly it's the people though, I'm not a 'falang' no matter what, I have Filipino and Filipina associates and a few friends, my girls family is great, I'm part of the family and they help more than they ask for. My neighbours are good, never have I had people try to take advantage if I have a few drinks with them - in fact it turns into a competition to who buys the next round that I have to watch or I drink more than I wanted too.

As to your question on location, I've never been to Davao so I cannot comment.

Cebu would be a good place to start, bars and expats to gather more information, you can do easy trips to Dumargette and Davao to check them out also.

Other than that I would second Heeb's choice - Subic, by the seaside, lots of foreign expats, lots of experience to draw from and it's pretty cheap and easy to get accomodation there, Bella Monte do rooms by the month for 18,000P get a front room though has a swimming pool which is the social area, there are plenty of bars, plenty of expats, and you can get on the bus and go to proper beaches (with surf!) about an hour North and upwards, you also have Oolongapo with 2 big shopping centres and Angeles City is only an hour and a half away, Manila 4 hours away.

I stayed there quite a bit when I arrived and used it as a base to learn the ropes as I hated Angeles from the first time I went there. I do not live there now but I do still go up and visit for a few days at a time and then head up to the beaches (I live in Manila mostly).

Cebu I enjoyed and spent 3 months about 5 years ago, though don't expect anything "beachy" about it unfortunately otherwise I would have moved there to live.

As an aside I ended up in Manila as I was looking to invest and the best value investments (and safest) were in Manila in the village my girls family lived and I'd  spent a fair amount of time there already and had a passing aquaintance with the officials here. Living here is suburban, not bad, not exciting, can get pretty much everything Western,  but we're almost finished fixing the investments and will soon travel extensively to look for a place to live or places to visit regularly (1 month Manila/1 month subic/1 month Manila/1 month Bagio, etc).

Hope you find this helpful.

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RBM
Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, AusExpat said:

 

When I first moved I was constantly comparing it to Thailand and it was coming up short, now i know The Philippines I can only stand Thailand for about a month, less if I'm in BKK or Pattaya.

The street food here is more bland and I prefer it, it is easier to eat on a daily basis. 

 

Just had to chip in here.

I have limited experience in Thailand, just a few times cruising most of the central and northern areas by motor cycle. 

I simply love the Thai street food, as in love...in fact all Thai food, personally i find zero comparison between any foods here and Thailand. 

Am somewhat astonished as you have spent considerable time in both countries, guess its down to personal taste. 

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AusExpat
Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, RBM said:

Just had to chip in here.

I have limited experience in Thailand, just a few times cruising most of the central and northern areas by motor cycle. 

I simply love the Thai street food, as in love...in fact all Thai food, personally i find zero comparison between any foods here and Thailand. 

Am somewhat astonished as you have spent considerable time in both countries, guess its down to personal taste. 

Don't get me wrong I loved Thai food for the first two years and still cook it at home once a month or so and my girl and I both enjoy hitting the street food the twice a year we still pop over there, but when you live there and eat it daily for breakfast, lunch and tea for 5+ years you start to get bored of it. Chilli and MSG day in and day out.

Filipino street food - well we've been in our area for years and know which places are average but good value and which places charge a little extra but do very good food without MSG so I'm a little biased in that sense.

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  • 2 weeks later...
adrian canuck
Posted
Posted

Planning a move from Thailand.

Only been to PI a few times, so unsure where to hang my hat.

Non smoker, non drinker, but enjoy the company of the ladies.

Heard Cebu and Subic  areas have decent accomodation.

But rental websites I find hard to get a decent grip on what's available.

Guess a recon trip would be best.

Any ideas not mentioned above ? Only thing I would really like is decent WIFI. Will have a bike so out from the city centre not a problem

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Jollygoodfellow
Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, adrian canuck said:

Planning a move from Thailand.

Only been to PI a few times, so unsure where to hang my hat.

Non smoker, non drinker, but enjoy the company of the ladies.

Heard Cebu and Subic  areas have decent accomodation.

But rental websites I find hard to get a decent grip on what's available.

Guess a recon trip would be best.

Any ideas not mentioned above ? Only thing I would really like is decent WIFI. Will have a bike so out from the city centre not a problem

Haven't you asked this question before? 

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