Why live in the Philippines?

[Huggybearman]

16 hours ago, Ozapriliaguy said:

Like what???....like every kind of real cheese, real ham, real bacon, sugar free bread, wine, spirits, butter, steak, salmon....ad infinitum ad nauseam.

I live in CDO and although many items can be hard to come by, many are readily available with a little looking. 
Decent cheeses are available, if you like strong cheddar, then SM, Robinson’s and Shopwise stock Mainland Vintage, (I think it’s Australian, possibly NZ) which is every bit as good as the strong ones we get back in the UK. They also stock Danish Blue cheese, and S&R stock a few including Danish Blue, Parmesan and a good Greek Feta together with a small selection of French cheeses.

 There is an expat run hotel uptown that has a very reasonable deli where you can buy sausages, bacon, ham, steaks, salmon, both fillet and smoked. And excellent meat pies! They also have a bakery that bakes a good selection of sugar free breads etc, to pre-order, collection on Wednesday’s.

You can usually find what you want if you look.

 

[fillipino_wannabe]

He didn't say good food isn't available, he said it's imported and expensive and he's not wrong. I had to stop going food shopping with my wife as it would end up with me ranting about how expensive everything is. I'd normally end up starring at the ready meals in S&R for minutes saying '?????? hell 350 pesos, that would be 70 pesos in the UK' then my wife would tell me to go home then.

[Ozapriliaguy]

9 hours ago, manofthecoldland said:

Where ever you choose to live, there are going to be sets of trade-offs. The question for you is, what sort of a problem set will you settle for and adapt to, and what set of positives makes it more worth staying there despite the shortcomings than your other options.  

Complain all you want but the  country or world isn't going to change for you. You either accept things and do what you can, or else strike camp and move on in search of a better fit.

A good percentage of expats do just that. No sense in living here in a continual state of dissatisfaction and unhappiness if you don't have to.  Many do have to however, since their wives don't want to leave. One of the drawbacks  for men here is that they often cannot relocate easily (e.g. owning a house) to another part of the Philippines, their island or even to another part of their city or town...... where conditions my well be much more to their liking. 

Different provinces and parts of cities have problems providing steady and dependable electricity, water continuity and adequate pressure, access to luxury items or expat preferred foods, etc. That's why the common advice it always to rent awhile, before building to see if the place measures up to your needs and wants. Many of us live in places that DO provide what we need, and we are relatively content.

If you don't do your homework and try before you buy..... you may well end up with 'buyer's remorse'. Applies to locations and sometimes the women we choose to live with.

Good luck with finding live-able solutions to whats making you unhappy.  The thing I like about Filipinos is that they are not a whinging lot. Practically all of us have lived through trying times in our lives, and find the problems we encounter here to be truly small potatoes compared to other times and places we have lived through.

 

 

Well said. Lot's of good points. Yeah - buyers remorse concerning the house/location. No remorse regarding my amazing wife - best thing I have ever have had in my life....and as you say - she really doesn't want to live OS.

[Ozapriliaguy]

2 hours ago, Huggybearman said:

I live in CDO and although many items can be hard to come by, many are readily available with a little looking. 
Decent cheeses are available, if you like strong cheddar, then SM, Robinson’s and Shopwise stock Mainland Vintage, (I think it’s Australian, possibly NZ) which is every bit as good as the strong ones we get back in the UK. They also stock Danish Blue cheese, and S&R stock a few including Danish Blue, Parmesan and a good Greek Feta together with a small selection of French cheeses.

 There is an expat run hotel uptown that has a very reasonable deli where you can buy sausages, bacon, ham, steaks, salmon, both fillet and smoked. And excellent meat pies! They also have a bakery that bakes a good selection of sugar free breads etc, to pre-order, collection on Wednesday’s.

You can usually find what you want if you look.

 

Yes - Mainland is NZ and an exceptional vintage cheese. Blocks of Parmesan are almost impossible to come by, and again - yes - nice Feta at S&R and just this week a special 2 for 1 on some Camembert, which is actually lovely.  

I know of Kingston Lodge, but it's a bit toxic there and I don't go often even though, as you say, they sell some good deli stuff. Their bread is good, but I now buy from the Swiss Deli in LKK because the baker at KL told me to ride all the way there just to place and order, then I have to ride back there to pick it up? Nope - it's not THAT good.

But thanks for the tips. Have a good one.

[graham59]

I guess I just like living amongst other poor, unsophisticated people.

I also have very simple tastes in food, and do cook all my own meals too, so can't really complain (apart from to myself .lol) about the food here.  I can usually get hold of all the basic ingrediants without too much trouble. Sometimes you just have to be creative. We're also lucky in having a good little bakery just up the road, who sells 'proper' bread and hamburger rolls.

Me and the Mrs do own (okay...she does ) our land and house though...all paid for, and that keeps me busy most days, with DIY, etc. 

I think we all get stressed here from time to time though.  At the moment we're having flooding problems, because an idiot downstream of us decided to fill in the creek...which runs close by us.

Edited July 18, 2020 by graham59

[Ozapriliaguy]

13 hours ago, Mike J said:

Did the piss end up in your imported cheerios? 

I don't eat Cheeros, sfb. Maybe you are referring to your own diet.

[Mike J]

2 minutes ago, Ozapriliaguy said:

I don't eat Cheeros, sfb. Maybe you are referring to your own diet.

I usually have whole wheat toast. 

[Ozapriliaguy]

20 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

I guess if you dont get out much you would not know where to find good things.

Sure it does but you joined here in 2018 with a CDO IP but your IP now says USA as posting so just asking.

 

Sounds like a troll, smells like a troll so probably is a troll. Your attitude belongs in the trash basket. 

Hahaha...forum manager...a loser who doesn't like people calling out losers like you  as being losers - so you delete their posts. Hey. I have a great idea. I have a bar in CDO - I'm making money hand over fist, but I have to move on. I'm an expat - so no need for due dilligence - just trust me. 25T walk in walk out...interested? bahahahaha! how farking stupid are you, tool? - and then you moan about it non-stop - for four years - FOUR YEARS....look up "impotent rage." 

[Ozapriliaguy]

9 minutes ago, Mike J said:

I usually have whole wheat toast. 

Wow! finally  a hero here...woohoo! 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Ozapriliaguy

[Ozapriliaguy]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:21 PM, Jollygoodfellow said:

 

IP says I'm in USA? well then, my VPN is working....look that up...V   P   N.