Magandang Araw (Good day in English)

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Jason W
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Hello fellow humans

  My name is Jason and I am interested in learning more about life as an Expat in the P.I.

I am looking forward to a longer visit in the not so distant future, hoping that might possibly lead to an SRRV retirement visa and i'm currently in the pipedream/reseach phase of my trip planning.

I've learned a couple things so far from Expat vloggers youtube channels, a 30 day vacation to the Dumagete area back in 2019 and of course the infamous online dating websites. I signed up here today hoping to learn more.  So far the only downside i see is that dogs and roosters are inevitable and Christmas starts way too early :bonk: 

But... compared to what i've heard about the cost of living and quality of life, i'm thinking that some barks & cockadoodles are a doable trade off for visits to white sand beaches, snorkeling/diving and other day trips.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks for reading, enjoy your day :christmas_emoticons_187::89:

 

 

Edited by Dave Hounddriver
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Old55
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Welcome to the forum Jason. Glad to have you join us here. :tiphat:

Boots on the ground like you've done is best way to learn about the islands. Dumagete is a popular Expat location and has much to offer. Southern Leyte around Sogod Bay is amazing. Cebu Island has much to offer and hosts the large Cebu City and International airport too.

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Jason W
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Old55, thanks for the welcome & the reply. At the end of your response it says what i have written is totally vague hahaha, i guess im vague lol.. im just looking to learn what i can learn, before getting there, from the experiences of those who are there :popcorn:

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hk blues
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40 minutes ago, Jason W said:

Old55, thanks for the welcome & the reply. At the end of your response it says what i have written is totally vague hahaha, i guess im vague lol.. im just looking to learn what i can learn, before getting there, from the experiences of those who are there :popcorn:

Welcome and good luck!

Whilst it's always wise to get some pointers from those who have walked the path before you, the only real thing to bear in mind is that everyone came here for varying reasons and is looking for different things. One-man man's meat is another man's poison as they say.

Best to identify a few must haves and see what members' experiences are for these IMO.

Once you're narrowed things down you can then look a little closer at those 2 or 3 options- bear - in mind though you may need to adapt your thinking if and when a woman enters the equation!

 

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Jason W
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hk blues thank you!

The only for sure must have i can think of right now.. other than food, water, shelter & transportation of course.. would be A/C, definitely A/C.

Other than that i would like to do a little traveling & sight seeing and the closer i could live to the white sands, without being in the center of a super busy tourist area the better

Of course, keeping in mind, like you said, experiences will vary, one man's meat/poison, i am interested in hearing what other guys "must haves" might be, that im just not thinking of.

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Old55
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2 hours ago, Jason W said:

Old55, thanks for the welcome & the reply. At the end of your response it says what i have written is totally vague hahaha, i guess im vague lol.. im just looking to learn what i can learn, before getting there, from the experiences of those who are there :popcorn:

Hi Jason,

LOL, the "What you have written is totally vague" is a tagline that shows at the bottom of all my posts. It's a joke on me as I can be kinda vague and my proofreading is lacking.

My wife and I live south of Seattle but visit Cebu often.

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Jason W
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Old55,

Ahhhh ok ok hahaha!!

Hey I live in Renton and Cebu is DEFINITELY on my list of places to visit, if not settle in. But obviously, i would need to get there and look around before deciding on a place

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BrettGC
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Welcome Jason.

Firstly, I'd like to say you're giving some of us far too much credit by including us as "human" but I'll take the compliment :whistling:

As others and yourself have said "boots on the ground" and also taking into account the fact "holiday mode" is a different kettle of fish being here long term.  I finally arrived here full-time in January this year after visiting numerous times since the late 80's and am happy to say it was a great decision - so far.  As with so many things who can say how I'll feel in the future but for now, life is good.  

Just as an aside, I lived in Portland Oregon for a couple of years and I loved it there.  We used to get up to Seattle a lot to see friends and I have to say the Pacific North West is a beautiful part of the world

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JJReyes
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Since the purpose of your visit is to research, my suggestion is to have a month's budget based on your estimated available retirement income plus reserves.  Try a lifestyle based on the budget.  If staying longer, try spending another month on one month's estimated retirement income.  Don't stay at a nice hotel and dine on fancy food.  Note that cost of living varies based on location.  If your budget is large, try Metro Manila and Metro Cebu where the malls will remind you of home.  A more modest budget means a more provincial lifestyle.

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Old55
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5 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Since the purpose of your visit is to research, my suggestion is to have a month's budget based on your estimated available retirement income plus reserves.  Try a lifestyle based on the budget.  If staying longer, try spending another month on one month's estimated retirement income.  Don't stay at a nice hotel and dine on fancy food.  Note that cost of living varies based on location.  If your budget is large, try Metro Manila and Metro Cebu where the malls will remind you of home.  A more modest budget means a more provincial lifestyle.

Well stated JJ. 

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