Our Move To Cebu

[Bundy]

After an association with the Philippines now extending some 25 years i will finally be living there as of February.I married a wonderful woman from Talisay Cebu in 2003 and we have been sharing our time between Bundaberg/Queensland and Cebu ever since. We returned to Australia at the end of last year with the intention of getting stuck in and earning some extra monies so we would feel just a little more comfortable with the move.At that time we were thinking maybe 2 years of work before leaving. However as i make my living from the land we ran into lots of setbacks when we returned here.The floods pretty well devestated the Bundaberg farming region and whilst it will recover ( it always does) it has set us back further than we had bargained for. Lousy weather has followed on from the floods delaying the cleanup and forcing some farming practises which would not normally be carried out with the resulting lousy returns. We have worked very hard together for the past 7 years and are lucky to be in the position where we now are so we have decided not to put off the move and have set the date as February come what may. We will not be severing ties with Australia altogether and infact have bought a 2 year old unit in town close to shopping centres and the hospital.We had no problem finding a good tenant for it and although the rent does not cover the mortgage, it does go a long way towards it.We intend to sell our house in September and whilst the housing market is somewhat subdued at the moment we do have a few things in our favour.Our house is relatively new and most importantly it is in a flood free area. We intend to keep the unit and then possibly live in it when i reach retirement age ( which is now 67 thanks to government rule change! ) Farm work is taking it's toll on the body and at 53 it is getting harder and harder for me every year.Also Mrs Bundy is not getting any younger and whilst she doesn't complain too much, i know that she also feels the aches and pains. We do own a small lot in Glenrose Subdivision at Carcar but we don't intend to build on it straight away.We will be quite happy to rent for a few years first and see how we go.Having spent a lot of time together in Cebu we know that we can live there for a lot less than here in Oz.We don't need the malls every day, we don't smoke, we don't need to eat in fancy resturants and we don't need nightclubs etc.We are just happy together with a simple life and somewhere preferably away from the cities. So we are quite confident that we can live there happily and as i've said, we will always have the ties to Australia so we will have a ready exit plan if needed. :dance: :D

[Jake]

After an association with the Philippines now extending some 25 years i will finally be living there as of February.I married a wonderful woman from Talisay Cebu in 2003 and we have been sharing our time between Bundaberg/Queensland and Cebu ever since. We returned to Australia at the end of last year with the intention of getting stuck in and earning some extra monies so we would feel just a little more comfortable with the move.At that time we were thinking maybe 2 years of work before leaving. However as i make my living from the land we ran into lots of setbacks when we returned here.The floods pretty well devestated the Bundaberg farming region and whilst it will recover ( it always does) it has set us back further than we had bargained for. Lousy weather has followed on from the floods delaying the cleanup and forcing some farming practises which would not normally be carried out with the resulting lousy returns. We have worked very hard together for the past 7 years and are lucky to be in the position where we now are so we have decided not to put off the move and have set the date as February come what may. We will not be severing ties with Australia altogether and infact have bought a 2 year old unit in town close to shopping centres and the hospital.We had no problem finding a good tenant for it and although the rent does not cover the mortgage, it does go a long way towards it.We intend to sell our house in September and whilst the housing market is somewhat subdued at the moment we do have a few things in our favour.Our house is relatively new and most importantly it is in a flood free area. We intend to keep the unit and then possibly live in it when i reach retirement age ( which is now 67 thanks to government rule change! ) Farm work is taking it's toll on the body and at 53 it is getting harder and harder for me every year.Also Mrs Bundy is not getting any younger and whilst she doesn't complain too much, i know that she also feels the aches and pains. We do own a small lot in Glenrose Subdivision at Carcar but we don't intend to build on it straight away.We will be quite happy to rent for a few years first and see how we go.Having spent a lot of time together in Cebu we know that we can live there for a lot less than here in Oz.We don't need the malls every day, we don't smoke, we don't need to eat in fancy resturants and we don't need nightclubs etc.We are just happy together with a simple life and somewhere preferably away from the cities. So we are quite confident that we can live there happily and as i've said, we will always have the ties to Australia so we will have a ready exit plan if needed. :dance: :D

Hello Bundy,It is refreshing to note that your wife is just as strong in your conviction about making it in PI. You obviously havesome solid plans as well as contingency plans if plan A does not work out. I really like your attitude about thesimple life, just being happy together no matter what.Respectfully -- Jake

[Old55]

After an association with the Philippines now extending some 25 years i will finally be living there as of February.I married a wonderful woman from Talisay Cebu in 2003 and we have been sharing our time between Bundaberg/Queensland and Cebu ever since. We returned to Australia at the end of last year with the intention of getting stuck in and earning some extra monies so we would feel just a little more comfortable with the move.At that time we were thinking maybe 2 years of work before leaving. However as i make my living from the land we ran into lots of setbacks when we returned here.The floods pretty well devestated the Bundaberg farming region and whilst it will recover ( it always does) it has set us back further than we had bargained for. Lousy weather has followed on from the floods delaying the cleanup and forcing some farming practises which would not normally be carried out with the resulting lousy returns. We have worked very hard together for the past 7 years and are lucky to be in the position where we now are so we have decided not to put off the move and have set the date as February come what may. We will not be severing ties with Australia altogether and infact have bought a 2 year old unit in town close to shopping centres and the hospital.We had no problem finding a good tenant for it and although the rent does not cover the mortgage, it does go a long way towards it.We intend to sell our house in September and whilst the housing market is somewhat subdued at the moment we do have a few things in our favour.Our house is relatively new and most importantly it is in a flood free area. We intend to keep the unit and then possibly live in it when i reach retirement age ( which is now 67 thanks to government rule change! ) Farm work is taking it's toll on the body and at 53 it is getting harder and harder for me every year.Also Mrs Bundy is not getting any younger and whilst she doesn't complain too much, i know that she also feels the aches and pains. We do own a small lot in Glenrose Subdivision at Carcar but we don't intend to build on it straight away.We will be quite happy to rent for a few years first and see how we go.Having spent a lot of time together in Cebu we know that we can live there for a lot less than here in Oz.We don't need the malls every day, we don't smoke, we don't need to eat in fancy resturants and we don't need nightclubs etc.We are just happy together with a simple life and somewhere preferably away from the cities. So we are quite confident that we can live there happily and as i've said, we will always have the ties to Australia so we will have a ready exit plan if needed. :dance: :D

It sounds like you have a successful plan best of luck to you both. :AddEmoticons04230:We have family just up the road in Talisay.

[Art2ro]

Yup! You'll only find out once you've lived in the Philippines for a few years to know if you'll stay the longer term! We're going on 13 years now and we plan to stay indefinite!

[softail]

It sounds like you have a well thought out plan. Enjoy the fruits of all that hard labor.Doug and Sally

[KansasBlaster]

I live 1/2 of the time in the Ph. been to CarCar, got relatives in Argao. Sounds like you are a average person and not a wannbe. Being from Kansas I just can't get along with snobs or the Ph. neuvo-riche/one day millionaires and avoid them so it sounds like you will do well Pilgrim.

[Bundy]

Thanks to those who have replied. Mrs Bundy and myself are very much the same, down to earth and common sense type people.We just can enjoy the simple things in life and as long as we have eachother we are truly blessed. Kansas Blaster, yeah for sure i know the type of people you are talking about and also just like you, we stay well away from that kind of person and from what we've seen there are plenty of them in Phils. We have thought long and hard over this plan. We are happy living in Australia and for that matter i think we could be happy living anywhere, it is just that if we go to the Phils we can have an early retirement and enjoy life even more. If we stay here, i would no doubt be forced to work even well past retirement age just to survive. There will be many adjustments we need to make but we do have the very big advantage in that we spend lots of time there in Cebu already over the past years so we know full well what to expect. We are both looking forward to this next chapter in our lives very very much.:AddEmoticons04230:

[ancienrocka]

Thanks to those who have replied. Mrs Bundy and myself are very much the same, down to earth and common sense type people.We just can enjoy the simple things in life and as long as we have eachother we are truly blessed. Kansas Blaster, yeah for sure i know the type of people you are talking about and also just like you, we stay well away from that kind of person and from what we've seen there are plenty of them in Phils. We have thought long and hard over this plan. We are happy living in Australia and for that matter i think we could be happy living anywhere, it is just that if we go to the Phils we can have an early retirement and enjoy life even more. If we stay here, i would no doubt be forced to work even well past retirement age just to survive. There will be many adjustments we need to make but we do have the very big advantage in that we spend lots of time there in Cebu already over the past years so we know full well what to expect. We are both looking forward to this next chapter in our lives very very much.:AddEmoticons04230:

Hey mate, good luck to the two of you in your move. Coming here from Oz was the best decision I ever made! I spent 30 years there and loved the country and the people, but after moving from the UK I noticed that values were becoming more and more materialistic and self serving as the years went by.Happy now.

[Art2ro]

Paul, Your statement, "Values were becoming more and more materialistic and self serving as the years went by"? Wouldn't that statement be the norm in people's lives who work hard in order to achieve those kinds of materialistic things in their lives no matter what they maybe for one to appreciate the finer things in life for one's unselfish happiness? It isn't shelf serving, if one has to worked their asses off to achieve one's goals, hopes and dreams in life, because it's the natural order of our culture and society no matter where one lives in this world! No one gets anything for free, it is earned from patience and hard work, without doing so, we wouldn't have what we have today, a simple and comfortable life! Art

[Bundy]

Thanks to those who have replied. Mrs Bundy and myself are very much the same, down to earth and common sense type people.We just can enjoy the simple things in life and as long as we have eachother we are truly blessed. Kansas Blaster, yeah for sure i know the type of people you are talking about and also just like you, we stay well away from that kind of person and from what we've seen there are plenty of them in Phils. We have thought long and hard over this plan. We are happy living in Australia and for that matter i think we could be happy living anywhere, it is just that if we go to the Phils we can have an early retirement and enjoy life even more. If we stay here, i would no doubt be forced to work even well past retirement age just to survive. There will be many adjustments we need to make but we do have the very big advantage in that we spend lots of time there in Cebu already over the past years so we know full well what to expect. We are both looking forward to this next chapter in our lives very very much.:AddEmoticons04230:

Hey mate, good luck to the two of you in your move. Coming here from Oz was the best decision I ever made! I spent 30 years there and loved the country and the people, but after moving from the UK I noticed that values were becoming more and more materialistic and self serving as the years went by.Happy now.

Thanks Paul, when time gets a lot closer i may contact you regarding sending some balikbayan boxes.