Is it really more fun in the Philippines?

[Scouse123]

I tend to think the Filipinas have been around the block a few more times than the Thais and are generally smarter due to the fact that they can communicate better.

 

I have heard a lot of these women come with a great deal of baggage as well such as violent ex husbands and kids and bad cops.( Thailand revisited)

 

There were also some silly adultery laws I seem to recall regarding Filipino women going with foreigners and not yet officially divorced from the first Filipino husbands. There were actual stories of arrests of foreigners.

 

Way too many visible guns for my liking and I hear the poverty in Manila is extremely disturbing. And I wouldn't fancy Jesus in every sentence out of their mouths and why do they nearly all have moles on their upper lips or cheeks?

 

Food they say is lousy and Jeepneys for transport can be dangerous as crime takes place in broad daylight.

 

Give me Cambodia or Vietnam anytime.

 

However, I like my life on my Isaarn farmstead.

 

Creature of habit I suppose after 27 years of Madam Scouse and what more could I ask, she supports Liverpool!

[Old car dealer]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:36 AM, ChipButty said:

Then go to Columbia or Venezuela,  

And get shot or Kidnaped by the drug  mob . 

On 8/3/2023 at 9:36 AM, ChipButty said:

Then go to Columbia or Venezuela,  

 

[DrJoy]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:29 AM, JBChiangRai said:

About Mrs. Smith, I am sure he must adore you Bob

No can do, na krab

[Jaggg88]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:59 AM, Henryford said:

Plus for us Brits you get pension inflation increases. Quite a bit now with 10.1% inflation, 7% next year?

Wow! I did not know that. I thought they were frozen everywhere except the EU.

[still kicking]

On 8/3/2023 at 10:42 AM, BritManToo said:

Slightly different as the Filipino family can also speak English and will actually call you by your name instead of you always being 'the farang'.

My Thai family never called me farang always by my first name 

[747man]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:58 AM, bignok said:

Hey Bob, I thought you died. 

He MIGHT If he gets a Filapina on The Side......

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, still kicking said:

My Thai family never called me farang always by my first name 

Not to your face anyway ...............

But I'll bet money you were 'the farang' when they spoke to other Thais about you.

Edited August 4, 2023 by BritManToo

[JBChiangRai]

1 minute ago, 747man said:

He MIGHT If he gets a Filapina on The Side......

Bob will be Bobbit’d

[747man]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:36 AM, ChipButty said:

Then go to Columbia or Venezuela,  

Or Anywhere in The Caribean or Africa.....

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, 747man said:

He MIGHT If he gets a Filapina on The Side......

what is a Filapina? Or do you mean  Filipina.

[747man]

1 minute ago, JBChiangRai said:

Bob will be Bobbit’d

Yep,  He Will....For SURE !!

[747man]

2 minutes ago, still kicking said:

what is a Filapina? Or do you mean  Filipina.

Yes Sorry Mr Teacher !!

[Ripx89]

37 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I tend to think the Filipinas have been around the block a few more times than the Thais and are generally smarter due to the fact that they can communicate better.

 

I have heard a lot of these women come with a great deal of baggage as well such as violent ex husbands and kids and bad cops.( Thailand revisited)

 

There were also some silly adultery laws I seem to recall regarding Filipino women going with foreigners and not yet officially divorced from the first Filipino husbands. There were actual stories of arrests of foreigners.

 

Way too many visible guns for my liking and I hear the poverty in Manila is extremely disturbing. And I wouldn't fancy Jesus in every sentence out of their mouths and why do they nearly all have moles on their upper lips or cheeks?

 

Food they say is lousy and Jeepneys for transport can be dangerous as crime takes place in broad daylight.

 

Give me Cambodia or Vietnam anytime.

 

However, I like my life on my Isaarn farmstead.

 

Creature of habit I suppose after 27 years of Madam Scouse and what more could I ask, she supports Liverpool!

Agree on the facts of adultery law, poverty & crime. Lately crime getting worse, usually target foreigner but mainly chinese.

 

Food on the other hand, different province have difference signature but most food are the same even bakery, kinda general. Not trying to say bad about them/religion, they do tend to pray but without doing anything to make it happen, as in pray for apple to drop from the sky.

 

Communication part, manila and surrounding province generally do speak english but further away might not. In Cebu part, English generally in city centre but going outer you'll have tough time communicating in non tourist area.

[AlfonsV]

Quote

.The people are generally more friendly than Thais,

It may depend in which society you move. In almost 40 years I met only a handful of unfriendly Thai people, mainly in Thai embassies. If you are approaching the people friendly and open minded and speak a little bit Thai it's fine.

[JBChiangRai]

6 minutes ago, still kicking said:

what is a Filapina? Or do you mean  Filipina.

Nee naw, nee naw, spelling police on patrol!!

[747man]

6 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Nee naw, nee naw, spelling police on patrol!!

Exactly He Must be Bored ...

Edited August 4, 2023 by 747man
More Added

[still kicking]

6 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Nee naw, nee naw, spelling police on patrol!!

 

[still kicking]

15 minutes ago, 747man said:

Yes Sorry Mr Teacher !!

Never mind I am not English myself 

[ChrisKC]

That depends as much on you as it does about the women and another culture. If you transfer your philosophy of life that you have demonstrated on this forum, it is likely you are in for disappointment - wherever you go!

[still kicking]

4 hours ago, bignok said:

Phuket has girls from Phils. A lot of them work in dentists and doctor offices.

So has the West where I live, we have heaps of Thais doing the jobs not many westerners like doing, (nurses, care workers) to name a few.

[Felton Jarvis]

I don’t want to live in any place that requires a bank deposit for residency. You can currently live for three years in the Phil on a tourist visa before you have to leave and do a visa run. Not a big deal, I just wish they had a straight option for a certain income figure to live there.  I do like the fact that you can get residency if you marry a local lady. This is something Thailand should copy but never will.

[bkk6060]

A fairly recent trip to Phils I thought it was terrible.  Really has gone downhill just a filthy hole.

And, I did not find the people nearly as freindly as before.  They sure have desperation in their eyes.

Guys that I know there wish they could move and live in Thailand.  

[AlfonsV]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:12 AM, JimHuaHin said:

I arrived in Thailand 10 years ago tomorrow on an Non Immi O-A "Retirement" visa.

 

I am in Hua Hin, and every year that the compulsory Thai health insurance policy have been required, an immigration officer checks that I have a valid policy letter in Thai before I am permitted to enter the office to apply for an extension.   When I see the Immigration Officer inside and present all the required documentation and photocopies, he/she gets up, goes to another computer at the back of the office, and checks that my policy is valid.

 

suggestion : change to simple O-visa and you can choose the insurance and the coverage you want, if any. As far as I know they will give you the simple O-visa anyway as the O-A is the one you need if you enter from your homeland.

[Furioso]

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

A fairly recent trip to Phils I thought it was terrible.  Really has gone downhill j

Yes, I think they're going through a HUGE population explosion. Every year adding 1 or 2 million people, mostly born into poverty. I remember thinking back in 1997 it was going downhill, and that was when they only had 70 million people. Now it's probably double so it's really a desperate place that I do not want to visit anymore. 

[Phil1964]

On 8/3/2023 at 3:59 AM, Henryford said:

Plus for us Brits you get pension inflation increases. Quite a bit now with 10.1% inflation, 7% next year?

How does that work, please?

I thought if you resided overseas then your UK state pension was paid until your death at the same rate which it was on the day you left the UK to live elsewhere, (devoid of any annual increase)? Hence devaluing your pension income over time.

Or have the rules changed and / or only if moving to certain countries?

 

(Sorry, for asking. I'm not a pensioner yet, 8 years to go).

 

Thanks folks.

 

 

 

[Toby1947]

17 hours ago, bignok said:

Crime ridden cease pit outside the beaches.

Shouldn't talk about Thailand like that. ????????????

[spidermike007]

In terms of beauty, I find both have stunning women. But, the primary issue for me, if I was single, would be the actual quality of life there. From my point of view:

 

 

Philippines

Pros-

1. The women can be lovely. And many of them speak english. And if you are older guy, that is a plus in the PI. Plus they are way less demanding, and the bar is set much lower, in terms of their expectations. Older guys can get with far younger women, without an issue. The parents actually encourage it! Generally, it is possible to have a real conversation with many women there. Not the case here. It is rare here. Unlike most Thai women, the women there can have a real sense of curiousity, and will ask genuine questions about you, and your life, beyond where do you come from, how much do you earn, and what do you own? The PI seems to have a higher level of intellectual development.

 

2. The visa system is something that some think is simpler. You do need to have money on deposit, and unlike Thailand it remains on deposit the entire time you live there. 

 

3. The place has thousands of islands, and some stunning beaches, and cleaner water than Thailand, at least on the Gulf Coast. But, the islands are fairly hard to get to, and the services are very limited, and more expensive than in Thailand. You really need a yacht or a helicopter to get around the remote islands. 

 

4. In general I would say the people can be quite friendly. Especially the women. But, unlike Thailand, even the men can be friendly. I suspect if I lived there, I would have a number of local male friends, unlike here. I have never met a society of men, who are less interested, less curious about, and less willing to get to know foreigners, than I have here in Thailand. It is sometimes astonishing. It is a real disappointment. The PI is more Westernized. You do not feel like you are living on another planet, which can be nice sometimes.

 

5. Some shopping can be better, as there are Costco type outlets there. Some of the highways are better, and as an American, I can have goods shipped to me, with a preferred system, that allows low cost shipping, and duty free imports. Unheard of in Thailand. Importation of goods in Thailand can be horrendously difficult. It is an onerous system, one that is outdated by decades, in this age of globalization. Thailand is far, far more insular and fearful of the outside world, than the PI.

 

6. They are more Western in their mindset. The colonial occupation by Spain, which was largely managed by Mexico, means the culture is more Western leaning. Which makes them more open to the outside world and more curious. Qualities which are sorely lacking here. 

 

I find it rare for Thai men to have much interest at all, in really getting to know us. They seem to be lacking curiosity of the outside world, to a remarkable degree. 

 

Cons-

1. The entire country is like one big Tijuana. It is depressing. Very little landscaping in the homes, even nice homes are ugly, and have barbed wire, and glass topped walls everywhere you look.

 

2. The security situation is not very good. You always have to keep your eyes open, keep an eye on your back, and beware of robbery, home theft, and violence. It is rampant. I have many friends who live there, and they all say the same thing.

 

3. If you do get into an altercation with a Philippine man, or are getting robbed or harassed, unless you are a 6th degree sensei, do not fight back. An astonishing number of locals are well trained in the fighting arts. Many are good with sticks, knives, blades or any sort, and their hands, fists and feet. I have a friend who is a world class security consultant. He is a black belt in a few different martial arts. He says he can usually fight his way out of a gang of men, nearly anywhere in the world. Except in the PI. That is the only country he will NOT take an assignment.

The average guys there, can take down the average Westerner in five seconds. In Thailand few have those kinds of skills. Very few.

 

4. The food sucks. The only other country I can think of with worse food, is Cuba. Granted, if you are willing to spend the money, you can find good food. But, it is not the general rule, as it is here. Also, the access to fresh fruits and vegetables is pathetic compared to Thailand. Very low quality, and often not fresh. Thailand is a paradise by comparison, when it comes to all things related to food.

 

5. Pollution. They use a lower grade of diesel. So, there is alot of soot in the air. The PI has an epidemic of lung diseases and respiratory diseases. Even on many of the populated islands. The hospitals are full of people who are having a very hard time breathing. It is a real issue there. Lung disease is at an epidemic level, though the authorities do not like to talk about it, and publish very little information on it.

 

6. Aesthetics. The average house you would rent, looks like a slum. Tall walls, with barbed wire, to keep out intruders. And they just do not pay attention to landscaping and gardens like the Thai people do. So, most neighborhoods are fabulously ugly. Alot of slums in the big cities, and just not physically appealing.

 

7. Renting. There is a vastly lower number of rental units available, few are as nice as what you can find in Thailand, and it is almost always more expensive, with the possible exception of Central Bangkok. You just cannot find the studio apartments like the ones available all over Hua Hin, for 6,000 to 8,000 baht a month. That does not exist there.

 

8. Infrastructure. The entire country lacks the infrastructure you have here in Thailand. As I am typing now, I am enjoying a 1TB download speed, and a 600MB upload speed, all on fiber optic cable, for 650 baht a month. Unheard of in many countries, including the US! Triple the cost there. No sky train network anywhere near comparable to Bangkok. Mo MRT network either. They have one under construction, and it will be limited to ten stations.

 

Shall I go on? I could. As far as I am concerned, the only reason to live there is the women, and a slightly more cooperative, and far less xenophobic and racist government. Alot of ex-pats have already left Thailand, as the current administration is so far beyond heinous and incompetent, it is unspeakable.

 

I have a friend who does private security for a lot of very high net worth individuals, and corporate CEOs, when they travel, and he told me that the only country in the world that he will not take an assignment is the Philippines. When I asked him why he reminded me that he was at the black belt   level in six different martial arts, besides the fact that he was 6'5 and about 280 lbs. of muscle. Spent his whole life training. Not the kind of guy you would want to mess with. He told me under normal circumstances he could incapacitate a group of four or five guys, in under a minute. Not in the PI. 

 

He said that in general, the Philippine men had the greatest degree of fighting skills of any group of people in the world, and that if you encountered a single guy, or a group of Philippine guys on the street you just never knew what their level of skill was, and you had to assume that they were expert street fighters. He said many were experts with knives, sticks and improvised weapons. Not the case here.

 

If you add on top of that, the fact that the country is extremely poor and that there's a fairly high level of desperation, it makes the Philippines a very, very dangerous place. Crime there is very opportunistic. And being a foreigner makes you a potential target. Again, not the case in Thailand. 

 

You really have to know what you're doing, you really have to know where you're going at all times, especially at night, and you always have to have eyes in the back of your head, and constantly looking over your shoulder. Of course, it varies depending on the city, the part of the city, and the region. But it is just one of many reasons I would not want to live there. 

 

I've been told this by a number of friends who live in the Philippines and it's been my observation, the several times that I have visited. 

 

I like the people. The level of english skills and the women seem to be the big draw for most guys. But random guys in the street, can be a hazard, and that is variable I would want to have to deal with, regularly. 

 

I consider the PI to be far more of a ghetto experience. But, I am referring to the environment. Thais are spectacularly insular, and seem to have little to no curiosity about the outside world. The people in the PI are infinitely more open minded, and far more Western. And the language is a huge plus in the PI. Many speak good english, and I would guess if you were attempting to speak poor Tagalog, the people would try far harder than here, to understand what you are trying to say. Since they are more Westernized, they are likely more creative, linguistically. If you do not have the pronunciation and the tones down perfectly here, the people are completely lost. A total inability to dance around in circles intellectually. And they barely even care to try to understand what you are saying! That is a huge nuisance and annoyance here. 

 

The PI is a foreign country. And somewhat Westernized. Thailand is a distant planet. 

 

[biggles45]

Phil1964, it's only in countries that have an agreement with the UK. Philippines is one, Thailand isn't. Strangely enough Australia, a commonwealth country, English King is their head of state, doesn't either! 

[biggles45]

Spidermike, while I agree with most things you say not sure I can agree with your friends take on violence here. I have lived in AC for  10 years, visited for 17 or so. 

I have NEVER had any sort of confrontation with a local male. I used public transport for the last 9 years (no car/bike) without incident. I guess I would be an ideal target, 77 years old now, 165cm small, 75 kg and couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag. 

[LukKrueng]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:51 AM, bob smith said:

the girls only want your money/girly drink whatever

but the filipino girls seem like a hoot a minute,

Oh, yeah, I remember the days just over 10 years ago when the girls only wanted your smile and a hug. I'm pretty sure that's all the filipinas want. Go check it out and let us know, will ya?