Leaving Los For Phillipines?

[HeijoshinCool]

Been to both places. Extremely happily married to a Filipina and now have plans to move to the Philippines. I agree on most accounts of the Thai/Philippines comparison, Thai infrastructure, food, cleanliness better but the people make up for the those differences. The Philippine people are more genuine, open, speak great English, easy to understand. The different islands are a treat and an adventure in itself.

Can you recommend some islands for someone seeking solitude. Peace and quiet, a place to buy food and a few beers, and a decent bungalow to rent for a few months?

[HeijoshinCool]

But if I can't own land, I'll scratch it off my list. One of the many reasons I want to leave here. I want to move one more time, build, and die.

I don't understand why you have to own land for your plans? Using land for residential and business purposes in Thailand is easy and safe if you do it the right way and as far as I know it's similar in Philippines?

Yes, if you go through the added expense of making it the business that "owns" the land. I'd prefer something less complex and costly.

[onionluke]

Been to both places. Extremely happily married to a Filipina and now have plans to move to the Philippines. I agree on most accounts of the Thai/Philippines comparison, Thai infrastructure, food, cleanliness better but the people make up for the those differences. The Philippine people are more genuine, open, speak great English, easy to understand. The different islands are a treat and an adventure in itself.

Can you recommend some islands for someone seeking solitude. Peace and quiet, a place to buy food and a few beers, and a decent bungalow to rent for a few months?

It is a bit of a trek, but Siargao Island off the east coast of Mindanao is very laid back . There are a few surfies gone local and a few nice resorts. Well that was a few years back . General Luna was a well run town and the mayor had the guns under control . Enjoy your green tomato , onion and vinegar salad.

[ExpatOilWorker]

The Philippines is like a small piece of South America drifted across The Pacific; corrupt and catholic.

[onionluke]

^

500 years of Catholisism and 50 years of holywood .

[balo]

I have never been there but it seems like a dangerous place to live in after reading all the posts in here.

Come on , it cant be that bad ?

[rgs2001uk]

I have never been there but it seems like a dangerous place to live in after reading all the posts in here.

Come on , it cant be that bad ?

If you have never been, dont bother, its a shithole, I will never set foot in it again.

[Gary A]

The PI's were my second choice for retirement. Cambodia was third. The natural disasters and VERY poor infrastructure of the PI's were enough to discourage me. Seeing that situation and talking to guys who tried it prompted me to choose Thailand. The guys I know who tried it are now back in Thailand. I would choose Cambodia over the PI's as far as the cost of living. The major problem with Cambodia for retirees is the serious lack of medical care. I had two friends who died there. Both had pre-existting medical problems and both were younger than I am.

[HeijoshinCool]

Been to both places. Extremely happily married to a Filipina and now have plans to move to the Philippines. I agree on most accounts of the Thai/Philippines comparison, Thai infrastructure, food, cleanliness better but the people make up for the those differences. The Philippine people are more genuine, open, speak great English, easy to understand. The different islands are a treat and an adventure in itself.

Can you recommend some islands for someone seeking solitude. Peace and quiet, a place to buy food and a few beers, and a decent bungalow to rent for a few months?

It is a bit of a trek, but Siargao Island off the east coast of Mindanao is very laid back . There are a few surfies gone local and a few nice resorts. Well that was a few years back . General Luna was a well run town and the mayor had the guns under control . Enjoy your green tomato , onion and vinegar salad.

Thanks for the tip.

[HeijoshinCool]

It is a bit of a trek, but Siargao Island off the east coast of Mindanao is very laid back . There are a few surfies gone local and a few nice resorts. Well that was a few years back . General Luna was a well run town and the mayor had the guns under control . Enjoy your green tomato , onion and vinegar salad.

I would avoid any place on the Pacific side....Typhoon alley....stick to the west side and south of center...more protected.

Good points.

[maturebrit]

lived there 12 yrs before and its pretty much like the previous posts.... can be risky but so are many places in the region.....

[HeijoshinCool]

lived there 12 yrs before and its pretty much like the previous posts.... can be risky but so are many places in the region.....

I'm from L.A.

[Gangnamstein]

I dont see any advantage to PH over TH.

The people are just as xenophobic and protective as in TH and just as "educated". You have your upperclass hi-so (tend to be at least 1/2 spanish) as in TH (the chinese-thais), lving condidtions pertty much the same... weather, same. Economy,,, similar. But the big difference is PH people are religiously bat-crazy (catholic),

[Rumpole]

PI, same same as Cambodia, last refuge for Cheap Charlies who cant afford Thailand.

Some of us could easily afford to live in Thailand but prefer somewhere less xenophobic and where you don't have to jump through all the fiery immigration hoops. Expats in Thailand are not exactly the cream of the crop, either.

[MrWorldwide]

PI, same same as Cambodia, last refuge for Cheap Charlies who cant afford Thailand.

Some of us could easily afford to live in Thailand but prefer somewhere less xenophobic and where you don't have to jump through all the fiery immigration hoops. Expats in Thailand are not exactly the cream of the crop, either.

As opposed to the expats in AC and Manila ? If that's the cream of the crop, I think it's time to re-sow and hope for a better harvest next year

[Rumpole]

PI, same same as Cambodia, last refuge for Cheap Charlies who cant afford Thailand.

Some of us could easily afford to live in Thailand but prefer somewhere less xenophobic and where you don't have to jump through all the fiery immigration hoops. Expats in Thailand are not exactly the cream of the crop, either.

As opposed to the expats in AC and Manila ? If that's the cream of the crop, I think it's time to re-sow and hope for a better harvest next year

I wrote either, not as opposed to. I don't live in Thailand or the Philippines so it is a moot point as far as I am concerned. I was 'adopted' by the Germanic community on my last trip to Manila though and had a great time. Never experienced anything like that in Thailand.

I used to think the Middle East attracted the lowest expat common denominator, until I came to South East Asia.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Rumpole

[rgs2001uk]

PI, same same as Cambodia, last refuge for Cheap Charlies who cant afford Thailand.

Some of us could easily afford to live in Thailand but prefer somewhere less xenophobic and where you don't have to jump through all the fiery immigration hoops. Expats in Thailand are not exactly the cream of the crop, either.

The pinoys are right up there on a par with Thailand when it comes to xenophobia, the amount of times I heard, "in the Phillipines you must", 'its Phillipine way" or "in the Phillipines".

Never had a Thai ask me for my watch "for rememberance"

As for "fiery immigration hoops", never experienced any here in Thailand, I was doing a visa renewal last month, pretty painless process, in and out in less than 15 minutes.

[moe666]

Thailand much better by far.

Yawn. Same old Thai-centric drivel. This is your opinion. Expats living happily in the Philippines (not me, I hasten to add) have a different perspective. The OP will never know which one he prefers unless he tries both.

Yes my opinion, having spent enough time in both places since 1963 I have enough information to develope an educated opinion and I am more than happy to share it. Conssidering what I know about both countriess Thailand is better by far.

[moe666]

I go to the PI a couple times a year for 2 weeks thats enough. The food sucks, the corruption is out of hand, its dirty and all of the girls want to get married. Marcos set the country back 30 years with is plunder and pillage routine. Thailand much better by far. OP get over the I want my little bunkalo and then die, start living geez.

You were doing fine until you sarcastically assumed I wasn't "living" happily where I am.

Thanks for the opinions. That's what I was looking for, that and facts. Not assumptions.

It would appear you are the one making assumptions, I believe you said, I want my bungalo and then die, this is the statement I commited on. But hope you are doing well where ever you live. You mentioned earlier Palawan Island, I have spent a bit of time there. Sabang is a nice sleepy village with some tourist, a bungalo could be found there. El Nido is also very nice, a bit larger than Sabang more tourist but more oppertunity to find a little hidaway. But as said earlier for 2 weeks just fine longer than that the lack of decent food is not an option I care for.

[MrWorldwide]

Here are some of the basics I take for granted in Oz, and would look for in a retirement destination:

- reliable power supply, periodic Summer outtages notwithstanding

- the rule of law, corruption notwithstanding. (If you think there is no corruption in Farang Police forces, you probably need to think again)

- access to decent 'toys', but it a Playstation3 or a Marantz amplifier or a new Sony laptop, without being hammered by import duties

- some sense that my possessions are safe behind a locked door (Sydney notwithstanding)

- the option to live as cheaply, or as 'high-end', as I choose - where else can you catch a train 3 or 4 stations from the slums behind lower Suk and be in the middle of a 21st Century consumer madhouse like Siam ? Even CentralWorld Pattaya craps all over anything I saw in Cambo or Laos - for many here, that will be irrelevant, but I like my toys/magazines etc.

For those who will tell me that I cant hope to get audio at anything resembling US/UK prices, show me where I can get this Marantz amp for the equivalent of 26K elsewhere:

http://piyanas.com/shopping/productdetail.php?cat=108.224&id=970〈=en

I've stayed in Pattaya for 3 months at a time for a fraction of what it would cost me at any tourist trap in Australia, and I'm confident I could do it for even less in Rayong : all with very little knowledge of the local language. For all their 'devious' ways, the Thais make it very easy for foreigners to settle in : whether that veneer wears thing over time is a tougher question, but even here in Oz we have no shortage of unhappy campers who whinge and moan about 'this %#^&&*! country and its racist, bogan underclass' -why would it be any different in Thailand ?

Is Thailand 'perfect' ? Far from it, and there are interesting times ahead politically, but I'm not going to write LOS off purely because a few Utopian dreamers claim they have found 'something better'. Whatever your opinion of the rule of law or the physical infrastructure in Thailand, they are much further down the development path than many of their neighbors. Even '21st Century' Malaysia suffers many of the same problems as Thailand, but KL looks more like Sillypore each time I visit (for better or worse ..) - just a shame about their obsession with palm oil plantations. FWIW, I'm also looking at options outside Thailand for my impending retirement (2014), but it will take more than a few gorgeous Filipinas to convince me that PI is a better option.

[Ulysses G.]

it will take more than a few gorgeous Filipinas to convince me that PI is a better option.

Especially since there are so many gorgeous Thai women and a much safer country.

[bangkokburning]

The only thing better abt Phils is ease of visa. The price of which rises annually like everything else in the shithole.

Think Africa not Asia.

Sad, sorry broken country in which everyone, every day, every moment will see you as mark and even patsy.

It is about as expensive as Singapore, the food is atrociously bad and the people desperate and dangerous. Never met a nation of people with so little integrity. None.

[lopburi3]

Off-topic moderation comment post removed.

[HeijoshinCool]

PI, same same as Cambodia, last refuge for Cheap Charlies who cant afford Thailand.

Some of us could easily afford to live in Thailand but prefer somewhere less xenophobic and where you don't have to jump through all the fiery immigration hoops. Expats in Thailand are not exactly the cream of the crop, either.

The pinoys are right up there on a par with Thailand when it comes to xenophobia, the amount of times I heard, "in the Phillipines you must", 'its Phillipine way" or "in the Phillipines".

Never had a Thai ask me for my watch "for rememberance"

As for "fiery immigration hoops", never experienced any here in Thailand, I was doing a visa renewal last month, pretty painless process, in and out in less than 15 minutes.

I've heard that before somewhere ...

[bri1guy]

The Us. ties with the Philippines is strong being that it was a us commenwealth in the past & #3 largest speaking english country in the world. Why not try to live a few months there , a few months in LOAS & a few months in Thailand see what you like & its cheap for travel inbetween.

visa is easy and cheap, business is possible as well. But go for it the girls will like you. I lived there for more then 7 years and its great. People actually understand you lol. Where do you plan to go? The Philippines are also much cheaper then LOS

[maturebrit]

The Us. ties with the Philippines is strong being that it was a us commenwealth in the past & #3 largest speaking english country in the world. Why not try to live a few months there , a few months in LOAS & a few months in Thailand see what you like & its cheap for travel inbetween.

visa is easy and cheap, business is possible as well. But go for it the girls will like you. I lived there for more then 7 years and its great. People actually understand you lol. Where do you plan to go? The Philippines are also much cheaper then LOS

Phils used to have strong ties with US till Phils Govt got greedy about the price of Subic and Clark.. also nursing staff had jobs processed in the US. ..now they have to process externally so many went to the UK instead...

I was in the phils when Subic and Clark were busy and then after they closed 200,000 had no jobs....that killed the special relationship

[MrWorldwide]

I thought the Pinatubo eruption was the 'beginning of the end' for US involvement in PI ?

[NeverSure]

The Us. ties with the Philippines is strong being that it was a us commenwealth in the past & #3 largest speaking english country in the world. Why not try to live a few months there , a few months in LOAS & a few months in Thailand see what you like & its cheap for travel inbetween.

visa is easy and cheap, business is possible as well. But go for it the girls will like you. I lived there for more then 7 years and its great. People actually understand you lol. Where do you plan to go? The Philippines are also much cheaper then LOS

Phils used to have strong ties with US till Phils Govt got greedy about the price of Subic and Clark.. also nursing staff had jobs processed in the US. ..now they have to process externally so many went to the UK instead...

I was in the phils when Subic and Clark were busy and then after they closed 200,000 had no jobs....that killed the special relationship

The US will reopen Subic and Clark, and move much of its naval forces to the S. Pacific. It's about China and to some degree, N. Korea.

Edited February 16, 2013 by NeverSure

[NeverSure]

only visa but go go for it the girls will like you. I lived there for more then 7 years and its great. People actually understand you lol. Where you plan to go?

Don't know. Someplace clean and quiet. I'd like to build a small bungalow and own the land. Maybe later build a few and rent them as long-term rentals. I'm just tired of LOS.

What about the visa?

"...I'd like to build a small bungalow and own the land."

Ecuador? Can own land, easy visa, no retirement age limitation, lower financial requirements, similar cost of living, tropical, lots of beaches, land cheaper, good food but more Mexican, language much easier to learn than LOS.

Help yourself. I like Thailand.

[maturebrit]

only visa but go go for it the girls will like you. I lived there for more then 7 years and its great. People actually understand you lol. Where you plan to go?

Don't know. Someplace clean and quiet. I'd like to build a small bungalow and own the land. Maybe later build a few and rent them as long-term rentals. I'm just tired of LOS.

What about the visa?

"...I'd like to build a small bungalow and own the land."

Ecuador? Can own land, easy visa, no retirement age limitation, lower financial requirements, similar cost of living, tropical, lots of beaches, land cheaper, good food but more Mexican, language much easier to learn than LOS.

Help yourself. I like Thailand.

i moved back to Malaysia....100% my own (second home) free residence visa after completing purchase formalities...KL isnt as cheap as Thailand but far fewer scams and they treasure investors instead of screwing them