⌛ Saying hello

I just joined this forum and want to say hello. My first trip to PI will be sometime around April 2011 for a few weeks. I've been retired for the past eight years and, like so many others, am looking for a new place to live.

Friends here in the USA and forum lurking have led my attention to the PI as a really good place. So far, I've researched a few locations as possible areas for retirement and Dumaguete is one of them. I would like to read a variety of pro/con opinions of living there.

I have a lot of experience living and working in the South Pacific so am not totally unfamiliar with changes I will need to make. My income is more than sufficient to maintain myself so I won't burden you with the cost-of-living question.

I would just like to read about your experiences please.

Thanks,

Art

 

Hi Art,
Welcome to the forum, I think your lurking through the threads will bring you loads of pro's and a few con's. Good luck with your plans and hope to meet you one day.
Ron

 

Welcome Art. We can probably provide you better suggestions if we know a little more about what your situation will be. Wife or partner, kids, want to live by the beach, diver, etc. Good luck.

 

Welcome!

Hi TM. Welcome to DI, I missed your Introduction Yesterday as I got a bit Tied up on other things, However, I see you have already had some good information and a little advice so I will leave it to Pat & Ron. Have a Good time on DI and Remember to let us know how things are going and tell us of your arrival.


Jack P.

 

pros and cons

I don't have an agenda right now and I was just looking to hear what people who live there have to say about what they like and don't like.

 

I am from Texas as you can see by my signature line.
It is really not about "likes and dislikes" as much as it is about making adjustments in your lifestyle and habits, and adjusting to the customs, traditions and superstitions here.
Obviously, the main adjustment, in my opinion, is driving. My personal saying is "the rules of the road are real simple, there are none".
As Pat said, we can be more helpful specifically if we know a few more details.
Some foreigners come here stay a very short while and leave because they can't handle the transition.
Some foreigners never come because of all of the horror stories (mostly false).
Some foreigners, like us here on this site, have made the Philippines our home forever and truely love it (like me).
Read the threads and ask us any questions you like.
Welcome to our site and our home.

 

TM, I see that you're from NH. Be sure to sell your snow shovel and all of your winter clothes.
It is the middle of winter here, as there, and my wife is complaining because it goes all the way down to 70F at night and "only" up to about 85F in the daytime. But to her, that is cold because she was born here and has lived here all of her life.

 

TM, likes and dislikes are shared throughout the forum history. You appear to be shy to say a little more about yourself. The forum is helpful when it is a two-way road. There is a search capability to assist you in looking for likes and dislikes opinions.

 

More about me

Hello.

OK ... I'm 64 and will be single again come late Spring. As I mentioned in my intro, I lived and worked for six years in Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati. Also visited Nauru, Am. Samoa, Hawaii and Marshall Islands. Spent time in some of the most remote of these islands. Fiji was Peace Corps and was extremely remote situation to live in. All this to say that while it wasn't the PI, I'm aware of the adjustments I will need to make culturally, physically, psychologically, etc. I'm also a Viet Nam vet with 100% benefits. A trip to Manila once every six months or so should do me fine as I have no physical disabilities ... so far.

My lifestyle is moderate as I'm not very materialistic. If after my initial 3-week visit to PI I decide to make a go of it for the long term, I feel that I would need a 2-bedroom place with a little room to grow some fruits and vegetables, high-speed internet because I spend lots of time online for a variety of reasons, good security to protect my computer and camera gear (I'm a stock photographer), and my location should be near but not in a busy downtown area. I'm not a bar hopper or clubber but prefer visiting with friends or having them over for dinners, movies, drinks, social games, etc.

I'm not looking to segregate into only ex-pat society as I'm at home with anyone who is genuine be they Filipino or ex-pat or from another planet. As for financial abilities, I've got more than enough income with VA and SS to sustain myself comfortably based upon the range of living expenses I've gleaned from reading forums. One reason I'm looking at your area is because of the beautiful scenery and opportunities for diving. I've been away from it for several years but once upon a time had my advanced SSI card with specialties.

I like to cook and shopping local markets is something I look forward to doing. I've eaten most of everything that comes from your area with the exception of a balut ... which I'm curious to try.

You've asked to know more about me so if there's some specific things you'd like to know, just ask please.

Art

 

Good intro TM. Given Dumaguete is a quiet town, my suggestion would be to spend a week oe two here and check it out. I would also check out the outskirts of Cebu City. Reading through the forum, you can see there are both compliments and complaints about living here, so it depends on what rings your bell. When you come, talk to the guys at McDonald's in the morning (there are about 20 or so guys, I believe mostly Americans, who have coffee and conversation daily) and talk to guys at Why Not in the evening, and maybe Coco Amigo's too. Dumaguete is a place where you may be able to meet a nice young lady, not a bar girl. It is about 4-5 hours to go to Cebu City for shopping. There are many on the forum who can tell you about VA care.