General Info

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1829906]After thirty-five years or so of living in various third world countries, the ready availability of young, pretty sexual partners is hardly unique, and is not sufficient compensation for the total hopelessness of what I see here; at least it's insufficient for me. So, I think I'll spend more time during the next several months pondering alternative destinations.[/QUOTE]Good luck to you, GE, in finding your next and, I hope, better lily pad. I found mine in Chiang Mai. And, although I love Filipinos / as, I can hardly take more than 10 days in-country before my blood starts to feel dirty. And don't even get me started on Filipino cuisine. When's the last time you were in any 1st world country and someone suggested, "Let's go have Filipino food". Never, right?

I think Natty Bumpo has the ideal solution: find a great Filipino and bring her with you to Thailand. I see more and more guys doing just that.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1829906]After thirty-five years or so of living in various third world countries, the ready availability of young, pretty sexual partners is hardly unique, and is not sufficient compensation for the total hopelessness of what I see here; at least it's insufficient for me. So, I think I'll spend more time during the next several months pondering alternative destinations.[/QUOTE]Good comment GE. I have a tolerance, and often an appreciation, for Manila because I lived in the Middle East. When I get frustrated I just recall the stretch I did there and everything seems so much better. Maybe you haven't suffered enough ;) Normal appearing Filipinos wearing normal clothes just walking around and interacting in an un-Arab way puts a smile on my face. And the ease at which Filipinos receive an outsider makes it wonderful.

You haven't mentioned if you're multilingual, and that's something to consider. It's tough to learn new a language, and if it's a new alphabet too... Often as we age our tolerance for things wears thin. A new place with an unknown-to-you language, unfamiliar customs and ways of life, etc. may enchant some and drive others bonkers. What's that written on the shop window? I can't read the menu and there's no plastic food for me to point at. The nurse doesn't speak English. Certainly three-and-half decades in the third world gives you a frame of mind different from a bloke just arriving from the first world.

Presuming you're in or near your retirement, once you're done with rush hour and the administrative hassles of working life you can take on a city on your own terms, i.e. annoyance avoidance. This doesn't eliminate blackouts.

I've always loved the subcontinent. Plenty of remarkable things to see and do. The women are lovely until they chub up. The most beautiful regular, non-model woman I ever saw in my life was in Kathmandu. But it's a lot tougher to pull birds than SE Asia. If you don't mind the hippie back packers and spirit questers there are a lot a foreign women. Goa's Candolim-Calangute-Baga-Anjuna stretch may be worth a look. Or live a bit beyond it and visit as the mood strikes. Public transport sucks. India's infrastructure is a lot like here.

If you want very orderly and absence of hopelessness then it's Singapore. For girls there's the Orchard Tower / Geylang, Stulang in Johor Baru (still? And of course longer jaunts to Indonesia and Thailand.

Others have covered Thailand and Cambodia.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1829906] Davao, indeed all of Mindanao cannot, or will not generate sufficient electrical power, thus brownouts become more frequent and of longer duration. [/QUOTE]I was in the Immigration office, I turned in my paperwork and had a seat. Five minutes later they called my name and took the money. I was thinking wao, this is going good. Then Click... The stupid TV and all the lights go out. The guy comes up to the window and shakes his head. So I came back at 5:00 (90 minutes later) and it's still dark and everyone was gone. One of the employees found me and told me come back in the morning. In a joking way I said this is a government office. He said "we have a generator but it's bogged down". Haha... I said you mean broken? He said ya. Then for dinner I went to Claude's. His whole place was dark and we ate with battery lanterns.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;1830603]I have thought about living on one of the quiet natural Philippine islands like Palawan, but I think I would get bored after a while and also stick out like a sore thumb. I might be wrong about that too, but I will probably continue to set my sights on Thailand. It is interesting and far from inconceivable that I might eventually wind up on a southern Thai island with a Filipina girlfriend.[/QUOTE]I started my trips late last year on possible retirement countries. I am looking to retire at the end of this year. I live in the expensive San Francisco Bay area, USA, totally unaffordable with a small pension but that pension is huge in some foreign countries. Went to Cebu, Bohol and Letye. Cebu would work for me as I know some high powered people there and I could buy a condo on the beach. Agreed, unless Pinay food is well cooked, I do not want to touch it. Letye is much cheaper, very provincial, clean and green but not much to do and becomes a headache after 3 days. Great to lose stress but 3 days are enough. Hardly any traffic. I do not recommend it for single folks as everyone lives far and you would have to drive long distances, though hardly any traffic. Bohol gets tourists, both foreign and pinay. It is bit more scenic and more to do. I only did a day trip there to see the different sites like the Chocolate Hills etc and I had 2 girls from Manila visiting who got friendly with me. Pity I was going back that evening. It may be worth spending about 3 days in Bohol and see if you like it.

I also did Jakarta and Bali. Jakarta has a lot of fluff that I like. Indo women are a lot more wholesome than pinays. But too much traffic in Jakarta. Bali is laid back and you'll have to travel a bit to find what place you like. I stayed in Ubud for 2 nights, more peaceful than Kota and the people were real nice.

Off to South America this year, Colombia. Hard to decide where to move. Spain is another option for me as I am also a EU citizen but I do not get much for dollar there. Tough decisions. I may stay at places 3 months or so and then later decide. Thailand is also in the mix. Have not been there for 12 years.

[QUOTE=Hutsori;1831006]If you want very orderly and absence of hopelessness then it's Singapore. For girls there's the Orchard Tower / Geylang, Stulang in Johor Baru (still? And of course longer jaunts to Indonesia and Thailand.[/QUOTE]I agree with all the points and all the destinations you have mentioned in your post Hutsori, but I must say Singapore is certainly not the place for one to retire. The cost of living here is astronomical. An 80 sqm rental condo in the 'burbs will set you back by at least $3000 a month. Owning a car in Singapore is next to impossible. A Toyota Corolla that costs roughly $18,000 in Thailand can cost upwards of $100,000 in Singapore. Parking is ridiculous, sometimes places charging almost $2 for 30 minutes.

Regular food is relatively cheap at the food courts and hawker centers but if you want a decent meal be prepared to form out at least $40 per person. A can of beer from a 7/11 can cost $5 and the same in a restaurant or pub can be $10 - $15. Heaven help you if you smoke. A pack of cigarettes (20's) can set you back by $13.

Telecom, internet, television, water, electricity, sewage treatment and other utilities are expensive too. And if you want a domestic helper that can cost you almost $1000 a month all inclusive. Medical facilities are absolutely top notch but also charge top of the shelf prices for basic treatment.

In fact there are more and more Singaporeans who prefer to go live in Johor Bahru or beyond as they start approaching retirement.

P.S. - This post may not really belong here.

[QUOTE=Hutsori;1831006]Good comment GE. I have a tolerance, and often an appreciation, for Manila because I lived in the Middle East. When I get frustrated I just recall the stretch I did there and everything seems so much better. Maybe you haven't suffered enough ;) Normal appearing Filipinos wearing normal clothes just walking around and interacting in an un-Arab way puts a smile on my face. And the ease at which Filipinos receive an outsider makes it wonderful.

You haven't mentioned if you're multilingual, and that's something to consider. It's tough to learn new a language, and if it's a new alphabet too... Often as we age our tolerance for things wears thin. A new place with an unknown-to-you language, unfamiliar customs and ways of life, etc. may enchant some and drive others bonkers. What's that written on the shop window? I can't read the menu and there's no plastic food for me to point at. The nurse doesn't speak English. Certainly three-and-half decades in the third world gives you a frame of mind different from a bloke just arriving from the first world.

Presuming you're in or near your retirement, once you're done with rush hour and the administrative hassles of working life you can take on a city on your own terms, i.e. annoyance avoidance. This doesn't eliminate blackouts.

I've always loved the subcontinent. Plenty of remarkable things to see and do. The women are lovely until they chub up. The most beautiful regular, non-model woman I ever saw in my life was in Kathmandu. But it's a lot tougher to pull birds than SE Asia. If you don't mind the hippie back packers and spirit questers there are a lot a foreign women. Goa's Candolim-Calangute-Baga-Anjuna stretch may be worth a look. Or live a bit beyond it and visit as the mood strikes. Public transport sucks. India's infrastructure is a lot like here.

If you want very orderly and absence of hopelessness then it's Singapore. For girls there's the Orchard Tower / Geylang, Stulang in Johor Baru (still? And of course longer jaunts to Indonesia and Thailand.

Others have covered Thailand and Cambodia.[/QUOTE]Thanks Huts, for a kind, and comprehensive reply. I'm bilingual in French and English, and speak enough Spanish to get by and enough Indonesian to find my way around. I do agree with you that an inability to communicate detracts from one's enjoyment day to day. I did work in India for six months, and hated the place, so it's surely not for me. I would never want to return there. I've also spent a bit of time in Sri Lanka, so I know it's not a viable alternative for me.

It's funny that few people ever speak of any African countries as retirement destinations, but I think there are some countries there--Rwanda, perhaps, or Uganda or Ghana--that are worth considering. I had great times while working in various African countries years ago, and I wouldn't mind returning to a few of them for a while.

GE.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1831255]It's funny that few people ever speak of any African countries as retirement destinations, but I think there are some countries there--Rwanda, perhaps, or Uganda or Ghana--that are worth considering. I had great times while working in various African countries years ago, and I wouldn't mind returning to a few of them for a while.

GE.[/QUOTE]With Africa there's the stereotype of it being unstable and dangerous. That's true for many countries but not all, for instance Botswana, Gabon and Mauritius. Of the three you mentioned I'd look at Ghana. Rwanda is over populated and this exacerbates the Hutu-Tutsi issues, and the Congo and Burundi are a mess, and have the same Hutu-Tutsi issues. Has genuine reconciliation and healing has taken place or is it forced silence? If it's the latter, and I believe it is, then the tensions are just below the surface and can erupt easily. Uganda is too close to the mess that is Somalia and Sudan, and home-grown lunatics such as Idi Amin and the Lord's Resistance Army give me pause. Is there something in the water? The French are much more active in their former colonies, and if a major disturbance occurs it's more likely the FFL will show up.

The cost of living as an expat is important. For years Brazzaville was the world's most expensive city to live as expat, and now it's Luanda. Too little decent quality housing results in extortionate rents. You see the same problem in Angola and Equatorial Guinea; the huge majority live on a few dollars a day in hovels and the foreign NGOs, diplomats, and mining / oil execs live very well. Mercer does a yearly cost of living survey that's informative but has a problem as it uses NYC as its baseline. I don't expect to live a London or NYC lifestyle in the third world, though it's nice to pick up some imported delicacies on occasion. The more one can localise the cheaper it'll be. This website also looks good, [URL]https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living[/URL].

[QUOTE=Hutsori;1831308]With Africa there's the stereotype of it being unstable and dangerous. That's true for many countries but not all, for instance Botswana, Gabon and Mauritius. Of the three you mentioned I'd look at Ghana. Rwanda is over populated and this exacerbates the Hutu-Tutsi issues, and the Congo and Burundi are a mess, and have the same Hutu-Tutsi issues. Has genuine reconciliation and healing has taken place or is it forced silence? If it's the latter, and I believe it is, then the tensions are just below the surface and can erupt easily. Uganda is too close to the mess that is Somalia and Sudan, and home-grown lunatics such as Idi Amin and the Lord's Resistance Army give me pause. Is there something in the water? The French are much more active in their former colonies, and if a major disturbance occurs it's more likely the FFL will show up.

The cost of living as an expat is important. For years Brazzaville was the world's most expensive city to live as expat, and now it's Luanda. Too little decent quality housing results in extortionate rents. You see the same problem in Angola and Equatorial Guinea; the huge majority live on a few dollars a day in hovels and the foreign NGOs, diplomats, and mining / oil execs live very well. Mercer does a yearly cost of living survey that's informative but has a problem as it uses NYC as its baseline. I don't expect to live a London or NYC lifestyle in the third world, though it's nice to pick up some imported delicacies on occasion. The more one can localise the cheaper it'll be. This website also looks good, [URL]https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living[/URL].[/QUOTE]Having been in Brazaville there was no reason for it to ever be so high. Although Pointe Noir, when the oil price was high did have some crazy prices especially the white skin tax.

Had a few great year in RSA and I could happily live there again although would need to be safely, but theres an easy to obtyain Retirement visa and the cost of housing is low and the quality is superbly high. But you might never be totaly relaxed because of crime but then that might also be the case all over Africa. Retiring in Kenya a few years ago would have been ideal but now Al Shabbab and Al Boabab (joke) have taken away the paradise and left an uneasy mess. Madagascar has some great places, beaches, food and obviously requires French to a large degree. An ideal scenario Sir GE, might be 3 months Africa (given that you know the place, and it certainly takes some getting used to), 6 months Thailand because Thailand is easy and that leaves 3 months a year for other places. There are some great houses to " sit " in good places such as Christchurch and Perth that are happy with 3 months plus housesitting and a whole host of housesitting websites that go along with that. Could be a fun and cheap way to stay in the civilised world but still keeping ones options open. Just another possibility, as I'm going through the same thought machinations of " where shall I be living " soon, too.

I must give credit to my co worker which here the other day called my office and "called in horny". He is one of the few I indulge into my mongering events and I told him I never wanted to hear him call in sick anymore as I know he is a horny guy. I encourage my staff to be honest and calling in horny is right up my alley. Its honest, sweet and calls for at least one paid horny day. The only thing I required was pictures to be taken so we will see how that goes.

History lesson.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1834325]History lesson.[/QUOTE]Sangley was also a derogatory, racist term, and, because of prejudicial views toward these people, a number of them were forcibly moved from the areas of Manila city in the waterfront near what is now known as Chinatown and relocated to what is now Cavite City, near the point of land (named Sangley Point because of the many of them living there) sticking out into Manila Bay, and site of a military airport maintained previously by the USA Navy and now by the Philippine Air Force.

BTW, the wikipedia posting from which you extracted the pictures is sort of contradictory. First, it indicates they were "pure Chinese," then it refers to them as mestizos of mixed indigenous and Chinese blood. One of many problems with Wikipedia is that people with a little information, like me, get to play dangerously with the contents.

If they all looked like the one in Mr. E's pictures, the locals surely didn't have much appreciation for beauty. And beauty, it seems to me, is part of the reason that mongers are often attracted to Chinoys.

[QUOTE=LifeIsABeach;1831161]I started my trips late last year on possible retirement countries. I am looking to retire at the end of this year. I live in the expensive San Francisco Bay area, USA, totally unaffordable with a small pension but that pension is huge in some foreign countries. Went to Cebu, Bohol and Letye. Cebu would work for me as I know some high powered people there and I could buy a condo on the beach. Agreed, unless Pinay food is well cooked, I do not want to touch it. Letye is much cheaper, very provincial, clean and green but not much to do and becomes a headache after 3 days. Great to lose stress but 3 days are enough. Hardly any traffic. I do not recommend it for single folks as everyone lives far and you would have to drive long distances, though hardly any traffic. Bohol gets tourists, both foreign and pinay. It is bit more scenic and more to do. I only did a day trip there to see the different sites like the Chocolate Hills etc and I had 2 girls from Manila visiting who got friendly with me. Pity I was going back that evening. It may be worth spending about 3 days in Bohol and see if you like it.

I also did Jakarta and Bali. Jakarta has a lot of fluff that I like. Indo women are a lot more wholesome than pinays. But too much traffic in Jakarta. Bali is laid back and you'll have to travel a bit to find what place you like. I stayed in Ubud for 2 nights, more peaceful than Kota and the people were real nice.

Off to South America this year, Colombia. Hard to decide where to move. Spain is another option for me as I am also a EU citizen but I do not get much for dollar there. Tough decisions. I may stay at places 3 months or so and then later decide. Thailand is also in the mix. Have not been there for 12 years.[/QUOTE]My two cents on this topic is wherever you choose to live I would never 'buy' anything. Find a place where rents are cheap which are a plenty in the Phils for example. Buying locks you in. If you are renting and conditions change and life becomes untenable you pack up and move on, in a moments notice.

Plus foriegners cannot 'own' property in the Phils without convoluted legal manuevers which strip you of alot of control and a large percentage of your investment. Condos are an exception but that buys you in to a system of upkeep out of your control which is notoriously lax in all of the country. Shit deteriorates fast in the tropics.

If you buy then you will be on the hook to 'sell' eventually and there is not a credible system for a foreigner to get good value for his property, unless you are incredibly well connected.

Its not a place to invest in. Wherever you go rent month to month. And live small and inconspicuously.

[QUOTE=Pantot;1835073]My two cents on this topic is wherever you choose to live I would never 'buy' anything. Find a place where rents are cheap which are a plenty in the Phils for example. Buying locks you in. If you are renting and conditions change and life becomes untenable you pack up and move on, in a moments notice.

Plus foriegners cannot 'own' property in the Phils without convoluted legal manuevers which strip you of alot of control and a large percentage of your investment. Condos are an exception but that buys you in to a system of upkeep out of your control which is notoriously lax in all of the country. Shit deteriorates fast in the tropics.

If you buy then you will be on the hook to 'sell' eventually and there is not a credible system for a foreigner to get good value for his property, unless you are incredibly well connected.

Its not a place to invest in. Wherever you go rent month to month. And live small and inconspicuously.[/QUOTE]Excellent advice. I have two additional criteria which loom ever larger in importance the older I get. One of these is quick access to decent medical care, and another is easy access to an international airport. At this point, Davao meets both of these criteria; there is one reasonably decent hospital care and there are daily flights to Singapore in the event I ever need world class care.

GE.

OK first trip soon.

Read this "although the Legal Age of Consent in the Philippines is 18, it should be noted that this does not apply to anyone trafficked into prostitution, as there is NO age of consent in prostitution, so all prostitutes are children under Philippines law. '.

And this "Also, the act states that there can be no consent between a customer and a prostitute, so it is also [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123][CodeWord123][/url].

The problem is a lot of foreigners are not aware of the new law which makes all prostitution, child prostitution. What these foreigners fail to realize is that if you walk into a bar in Angeles Philippines and bar fine a girl, it is now child prostitution because there is no age of consent for anyone trafficked into prostitution in the Philippines.

Age of consent is 18 unless the person is trafficked into prostitution, then there is no age of consent. All prostitutes are defined as children under the law now. This is why there are lots of foreigners in the [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord910][CodeWord910][/url] haunt of Angeles Philippines in jail now.

Now I'm not into kiddie fiddling but "all prostitution child prostitution?

So does that mean police can come into my hotel and charge me just for being with a 45 year old " child pro" . Or "[url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123][CodeWord123][/url]" ?

[QUOTE=Pantot;1835073]My two cents on this topic is wherever you choose to live I would never 'buy' anything. Find a place where rents are cheap which are a plenty in the Phils for example. Buying locks you in. If you are renting and conditions change and life becomes untenable you pack up and move on, in a moments notice.

Plus foriegners cannot 'own' property in the Phils without convoluted legal manuevers which strip you of alot of control and a large percentage of your investment. Condos are an exception but that buys you in to a system of upkeep out of your control which is notoriously lax in all of the country. Shit deteriorates fast in the tropics.

If you buy then you will be on the hook to 'sell' eventually and there is not a credible system for a foreigner to get good value for his property, unless you are incredibly well connected.

Its not a place to invest in. Wherever you go rent month to month. And live small and inconspicuously.[/QUOTE]This is so true. In the Western world, owning a car, a home, a business, etc. , makes sense. In the PI it does not. "Buying" property in the Philippines is like buying a beer that you can't drink. I know of too many guys losing everything after needlessly investing fortunes. Rent everything, keep your costs down, and keep your ability to get up and move.