In Reply to: Re: Philippines, Or Poss Thailand, Mexico, or Argentina For Me * posted by russsmith on July 17, 2026 at 11:46:24
Thanks for the comments, Russ. Here are some responses (forgive the length):
>> Philippines you DEFINITELY need to go and check it out before you make that call.<<
I've been there 4 times (2014, 2015, 2019, and 2025). My closest friend moved there for a lucrative semi-diplomatic job back in 1986, and he kept urging me to visit and consider moving there too. I finally made it there in 2014 and fell in love with the place. (My friend passed away of cancer at age 86 in May of 2024. I was able to go visit his gravesite in Rizal last October.)
My visits have included quite a bit of Luzon, including Batangas, Bataan, Tagaytay, Plaridel (Bulacan), Angeles City (Pampanga), Baguio, and a few days in Legazpi. (I HAD to go see the Mayon Volcano!) I also spent 3 days on Boracay island in 2015, and 3 days in Davao, Mindanao in 2025. A friend took me into the mountains northwest of Davao City, and I saw the stunning beauty of the Davao Province mountains, and some of the also-stunning beauty of the mountains of Bukidnon Province.
>>We stay in Siquijor my wife was born there been in the US for almost 50 years and her mom is retired in Siquijor.<<
I haven't been there yet.
>>Dumaguete City is famous now on youtube etc, tons of ex pats there, we fly from Manila to there and take a boat to Siquijor so I've been in Dumaguete tons of times, seen lots of Americans. hell we saw a group of UCLA guys in a McDonalds once there.<<
My friend told me about Dumaguete, and as I researched it I decided it was about the last place I'd want to be. I have zero interest in being around a bunch of American ex-pats. (I once saw a travel show on TV -- I watch a lot of those -- that featured some place in Mexico. They made a big point of how "wonderful" it was that there are many gated communities of mostly Americans. UGH. UGH!!.)
>>But it's hot, humid, they have power outages regularly, driving is different food is different etc.<<
Over my 4 visits, I've been there a cumulative total of about 9 weeks. The only seasons I haven't experienced yet are the rainy season overall, and the second half of the rainy season when the typhoons hit. My first visit was in mid-April to early May of 2014, so yeah, I got slammed with the heat and humidity.
Driving is fun! I got brave this last trip and rented a car in Pasig City. I drove up to and around Plaridel (and went flying with a couple of pilot friends). Then I drove to and around Angeles City. The highlight, though, was driving up the windy mountain road to Baguio. What a stunning trip that was! (Driving around Baguio at night in a driving rainstorm with Google Navigation barking turns and other guidance at me, hahaha. I probably should have used Grab for that part of my time there!) Coming back, Navigation took me right into the heart of Quezon City, during rush hour, at night, and in another driving rainstorm. That was a total BLAST! I did so well driving LIKE Filipinos do, I now consider myself an honorary Filipino driver, lol.
As for food, I like it pretty well. The adobos, several of the ____silogs for breakfast, sisig if it's not too spicy, pretty much any kind of seafood, and much more. But the reality is, at least in Metro Manila, there are plentiful options for choosing food from almost every cuisine in the world.
>>The people are awesome<<
They are! They're amazing. I had always heard about the kindness and welcoming nature, and I had worked for many years with kind and caring Filipino nurses, but I wasn't really prepared for what I encountered when I made that first trip in 2014. Walking down busy, crowded streets in Metro Manila, total strangers made eye contact, smiled, and said, "Hello, sir!" They weren't asking me for anything, and nor were they trying to sell me anything. They were just being Filipino friendly!
Partially through my friend, and partly on my own, I've made quite a number of friends all over the country. If I were to move there, I'd almost instantly have a support system and social network already established.
>> and Dumaguete has pretty good medical facilities.<<
Because of my health issues, I would probably need to live in Metro Manila, reasonably close to St. Luke's Medical Center in BGC (right next to Makati) or its sister hospital in Quezon City. Both are accredited by the international branch of the same organization that accredits hospitals and health care facilities here in the U.S. Another hospital that is either accredited or soon to be, is Medical City in Pasig. I think there might be one in Cebu too that is accredited.
>>Or we could just stop letting the poorly educated elect morons who want to coup the country<<
Yeah, there's that too. :-)
Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America should be good options for me too, as I speak the language fluently. But frankly, I don't like the food that much. On the other hand, if I'm in a major city, then just like in big cities in the Philippines, there are lots of options for cuisine from almost anywhere.