Manila Life

[sakik2024]

I love living retired in central Manila since the borders reopened in 2022. A mix of poverty and posh. No product or service is unavailable thus far. Staggering levels of beautiful, single, and very horny women who are very interested in meeting foreigners. Domestic flights to Boracay white sand beach as low as P1200 all inclusive. Filipinos are very friendly and ready to engage. The language barrier is practically non existant. I meet Filipinos from all walks of life. They're very curious about the world and the lucky ones have lived, travelled, and worked as overseas foreign workers. 

Every Sunday is car free on Ayala Avenue in Makati (the business district). This video is from this morning. 

I'll update this blog as time permits. 

[biggles]

Thanks, will be interested to follow. if u don't mind sharing, what area are you living in? Makati, Malate, BGC? These are very nice areas but you often have to travel thru some not so nice and heavy traffic areas. 

Driving in NCR is a hassle and public transport is bad, and crowded. Taxis are relatively cheap, tho drivers can be a hassle, and then you have the traffic problem again

I will be interested to see how you overcome what I see as the downsides. 

[Toy Boy]

I've been to Manila many times over the last 30 years and had a lot of fun there, but it's even more congested and polluted than Bangkok, I could never live there. If I was to move to the PI, I think I'd choose somewhere like Barrio Barretto (BB) on Subic. A nice, relaxed spot, great for diving or sailing, enough local bars to keep you from getting bored, and Angeles not too far away if you really want to let your hair down. I believe that Olongapo also has its own power station, so the electricity supply is more reliable than in many places, and the big mountains just east of the Bay will shelter it from the worst of the typhoons coming from the Pacific. If you haven't been there, here's a photo I took (actually, two snaps joined together) from the beach at BB looking north-west across Subic. I spent many happy hours out on that floating bar, often I was the only customer and it was like having your own private brothel, lol.

[sakik2024]

12 hours ago, biggles said:

Thanks, will be interested to follow. if u don't mind sharing, what area are you living in? Makati, Malate, BGC? These are very nice areas but you often have to travel thru some not so nice and heavy traffic areas. 

Driving in NCR is a hassle and public transport is bad, and crowded. Taxis are relatively cheap, tho drivers can be a hassle, and then you have the traffic problem again

I will be interested to see how you overcome what I see as the downsides. 

The (Metro) Mrt station is outside my condo on EDSA highway. I go in the first car (for seniors and moms with kids) of the train which has seating, aircon, and lots of elbow room. Rarely do I need go in taxis or face traffic. Between 10am and 4pm, traffic is not a problem. 

Even though I am getting on in my years, I am tall so I get a lot of attention. It's very easy to strike up a conversation with women of any age, which snowballs very quickly.

There's far fewer foreigners here than in Thailand so the women have very few options. This is likely why so many have, at some point, engaged in a lengthy long distance relationship with a man they can only hope to meet someday but often never or once briefly. 

I knew nothing about Filipino food before moving here. Only Jollibee fried chicken. I went down the street and found people lining up for a sizeable variety of food in steel trays and pots. This is next to a hospital with most of the customers being hospital employees.

I decided to keep an open mind and try something new every day. These restaurants are called carinderias. I stay healthy with bbq chicken and fish, chicken adobo, pickled tuna and milk fish, the sour sinigang soup, chop suey vegetables, fried noodles known as pancit, and so many more. All delicious and healthy options are there. 

The biggest culture shocks like slow walking, products out of stock, and noisy talking, I've gotten used to it. 

I like to walk around Makati as the infrastructure is best and so many beautiful smiling women. 

There's a free ferry through town on the Pasig river anytime I want to go to Chinatown or the main immigration office. 

Tourist visas can be extended online. It's just so easy. 

 

 

 

 

[sakik2024]

After bouncing around Manila, I settled on a condo in the city center attached to an MRT station and mall. It's in a high tower which means I don't hear anything outside the window. The following charts are good for expats, not so good for the Philippines.

[Lemondropkid]

2 hours ago, sakik2024 said:

After bouncing around Manila, I settled on a condo in the city center attached to an MRT station and mall. It's in a high tower which means I don't hear anything outside the window. The following charts are good for expats, not so good for the Philippines.

No 7 renders this league a joke🙂 Having Malaysia so high is another I'd disagree on.

Loving your info on the Phillipines, great to get some perspective on countries outside of Thailand.

[biggles]

For more detailed info on the Philippines take a look at the Philippines-Addicts forum. 

[Butch]

On 6/9/2024 at 6:01 PM, sakik2024 said:

The (Metro) Mrt station is outside my condo on EDSA highway. I go in the first car (for seniors and moms with kids) of the train which has seating, aircon, and lots of elbow room. Rarely do I need go in taxis or face traffic. Between 10am and 4pm, traffic is not a problem. 

Even though I am getting on in my years, I am tall so I get a lot of attention. It's very easy to strike up a conversation with women of any age, which snowballs very quickly.

There's far fewer foreigners here than in Thailand so the women have very few options. This is likely why so many have, at some point, engaged in a lengthy long distance relationship with a man they can only hope to meet someday but often never or once briefly. 

I knew nothing about Filipino food before moving here. Only Jollibee fried chicken. I went down the street and found people lining up for a sizeable variety of food in steel trays and pots. This is next to a hospital with most of the customers being hospital employees.

I decided to keep an open mind and try something new every day. These restaurants are called carinderias. I stay healthy with bbq chicken and fish, chicken adobo, pickled tuna and milk fish, the sour sinigang soup, chop suey vegetables, fried noodles known as pancit, and so many more. All delicious and healthy options are there. 

The biggest culture shocks like slow walking, products out of stock, and noisy talking, I've gotten used to it. 

I like to walk around Makati as the infrastructure is best and so many beautiful smiling women. 

There's a free ferry through town on the Pasig river anytime I want to go to Chinatown or the main immigration office. 

Tourist visas can be extended online. It's just so easy. 

 

 

 

 

We're provincial Manila, well sort of (It was classed as provincial when we built our house, it's now loosely referred to as part of Metro Manila). We're near to  the SM Southmall, very very close to Ayala Alabang so not a million miles away from coastal to MOA either. Nearest Mall is the Festival Mall for us, which used to be good when it had a decent bar, but that's gone so it's pretty crap.

Whereas Bacoor and Cavite were previously suburbs, over the last 24 years we've been living there (on and off) the traffic is now bad and the population has grown exponentially.

Our infrastructure has improved somewhat, we managed to get main sewage and mains water in 2017 as part of the redevelopment program. no more rotational brownouts either (but I keep the generators plumbed in and serviced, as well as run them once every 4 months just in case).

I never knew about the Pasig Ferry, I'll look into that next time we're there.

Visas are a piece of piss, I get a 1 year BKB on arrival and renewal is just a trip or visit away. Are you on the SRRV?. Although I qualify I've decided to just keep getting the BKB stamp each time until I decide to retire full time.

I do enjoy Manila life, but prefer the pace of provincial, the only downfall is the poor internet and lack of health facilities up Country. I could well do without getting bitten by a Krait or having a heart attack only for the local "Dr quack quack" to turn up and say a prayer, put on a bandage and charge me 500php for the privilege while my life slowly ebbs away.

The ladies are very friendly, which might be why the Wife watches me like a hawk when I'm there and ensures I'm accompanied everywhere I go, either by one of our Askals or worse, by her sister.

 

 

Edited June 14 by Butch

[sakik2024]

Having lived in Thailand and the Philippines, there's equal pros and cons to each nation, as far as I'm concerned.

Aside from the Red light district and some of the posher areas of Manila like Makati and BGC, seeing foreigners here is sometimes a rare sight.

Women from ages 20-50 are all fighting for the attention of the same men due to the abundant supply of women. 

 

[Toy Boy]

A shame that he's only 42 years old! lol

[Yessongs]

Nice thread and nice read....interesting to hear, thanks for posting.

[Phantom51red]

It's a no brainer !

[sakik2024]

If it were not for the huge numbers of cute, young ladies to hang out with, would anybody want to live in the Philippines?
I would not. Would you?

[Horizondave]

You have just mentioned why guys would live in the Philippines and it is mainly because of the ladies, the main reason why most went there in the first place.

If your view of the Philippines is limited to Angeles, Manila or Subic then probably not a great reason for living there. There are 7107 islands and that means a lot of places many guys haven't visited.

I lived in Puerta Galera in 1988-1991 and Barrio Barreto from 1991-1993, and I loved it, but I never had kids or any medical issues so it was a great time to live there. Today, at a pensioners age, it would not be conducive to live there as the medical facilities are not as good as at home or in Thailand. A great place to visit (I have a 33 year old daughter living there), but I probably would not consider living there, as the infrastructure just doesn't lend itself to a safe and secure quality of life for an older person.

Wonderful country for when you are carefree and young but not so brilliant as an older retiree. 

It is good that it is only 3 hours from Thailand.

Edited June 19 by Horizondave

[Yesitisdakid]

I would in the Greenbelt area Makati

[Toy Boy]

17 hours ago, Horizondave said:

I lived in Puerta Galera in 1988-1991

That was a long time ago. I was friendly with a couple of Brits who'd chucked it all in back home and moved to the PI to become diving instructors. That was in 97 or 98, I first met them at a resort in northern Mindanao and, for the next 5 years, my annual holiday from the UK was to wherever they were working in the PI to go diving and drinking with them. After Zamboanga Del Norte, they moved to Mactan Island near Cebu City, then to Isla Verde between Batangas and Mindoro, and finally ended up in Sinandigan, just outside Puerto Galera, managing a hotel called Coral Cove. I stayed there with them three times, it was a really friendly and laid-back spot, with restaurants and nightlife not too far away in Sabang. Some gorgeous girls, too. At that time, my plan after retiring in 2004 was to spend a few years in Thailand, then Cambodia, and eventually move long-term to somewhere in the Sabang area, but for various reasons the best laid plans of mice and me didn't work out.

Here's a photo I took from Coral Cove, which is almost at the end of the peninsula but looks back at the island rather than out to sea like Sabang, looking towards PG and Mindoro. In spite of the cloud, for once Mt. Halcon had decided to put in an appearance. For those who haven't been there, it's the highest mountain in Mindoro and one of the highest spots in the country at 2,616 m.

[sakik2024]

I appreciate Manila because it's impossible to run out of places to see. Grab Taxis and metro are very inexpensive. Venice Grand Canal Mall, Mckinley Hill Taguig. ❤️🤩🇵🇭

📍Located in Taguig City,Philippines.

[Nickrock]

Looks a bit like Las Vegas casino

[Yesitisdakid]

I'm back in Manila in a month interested to give this place a look it really does look like it would be out of place in Manila but I guess it's a growing country

[Horizondave]

Yes, when I visit my older daughter Dyleen (33) next year, with a view to meeting her step sister, Kataleya (9), for the first time, that looks like a great place to visit. I have checked out the shops/dining etc., and it looks enough to keep the girls happy for a few hours or more, maybe even me.

Certainly looks more interesting and glitzy than Venezia, on the road out of Hua Hin. That place looked good but it soon went south, they started charging as well and a few decent shops shut up. 

[sakik2024]

Good eats. The Filling Station Makati

 

[Horizondave]

3 hours ago, sakik2024 said:

Good eats. The Filling Station Makati

 

Great place for a bite, I have stayed at the Royal Bellagio next door.

[Horizondave]

I am not really chasing girls so I don't tend to hit the bars nowadays but I do like to visit the area. Obviously a drink or nightcap at the top of City Garden hotel, but I do like a drink at H and J Sports Bar on Filipe street nearby. Great place to eat with friends.

https://www.facebook.com/HjSportsBarAndRestaurantMakati/?locale=en_GB

Edited June 22 by Horizondave

[sakik2024]

One good thing about gold-diggers is that they are easy to dump. Just tell them that you got wiped out on the Stock Market and lost all your fortune, and she'll be flying out of your life like a bat out of hell.

[sakik2024]