Just got back from PARADISE.

[daddymac]

I just got back from a 14 day stay in the province of Ilocos Norte. It was great. First thing I did was take off my watch and when I felt tired I slept and when not I was up. Had a typhoon hit while I was there but I didn\'t know about it till the asawa told me because I didn\'t watch any news or TV. saw only 4 white people besides myself. I knew two of them were Americans because I talked with them. The only problem I had was the damn alarm clock but I solved that and ate the damn rooster( just a joke). Went to the market in Loaog a couple of times, it was about a hour and a half from our town of only 2 hundred people( mostly kids) I guess we know what they do for passing the time. Went[/img][/img] to check out the house the wife was building for the past 10 years and two hundred thousand dollars later. I will be going back in about six months and stay for about four months and will move there for good in two years. The province is the only place to live. Manila was still like it was back in 1970. Will be going to Subic, Cebu when I get back next time. I\'m retired and ready to leave now. No worries and no pressure there. When I move there all I have to worry about is paying for electricity and food. All of you who want to move there , take a trip ( 3 weeks) at the minimum and enjoy the culture and people.
Steve

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[Gray Wolf]

Steve,

Super!  Looks like we\'ll be somewhat close when I make the Big Move.  We plan to settle in Ilocos Sur just north of Vigan.  From the looks of that baboy, you and I are kindred spirits!   

When we visit next time, perhaps we can meet up for a day and share a bit of lechon baboy, as well as a few hundred cold San Mig\'s or Red Horse\'s.      

Glad to see that someone else has sense enough to avoid the big cities.  I enjoy visiting Manila,  only because the family is there.  If it weren\'t for them living there, I wouldn\'t step one foot into those streets.  When I get to choose my homesite, it won\'t be anywhere near that smog filled, crowded place.  I prefer the somewhat cleaner air and the warm hospitality of the provinces, too.

And before anyone jumps on me for saying something negative, don\'t get me wrong.  I know that Manila has it\'s place as the capital city and it\'s a nice place to visit, once.  But for me, it just isn\'t where I would choose to live full time.  As long as I have family there, I\'ll visit for short periods of time, but I will be very happy to once again hit the road for the northern end of Luzon, to once again walk clean beaches and breath fresh air. 

Hope to look you up some day soon, buddy!          I\'m jealous!!!   

 

[GregW]

Jack wrote;

And before anyone jumps on me for saying something negative, don\'t get me wrong.  I know that Manila has it\'s place 

Aw, shoot.  I was just gettin\' ready to pounce.   

As far as Manila, well...  You now Jack, I wouldn\'t want to live in Washington DC either.  Or NYC or LA.  So I don\'t view it as negative at all.  You just don\'t like super large cities and neither do I.   

[John Amend-All]

Hi Steve and welcome

I just got back from a 14 day stay in the province of Ilocos Norte. It was great. First thing I did was take off my watch and when I felt tired I slept and when not I was up. Had a typhoon hit while I was there but I didn\'t know about it till the asawa told me because I didn\'t watch any news or TV. saw only 4 white people besides myself. I knew two of them were Americans because I talked with them. The only problem I had was the damn alarm clock but I solved that and ate the damn rooster( just a joke). Went to the market in Loaog a couple of times, it was about a hour and a half from our town of only 2 hundred people( mostly kids) I guess we know what they do for passing the time. Went[/img][/img] to check out the house the wife was building for the past 10 years and two hundred thousand dollars later. I will be going back in about six months and stay for about four months and will move there for good in two years. The province is the only place to live. Manila was still like it was back in 1970. Will be going to Subic, Cebu when I get back next time. I\'m retired and ready to leave now. No worries and no pressure there. When I move there all I have to worry about is paying for electricity and food. All of you who want to move there , take a trip ( 3 weeks) at the minimum and enjoy the culture and people.
Steve

I am from Isabela, not so far from you. I looked up Banna on Google Earth and you certainly will be away from it all! Do you have Google Earth on your system and if so, could you give us the position of your place? We have a thread all about that.

Just a thought, now that we have the makings of a LinP3 community in the north, why don\'t you, The Old Grey Wolf and me get together somewhere mutually convenient, such as Pagudpud beach resort, a great little seaside town in Ilocos Norte.

Agree with the posts about cities, except for one thing - Manila is a great place to get stuff! Sometimes I just miss things, like cheese, out here in the sticks and I know its a long journey to get it.

John

[grizzi]

Hey...thats my first move every time I visit our house in the RP...off comes the watch...and it doesn\'t go back on until I head back to work...   Just thinking about it makes me miss the RP so much more.

We also just got back and are making the big move in Feb of 2011. We spent our last 4 days in Manila and, although I would hate to have to drive there, did enjoy the Mall of Asia and Robinsons.   

Hey...thats my first move every time I visit our house in the RP...off comes the watch...and it doesn\'t go back on until I head back to work...   Just thinking about it makes me miss the RP so much more.

That is an interesting thought. In the UK, I wore my wedding ring permanently and my watch was the first thing I put on in the morning. Here in the Philippines I only put both of them on when I leave the house, but feel undressed if I forget 

Colin

[BigBird]

I don’t own a watch but I did turn off that friggin’ blackberry device before I even departed!  No worries….be happy……6 weeks with an open agenda! 

Wedding ring never comes off my finger or I might loose the finger it is worn upon.  And every time we left the local area around the house I had to ALWAYS wear my ring with the ‘black stone’ to protect me.

Our pig was not as big but I bet just as good and fun!




(First shot at image on this site)

[Beatle]

 

       When Salve and I got married in 1991 in Quezon City, we spent the whole ten days I was there going around Quezon City and Manila and NEVER left the city.  Now, at the time I was living in Hawaii and in my mind I thought if this is what the Philippines is like , if we want to see her family we will fly them to Hawaii and I didn\'t think about the Philippines after that except that Salve would tell me about her childhood home in San Jose,Camarines Sur,Bicol. Well we finally got on the internet in the late 90\'s and I searched \" Philippines \"  Wow! here we were surrounded by beautiful countryside and beaches in \'91 and never got to see any of it. Well, today we own her childhood home and we are finishing paying off another home in Canlubang,Laguna and we plan on moving to the RP in this coming March. But as soon as we go though immigration when we land in Manila we will have a van waiting for us (with the motor running ) Thats how fast I want to get out of Manila. I didn\'t lose any thing there so I have no reason to spend any time there.

                Ray

[Beatle]

       About the rings/watches , the last time we were in the RP SAlve would not let me wear any , she was afraid  I would get mugged and have them stolen.

    Ray

[donstruan]

My wife wants nothing to do with Manila, and I don\'t blame her since she spent all her life in Bukidnon and CDO City, but there are certain things I love about Manila. Maybe some of you know what I\'m talking about, so I\'ll list them here. Unfortunately, or fortunately (he he), if we retire there it would be in CDO City where her family is from.

Restaurants: There are so many more restaurants and of better quality in Manila than the provinces. Sometimes it\'s nice to eat at a luxurious restaurant like Manila Hotel or Shangri-La, and this can\'t be found in other places. Sometimes I like eating at one of the many fast food places that the malls in Manila offer. Just so many to choose from! In fact, try as I might, I could not find any good sisig in CDO- they make it different than Manila.
Of course you can\'t beat the seafood of the provinces or the location of the seafood restaurants when compared to Manila, so thats one thing against Manila.

Massage and spas: The provinces aren\'t even close to the type of service offered in Manila. Because of the competition, the massage and spa providers in Manila are unmatched. After I took my wife to a random spa in the Mall of Asia, she finally understood what a good massage and facial was.

The vibe: I was born and raised in NYC, and the nightlife is definitely out of my system, but there is a certain vibe that Manila offers. With my change in lifestyle, there is no longer a desire to hang out at night, but I still like doing things once in a while and this is impossible in the provinces. You won\'t find me in a bar, nightclub, disco, parlor, etc... but there are still many things to do when the sun goes down.

The beauty: This last part is the best reason for me not to stay in Manila.  The beauty of the filipinas in Manila is unsurpassed. You will not find the same kind of beauties anywhere else in the country or world. Some may have attitudes, and some may feel entitled, but boy are they hot!!!

I could live in Makati, Bohol, or Capiz- it doesn\'t matter so much. The only thing that matters is if I\'m in the Philippines!!!     

[BigBird]

When in the city of Manila or Cebu things were expensive!  When in Surigao the choices were limited, but much easier on the wallet.  But when we rounded that bend by our lot on the last road going home things were really cheap and it was a really slow life.  It was nice to eat a Big Mac and take a hot shower and have a cold drink!  Issolation does come into play at times too.  Maybe if they ever get electric in our area (that of my wife\'s family estate) we might actually build on that big lot we bought!  So close to paradise but still so far away too.....


Did not have to worry about robbery.  It was the witches and warlocks I had to be sure I was protected from when away from the house.

But in Manila the wife did remove all her jewelery.  Once she forgot and was really paranoid as we walked back to the Motel.  She removed it as we walked.

[Beatle]

When in the city of Manila or Cebu things were expensive!  When in Surigao the choices were limited, but much easier on the wallet.  But when we rounded that bend by our lot on the last road going home things were really cheap and it was a really slow life.  It was nice to eat a Big Mac and take a hot shower and have a cold drink!  Issolation does come into play at times too.  Maybe if they ever get electric in our area (that of my wife\'s family estate) we might actually build on that big lot we bought!  So close to paradise but still so far away too.....

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e172/bigbird_000/bendbeforerplace.jpg

Did not have to worry about robbery.  It was the witches and warlocks I had to be sure I was protected from when away from the house.

But in Manila the wife did remove all her jewelery.  Once she forgot and was really paranoid as we walked back to the Motel.  She removed it as we walked.

      Beautiful Lot!!!!!!          How far are you from the nearest town?

[BigBird]

It is 7K into Loreto and the port.

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I guess it just comes down to different strokes for different folks. We\'re not looking to live in Manila but we do want to be within a couple of hours drive. We have friends in Angeles and Alabang and looked in those areas, along with Cavite. Unfortunately Alabang and the place in Cavite (Porto Rufino?) were quite a bit out of our price range. I remember Laguna as being nice but haven\'t been there in years. Still have a couple of years before making the big move so still time to decide.