大咖福利影院

Welcome aboard Ken.聽 I'm Steve from the USA as well.聽 I'm on the other side of Mindanao from you (Mati City).聽 I'm not too familiar with your area, although, there is a British expat that lives outside of Dipilog who vlogs a lot (his channel is called "Philippines life through the eyes of an Expat").聽 You might see about getting in touch with him.聽 It's still not close to you, but maybe worth a journey every so often.聽 He seems like a real nice chap.聽 I believe there are a few expats on here that meet in Davao every month or so.聽 They have a FB group you can try to join (sorry, I'm not sure what it's called as I'm not on FB).聽 If you ever make it down to Mati or even Tagum/Davao, I could possibly meet you.聽 I need to go to Davao every two months anyway to renew my tourist visa and stock up at S&R.

@KenUSA

Hi Ken,

I am Andy from Austria and I am living in Boracay for 9 years now. I am married with a Filipina and we have a son who is 8 years old now. What keeps me busy here is

1. my computer - I am developing commercial software (accounting, cost controlling, logistics, ...) as I always wanted to develp it since college
2. my family - I have to learn with my son mathematics
3. I walk on the beach each day
4. planning vacation (as it gets boring here)

I grew up in a big city but I prefer to live on an island in an estate. The estate is well maintained and in a good condition.

Some advises before you move here:

1. Do not buy a condo (you cannot buy any land here) before you are sure you want to live here. Get a long term rent contract for 4 to 6 months before.
2. To buy something in the Philippines makes only sense if you plan to stay for the rest of your life here as it is very hard to sell a condo here without losing money.
3. There is a huge oversupply of condos all over the Philippines. Here in Boracay you can get condos for 6M and up.聽 (one bedroom)
4. If you are coming here because of a girl make sure she is the right one. There are a lot of聽 "golddiggers" here. An indication of a "Golddigger" is a huge age and look difference. Girls with a foreigner are expected to support the family back home. Families here a huge. So set a budget (e.g. 20.000 Pesos per month) as a pocket money for her or her family.
5. Most girls are dreaming that you will take them to the USA. So make sure she wants to live with you in a condo in the Philippines.
6. Do not finance any business here. (If she wants to open a shop, restaurant, ...) reject it. It is most likely a scam.
7. There are laws in the Philippines, however, if you want to sue someone it can take a long time and will take a lot of money.
8. Keep your money in the USA. You can use your debit/credit card here. The Peso devaluates. If you need cash, you can go to an ATM (expensive) or transfer it with one of the transfer companies (e.g. Wise, Western Union)

All the best

Andy

Hi Ken and welcome to the forum. Lots of info here with a few searches to help answer your needs. We lived in Manila 14/15 years ago in a rented condo and while very convenient for most things I quickly got over the hustle and bustle and the black soot everywhere but that's just me/us. We live a provincial life up in La Union on the beach and a quiet life.

When in Manila we met plenty of expats just by saying hi. You could also look at expat groups on FB or the Meetup site. There is always plenty happening in Manila if you look.

Good luck and enjoy your move here and as Andy said don't rush into things.

Cheers, Steve.

@mati_steve

Welcome aboard Ken.聽 I'm Steve from the USA as well.聽 I'm on the other side of Mindanao from you (Mati City).

The OP is planning on moving to BGC. Last time I looked it was in the NCR region of Luzon 馃��

@KenUSA

Hi! I鈥檓 Ken from USA & I鈥檓 planning to move to and settle down in Bonifacio Global City, TAGUIG

I have often wondered why any American citizen would want to settle in BGC. Its basically a carbon copy of a mid sized US city but with appalling air quality. Same boring grid pattern with the same homogenous international food chains.

Early on in my travels to the Philippines an ex Gf in Makati said I should visit 'market(often wondered why its named twice) market' in Taguig city. The most sterile place I think I have visited anywhere in the world. By the way if you want to witness a slow motion train crash check out the latest naive Brit 'Spence unpacked' who is currently driving around BGC on his nice shiny Honda click admiring the 'architecture.'

@mati_steveWelcome aboard Ken. I'm Steve from the USA as well. I'm on the other side of Mindanao from you (Mati City). The OP is planning on moving to BGC. Last time I looked it was in the NCR region of Luzon 馃�� - @Lotus Eater

Hmmm.聽 Perhaps there are two Bonifacio's then?聽 Weird.

EDIT:聽 Yep, looks like there are two of them.聽 It wouldn't be the first time I've seen two cities/regions with the same name in the PI.

@KenUSA

From a British expat, business owner in BGC, 10+ years resident

BGC is the best choice for an active 57-year-old from the US: walkable, clean, safe, and very expat-friendly.

Stay busy & meet people: Join The BGC Book Club (on Meetup), attend Traders United, or NakaLocal! MentorConnect.

Stay active: Jog at Track 30th, Terra 28th, BGC Greenway Park, or Bonifacio High Street. Try flying trapeze pop-ups or Kerry Sports gym.

Social & food: Weekend night market Mercato Centrale; local faves Manam and Locavore. Just walking High Street is an event.

Advice: Learn basic Tagalog (Salamat, etc.). Use Grab app. Live in BGC or McKinley Hill.

My take after a decade here: People who dis BGC are usually those who can鈥檛 afford to live there. It鈥檚 genuinely a great place to settle.

@ Mr Meldrew

I don't dis nor criticise Manila as we lived there for a year and simply chose a quieter life in a province, country boy I suppose but for me the hustle and bustle and the pollution turned me/us away. While great amenities/opportunities for us got old especially with family living 6/7 hours away.

Single man? It would be Italy or the south of France for retirement.

Happy for 15 years with the same partner who happens to be from the Philippines, bliss etc.

Cheers, Steve.

@MrMeldrew

My take after a decade here: People who dis BGC are usually those who can鈥檛 afford to live there

That鈥檚 a sweeping statement to make Victor. As a businessman you should know better.

Drinking excessively seems to be a popular expat past time?

I'm the same as @bigpearl, stayed in central Manila when I first came, goof for a while but eventually didn't like it, I would have stayed in the West if I wanted to live a 2nd rate version of a Western lifestyle. It was good at the time, but the constant "black face" from just walking outside for an hour or looking out the condo window to see dark clouds then have to check the weather app "Oh, pollution again". Enough for me.

Bounced around in hotels and short term rentals for years, bought a place in Manila as my girl wanted some stability, bought more as the returns were excellent, fixed them up. Lived comfortably. Same again, bored in Manila, lots of things I did not like.

Moved to Samar, offgrid, away from everyone and now my past time is turning a vacant overgrown farm into a little self designed tropical paradise (well, if you squint real hard), lots to do all the time, my girl loves it here, i'm busy and brought my gym down from Manila, my vintage car is next - that takes fiddling with every couple of months. Each day is busy and a little improvement and a little win. It's great for now, in 5 years when it's "finished"? Don't know, doesn't matter, it's cheap to travel Philippines or SE Asia when you want a break.

Other than that, what are your hobbies, get involved, get fit so you can enjoy your retirement, enjoy exploring and meeting people when you first arrive, meet similar minded people.

Like anywhere it's the people around you that make the place liveable or a nightmare.