Why the Philippines?

[Luc Furr]

At this rate this whole forum should be called 'Happier in the Philippines' rather than 'Happier Abroad'.

Like who? Winston, me, and a mess of others have left. Mr. S can't wait to get out, Falcon is now in Indonesia, Kboy is in Korea, a few others are in Thailand or china. Ghost tried it there but left after a 3 week attempt. Pete and outwest and publicduende are all in america right now in some capacity. The only one i see happier in phil is Will N Dowd who is a monger who is starting to tire of the scene after a few months and Marcosveitala who is only 20 years old and only been there for 2 months and probably will pack his bags and go back to europe once he realizes living in poverty as a white man aint fun. The only one I can think of who may fit in this category in the long term right now is Rock . Thats it LOL

The statements above are testament to the fact that you will be miserable anywhere you go.

For some ignorance is bliss, they cannot understand or accept the truth thus they hate it and belittle those speak it.

[Hero]

I'm talking right now to a highly educated Filipina who's 5'9", mixed with both white and Chinese blood, speaks fluent Korean and excellent English and Spanish, and from a very well-off family owning a chain of medical supply stores. She's very talented, pretty, and serious about her Protestant faith too.

Damn, where did you find a Filipina that tall? Usually the only places you can find a Filipina like that is in that Binibining Pilipinas pageant.

[newlifeinphilippines]

At this rate this whole forum should be called 'Happier in the Philippines' rather than 'Happier Abroad'.

Like who? Winston, me, and a mess of others have left. Mr. S can't wait to get out, Falcon is now in Indonesia, Kboy is in Korea, a few others are in Thailand or china. Ghost tried it there but left after a 3 week attempt. Pete and outwest and publicduende are all in america right now in some capacity. The only one i see happier in phil is Will N Dowd who is a monger who is starting to tire of the scene after a few months and Marcosveitala who is only 20 years old and only been there for 2 months and probably will pack his bags and go back to europe once he realizes living in poverty as a white man aint fun. The only one I can think of who may fit in this category in the long term right now is Rock . Thats it LOL

You make an interesting point. I seem to voluntarily end up living in cities many westerners find hard to endure - Taipei and Makati. It would be more interesting if some fellow HAs stayed here too. Mr. S lives way out in a more suburban area which can be 2-3 hours from the center areas of Metro Manila on any day but Sunday. And he's bogged down with work and family responsibilities.

Oh, and you forgot to mention Taco and Starchild by the way, they both abandoned ship as well.

I think many Filipinos are a delight. And my taste in women is the antithesis of what most western guys seem to go for - educated, tall, curvy, and fair vs. simple, short, skinny and native. I'm talking right now to a highly educated Filipina who's 5'9", mixed with both white and Chinese blood, speaks fluent Korean and excellent English and Spanish, and from a very well-off family owning a chain of medical supply stores. She's very talented, pretty, and serious about her Protestant faith too. But according to you and certain others, girls like her should have no interest in foreigners like me. My personal observations suggest that there are at least plenty of exceptions to that belief. In most if not all other countries, such girls would probably not even consider us.

Metro Manila also has a thriving professional class of girls who are not from multi-millionaire families but are still very well educated, some even from the top schools where many of the richest send their kids as well. There's a decent chance that some of the girls you meet from this group will be one of more of following - attractive/very attractive, refined and elegant, intellectual, charismatic, charming, great conversationalists, very intelligent.

Even among the less fortunate classes can you find some sweet gems, girls and families who are kind and generous. Sometimes such poorer girls can be attractive or occasionally have some white or NE Asian blood.

It seems the tendency for most foreigners (or at least HAers) who give Philippines a try is to either dip their tow in a bit and monger for a short period before getting fed up or else find a girl here and take her back home ASAP. Very few seem content to stay here, with or without a gf/wife. But I'm the exception...as long as I can take fairly frequent breaks via travels to other countries.

As that exception, I've identified opportunities which most western visitors seem to miss. Most of these guys just want it fast and easy - point and click. Or they look around at what they see on the surface and are sickened by it.

Just like other HA destinations, it will be very different things to different people. The more I live and travel, the more I come to realize that truth seems to be a very relative and mercurial concept. Objective reality is very hard to pin down.

yeah i was gonna mention taco but didn't bother to edit it back. Starchild abandoned ship? I thought he was still there? You talked to him in person what happened to him?

[gsjackson]

Amazing exchange with Davewe and OW. If there are two people who fit the truest mould of the Happier Abroader, even beyond Winston's original manifesto, it's these two fine gentlemen.

Now, is it a coincidence that the voice or reason always comes from a very small number of members who:

1) are relatively senior, hence steeped in the wisdom of their life experience, which often includes one (or more) broken marriage;
2) have invested actual time and effort in fitting in their new host country (the Philippines, in their cases), instead of spending 2 weeks of mindless mongering and then complain of how bad the country that gave them what they lacked in their homeland (sex & fun) is?
3) have always aimed at nothing more than real commitment to a single, worthwhile young woman, and did not chicken away from the idea of making that commitment real by marrying the lucky lady.

Don't people see the obvious pattern here? Mongers who feel gods and then fallen gods as they spend countless bored days, feeding their battered egos on destitute, naive teenagers. Young guys who cannot tell the difference between a P4P transaction (or set thereof) and real commitment and, heaven forbid, love. Socially impaired guys who never felt the emotion of holding hands with somebody who actually cares about them - whether she's a 5, a 6 or a PI*LN(12) and even if she was touched by one or two boyfriends before.

Can't these people just read the truth in front of their faces? As OW rightly put it, they must be so invested in their own misery to be blind and deaf to anything else than the narrative they relentlessly tell themselves, the proverbial Charlie Brown's blanket they need to hold at all times to feel safe in their fears?

After so many years, I think the path is quite clear, to those guys above as everyone else. There is a recipe to be happy in the Philippines, and there is a jolly good chance it will work in several other countries too. It won't cost $12.50 like Roosh's pathetic booklets, and in fact the real price is far, far higher: it's the cost of breaking one's hard cocoon of fears and let one's real self speak.

Really dudes, is love the word that noone dare utter? Look for love and be yourself until the bitter end, no matter the effort, the discipline and the risks to take. It will always pay off. It certainly paid for Pete, OW and Dave and probably a few others. It worked for me and my Monica. More than that, I don't know what people may want to learn or know.

Just in case I'm seen as someone who came to Thailand to monger, and subsequently became disenchanted with the country: I didn't come here for that, though I thought a variety of massages might be good for health. I quickly changed even that supposition. My revulsion to the environment was immediate and visceral, and I knew from the day I got here that I would be having no interaction with Thai culture (which really isn't possible in English, anyway).

I got a suit from maybe the world's best tailor for $400 out of the trip, and I got the final understanding that some guys are made to travel, and I'm not one of them. Much as I hate what the American government is usually up to, and how much American culture has been degraded, I'm really not capable of living anywhere else. The food, the sports, the physical environment in the western US -- I'm too attached to all these things. And I'm really just not good at getting learning experiences out of travel. It's been wasted on me.

I'm looking for love, but I honestly think it's a matter of luck, or God, or both, and those factors have a chance of being present anywhere. You can study the hell out of population distribution, prevailing values in a given country, logistics in "second-tier" cities, etc. -- all the ways that we and the people on Roosh try to rationalize a process that is mostly mystifying -- but I think it's probably a fool's errand. I'm going to spend my time in environments that are pleasing to me, such as Tucson, Arizona, and hope that I get right with God, get lucky, or both.

First off publicduende is using his justification. The simple fact is guys ike him can't get that p***y in america so he tries to throw out words like barangays and province living. Its the same old B.S. The fact of the matter is life is always better in america its just we dont want to be stuck with a old fat woman with an attitude or even by ourselves in america so many of us have to stomach living overseas to get by that loophole.

Publicduende is married and lives in London. There's some truth in what you say about the U.S.

[Falcon]

Amazing exchange with Davewe and OW. If there are two people who fit the truest mould of the Happier Abroader, even beyond Winston's original manifesto, it's these two fine gentlemen.

Now, is it a coincidence that the voice or reason always comes from a very small number of members who:

1) are relatively senior, hence steeped in the wisdom of their life experience, which often includes one (or more) broken marriage;
2) have invested actual time and effort in fitting in their new host country (the Philippines, in their cases), instead of spending 2 weeks of mindless mongering and then complain of how bad the country that gave them what they lacked in their homeland (sex & fun) is?
3) have always aimed at nothing more than real commitment to a single, worthwhile young woman, and did not chicken away from the idea of making that commitment real by marrying the lucky lady.

Don't people see the obvious pattern here? Mongers who feel gods and then fallen gods as they spend countless bored days, feeding their battered egos on destitute, naive teenagers. Young guys who cannot tell the difference between a P4P transaction (or set thereof) and real commitment and, heaven forbid, love. Socially impaired guys who never felt the emotion of holding hands with somebody who actually cares about them - whether she's a 5, a 6 or a PI*LN(12) and even if she was touched by one or two boyfriends before.

Can't these people just read the truth in front of their faces? As OW rightly put it, they must be so invested in their own misery to be blind and deaf to anything else than the narrative they relentlessly tell themselves, the proverbial Charlie Brown's blanket they need to hold at all times to feel safe in their fears?

After so many years, I think the path is quite clear, to those guys above as everyone else. There is a recipe to be happy in the Philippines, and there is a jolly good chance it will work in several other countries too. It won't cost $12.50 like Roosh's pathetic booklets, and in fact the real price is far, far higher: it's the cost of breaking one's hard cocoon of fears and let one's real self speak.

Really dudes, is love the word that noone dare utter? Look for love and be yourself until the bitter end, no matter the effort, the discipline and the risks to take. It will always pay off. It certainly paid for Pete, OW and Dave and probably a few others. It worked for me and my Monica. More than that, I don't know what people may want to learn or know.

Gold post! Really appreciate your insightful contributions to this forum.

[Falcon]

Why the Philippines?
Because the vast majority of HA members come from a Western background. Hence the intense focus on this English-speaking and relatively more Western country.
But it's not just that, it's also that the Philippines is a favorite destination for guys with unrealistic expectations who end up realizing that it's not a utopia. Hence, they tend to spend more time on this board.

Why Vietnam for men in Taiwan and South Korea?
Because they come from a Sinospheric background.


We've got success stories from many other great countries too. There's India (GuitarGuy996), Brazil (SkateboardStephen), Mexico (AmericanInMexico and me), Hungary (Jackal), Hong Kong (Travelin Man), Indonesia (MrMan), Lithuania (JP), Ukraine (Mark Davis), and more. They're just not talked about non-stop as it is with the Philippines.

See here for the links to the old threads.
viewtopic.php?p=59675#59675

[publicduende]

I actually still like the idea of living abroad its just im more persistent than others of the idea wheras most others will give up and move back to america and europ. i refuse to give up the notion im just not financially ready or for other reasons its advantageous for me to be in america full time right now but id still like to live abroad. Or at least have the ability to roam from one country to the next maybe never having a permanent home.

Exactly. You like the idea of living abroad, you like your ideal of a second or third world country: poor but with an easily affordable cocoon of luxury, beautiful exotic women at your complete disposal and a society who bends at your will...all because of your first world status (and expectations) and a blue passport.

Very few here bought the BS about you making $16K a month, so let's say you'll never be financially ready, for that matter. The block isn't in your bank account, it's in your mind. Only when you will start accepting societies that were born, developed and remain different from yours (US), and you will learn to tolerate and even appreciate most of their differences, contradictions and idiosyncrasies, perhaps leveraging some of them to your advantage - only then, will you blend in and be happier abroad.

I have seen exactly this attitude in at least one other HA member. They felt rejected by the country/society they had dreamed to walk into like in a WW2 America victory march, and immediately recoiled into the idea that the US is still king of the world, the best and safest place, and even the women ain't that bad after all, etc.

A very human trait, after all...and one that Greek storyteller Aesop expressed very well in a fable 600 years before Christ.

Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.

Fables apart, the reality - and I can tell by experience - is that Filipinos are some of the warmest, friendliest, inclusive and humble society on the planet today. Anybody, and I really mean anybody who embraces them with a mix of humbleness, wisdom, open heart and honest intention will do well and get their slice of happy pie (and their young devoted cutie, if that is part of their plans).

I really feel like echoing some other members here, when they told you that if you failed in the Philippines, there's something wrong with you, or at least your current attitude.

notice you didn't refute what I said. All from your chair in america. Even outwest who is supposedly living in philippines is actually in america right now. What a surprise. The only foreigners ive seen actually pack their bags and wind up staying there long term are very few.

I have refuted what I said now. You can't expect every reply to be a full reply. When time permits. As gsjackson said, I am not American nor in America. Outwest is probably in the US right now to take care of some personal or family business, but his home is surely his barangay in Misamis Oriental, between Cagayan De Oro and Iligan.

They say "home is where you heart is". Have you ever thought that you will probably end up roaming incessantly from country to country, looking for your personal holy grail of p***y, spending all your money on P4P arrangements and girls who couldn't care less about you? That, unless you choose to put your expectations, your attitude to rest and choose to accept a reality for what it is and what it can give you. Only then, when your heart is at rest in a place, you will call that place "home" and be happy, or at least happier, in it.

[OutWest]

At this rate this whole forum should be called 'Happier in the Philippines' rather than 'Happier Abroad'.

Like who? Winston, me, and a mess of others have left. Mr. S can't wait to get out, Falcon is now in Indonesia, Kboy is in Korea, a few others are in Thailand or china. Ghost tried it there but left after a 3 week attempt. Pete and outwest and publicduende are all in america right now in some capacity. The only one i see happier in phil is Will N Dowd who is a monger who is starting to tire of the scene after a few months and Marcosveitala who is only 20 years old and only been there for 2 months and probably will pack his bags and go back to europe once he realizes living in poverty as a white man aint fun. The only one I can think of who may fit in this category in the long term right now is Rock . Thats it LOL

You make an interesting point. I seem to voluntarily end up living in cities many westerners find hard to endure - Taipei and Makati. It would be more interesting if some fellow HAs stayed here too. Mr. S lives way out in a more suburban area which can be 2-3 hours from the center areas of Metro Manila on any day but Sunday. And he's bogged down with work and family responsibilities.

Oh, and you forgot to mention Taco and Starchild by the way, they both abandoned ship as well.

I think many Filipinos are a delight. And my taste in women is the antithesis of what most western guys seem to go for - educated, tall, curvy, and fair vs. simple, short, skinny and native. I'm talking right now to a highly educated Filipina who's 5'9", mixed with both white and Chinese blood, speaks fluent Korean and excellent English and Spanish, and from a very well-off family owning a chain of medical supply stores. She's very talented, pretty, and serious about her Protestant faith too. But according to you and certain others, girls like her should have no interest in foreigners like me. My personal observations suggest that there are at least plenty of exceptions to that belief. In most if not all other countries, such girls would probably not even consider us.

Metro Manila also has a thriving professional class of girls who are not from multi-millionaire families but are still very well educated, some even from the top schools where many of the richest send their kids as well. There's a decent chance that some of the girls you meet from this group will be one of more of following - attractive/very attractive, refined and elegant, intellectual, charismatic, charming, great conversationalists, very intelligent.

Even among the less fortunate classes can you find some sweet gems, girls and families who are kind and generous. Sometimes such poorer girls can be attractive or occasionally have some white or NE Asian blood.

It seems the tendency for most foreigners (or at least HAers) who give Philippines a try is to either dip their tow in a bit and monger for a short period before getting fed up or else find a girl here and take her back home ASAP. Very few seem content to stay here, with or without a gf/wife. But I'm the exception...as long as I can take fairly frequent breaks via travels to other countries.

As that exception, I've identified opportunities which most western visitors seem to miss. Most of these guys just want it fast and easy - point and click. Or they look around at what they see on the surface and are sickened by it.

Just like other HA destinations, it will be very different things to different people. The more I live and travel, the more I come to realize that truth seems to be a very relative and mercurial concept. Objective reality is very hard to pin down.

yeah i was gonna mention taco but didn't bother to edit it back. Starchild abandoned ship? I thought he was still there? You talked to him in person what happened to him?

I am in Oregon USA with my wife and newborn. My mother is very elderly and frail, and we are seeing to her care while we work out arrangements with other family members. My wife has a visa (Not a greencard) and we had our Child in the USA. It does save some paperwork, but other than that, no big deal. I have not abandoned ship as you say, I miss the Philippines whenever I am not there.
I do not throw around words like Barangay. I live in one. We have a house, a small farm, a housekeeper, a farm worker, and a host of inlaws to go back to. I love my wife and her mother and father. My wife has become nearly like my heartbeat.
The Philippines is a beat-up third-world country. l like what I have in the Philippines, but I strongly advise most men NOT to think it is good for them for anything other than a visit. Most men should stay home and leave the Philippines alone.
I see these silly articles listing the Philippines as some kind of good retirement country. This is false.
The only people well suited to retiring in the Philippines are Fil-ams and others with family networks already in place. If you do not have this, the Philippines would not be a good place to retire.
For most American men, I have a simple statement: Please stay away from the Philippines. You will not adapt well here or most other third world countries. Consider Arizona perhaps. For most, it is about fantasy and illusions. It will not end well. Third world reality will bite you in the a$$.
I do know a few men who do well in the Philippines. We have learned to adapt. It is not an easy thing to do.

America is better for a great many things. It is not all hell in the USA like some are constantly whining. Some elements of life can be quite good in the USA- my wife observes that easily.

You men that come to the Philippines and live in a hotel for a while, or an apartment in Metro-Manila or Cebu do not know how it can be. We are not too far from Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental.
Our total income is not more than American middle class. Most of that comes from me, and my inlaws
make their own money in their own well networked family.

We have our own house garden. My wife loves to garden and it is the housekeeper and my wife that do that mostly. We always have things from the garden or orchard and fresh seafood.

A lot of things suck in the Philippines without a doubt. The survivors have their rewards. Along with the things that suck, I am also a Don, a ninoy, and the local benefactor who put in a community well near our house. If I want to be, I am pretty well pampered and spoiled- I could not live like this at all in the USA on the same income.

Most men should stay free of the Philippines. They will NOT be happier except for that few minutes of p4p fun time. Go somewhere else. Try Colombia, Brazil...anywhere. Winston's site needs more time spent on all the other possibilities.

[newlifeinphilippines]

I actually still like the idea of living abroad its just im more persistent than others of the idea wheras most others will give up and move back to america and europ. i refuse to give up the notion im just not financially ready or for other reasons its advantageous for me to be in america full time right now but id still like to live abroad. Or at least have the ability to roam from one country to the next maybe never having a permanent home.

Exactly. You like the idea of living abroad, you like your ideal of a second or third world country: poor but with an easily affordable cocoon of luxury, beautiful exotic women at your complete disposal and a society who bends at your will...all because of your first world status (and expectations) and a blue passport.

Very few here bought the BS about you making $16K a month, so let's say you'll never be financially ready, for that matter. The block isn't in your bank account, it's in your mind. Only when you will start accepting societies that were born, developed and remain different from yours (US), and you will learn to tolerate and even appreciate most of their differences, contradictions and idiosyncrasies, perhaps leveraging some of them to your advantage - only then, will you blend in and be happier abroad.

I have seen exactly this attitude in at least one other HA member. They felt rejected by the country/society they had dreamed to walk into like in a WW2 America victory march, and immediately recoiled into the idea that the US is still king of the world, the best and safest place, and even the women ain't that bad after all, etc.

A very human trait, after all...and one that Greek storyteller Aesop expressed very well in a fable 600 years before Christ.

Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.

Fables apart, the reality - and I can tell by experience - is that Filipinos are some of the warmest, friendliest, inclusive and humble society on the planet today. Anybody, and I really mean anybody who embraces them with a mix of humbleness, wisdom, open heart and honest intention will do well and get their slice of happy pie (and their young devoted cutie, if that is part of their plans).

I really feel like echoing some other members here, when they told you that if you failed in the Philippines, there's something wrong with you, or at least your current attitude.

notice you didn't refute what I said. All from your chair in america. Even outwest who is supposedly living in philippines is actually in america right now. What a surprise. The only foreigners ive seen actually pack their bags and wind up staying there long term are very few.

I have refuted what I said now. You can't expect every reply to be a full reply. When time permits. As gsjackson said, I am not American nor in America. Outwest is probably in the US right now to take care of some personal or family business, but his home is surely his barangay in Misamis Oriental, between Cagayan De Oro and Iligan.

They say "home is where you heart is". Have you ever thought that you will probably end up roaming incessantly from country to country, looking for your personal holy grail of p***y, spending all your money on P4P arrangements and girls who couldn't care less about you? That, unless you choose to put your expectations, your attitude to rest and choose to accept a reality for what it is and what it can give you. Only then, when your heart is at rest in a place, you will call that place "home" and be happy, or at least happier, in it.

Ill admit you have a lot of good points in any discussion I have with you but most of the time what you say is not what you yourself actually believe or do. Dont be jealous cause you can't make that kind of money. Im not paolatoguy I dont have to prove my income to anyone else I live very humbly right now im just saving my money and have stopped all major expenses. Im trying to retire early not blow it away like you did and slaving away the rest of your life for your wife.

When im ready to look for love and a wife I guess Ill change my attitude. Right now im not ready to settle down for financial or emotional reasons. I have a lot of growing up to do on all accounts. Also I dont want kids and I kind of enjoy my freedom so why settle down. There is a big world to be seen.

[newlifeinphilippines]

At this rate this whole forum should be called 'Happier in the Philippines' rather than 'Happier Abroad'.

Like who? Winston, me, and a mess of others have left. Mr. S can't wait to get out, Falcon is now in Indonesia, Kboy is in Korea, a few others are in Thailand or china. Ghost tried it there but left after a 3 week attempt. Pete and outwest and publicduende are all in america right now in some capacity. The only one i see happier in phil is Will N Dowd who is a monger who is starting to tire of the scene after a few months and Marcosveitala who is only 20 years old and only been there for 2 months and probably will pack his bags and go back to europe once he realizes living in poverty as a white man aint fun. The only one I can think of who may fit in this category in the long term right now is Rock . Thats it LOL

You make an interesting point. I seem to voluntarily end up living in cities many westerners find hard to endure - Taipei and Makati. It would be more interesting if some fellow HAs stayed here too. Mr. S lives way out in a more suburban area which can be 2-3 hours from the center areas of Metro Manila on any day but Sunday. And he's bogged down with work and family responsibilities.

Oh, and you forgot to mention Taco and Starchild by the way, they both abandoned ship as well.

I think many Filipinos are a delight. And my taste in women is the antithesis of what most western guys seem to go for - educated, tall, curvy, and fair vs. simple, short, skinny and native. I'm talking right now to a highly educated Filipina who's 5'9", mixed with both white and Chinese blood, speaks fluent Korean and excellent English and Spanish, and from a very well-off family owning a chain of medical supply stores. She's very talented, pretty, and serious about her Protestant faith too. But according to you and certain others, girls like her should have no interest in foreigners like me. My personal observations suggest that there are at least plenty of exceptions to that belief. In most if not all other countries, such girls would probably not even consider us.

Metro Manila also has a thriving professional class of girls who are not from multi-millionaire families but are still very well educated, some even from the top schools where many of the richest send their kids as well. There's a decent chance that some of the girls you meet from this group will be one of more of following - attractive/very attractive, refined and elegant, intellectual, charismatic, charming, great conversationalists, very intelligent.

Even among the less fortunate classes can you find some sweet gems, girls and families who are kind and generous. Sometimes such poorer girls can be attractive or occasionally have some white or NE Asian blood.

It seems the tendency for most foreigners (or at least HAers) who give Philippines a try is to either dip their tow in a bit and monger for a short period before getting fed up or else find a girl here and take her back home ASAP. Very few seem content to stay here, with or without a gf/wife. But I'm the exception...as long as I can take fairly frequent breaks via travels to other countries.

As that exception, I've identified opportunities which most western visitors seem to miss. Most of these guys just want it fast and easy - point and click. Or they look around at what they see on the surface and are sickened by it.

Just like other HA destinations, it will be very different things to different people. The more I live and travel, the more I come to realize that truth seems to be a very relative and mercurial concept. Objective reality is very hard to pin down.

yeah i was gonna mention taco but didn't bother to edit it back. Starchild abandoned ship? I thought he was still there? You talked to him in person what happened to him?

I am in Oregon USA with my wife and newborn. My mother is very elderly and frail, and we are seeing to her care while we work out arrangements with other family members. My wife has a visa (Not a greencard) and we had our Child in the USA. It does save some paperwork, but other than that, no big deal. I have not abandoned ship as you say, I miss the Philippines whenever I am not there.
I do not throw around words like Barangay. I live in one. We have a house, a small farm, a housekeeper, a farm worker, and a host of inlaws to go back to. I love my wife and her mother and father. My wife has become nearly like my heartbeat.
The Philippines is a beat-up third-world country. l like what I have in the Philippines, but I strongly advise most men NOT to think it is good for them for anything other than a visit. Most men should stay home and leave the Philippines alone.
I see these silly articles listing the Philippines as some kind of good retirement country. This is false.
The only people well suited to retiring in the Philippines are Fil-ams and others with family networks already in place. If you do not have this, the Philippines would not be a good place to retire.
For most American men, I have a simple statement: Please stay away from the Philippines. You will not adapt well here or most other third world countries. Consider Arizona perhaps. For most, it is about fantasy and illusions. It will not end well. Third world reality will bite you in the a$$.
I do know a few men who do well in the Philippines. We have learned to adapt. It is not an easy thing to do.

America is better for a great many things. It is not all hell in the USA like some are constantly whining. Some elements of life can be quite good in the USA- my wife observes that easily.

You men that come to the Philippines and live in a hotel for a while, or an apartment in Metro-Manila or Cebu do not know how it can be. We are not too far from Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental.
Our total income is not more than American middle class. Most of that comes from me, and my inlaws
make their own money in their own well networked family.

We have our own house garden. My wife loves to garden and it is the housekeeper and my wife that do that mostly. We always have things from the garden or orchard and fresh seafood.

A lot of things suck in the Philippines without a doubt. The survivors have their rewards. Along with the things that suck, I am also a Don, a ninoy, and the local benefactor who put in a community well near our house. If I want to be, I am pretty well pampered and spoiled- I could not live like this at all in the USA on the same income.

Most men should stay free of the Philippines. They will NOT be happier except for that few minutes of p4p fun time. Go somewhere else. Try Colombia, Brazil...anywhere. Winston's site needs more time spent on all the other possibilities.

Few minutes of p4p fun? No person staynig long term does that. I dont even do that on my 6 month stays. I didnt even do that on my 1.5 month stays. Will n dowd doesn't do it either he is starting to settle on one girl while he meets other. Im sure eventually he will start settling on long term girlfriends only. Those guys retiring in the philippines will perfectly be happy with a low hanger living together or a bargirl on a small monthly stipend. Cheaper than a demanding american girl and she will be a lot younger and better looking with better attitude. So how can you say they wont be happy? Theyd be happier there than wasting away alone in america. You tell others they need extended filipino family yet you dont have any you married yours. You say others can't adapt but you did. Im one of the most unflexible people around yet i somehow can manage to stay for long periods.


Thats my plan. Im trying to save up alot of money before i go back to traveling again. Its a waste spending money and wasting time traveling for months every year when i could put all that focus and money on my work and saving. But you do need to get out once in awhile so im trying to figure out a delicate balance of wanting to retire early but also not rot away in america.


Why do you have a housekeeper? Is your wife to arte to do the work herself? only the arte women or those who want to look like the rich person on the block have housekeepers.



Columbia and brazil are worse than philippines with the organized crime. One of the most dangerous countries. Also you need to know portugues. But the infrastructure and stuff would be better than philippines. And settling down with p4p type relationnships are not as easy there from what others say.

[MarcosZeitola]

Another reason I prefer to stay in the Philippines is based on my perspective of the future. The Philippines is a largely conservative nation in which the vast majority of the population is religious and somewhat conservative socially. I find that there is a decent amount of tolerance amongst most people, and they tend to be friendly to be around… still, certain types of behavior and certain lifestyle choices are (rightfully) frowned upon more than they are in the West. Whereas in the West, a girl who sleeps and dates around is celebrated, in the Philippines such behavior would be seen in a more negative light. For this reason I prefer raising a family in the Philippine to raising a family in the West.

They also have a great love for mixed people – every girl who is a “mestizaâ€￾ is instantly a stunner it seems, and in the village of my wife and in-laws, my daughter is the only half-white girl around. As a result my mixed children are seen as beautiful, exotic and desirable. In the West I am a pretty average guy with only slightly above average looks… here I am quite tall at six feet and chances are my sons and daughters will also be taller than the general population. I think this gives them an advantage in life compared to others, and I love the idea of giving them a good start. At the same time there is more social control, too. They won’t be as exposed to things as clubbing, drugs and other less desirable elements of Western society. At most they may get drunk a few times but the “party cultureâ€￾ of America and Western Europe is largely absent outside the larger cities.

I don’t want my daughters to be too Westernized, too “easyâ€￾. I want them to have good morals and a healthy outlook on life. If I stay in the Philippines and keep my wife and children there, chances are they’ll be a lot more grounded, down-to-earth and family oriented. They will also have several advantages there they would not have in the West. For their sake and my own, it would be foolish for me to get them to my country or to not live there myself.

Why the Philippines, you ask? Because for me, the Philippines is my future and the future of my family. I am not a monger, I am not an immoral pleasure seeker and I am not a wuss unable to adapt to the living standards of a third world country. I am a young man committed to his future and that of his family, and I think I have what it takes to make it in the Philippines and working hard on making my dreams a reality. It’s been said before, and better, by others but I will say it again: it’s not for everyone, but for me and my needs it’s ideal.

[newlifeinphilippines]

[MarcosZeitola]

[newlifeinphilippines]

[Bobby]

everyone wants to do it at first but then ultimately no one does because of finances or because they get sick of the country or a combination of the two. Even in theory I would but ultimately i run back to america because my family is there and most importantly its a drag on my finances due to tempation and the amount of money i wind up spending to stay there.
thats why im holding off my traveling. Too expensive and much less distraction to stay home for now. I think living abroad is better when one has a pile of money to retire on or is at least halfway there.

Ditto. That's why I accepted that $90K job that only gives me 2 weeks of vacation per year. My best strategy is to build up a shitload of cash as quickly as possible and then move there permanently.

That's a big salary, Hero. Congrats. How much do think you'll need to save up before you leave?