Happier Abroad Forum Community

Hello to all forum members!

A brief history... I was born and spent the first 16 years of my life in the Philippines. At 16 1/2 I enlisted in the Navy where I spent the next 30 years, retired 4 months ago. Never been married, but I have been shot twice so I think I know how married life feels. Currently deciding where I will live, I like Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Fiji and Colombia. Someplace by the ocean as I enjoy swimming and diving. Will post a picture of myself one of these days so you can see with whom you are dealing. I look like a muscular version of Bruce Willis so not much to look forward to anyway.

My taste in women is for mixed race and nationality, I like to search for the unique and exotic. I feel these women have better mental and physical health as well. Just my personal theory. Sam

Welcome, Sam! How was your life in the Philippines and how come you do not want to stay there?

Hello Phoenix!

The Philippines has nice beaches, warm clear water and many shipwrecks which make for some great diving. You could even find a great wife if you use some common sense and take your time. There are many negatives though, which rule out the RP as a country to live long term. I won't go on about this too much as there has been a lot of negative posts on Filipinos lately and I don't want to add to what has already been stated. For me, a combination of the oppressive heat, rampant petty theft, two tiered pricing system, horrible food, poor quality merchandise, squalor, sub par medical care and the uncivilized behavior of Filipino people cause a kind of "combat fatigue" to long term expats. Most foreigners self medicate their condition with alcohol and young girls but that has diminishing returns. I could live in the Philippines for 6 months at a shot but why? I can do better. If I wanted to live in SE Asia I would live in Kota Kinabalu. A great place with exotic women. Sam

Sam I Am wrote: My taste in women is for mixed race and nationality, I like to search for the unique and exotic. I feel these women have better mental and physical health as well. Just my personal theory. Sam

Interesting, they say the same thing about dogs. For example, a mix breed dog from the animal shelter is a lot much heather then a high priced purebred dog with papers.

Sam I Am wrote:Hello Phoenix!

The Philippines has nice beaches, warm clear water and many shipwrecks which make for some great diving. You could even find a great wife if you use some common sense and take your time. There are many negatives though, which rule out the RP as a country to live long term. I won't go on about this too much as there has been a lot of negative posts on Filipinos lately and I don't want to add to what has already been stated. For me, a combination of the oppressive heat, rampant petty theft, two tiered pricing system, horrible food, poor quality merchandise, squalor, sub par medical care and the uncivilized behavior of Filipino people cause a kind of "combat fatigue" to long term expats. Most foreigners self medicate their condition with alcohol and young girls but that has diminishing returns. I could live in the Philippines for 6 months at a shot but why? I can do better. If I wanted to live in SE Asia I would live in Kota Kinabalu. A great place with exotic women. Sam

What part of the Philippines did you grow up in? We have a home in northern Mindanao- Misamis Oriental, not too many miles from Cagayan de Oro.
I don't yet know where you grew up, but I would find life anywhere in Metro Manila area to be pretty intolerable.
I find there to be big differences even between my area and Cebu City or even a ferry boat ride over to Tagbilaran city from Cebu puts you in a different from of mind. That said, there certainly are a lot of things that can chafe and annoy in the Philippines, but rewards to be found as well.

This year will find me in either LA or Mumbai a number of times, and quite frankly, I would not trade my life in the Philippines for either one.

Outwest

Sam I Am wrote:Hello Phoenix!

The Philippines has nice beaches, warm clear water and many shipwrecks which make for some great diving. You could even find a great wife if you use some common sense and take your time. There are many negatives though, which rule out the RP as a country to live long term. I won't go on about this too much as there has been a lot of negative posts on Filipinos lately and I don't want to add to what has already been stated. For me, a combination of the oppressive heat, rampant petty theft, two tiered pricing system, horrible food, poor quality merchandise, squalor, sub par medical care and the uncivilized behavior of Filipino people cause a kind of "combat fatigue" to long term expats. Most foreigners self medicate their condition with alcohol and young girls but that has diminishing returns. I could live in the Philippines for 6 months at a shot but why? I can do better. If I wanted to live in SE Asia I would live in Kota Kinabalu. A great place with exotic women. Sam

Yea, I'm looking at Malaysia myself, mainly because of the wide variety FOOD.

Hi OutWest!

I was born in Subic and grew up there until I was 14. At that point my father retired from the Navy and my parents and I traveled down to Cebu, Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. My father loved to dive, especially wrecks from World War 2. There were a couple of Japanese ships that were rumered to have sunk with a fortune of gold onboard to add to the excitement. My mother home schooled me and I would dive with my father unless he was going too deep. After I enlisted in the Navy my parents stayed an additional 5 years before returning to Boston. I was also deployed three times to the Philippines. Once to Mactan and twice to Zamboanga.

I am not down on the Philippines per se, I love Filipinas, the mixing of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Malay yields some wonderful beauties. Down in Zamboanga a lot of the girls look Middle Eastern. I believe that Filipinas are also the most adaptable women on the planet, meaning they can move anywhere and do well. Unlike girls from Thailand who seem to wilt like a cut flower as soon as they leave their country, Filipinas quickly adapt. I don't care for Filipino men due to many unpleasant experiences with them. I know this is no grounds to dislike all Filipinos and I am planning a several month trip to the RP in 2012 to try and change my mind. When I do get married there is a good chance that my wife will be Filipina so I will want to get along with my inlaws.

Hi NorthAmericanGuy!

Malaysia has great food, they do a lot with curry. If you are near Boston there is a Malaysian restaurant called "Penang" that is in Chinatown. Malaysia has quality healthcare and is quite clean for SE Asia. A foreigner can own land and if you keep around $15,000 in the bank there you can get a 10 year visa. I like the city of Kota Kinabalu the best as it is not on the main part of Malaysia but on the island of Borneo. Almost feels like a different country. Lots of Filipinas and Indonesians there as well. City size is about 1 million I think. Plenty of islands to explore as well. If you want an adventure, there are treks into Borneo. Of course there are drawbacks. A foreigner is not allowed to work, any property you buy has to cost at least $70,000 and it gets hot. Sam

Colombia. My ex-girlfriend Anya rocked my world.

Honestly, South American women are the hottest, most exotic p***y around. Second would be Eastern Europe Slavic bitches.