Reading about the Philippines is confusing. I was thinking on retiring in Asia. The visa requirements seem hassle free in the Philippines. Thailand would be my other choice I like Ipoh a lot. Tagaytay in the Philippines l like as well Davao isn't bad but the consensus seems to be stay north. I'm 63 in excellent health so being by medical is not high priority. Just looking for a nice quiet clean place to enjoy keeping expenses down. The cities I've named are the size of places I would enjoy. I'll leave the the cities over a million an a half alone. So many articles on how great & safe the places are and then I see many saying the opposite. Don't read as much of a difference in the other countries & it's amazing the difference in opinions when reading about the Philippines. I avoid the PR stuff so I'm referring to the forums & blogs to some degree. Some evenings I'm sold on the Philippines & sometimes I'm asking myself why would I. Obviously folks I know I need to spend time there before deciding anything & I'm thinking why even do that after reading some. So many well written articles both good & bad opinions from people in my age bracket that I take notice of. I do appreciate those it helps & keeps people like me informed. Goals if I can hit a good number of these I would look. Under 1500 US dollars a month (I'm not looking at the Jones) clean and safe...a place I would walk with my 11 year old son at reasonable hours. Somewhat quiet area with the ability of reaching water or natural wooded areas within an hour or so. I can & will respect the custom of the people who's soil I'm on. I'm not in the market for a wife or owning land. I'm friendly so I'll talk but won't be hustle into anything & I'll avoid those situations if I can. Guess what I'm saying is I have no need to be in the fast lane anymore flying jets was fast enough I'll taxi now. Everyone have a safe & pleasant day no matter where you are living & I'll be thankful for any feedback on where you might be or been. J
Very confusing
I am sure you will see many responses to you post, and each response will offer you something to think about. It seems you have certainly done a little homework! Since everyone is different, with different likes, needs, and dislikes, no one response here is likely to be without its own bias and therefore you must digest and sort out what you read here..
Davao and Tagaytay are entirely different communities here in the Philippines. Certainly you will find more expats in Davao and it is a quite a safe very large city as well. Tagaytay is more of a suburb resort and retirement community with schools and a great hospital, but lacks a central 'downtown' with character and services. You will most likely need a car here in Tagaytay.. However, it is also considered a 'safe' community which I must admit is a very broad description for any city in the world.
With yourself and your son, I would believe you would want to be close to some good educational facilities? You might want to research this topic if it is a priority for you and your son.
Good luck, and you will not really go wrong with either of these locations, but for sure make a visit or two, to these chosen communities first!
Well you can only gather so much data online.. sometimes there's no substitute for feet on the ground. This is a wonderful place to take a vacation so why not do that? Living here has some benefits such as friendly people, gorgeous undeveloped beaches, low cost of living etc, and also some drawbacks - humid climate, worn infrastructure, noise, air pollution in cities, etc. It's never a dull moment here, really, back in the States I find myself quite bored. But I have never felt threatened or unsafe here. Each individual will respond differently to what RP has to offer but a vacation is the best place to start.
I understand and appreciate you taking the time to reply. The safety aspect is important so again thanks & have a great day
Thanks Bob for being very open & positive with your feedback. I look forward to this next chapter and it's just like anything else just go do it and see.
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