Soon to be homeless...:0)

[donb2222]

Hi All,
 I will be closing on my house next week, and I have decided to move to the Phils.   I will probably start off in cebu to visit some friends, and then travel around the islands for a while.
I guess you could call this a mid-life crisis thing.  I will be 40 in a few months, I have no wife or kids, so I have decided to go travel the Phils for a year or so.  I will also use my FF miles to take trips to Hong Kong, and possibly Australia.
Okay, so here are my questions:

My HMO will not cover me in the Phils.  I am not too worried about being self-insured, but I might be interested in some sort of catastrophic type health insurance and/or disability insurance.  I would hate be seriously injured by a Jeepney, for example, and need some serious help without the benefit of insurance.

Any suggestions on where to open a dollar account with a bank in the Phils.  Would the Citibank in Cebu, for example, take a cashiers check from a bank here in Atlanta?  There are no Citibanks here in Atlanta.

I like Cebu, but the air pollution is too much for me.  Any suggestions on where I should live for a while?  I like having access to the malls of the larger cities, but I do not like the traffic and pollution.  

In both Cebu and Manila I have never been able to find a shoe store that carries any size larger than a 10 1/2, and I wear size 12's.
I have stocked up on shoes, but I would like to know of someplace I can actually buy shoes in the Phils.

Can I get my passport renewed at the embassy in Manila?  I do not know when I will return, and I will need to renew it eventually.
How much time does it take?

And, of course, I will enjoy meeting up with anyone from this board.  I enjoy meeting new people, and playing tour guide.  Just send me an e-mail, or post to this board.

Is there anything else I need to consider?  I have been to the Phils 5 times, so I think I know what to expect, but then again....

Also, no need to comment on possible wars or kidnapping.  I feel safer in most parts of the Phils than I do in many parts of the USA.
There are no truly safe places in this world, and I would rather be out having fun, then sitting here worried about what to do.

Thanks in advance about any and all info,

Don

[Matt]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

Hi Don! I'm here in Athens. I found some links that might
be useful to you and others moving to the Philippines.

The April 2002 Kiplinger's had an article about Don Herrington-"65, lives in a six-bedroom, four-bath house in Cebu City, Philippines, for which he pays $280 a month."

Here are his 2 links below, and he also has a yahoo
group one can join for more information.

http://zinnsextravel.hypermart.net/article.htm

http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/
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I like the escapeartist.com website. The have some great
articles concerning a wide variety of topics for Americans
considering living overseas. Here are some PI related links:

http://www.escapeartist.com/Articles/Articles_10.html#Philippines

and this one:
http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ5/Philippines.html
Couples and “singles” can enjoy a comfortable life in former Navy Officer’s Quarters, for well within $175.00 per month!  (This figure is including; the lease, plus a small monthly “Power” bill that includes, cable T.V., trash pickup & twice weekly “housekeeping” and electricity.  These buildings are extremely well constructed of  high quality  materials, extremely well insulated, with American style plumbing….(water in abundance is sometimes a problem in other areas outside of the “5-Star” Hotels in the big city), and individual air-conditioning in each apt. 

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http://www.angelfire.com/wa/caretaker/media.html

The Caretaker Gazette is a great resource for caretaking jobs around the world. I don't know if there are any jobs listed for the PI, but it is worth a try.

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http://www.eslcafe.com/jobinfo/

Dave's ESL cafe lists english teaching jobs around the world as well. Of course, it is not applicable for the PI, but, one could conceivably teach in Taiwan or somewhere for a few months out of the year, and spend the rest of the time in the PI. (just a thought)

Best wishes to you, and to all who read this.

[donb2222]

... in response to Here are some links about living in the ..., posted by Matt on Feb 19, 2003

f

[Matt]

... in response to Hi Matt, thanks for the great info !......., posted by donb2222 on Feb 20, 2003

Hi Don, et al,

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/letter.html

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/blankpage5.html

Be sure to check out Skip's page-this guy is incredible.
What a true American patriot! One can learn log home building in the PI, and much more!

What do y'all think?

[Ray]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

Smaller than Cebu? Cleaner air? Larger shoe sizes? Good access to the embassy and large cities? American food?

Don, that sounds like Angeles City to me, ... :-)

Baguio would be nice also, but a little more expensive maybe.

Ray

[donb2222]

... in response to Angeles?, posted by Ray on Feb 16, 2003

Hi Ray,
 I have visited Angeles, and I could not wait to leave.
My impression was that it is mostly populated by drunken ex-military guys.
I'm not really into the bar scene either, I do not drink or smoke, and I am not into bargirls.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, I know there are a lot of guys that like to retire there, but it is just not for me.

Don

[donb2222]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

dfd

[Dave H]

... in response to Thanks for the info...I will post update..., posted by donb2222 on Feb 16, 2003

Hi Don,

That sounds great! Enjoy yourself and keep us posted!

Dave H.

[donb2222]

... in response to Good Luck!, posted by Dave H on Feb 16, 2003

Thanks, and I will post occasional reports.
This is the board that got me started on the Phils, and I'm not leaving anytime soon.

Don

[rgg]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

Don,

From Bear and Howard's rave review, can't say anything more other than you ought to give Davao a look. We'd be glad to give you a guided tour.  Get in touch.

Roy

[Howard]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

Don,

I'm tellin ya that place is like Heaven on Earth!  And Art is right, Roy and Celia are very VERY nice people.  I'm sure they would be a lot of help.  The city proper is crazy at night on the weekends, but is pretty tame--compared to Manila and what I hear about Cebu--the rest of the time.  From what I gather Davao is big enough to have most everything you need relatively close by, but small enough to still have it's charm.

Of course I am completely biased  I have family there

Leyte was okay, but a bit too rural for my tastes.  Manila I loathed.  Everyone is in too big a rush!  LOL

Keep us informermed as to your decision and where abouts for that matter

Good Luck and Godspeed!

Keep the Faith Brother

H

[Howard]

... in response to I second Davao!, posted by Howard on Feb 15, 2003

...Gerlie and her family were on a quest to find me some "slippers". We didn't check Davao a whole lot, but Panabo had no size 13's, which was fine because I am not a big flip flop guy.  The reaction was kinda funny though.  Every few hours another family member would come by with a pair that they were sure would fit.  I knew by sight that they wouldn't but felt obliged to try and stuff my foot in there.  When they didn't fit the reactions was "Oiiiiii... Dako...."  LOL

Just thought I'd share

H

[Dave H]

... in response to I neglected to mention..., posted by Howard on Feb 17, 2003

Hi H,

Aren't you the Cinderella of the Philippines. ROFLMAO! Gerlie must have found the right size because you turned into her prince. ;o) I had bit of a slipper problem with my 11's. Finally found a few pairs...Islanders. I wear them more here than I did over there. Wore mostly my "rubber shoes" or hiking boots there.

Dave H.

[Tim]

... in response to Soon to be homeless...:0), posted by donb2222 on Feb 15, 2003

nt

[donb2222]

... in response to Best of Luck ! Keep us posted....nt, posted by Tim on Feb 15, 2003

Thanks Tim,
I do have plans to visit Hong Kong sometime, let me know when you and Wendy are going, and maybe we can finally meet :0)

Don