Best City For Expats Is? Cebu Or Manila Or Elsewhere?

[CebuJoe]

 

BTW, I find getting around PH a problem--they don't use airports like in some countries, but overland transportation, which can be a long, bumpy ride. Thanks again! CJ

 

Ain't that the truth!  We just did a vacation to Palawan and my girlfriend got us beds on a 30 hour ferry.  It never occurred to her that a 1 hour flight would be an option (her family is too poor to fly - the ferry is 1/2 the price).  We flew back and even she said it was better.  But they all look at me like I'm crazy when I ask about flying to Boracay instead of the hellish 4 hour drive down the 2 lane Iloilo-Antique "highway".  I have been up and down this coast in a personal car, a van, a bus, and a jeepney - it sucks! 

 

And to keep this on topic I would like to add that Palawan is a nice little tourist town but they can't keep the power on so I would not live there ha ha.

 

 Thanks Tuka Ram!  I was meaning to ask about Palawan, and you answered my question (besides, I figured as a Unesco type 'World Heritage' type site, it would not do for me).  BTW I fully agree with your thoughts on air travel, and play to fly to Dumaguete from Cebu rather than take a boat, or worse, a bus from Bacolod.  BTW a friend from your town wants to drive to Boracay and I'm dreading it; I'll share my thoughts on Boracay in another thread. 

 

CJ

[Jollygoodfellow]

Every now and then comes along a troll, Cebujoe is one of them. We do not tolerate that sort of person here. My guess is this idiot is just trying to stir the pot for the fun of it. Hopefully he will stay in Thailand as he claims he is now.

 

:1247: Bye Joe

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Shame... I found him rather refreshing ha ha.

[Jake]

Shame... I found him rather refreshing ha ha.

Hey TR, he reminds me of my morning dumps.....now that's refreshing!

[Markham]

There are, in fact, three provinces bearing the name "Davao" - Davao Del Sur (wherein Davao City lies), Davao Del Norte and Davao Oriental. Of the three, Davao Del Norte is marginally less safe due to occasional NPA activity.

 

Ok if you say so Markham!  Stay safe in your Sherman tank T-34 battle tank while you read this! :-) (seems Thomas was right)   http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/04/26/935170/12-killed-ambush-lanao-town-mayors-convoy

In your opening post for this thread, you said that you have an online business "that pays the rent and then some". Are you sure about that because it is pretty obvious to me that you lack two basic skills necessary for running any business, online or otherwise - reading and comprehension. With that in mind, I'll type this slowly so that you can keep up.

You smugly provided a link and assert it proves that Thomas was correct when he said there were travel restrictions for foreigners in the southern part of Davao Del Sur. Did you read that Philippine Star article? I suggest not - but if you did, you certainly didn't understand what you read. That article tells of an ambush that occurred in Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte which is some hundreds of miles away to the north from Davao Del Sur! Go back to school and learn to read.

Despite your cocky know-all attitude, several of us have tried to give you the benefit of our combined years of experience actually living in the country and we have suggested a number of eminently liveable places that would satisfy your requirements. Your childish responses to those suggestions indicate to me that you're a wannabee traveller and internet troll who should be doing his schoolwork rather than playing on daddy's computer.

Bye-bye troll.

[simplymikee]

If he doesn't like Cambodia, probably India would be his next best bet!

[Curley]

 

I am outside Iloilo.  I enjoy it but still can't get internet at the house - hell they can't get the satellite TV to work!  I was going for Cebu in the planning stages.  But a friend introduced me to a girl on Panay island and here I am.  I can't recommend it for internet connectivity.  But I like it.

 

I have never been to Manilla but all I hear is bad things... I really enjoyed Cebu.  And where I was had good internet but that varies by neighborhood I expect.   I stayed near IT park and internet was everywhere.

 

I am curious was there anything wrong with Thailand? 

 

@Tuka Ram: Nothing wrong with Thailand, so long as you don't mind your misses and you being limited in conversation to pidgeon English and logistics (what you ate today, where you been, where you go, all in simple present tense).  Then again, with some of my English speaking girlfriends, the conversation never really got much more deep than that!

 

Thanks for all the members replying so far for candididate places to visit.  Here are my quick and dirty 'artist's impressions', and keep in mind I've not visited any of these places yet: 

 

Mike J: "Dumaguete and Davao"--the first place reminds me of where I am now (as does Tuka Ram's Iloilo), the second place is Kidnapping Central, no?  Also Islamic people, while very nice (I'm originally from the east coast USA, but haven't been back home in about a decade except for business trips), are a bit more conservative so yet another hurdle to overcome I suppose--in most places interracial relationships are frowned upon, and that includes liberal places like NYC USA and others I'm familiar with, much south PH I would imagine (with exceptions, I know, I know);

 

boring says: Eastwood (Manila), while bootleultras suggests: Fort Bonafacio or Makati.  I have been to Makati, and I might be somewhat out of place there, since everybody will be at work, I'll be hanging out somewhere like the Greenfield mall or MOA (I work at night, online, as my clients are in the USA), then visiting expat people and their hangers on during 'happy hour'?  Hmmm... might be a bit too much like being a tourist, and with so many people I might get lost in the crowds?  But I might have to suck it up and like it, as it seems to me about 30M people (I am guessing, but it's typically about 30% of the population) live in "Greater Manila" so perhaps this is where I will end up?

 

Softail and earthdome suggest Tagaytay and Baguio, respectively.  These are great "Unesco World Heritage" sites--and that's the problem.  I'll be surrounded by middle-aged folk (like me, respect your elders!) and backpacking student tourists from Japan, Korea, Australia, Germany and the USA, but the "permanent residents" of these places will be sparse.  Ever visit a 'resort town' in the western hemisphere?  Same thing.  The "locals" are quite few in number, outnumbered by transient tourists 10:1 or more.  The chances of my finding a nice girl will be limited to the problem child of some crafty merchant, not to mention said locals will be wondering why I haven't left town after a week like every other "Canuck".  And during the 'rainy season' (I've yet to experience one here, but have in Thailand) these places will be ghost towns.  I'd have as much luck picking up girls meeting nice people at a bus station in the USA.

 

But I will check this thread for more answers, and assuming I don't get kicked off this site by the moderator I will post my 'impressions' when and if I visit these places, which I intend to! (with the exception of the two places in the Visayas, since I bet they are like my present place).

 

BTW, I find getting around PH a problem--they don't use airports like in some countries, but overland transportation, which can be a long, bumpy ride. 

 

Thanks again!

 

CJ

 

Why not look at somewhere nearer to your timezone.... Colombia for example?

[Fast&Furious]

wait a minute...he may have teased you but he posted a worrying news :(

 

another ambush....13 killed, that's not good.

[Fast&Furious]

 

Mike J: "Dumaguete and Davao"--the first place reminds me of where I am now (as does Tuka Ram's Iloilo), the second place is Kidnapping Central, no?  Also Islamic people, while very nice (I'm originally from the east coast USA, but haven't been back home in about a decade except for business trips), are a bit more conservative so yet another hurdle to overcome I suppose--in most places interracial relationships are frowned upon, and that includes liberal places like NYC USA and others I'm familiar with, much south PH I would imagine (with exceptions, I know, I know);

You really should carry-out some research before making such sweeping statements. I live in Davao and as well as being the world's largest city in terms of land area, it is (probably) the safest city in the country for Filipinos and foreigners alike. There are a few Muslims living here, there are also Buddists, Hindus and INCs just as there are everywhere in the Philippines - so what?

 

Softail and earthdome suggest Tagaytay and Baguio, respectively.  These are great "Unesco World Heritage" sites--and that's the problem.  I'll be surrounded by middle-aged folk (like me, respect your elders!) and backpacking student tourists from Japan, Korea, Australia, Germany and the USA, but the "permanent residents" of these places will be sparse.  Ever visit a 'resort town' in the western hemisphere?  Same thing.  The "locals" are quite few in number, outnumbered by transient tourists 10:1 or more.  The chances of my finding a nice girl will be limited to the problem child of some crafty merchant, not to mention said locals will be wondering why I haven't left town after a week like every other "Canuck".  And during the 'rainy season' (I've yet to experience one here, but have in Thailand) these places will be ghost towns.  I'd have as much luck picking up girls meeting nice people at a bus station in the USA.

And you speak from the vast experience of not actually having visited either place; incredible.

 

Since you require "high-speed" internet, by which I assume you mean greater than 1 MBit/sec, your choices are fairly limited to Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities -- ie those others have mentioned in their replies to you. Or, here's a thought, why not move to Cambodia?

 

 

 

Hi Markham

 

I also need fast internet, how is it in Davao?

 

By the way, I don't want to offend anyone but Australian Government suggests to avoid the whole Mindanao...I have a friend in Davao but so far did not take the risk to go and meet her. You sure it's safe for foreigners?

[Markham]

 

 

Mike J: "Dumaguete and Davao"--the first place reminds me of where I am now (as does Tuka Ram's Iloilo), the second place is Kidnapping Central, no?  Also Islamic people, while very nice (I'm originally from the east coast USA, but haven't been back home in about a decade except for business trips), are a bit more conservative so yet another hurdle to overcome I suppose--in most places interracial relationships are frowned upon, and that includes liberal places like NYC USA and others I'm familiar with, much south PH I would imagine (with exceptions, I know, I know);

You really should carry-out some research before making such sweeping statements. I live in Davao and as well as being the world's largest city in terms of land area, it is (probably) the safest city in the country for Filipinos and foreigners alike. There are a few Muslims living here, there are also Buddists, Hindus and INCs just as there are everywhere in the Philippines - so what?

 

Softail and earthdome suggest Tagaytay and Baguio, respectively.  These are great "Unesco World Heritage" sites--and that's the problem.  I'll be surrounded by middle-aged folk (like me, respect your elders!) and backpacking student tourists from Japan, Korea, Australia, Germany and the USA, but the "permanent residents" of these places will be sparse.  Ever visit a 'resort town' in the western hemisphere?  Same thing.  The "locals" are quite few in number, outnumbered by transient tourists 10:1 or more.  The chances of my finding a nice girl will be limited to the problem child of some crafty merchant, not to mention said locals will be wondering why I haven't left town after a week like every other "Canuck".  And during the 'rainy season' (I've yet to experience one here, but have in Thailand) these places will be ghost towns.  I'd have as much luck picking up girls meeting nice people at a bus station in the USA.

And you speak from the vast experience of not actually having visited either place; incredible.

 

Since you require "high-speed" internet, by which I assume you mean greater than 1 MBit/sec, your choices are fairly limited to Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities -- ie those others have mentioned in their replies to you. Or, here's a thought, why not move to Cambodia?

 

 

 

Hi Markham

 

I also need fast internet, how is it in Davao?

 

By the way, I don't want to offend anyone but Australian Government suggests to avoid the whole Mindanao...I have a friend in Davao but so far did not take the risk to go and meet her. You sure it's safe for foreigners?

 

 

You can get 10Mbit/Sec here from Sky Broadband, or PLDT, Bayantel and Globe also have a range of other options offering speeds greater than 1Mbit/Sec.

 

I don't know how many times I need to say this: Davao is probably the safest city in the Philippines, for Filipinos and foreigners alike. Quite a few members of this forum live here: none of us "packs heat", drive around in armour-plated vehicles or have personal security.

 

I have every respect for the Australian government who have seconded AFP officers to work with the local PNP here in Davao and elsewhere on Mindanao. However it is being conservatively over-cautious if it is suggesting that its citizens should avoid the whole island when in fact only the central western and south western provinces are in any way "dangerous".