Ideal place where to buy lot in the Philippines?

[OnMyWay]

19 minutes ago, Crispy said:

Are you in Subic now, if you don't mind me asking?

I have been to Olongapo, Subic and Bario Barretto.

In fact, when the US naval base was firing up there, I used to visit Ologapo from manila, just to see the live bands.

If you have a history of the place, one of my favourites was the Zeppelin Club and another one, but the name escapes me, but it was in a huge theatre right next door to the Playboy club.

I used to have a blast drinking Mojo on the upper deck of some bar on Magsaysay watching the scene below.

I went to Bario Baretto with my ex-wife, who wasn't really into the loud rock n roll bar scene, so unfortunately we only swam at the beach there one time.

I looked at land prices in Barretto and Zambales last week, it's rather expensive compared to the south, presumably due to its closeness to Clark and Manila?

The Expressway and international flights to Clark Airport has also made it much more accessible these days as well.

Yes, I have been here for almost 10 years.

I have never been to a bar in Olongapo.  The scene on Magsaysay is mostly gone, but I know some expats like a few bars for the live music.  In SBFZ, Pier One on The Boardwalk has some good bands.  I like it because the outdoor venue allows the sound to disperse.  I also don't like super loud music anymore.

I go to Barretto once in while if I need something over there.  A friend owns the Arizona Resort.  I'm married with three daughters so the bars no longer interest me.

We live on the old base in the Kalayaan neighborhood, which was previously officer's housing.  Property here on the base is long term lease, but you can buy and sell the leases as a foreigner.

Property prices are high here and also in Angeles.  We are considering moving to Angeles.  I'm a believer that PH prices will follow the U.S. into a downward trend.

[Heeb]

34 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

 

It’s sad to hear about the state of Mactan, after Cubi pt closed and my squadron moved to Guam we used to stop there for fuel since the C-2 didn’t have much range. We would stay the night in a resort and head over the bridge for some entertainment, always thought of going back someday to explore it as a retirement spot.

Edited July 29, 2022 by Heeb
Botched attempt at posting

[Crispy]

14 minutes ago, Heeb said:

It’s sad to hear about the state of Mactan, after Cubi pt closed and my squadron moved to Guam we used to stop there for fuel since the C-2 didn’t have much range. We would stay the night in a resort and head over the bridge for some entertainment, always thought of going back someday to explore it as a retirement spot.

I have owned my house in Mactan for over 20 years and the lot for 25 years. It was always going to happen, shitty over development I mean. They used to say it was going to become like Hawaii, but it will never reach that standard. Even the beaches at the big resorts have sand imported from some other place or dredged from offshore. Then they said Cebu was going to become another Hong Kong and Mactan just like Singapore, well they are, just as crowded, but with shitty roads, traffic jams, floods, squatters, theives and drugs. They're trying to improve Cebu, buy building a ring road around it, but don't have enough money to finish stage one, let along the next three stages. Then just yesterday I saw the presidents vision for raliways in Cebu, the big question is how and when? The Phil's borrowing are so high at present, way bigger than foreign exchange earning and tax collections, that they'll be in serious trouble trying to service the deby repayments. Yet, they still want to borrow more for huge infrastructure projects in Luzon. They've been building new airports all over the country lately and calling them international airports, but they don't have any international flights into them in the forseeable future. Then, they've been building huge sports stadiums in the most obscure places, like the presidents home province and elaborate city halls scattered throughout the provinces. Yet, the ordinary poor persons lifestyle hasn't changed much since you were last there. 

There are some great places to retire in, it all depends what you want and what comprimises you can make in life to adapt to the place you choose. Travelling extensively around the place is the best way to find the ideal spot. Unfortunately most of my travel was done over 20-30 years ago and things have changed so much since then. I would need to revisit the whole country to find my ideal spot. The population in the Phil's has also risen from say 50 million back then to almost 120 million now.

 

 

[BrettGC]

22 minutes ago, Crispy said:

Then just yesterday I saw the presidents vision for raliways in Cebu, the big question is how and when? The Phil's borrowing are so high at present, way bigger than foreign exchange earning and tax collections, that they'll be in serious trouble trying to service the deby repayments. Yet, they still want to borrow more for huge infrastructure projects in Luzon.

There's a Chinese diplomat waiting in the wings to do what they're doing with South Pacific and African nations... Buying sovereignty through debt.  Hopefully PI doesn't go down this road because when it comes time to pay the piper it ain't gonna be pretty.  

Edited July 29, 2022 by BrettGC

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, Heeb said:

It’s sad to hear about the state of Mactan, after Cubi pt closed and my squadron moved to Guam we used to stop there for fuel since the C-2 didn’t have much range. We would stay the night in a resort and head over the bridge for some entertainment, always thought of going back someday to explore it as a retirement spot.

Yeah, Mactan was on my list a long time ago, mainly because they do have some good diving nearby.  That is no longer a factor.

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Crispy said:

So, there's not much of an Expat community around there in Iliilo City? I would go stir crazy if I couldn't talk to another western person for more than a month. Don't get me wrong, I had Filipino mates in Mactan, when I lived there, it's just that my Tagalog skills are beginer level and I feel uncomfortable when I'm at a place where everybody around you is speaking it, or Visaya. It even happens here in Aus at Filipino parties sometimes, but fortunately, my wife's group of barcadas converse mostly in English. 

Mactan was good for the Expat community thing. I was fortunate, I had a few close Aus, US, Canadian and Scandinavian mates whom I could call on for support. I can't say that heavy drinking every day was my cup of tea, but you can avoid that scene and limit it to once or twice a week. I know a few Expats in Mactan that have suffered badly from excessive drinking, one in fact passed away from it. When I retire over there long term, I plan to keep myself active doing some hydroponic gardening, snorkelling, bike riding (electric scooter not push bike) and lot's of travelling/blogging in other places. I have already travelled over 50% of the Philippines in my younger years, there's still plenty unexplored territory for me to see.

For clarity - there are a couple of ex-pat community groups and they have regular get-togethers - I attended one and only one.  Predominately German/Austrian/Norwegian and there was only a couple of guys below 65 so not for me.   In my community there are several ex-pats but they, like me, keep themselves to themselves apart from the usual greetings when we pass. 

I'm also biased as I was in Hong Kong before the Philippines and it was one big ex-pat community.   

[Crispy]

1 hour ago, BrettGC said:

There's a Chinese diplomat waiting in the wings to do what they're doing with South Pacific and African nations... Buying sovereignty through debt.  Hopefully PI doesn't go down this road because when it comes time to pay the piper it ain't gonna be pretty.  

I think Duterte might have if his term hadn't ran out. He certainly was cuddling up to China and Russia for that matter. It  really makes you wonder with some of these loan deals, just how much the guys at the top are making from it for themselves? I'm sure the ex Pres and PM of Sri Lanka both earned handsome comissions, which on default of their countries loans led to them losing the very port that was supposed to benefit their country. The same sceanrio happened one tiny European country, it might have beenm Maldova, where Chinese contractors built one of these super expressways, whith bridges going over ravines etc. I think from reading the story, it only went for something like 5klms, then suddenly ended, when the country suddenly realised they couldn't afford to pay for it, but it was too late, the Chinese had already started. The resulting damage was, the country put up land as loan collaterol, which the Chinese promptly took possession of. I also heard of a 10,000 hectare land subdivision in Mauritius, which was going to house Chinese sent over there to populate the place. Sounded like yet another loan default to me. Also, the Chinese are allowed unfetted fishing rights to take unlimited fish within Mauritius's economic zone. Which is something that's happening more and more near Aus in the South Pacific lately. Take the Chinese money and you end up with them being your master. There was a fear many years ago that the Chinese would take over all the Asian countries, including Australasia, it didn't happen through warfare, but it is happening econmoically. They have called it "Belt and Road", but have now expanded it to include Africa as well. They are not stupid. They even own a huge chunk of the US debt, so let's see if they ever go to war over Taiwan, what will happen to that debt?

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, Crispy said:

There was a fear many years ago that the Chinese would take over all the Asian countries, including Australasia, it didn't happen through warfare, but it is happening econmoically. They have called it "Belt and Road", but have now expanded it to include Africa as well. They are not stupid. 

They most certainly are not.

And, they have hardly been doing it under the cover of darkness either, and have been working on it for the past decade so we could ask why the other global superpowers are letting them?  No doubt they'll (we'll) all start jumping up and down and stamping our feet when they really do control Asia/Africa with everything that entails.  We've already seen what a war in Eastern Europe can do to the global economy so heaven knows what could be on the horizon.  Methinks some folk have been sleeping on their watch.

[RBM]

21 hours ago, Crispy said:

 

 I plan to keep myself active doing some hydroponic gardening, snorkelling, bike riding (electric scooter not push bike) and lot's of travelling/blogging in other places. I have already travelled over 50% of the Philippines in my younger years, there's still plenty unexplored territory for me to see.

Why may I ask not push bike, nice clean non jarring form of exercise, one must just be choosy where.

Have lived in Bacolod some years, do recent trips to Iloilo and its chalk an cheese. Iloilo reminds me of any Western city, modern lovely wide Highways and lovely esplanade. No traffic compared to the gridlocks in Bacolod. (Talking up town here)

What for me it lacks is nature, Panay does not IMHO have the nature of Negros, hiking. variety of water falls and wonderful nature resorts, still as a city its a hard place to beat. 

[Crispy]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

Why may I ask not push bike, nice clean non jarring form of exercise, one must just be choosy where.

Have lived in Bacolod some years, do recent trips to Iloilo and its chalk an cheese. Iloilo reminds me of any Western city, modern lovely wide Highways and lovely esplanade. No traffic compared to the gridlocks in Bacolod. (Talking up town here)

What for me it lacks is nature, Panay does not IMHO have the nature of Negros, hiking. variety of water falls and wonderful nature resorts, still as a city its a hard place to beat. 

To put it simply, I don't trust drivers here in Aus vs. push bikes and motor bikes, I trust them even less over there.

We have two scooters, which are great for city and beach riding. I would definitely not take them on a highway over there. I have had my fair share of near misses whilst driving cars in Cebu and Manila. You virtually need 360 deg vision. One thing in particular to watch out for is kids, because they don't look before they leap and slow moving old people.

I have been looking for nice beaches all along the east coast of Negros, from Duma north, accross the top, to Bacolod, then down the west coast to Sipalay and I found nothing but brown or dirty looking sandy or rocky beaches. I know there's some nice sandy reefs offshore at Cadiz and Sagay, but not enough to make you want to live near the seahore with the affore mentioned beaches. I know that Sipalay, Sugar Beach and other spots in that area have nice yellow sandy becahes which are attractive and potentially worth living there.

It's a similar story on the east coast, dirty brown sand beaches in Dauin, but it get's a lot nicer as you drive southwards to Siaton and Zamboanguita. Unfortunately Negros is not blessed with lovely beaches like Cebu, Bohol, Samar, Leyte etc. I think the beaches being brown has something to do with the huge active volcano in the north and similar extinct ones in the south?

Like you, I enjoy hiking,  waterfalls, hot springs, lakes and remote uncrowded locations. I once drove my little car to Lake Balanan near Siaton and almost ripped the bottom out of the car.  It was of course overloaded with family members. Lol