Tuesday was a holiday here in the Philippines (last day or Ramadan), and the kids were out of school that day, so I decided to take them for a family outing. We went to the Davao Butterfly House, which is in Maa, Davao City, along the Davao River. This area is really starting to fill up with various family type venues where you can take the kids for a great day! The butterfly house had a great number of butterflies, and some of nearly any color you could imagine. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, barely a cloud in the sky. We all had a great time, and really enjoyed the butterflies. I particularly enjoyed watching my 4 kids enjoy … [Read more...]
I live in Davao City, and here is what I think about the place
October 17, 2006 By Leave a Comment
I got an e-mail from a friend overnight. He told me that he was planning to retire in the Philippines next year, and he is thinking of living in Baguio City when he comes. Somebody told him about Davao, and he decided that maybe he should consider it before deciding too quickly. He knew that I live in Davao, so he decided to ask my opinion. I thought I'd share my response to him, since the topic is relevant to our discussion here. Let me say first, though, that I have not lived in Baguio, so I am not criticising Baguio, I am only telling what I think about Davao. Here is what I had to say: I have lived in Davao City for almost 5 years now. … [Read more...]
Watching for scammers
October 12, 2006 By Leave a Comment
This morning I got an e-mail from somebody who reads one of my other blogs. He is in an "over the internet" relationship with a girl who lives in another city here in Mindanao. The girl had e-mailed him saying that one of her relatives is sick and in the hospital. But... they have no money for treatment and the person who is sick will die if they don't get treatment. She is asking him to send money so that the sick patient can receive treatment. There is a slight problem, though... The hospital where the girl says the patient is hospitalized does not exist! She gave the name of the facility to the guy, and he e-mailed me and asked … [Read more...]
How much money do you need to live in the Philippines?
October 2, 2006 By 53 Comments
Probably the most often asked question from people who are thinking about living in the Philippines is this - How much money do I need to have a good life there? Well, to be honest, there is no single answer that can be right for every person. "Living good" is a different concept for every person, and what is a good life for one person may be a life of poverty for another. However, just because the amount varies depending on your lifestyle doesn't mean that we can't talk about general amounts that would be required to live here. The least amount of money that I would say a single person could live on and have a comfortable life is maybe … [Read more...]
Direct Deposit of US Government Payments
October 1, 2006 By Leave a Comment
Did you know that you can now have most US Government payments (Social Security, Military Retirements, etc) deposited directly into your Philippines US Dollar Bank account? That's right! BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) now offers direct deposit of US Government payments. Payments are made through ACH (Automated Clearing House) payment, which generally means that you should get your money in just a day or two. BPI is advertising that the money will be in you Philippine account within 24 hours after funds are received from the US Government. It is my understanding that BPI is working in conjunction with Chase Manhattan Bank to offer this … [Read more...]
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