Peter Devlin
Where The Rubber Meets The Road?
Back in 1993, I was invited to visit a rubber plantation in North Cotabato owned by a family I’ve known for several years. North Cotabato is a landlocked province located in Mindanao and its capital is Kidapawan City. It’s quintessentially the Philippines, and I loved it. My visit there was exciting and memorable, and I’ve been there several times since. But the first is always the best, right? It was also an education in more…
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Pull Over
How does the old saying go? “Pride comes before a fall”. Better believe it! Let me explain. I like driving, but currently cannot get a Philippines driving license, so my partner does all the driving these days. I do miss driving a bit, but given the traffic conditions and local driving culture here, I’m mostly happy relaxing in the passenger seat. Nevertheless, I pride myself that I’ve always been a cautious driver. At least, that’s…
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Pasko
‘Tis The Season Do you ever get the feeling when you wake up in the morning that today is supposed to be a special day but you just can’t think why? It happened to me a couple of days ago, on September 1st to be exact. What could it be? Surely not a family birthday or anniversary – I would never ever forget any of those. (Or at least my smartphone calendar won’t let me…
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Street Vendors Lingo
Vendors in the Philippines “Isdaaa! – Moro-Moro, Bangus, at Saka Gulay!” Sound familiar? It didn’t to me until fairly recently. Let me explain. When I first retired to the Philippines I lived in West Insular Village, a pleasant and mostly clean gated community in Davao City. A bit pricey, but that’s what you expect from mid to high-end private housing compounds here. Nothing unusual in choosing a gated community – lots of expats do the…
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Gay in the Philippines: Over the Rainbow
Gay in the Philippines Is the Philippines Over the Rainbow? Gay in the Philippines? It’s no surprise that a service tailored to advise and assist people considering taking the plunge and coming to Live In The Philippines will be targeted by folks from all walks of life. For anyone contemplating such a move, it can be both exciting and daunting, and all manner of potential problems related to lifestyle and culture will spring to mind…
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You’ve Got Mail! Is it Spam or a Scam?
Unsolicited eMail Is it a Scam or Spam? So much of our email is scam or spam. Dealing with unsolicited or junk mail is something we’ve all done for years. Time was this was mostly unwanted mailings landing on our front porch, and in the days before recycling was fashionable, they usually went straight into the bin, providing nothing of value to the addressee, and contributing to the unnecessary death of thousands of trees. Then,…
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