# Introduction - Forum Member Tanstaafl



## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

I wanted to introduce myself, I have been a long time member of the Expat forum but one who only occasionally visits the forum and it's about time that I got off my butt and took some action to join all you expats both on the forum and hopefully IRL.

About me; I'm Canadian, 66 years old, retired ex airline employee (management for a small regional). I've been retired for 10 years and reside in rural Ottawa at the moment, own my own home, vehicle, with a reasonable amount of savings. I'm deferring my Canada Pension Plan at the moment and will likely take it at age 70 to benefit from the 42% increase over the base amount. Nothing in particular is holding me to Canada, no ex or kids, one brother who's an expat in the Caribbean and a sister retired in eastern Canada.

Why I'm looking at the Philippines - I have never visited, but now that Covid is subsiding I am anxious to see the country. I hate winter, even the mild Ottawa ones, the cost of living keeps increasing here, and I'm looking for something new. With Canadian housing prices going through the roof it seems like an opportune time to sell. The lower cost of living in the Philippines is attractive and I figure that I can budget PHP 2 - 3 million a year for living expenses without depleting my savings.. Plus while I am in reasonably good health 66 is not young and I figure that if I'm going to make a move it might as well be now. I'm single, never married but I'm certainly open to meeting up with a nice lady (of appropriate age) and settling down. I rarely drink and would prefer a quiet life. Yeah I've heard the stories of noisy neighbours and I suspect that living in the Philippines will be anything but quiet. Since I plan on renting only if I can't take the neighbours I'll just move.

I have questions of course for the expats who have already made the move;

would you do it again.
best things about living in the Philippines.
worst things about living in the Philippines.
did you do the SRRV paperwork yourself or go through a consultant. I figure that I could do it myself but I'm also looking into using a consultant. I'm not sure of the forum rules so I won't mention any corporate name at this time but I am wondering if you suggest using one or going it alone for the SRRV.
What are your recommendations for health insurance. I have a supplemental plan with one of the major Canadian life insurance companies for prescriptions, dental, and anything not covered by our provincial health care and know that I would need a full plan in the Philippines.

For Canadian expats in particular;

I have investments, RRSP, TFSA, and a Margin account, also a separate bank account that I use for paying bills, with two of the bigCanadian banks. For those that have investment accounts still in Canada do you have any issues with trading, sending funds, taxes.
Do you still file Canadian Income Tax. I'm aware that there is a tax treaty between Canada and the Philippines,but I'm poretty clueless as to what that would mean. I would be getting substantial dividend income, plus likely some capital gains from Canadian investments (mostly stocks).
What's your preferred way to transfer funds from a Canadian bank account to a Philippines bank account.

Last, what don't I know and should know before I come to the Philippines for the first time especially as I'm considering it as a retirement option.

Thanks in advance for your comments and responses.

Tanstaafl


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Tanstaaf. I'm not going to be much help because I didn't go the SRRV route but several of our members have so hopefully they can give some good advice.

Reading books on Philippine culture could be helpful. 

So you'd be working with the Philippine Retirement Authority and the nearest Philippine Consulate in Canada Canadian Philippine Consulates as well as an approved Philippine Bureau of Immigration representative also known as an Accredited Entity.

Here's a spot on our forum addressing SRRV and links Useful Links For Expats SRRV


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks for the welcome and the link. I'm about 60 km from the Philippines Embassy to Canada as I'm in rural northwest Ottawa so I should be able to take a run into the city and visit the embassy when it's required. I've also been looking at some YouTube vloggers to get an idea of what everyday life is like in a few different cities in the Philippines.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tanstaafl said:


> Thanks for the welcome and the link. I'm about 60 km from the Philippines Embassy to Canada as I'm in rural northwest Ottawa so I should be able to take a run into the city and visit the embassy when it's required. I've also been looking at some YouTube vloggers to get an idea of what everyday life is like in a few different cities in the Philippines.


Don't forget Tanstaafl that if you don't live in Luzon or the other islands near a very large city it'll be hard to find food products that you're willing to eat so if you think that you can live on just fish and also the same ole vegetables (not much variety) plus the horrible tasting local bread and lack of any palatable dairy products other than powdered milk, fake cheese then you might want to first make a trial run before you sell the house.

I'm thinking you won't be too crazy about Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, that's something that these YouTube Vloggers never seem to touch on, they have to travel to some special store to find anything like Western food, get ready for the sticker shock (other islands) and also a limited variety or some exotic restaurant but come on... you have to eat at least 2 times a day so going out is going to be a pain, the street BBQ is full on sugar and salt, and the locally sold Mom & Pop food spots will use the animal fat for grease it saves money so you really need to think about what can you eat here, the girlfriend won't be eating your food, she'll be eating dried salty fish, fish some more fish and then a little more fish along with greasy pork and fried chicken, the Filipino doesn't like most of our foods no matter how delicious WE think it is.

When I was on active duty in the US Navy the worst port to hit for delicious food was the Philippines, in fact, it was the dreaded port for food, so back then I would eat at Shakeys Pizza, McDonald's, or Burger King, I did eat a few cool local lumpia spots, BBQ chicken on the road or fried chicken but for the most part, this is not really a foodie place. I'm not trying to talk you out of the Philippines but I'm just relating the lack of decent Western food that I experienced after retiring here, I am blessed that I live in Luzon.

Pick your girlfriend wisely now and make sure she isn't living in Mindanao or some remote island, Lol. Also if you do live on a remote island and it gets destroyed by a typhoon you might have to leave or it can take months for electricity to be restored. Cebu got hit with a typhoon recently and they were pretty much without electricity for a couple of months, don't forget if you live on that ATM card that means no cash also.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

Wise words I'm sure. There is no substitute for experience and getting feet on the ground so I will definitely do one or more trips before making a decision and selling up at this end.

As much as I enjoy the quiet of rural Ottawa everything I need is just a 20 minute drive away, and I know that would not be the case if I went very far into the provinces. I suspect that I will be settling near a sizeable city just for the proximity to decent shopping, internet, and other services. I do understand that product choice is not a big feature of stores in the Philippines but like everything I imagine that I will have to experience the reality to appreciate the difference.

I suspect that I will need to travel around to find a location that suits my lifestyle. I've read a bit about the Subic Bay area, also Dumaguete and Cebu. Suggestions from any members on possible locations, along with the good and bad are very much welcome.

What you say about the availability and quality of food is a good point. I'm a decent cook but finding the right cheeses and pepperoni for making my homemade pizza may be an issue, although I see that any city has numerous pizza restaurants, so decent cheese should be available? Thanks for the heads up about sticker shock. I am a little prepared for western goods to be more expensive and with the way inflation is running here there is sticker shock on every trip to Costco. I'm sure that western goods in the Philippines will be more expensive but just how much more is the question and something that I will probably need to see for myself.

All good information, thank you.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Tanstaafl said:


> Wise words I'm sure. There is no substitute for experience and getting feet on the ground so I will definitely do one or more trips before making a decision and selling up at this end.
> 
> As much as I enjoy the quiet of rural Ottawa everything I need is just a 20 minute drive away, and I know that would not be the case if I went very far into the provinces. I suspect that I will be settling near a sizeable city just for the proximity to decent shopping, internet, and other services. I do understand that product choice is not a big feature of stores in the Philippines but like everything I imagine that I will have to experience the reality to appreciate the difference.
> 
> ...


You can easily pay three or four times as much for imported western foods, SM sell a few bits and pieces from the UK supermarket Tesco, It usually from their basics range and as I say several multiples of the UK price.

Regarding the SRRV, the PRA have their own agents who are paid from the fee, about $1400 I believe of which something like 50% goes to the agent. Companies offering the same service will charge you over and above the fee but not tell you they are also receiving the 50% from the PRA.


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## amcan13 (Sep 28, 2021)

I agree that the typical meals tend to be repetitive but there are some good raw materials to cook with if you can cook. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on imported food like you are used to eating, start thinking about cooking yourself. In my home they all eat the same basic things all the time. I end up being the only different meal but I take the raw materials and reshape it. I found getting different spices, much cheaper than imported foods, can make dishes I am used to eating. Even restaurants are usually just not the same as in your home country. The best meals I had were at a luxury hotel in Manila. They had amazing regional dishes from a great chef. I never saw the food in the actual regions.
The typhoons, volcano and earthquakes are no joke. Also just rain causes mudslides that wipe out areas too. For some reason people build in areas that get wiped out over and over again. Just talk to locals and they can let you know which areas to avoid. 
I also agree about ATM dependency. They are down or empty more often than not. You need multiple ways to access cash. 
I find learn a small amount of the language will really improve how you are treated. I can shop and do minor tasks in town using my poor language skills. The local people really appreciate I am trying snd I get treated better. But I am on Mindanao and taking Tagalag would be a mistake, bisyan is spoken here. 
There is a lot of Mindanao bashing but I live on the northwest part near CDO and it is beautiful. We have the cooler mountain areas and the flowing water resorts near the ocean. Having all the fresh water flowing down the mountains makes for some great pools of cold, clean water. Be careful where you swim, proper chlorine levels are not common. 
Always ask if a place uses mineral water for drinks and ice. If they don't, only drink bottled and no ice. I tend to go for the distilled water when I can. 
I avoid any fixers, they are not needed. You can do a lot online but just following the rules gets it done. Just be prepared for rule variations on different islands. 
I also enjoy the senior lines. If you are over 60 then you can usually use the senior lines. You can't get the discounts but I can get through the supermarket or bank faster. Also my Covid shots were faster with senior line.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

amcan13 said:


> I agree that the typical meals tend to be repetitive but there are some good raw materials to cook with if you can cook. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on imported food like you are used to eating, start thinking about cooking yourself.


 Yes. I had planned for that (but cant move because of serious injury would become to much worse by the travelling.) 
A problem is cheese but such can be stored long time. There are milk production in a few places in Phils. (I know of only one southwest of Cebu and I heared of one in north Luzon but dont know where.) E g *panncakes* become crap if try to use the low fat/dried milk as well as *congee* (=rice porrage) and "*Lunkan pizza*"  (=I like to simplify things so instead of making complicated pizza I made up in "cross breading" of pizza and pannkakes  (=As panncakes but much more flour making the mix thick. Then do as oven panncake (or pan pizza if you dont have oven). FIRST add thee cheese pushing it UNDER the surface but not to the bottom, because by that the cheese dont need to be grinded so save one more work step  Then put on any you want. (Myself I skip tomatoe sauce because I dont like, then meatballs, sausages and pineapple. (Im vegetarian so I use vegetatian "meatballs".) If no access, then rather meat and sausage tasting things can be done from lentils (the biger green/brown ones( and spice as it would have been meat.
If geting access to *not* low fat milk, then can MAKE OWN *cheese* and *youghurt *also. I havent done soft cheese but it seem rather easy. Youghurt is easy. Just do as European emigrants did 100 years ago  = Bring/get a cloth send with dried bacterias of your favorite youghurt/kefir/soured milk, wet it to wake up the bacterias and put together with fresh milk, then it need A BIT heating a day or so. A foreigner just put his jar behind his refrigirator using the waste heat there. 
There are local ingridiences to good *casseroughs* e g root crop ones. (Make layers of sliced root crops with lentils/meat/sausage in between. I spice as meat plus a few bayleaves. Look terrible but taste so good so even not vegetarians wish I make such for them  Its some work, but can make big at same time and put the rest in freezer - if there are any left  - in meal size portions. 
An other favorite casserough is made of *black eye beans*, much  syrup and transator say "winegar" but I prefer "ätticka" which is produced similar but by alcohol get oxidiesed somehow.
There are some *"sallads"* too e g one very popular in Thailand which I have forgot name of. But include mango and chili and some other stuff. There are very food sallads with pasta too if you find or make the pasta yourself. 
There is a very popular in Thailand dish, which I dont remember name of neither, but it has *coco milk* and a bit soy sause together with meat or vegetarian and some more stuff also. There are more dishes which can be good with coco milk. 
I havent tried but there are popular dishes made of *mung beans* too both main dish and deserts. (But mung bean SPROUTS I have eaten much, they are good as vegetable.)
And there are *palm heart* and* bamboo sprouts.* I havent tried the first but the second can e g be cooked and spiced similar to meat. 
And there are different *omelettes.*
For not vegetarians, I suppouse it cant be hard to find a fresh *chicken*, perhaps even killed during you wait  
And there are *seafood*...

Much of above can be stored long time (as long as not to wet so need tight or dehumified storage in Phil climate but can be stored normal "for ever" in Sweden) so no big problem if its far to the store. I have such at home so I can survive without being hungry a year or so WITHOUT being domesday "prepper"  I just have a bunch of such products rotating so I dont need to go to city in long time if I dont want to.

So there are a lot of possibilities for good food in provinces too


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

The range of foods have expanded greatly in the supermarkets in the last few years, there's not much you can't get now. We still ship a lot because of the high prices. Western stile hard cheeses are now widely available as are yoghurt both flavoured and plain. One thing we still cannot get is the likes of Robinsons squashes but there's a nice calamansi alternative.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Lunkan said:


> Yes. I had planned for that (but cant move because of serious injury would become to much worse by the travelling.)
> A problem is cheese but such can be stored long time. There are milk production in a few places in Phils. (I know of only one southwest of Cebu and I heared of one in north Luzon but dont know where.) E g *panncakes* become crap if try to use the low fat/dried milk as well as *congee* (=rice porrage) and "*Lunkan pizza*"  (=I like to simplify things so instead of making complicated pizza I made up in "cross breading" of pizza and pannkakes  (=As panncakes but much more flour making the mix thick. Then do as oven panncake (or pan pizza if you dont have oven). FIRST add thee cheese pushing it UNDER the surface but not to the bottom, because by that the cheese dont need to be grinded so save one more work step  Then put on any you want. (Myself I skip tomatoe sauce because I dont like, then meatballs, sausages and pineapple. (Im vegetarian so I use vegetatian "meatballs".) If no access, then rather meat and sausage tasting things can be done from lentils (the biger green/brown ones( and spice as it would have been meat.
> If geting access to *not* low fat milk, then can MAKE OWN *cheese* and *youghurt *also. I havent done soft cheese but it seem rather easy. Youghurt is easy. Just do as European emigrants did 100 years ago  = Bring/get a cloth send with dried bacterias of your favorite youghurt/kefir/soured milk, wet it to wake up the bacterias and put together with fresh milk, then it need A BIT heating a day or so. A foreigner just put his jar behind his refrigirator using the waste heat there.
> There are local ingridiences to good *casseroughs* e g root crop ones. (Make layers of sliced root crops with lentils/meat/sausage in between. I spice as meat plus a few bayleaves. Look terrible but taste so good so even not vegetarians wish I make such for them  Its some work, but can make big at same time and put the rest in freezer - if there are any left  - in meal size portions.
> ...


Lunkin that sounds like a lotta work. Are you taking notes Tanstaafl? lol... 

Gary makes a good point, things have improved on Luzon when it comes to variety but most of these chained stores carry the same ole stuff, same brands, etc.. so cereals will be severely lacking unless you become a member at S & R Grocery than maybe you can find a few more brand names (not always) in larger boxes but wow if you like cereal in the morning you'll also be sadly suffering. I would say if you wanted a fair price at Western foods, some frozen by the way such as burritos etc.. sausage then you'll have to be located near an S & R Grocery chain, here are the locations S & R Grocery private food club

Another chained spot called "Healthy Options" for getting many things such as coffee beans, nuts, dried fruits, specialty flours, cornflour, ect.. Healthy Options locations


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Lunkin that sounds like a lotta work.


 No, because I dont like to spend more time than necesary at any work  as seen at the description how to make "pizza" with much less work than normal pizza. (Part of my profesional life has included making processes effective.)
Only the root crop casserough take more than a few minutes to prepare. Theese dishes handle themselves, I do something else during that, I just put on an alarm clock to know when its time to take it off the stove/oven. (Except the dishes which take just a few minutes to get ready.)
And by making biger loads at same time and freeze the left overs in meal size portions, they can just be heated up, which save even more time.

Beside the root crop casserough, its much less minutes work to make than to get to and from even a close restaurant


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

Gary D., I knew that western foods would be more expensive but it's good to get an idea of just how much more they will be compared to the local goods. Your post has certainly saved me from some sticker shock and gives me another area I need to scope out when I visit. Food is so critical to one's daily enjoyment. As a lifelong bachelor I have learned to cook well enough at least to feed myself without major incidents of food poisoning, provided I can get the basic ingredients I need.

I knew that the PRA had approved "agents" but it's very good to know that they share in the SRRV fee. That's really good information, thank you.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

amcan13, luckily I can cook at least well enough to feed myself. Good point about the spices. I had heard that some Filipino foods are on the sweet side, but I am looking forward to trying lumpia and I'm okay with a lot of rice and noodle dishes although I am at hear a "meat & potatoes" guy. My staples are eggs, bacon, ham, chicken and I'm a big fan of breakfast.
Are there any decent sausages in the stores or are they like western cheeses and hard to find?

The weather is a concern. Being Canadian most conversations somehow involve the weather, cold, snow, rain, sun, whatever! Although we get a rare tornado or the tail end of a hurricane our violent weather is usually at a minimum. I know that there's basically nothing to be done to avoid a super typhoon, and I've seen pictures of the devastation that the last one caused. Add in earthquakes, volcanoes, mud slides, and flooding and "where" you live obviously becomes more important. All of the above are on my list of things to consider when selecting a city, and selecting a house/apartment in a specific area.

I appreciate the heads up from you and M.C.A. on having a back-up to the ATM. I have been cashless since I retired, everything on my credit cards and electronic bills, with monthly electronic fund transfers. It will be strange going back to having cash. I'm assuming that you keep a minimal amount of cash on hand. My plan would be to have a monthly transfer from my Canadian accounts to a Philippines bank account, and then use the ATM as needed to withdraw cash. Is this a viable option and are there any particular banks that are better then others? I would already have $20K sitting in an account for the SRRV and I'm not sure that I would be comfortable having another large about sitting in a Philippines bank.

I'm rural right now where I live with a well and septic system and while the water tests fine I still prefer bottled water for drinking so that won't be any change from my current habits. I imagine a few days of discomfort will be inevitable as my body adjusts to different bacteria from casual ingestion of the local water from things like brushing my teeth.

I might just try the SRRV paperwork myself as it doesn't seem complicated. I've got the Philippines embassy just about 40 minutes away, I haven't contacted them yet and I don't know if they would be of any use if I had questions. I had to chuckle at your "rule variations on different islands".

Thanks for all the info.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

Lunkan, thanks for the ideas. I think that I will side with M.C.A. here as it sounds like a lot of work to make your own cheeses. While I admire someone who can do a vegetarian diet I'm much more of a carnivore! I'm a firm believer that just about everything is better with bacon.

You mentioned freezing a lot of meals. Do you have any issues with brownouts?


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

M.C.A. said:


> Lunkin that sounds like a lotta work. Are you taking notes Tanstaafl? lol...
> 
> Gary makes a good point, things have improved on Luzon when it comes to variety but most of these chained stores carry the same ole stuff, same brands, etc.. so cereals will be severely lacking unless you become a member at S & R Grocery than maybe you can find a few more brand names (not always) in larger boxes but wow if you like cereal in the morning you'll also be sadly suffering. I would say if you wanted a fair price at Western foods, some frozen by the way such as burritos etc.. sausage then you'll have to be located near an S & R Grocery chain, here are the locations S & R Grocery private food club
> 
> Another chained spot called "Healthy Options" for getting many things such as coffee beans, nuts, dried fruits, specialty flours, cornflour, ect.. Healthy Options locations


I'm taking copious notes! I'm not much for cereal in the morning, more of bacon/ham/sausages and of course eggs. Thanks for the link to S & R Grocery. I do most of my shopping at Costco here, and I'm assuming the S & R is similar?

An important question, how are the options for coffee? I'm not a coffee snob by any means but I definitely need at least two cups to get going in the morning. Nothing elaborate for preparation just regular ground coffee in a French press.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tanstaafl said:


> I'm taking copious notes! I'm not much for cereal in the morning, more of bacon/ham/sausages and of course eggs. Thanks for the link to S & R Grocery. I do most of my shopping at Costco here, and I'm assuming the S & R is similar?
> 
> An important question, how are the options for coffee? I'm not a coffee snob by any means but I definitely need at least two cups to get going in the morning. Nothing elaborate for preparation just regular ground coffee in a French press.


Coffee is good, I prefer what's called "Barako" and grown in the Batangas area, so no worries there.

Good luck with decent tasting sausages though, that will be a challenge along with hot dogs.

The S & R grocery I think is a part of Costco.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

M.C.A. said:


> Coffee is good, I prefer what's called "Barako" and grown in the Batangas area, so no worries there.
> 
> Good luck with decent tasting sausages though, that will be a challenge along with hot dogs.
> 
> The S & R grocery I think is a part of Costco.


I'll look forward to trying some "Barako" then.

It's good to know that the Costco concept is available in the Philippines, hopefully there will be one close to where I decide to settle. 

I figured that finding decent sausages may be an issue. There's always bacon and ham for my breakfast fix I guess. Coffee is the most important ingredient in my breakfast so I imagine that I will survive.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

Tanstaafl said:


> Lunkan, thanks for the ideas. I think that I will side with M.C.A. here as it sounds like a lot of work to make your own cheeses.


 I tallked about making SOFT cheese. Have never done, seem rather simple, but that and casserough is some work. 
NO CHANCE I would spend much time on cooking, so you have missunderstood something if you believe the dishes at my list take long time  
All the others I listen take SHORT time, just few minutes work, frying pan five minutes or the long time cooking ones *handle themselves*, just put on stove/oven and do something else until they are done... 



Tanstaafl said:


> While I admire someone who can do a vegetarian diet I'm much more of a carnivore! I'm a firm believer that just about everything is better with bacon.


 If you have problem finding good pigs meat, you can get direct from a farmer.There are pig breeders/fateners "everywhere". "Just" find a good butcher or become one yourself  Whole grilled piglets =lechon are very common. 


Tanstaafl said:


> You mentioned freezing a lot of meals. Do you have any issues with brownouts?


 I am not there yet. It can be solved by own electricity production. Sunpower become more and more common in the Philippines.
((The started business can manage by equiments direct powered by petrol engines, second business too, but if the third type will be started then steady electricity will be needed to not get haults in the production, because some machinery is only available for electricity. If we start the third too, then I suppouse we will make own electricity which can give enough "surplus" to our households too. My business partner has some sunpower allready. But we would need more if starting such manufactory. Actualy two days ago we discussed possibilities building water power, but unclear if we would get permit. If so I suppouse we would need to share some with the unelectrified village there if they havent got connection to electricity grid then. We have discussed some other own electricity production type alternatives too. 
(If we dont get investor to a huge renewal energy powerplant project for the main grid so there will be no brown outs at Palawan anymore haha We have discussed it with investor but dont seem to become anything.)


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

09May22​


Lunkan said:


> I tallked about making SOFT cheese. Have never done, seem rather simple, but that and casserough is some work.


Sorry If I misinterpreted your remarks. I thought that you made your own cheese which would be a lot of work.



Lunkan said:


> (If we dont get investor to a huge renewal energy powerplant project for the main grid so there will be no brown outs at Palawan anymore haha We have discussed it with investor but dont seem to become anything.)


My neighbour just installed solar panels on his front lawn so it's becoming a lot more common here in Canada. I'm not sure how much he will be able to offset his electric bill, I think the payback is still around 15 years. Mind you our power is fairly reliable unlike what I hear about many areas in the Philippines. Good luck with getting your project going.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

Tanstaafl said:


> Sorry If I misinterpreted your remarks. I thought that you made your own cheese which would be a lot of work.


 No problem. I wouldnt try to make hard cheese. To much work. But because of problem to find wanted cheese in Phils I found the idea to make SOFT cheese, which seem to be not so hard work to see if I like it. Perhaps worth to test.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

Lunkan said:


> No problem. I wouldnt try to make hard cheese. To much work. But because of problem to find wanted cheese in Phils I found the idea to make SOFT cheese, which seem to be not so hard work to see if I like it. Perhaps worth to test.


Good point. I've seem people on cooking shows make a soft cheese and it doesn't look too hard. It's certainly something to try if I'm having problems sourcing good mozzarella . I just read through a quick recipe and it really doesn't seem to be too difficujlt. Thanks for the idea.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

Tanstaafl said:


> ... What you say about the availability and quality of food is a good point. I'm a decent cook but finding the right cheeses and pepperoni for making my homemade pizza may be an issue, although I see that any city has numerous pizza restaurants, so decent cheese should be available? Thanks for the heads up about sticker shock. I am a little prepared for western goods to be more expensive and with the way inflation is running here there is sticker shock on every trip to Costco. I'm sure that western goods in the Philippines will be more expensive but just how much more is the question and something that I will probably need to see for myself. All good information, thank you.


Tanstaafi, as you've already identified, there are pizza restaurants all over the Ph., so I don't imagine you'll have any difficulty in sourcing mozzarella; we certainly don't. In case you're interested, I responded to some food queries on the forum from another Canadian back in 2016 and whilst some of the info is outdated, much of it still applies today. Here's a link to that thread if you want to check it out. Food & Nutrtion
I would add that the availability of good quality coffee beans has increased dramatically over the years and we even have a couple of good coffee roasters in our area where we can order freshly roasted coffee beans or, as we often do, provide our preferred choice of green beans to the roaster and have them roasted to our preference.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

pagbati said:


> Tanstaafi, as you've already identified, there are pizza restaurants all over the Ph., so I don't imagine you'll have any difficulty in sourcing mozzarella; we certainly don't. In case you're interested, I responded to some food queries on the forum from another Canadian back in 2016 and whilst some of the info is outdated, much of it still applies today. Here's a link to that thread if you want to check it out. Food & Nutrtion
> I would add that the availability of good quality coffee beans has increased dramatically over the years and we even have a couple of good coffee roasters in our area where we can order freshly roasted coffee beans or, as we often do, provide our preferred choice of green beans to the roaster and have them roasted to our preference.


I enjoyed reading the linked thread, your posts were very informative and well written.

It's good to keep in mind that certain stores will only have certain brands or products, and that these may only be available for a short period of time. I'm in a fairly rural are right now, about 20 minutes from our main suburban shopping, chain grocery and big box stores. Over the last two years with Covid-19 I've really reduced shopping from once or twice a week to once or twice a month so I'm getting used to stocking up, and my refrigerator freezer is usually stuffed full. I might have to look into a small freezer unit in addition to the standard fridge.

I haven't been roasting or grinding my own coffee so I will have to look into that. I drink my coffee black, and usually two or three cups to start the day so finding something good tasting will be important. It doesn't sound like it should be a problem though.

I appreciate your response and thank you for the great information.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tanstaafl said:


> Good point. I've seem people on cooking shows make a soft cheese and it doesn't look too hard. It's certainly something to try if I'm having problems sourcing good mozzarella . I just read through a quick recipe and it really doesn't seem to be too difficujlt. Thanks for the idea.


The one cheese that I can find here in 2.3 kilo "blocks" is Arlan Mozzarella and it's not expensive, at the S & R grocery it was only 500 pesos or $10 USD but if you find it in the local chain's stores the same brand and size will run from 900 - 1500 pesos or $18 - 30 USD.

The cheddar or Colby cheese if you can find that is much more expensive, I haven't seen any good deals on those, and in my area, they come in standard-sized packaging so nothing big, many of the smaller chained stores sell an alternative to cheese called "Chizboy" Lol...


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tanstaafl said:


> I enjoyed reading the linked thread, your posts were very informative and well written.
> 
> It's good to keep in mind that certain stores will only have certain brands or products, and that these may only be available for a short period of time. I'm in a fairly rural are right now, about 20 minutes from our main suburban shopping, chain grocery and big box stores. Over the last two years with Covid-19 I've really reduced shopping from once or twice a week to once or twice a month so I'm getting used to stocking up, and my refrigerator freezer is usually stuffed full. I might have to look into a small freezer unit in addition to the standard fridge.
> 
> ...


In our region, the grocery store will grind the beans for you. Once you get settled you might want to get a side-by-side freezer fridge because not only can you stock up on products hard to find but the incredible heat makes it tough to store any seasonings on the shelf so they have to go inside your fridge along with condiments or they just spoil quickly.

I have seen self-sealing Barako coffee but it just doesn't taste right, I also have to store the coffee in the fridge along with eggs, if you leave this out in the heat it just doesn't fair well.

Another issue would be the stove "Pizza"...finding a decent electric stove is tough but available, some are reasonable but others are expensive, most of the ovens for sale at the appliance stores are gas, gas ovens are a pain for me, and dangerous because you have to leave them slightly open. So the electric oven is next on my list, they do sell smaller electric ovens but they just don't seem large enough, I have found a chained store called Abensons that sells two sizes one smaller for $333 USD 17,000 pesos and one medium $400 or 22,000 pesos the cost is for the smaller and for the medium-sized electric oven both with rotisserie and electric burners on top also.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

M.C.A. said:


> The one cheese that I can find here in 2.3 kilo "blocks" is Arlan Mozzarella and it's not expensive, at the S & R grocery it was only 500 pesos or $10 USD but if you find it in the local chain's stores the same brand and size will run from 900 - 1500 pesos or $18 - 30 USD.


The prices especially for the Arlan Mozzarella actually seem reasonable. In Ontario we are still living under restricted production quotas with various marketing boards, mainly dairy which are supposedly to supporting the family farmer. I'm not sure that it does, likely it just helps the agribusiness corporation profits, but our milk, dairy, and egg products have always been at the expensive end. One kilo of a lower end Mozzarella at Costco would be about 500 pesos.

I think that I will try to stay away from the cheese alternative. I imagine that you are familiar with Cheez Whiz? 

At the moment I'm cooking homemade pizza on the propane BBQ which works well if I want a very high heat, or to get a good brown crust. I understand that most outdoor grilling is using charcoal which would be a bit more difficult to control. But then cooking a pizza is only 10 to 15 minutes out of my life and I imagine that I can pay attention to the cooking for that long, especially considering the end product. Like you I am more familiar with an electric stove/oven, I just don't trust gas although I like the instant heat and higher temperatures which are possible.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

Tanstaafl said:


> ... There is no substitute for experience and getting feet on the ground so I will definitely do one or more trips before making a decision and selling up at this end. As much as I enjoy the quiet of rural Ottawa everything I need is just a 20 minute drive away, and I know that would not be the case if I went very far into the provinces. I suspect that I will be settling near a sizeable city just for the proximity to decent shopping, internet, and other services. ... I suspect that I will need to travel around to find a location that suits my lifestyle. I've read a bit about the Subic Bay area, also Dumaguete and Cebu. Suggestions from any members on possible locations, along with the good and bad are very much welcome.


Tanstaafi, making a few trips here is a good idea. The number one issue as I see it is to establish whether or not you will actually enjoy living in the Philippines before making any decisions about moving. The best way to do that is to come here on a tourist visa, starting off with the 59 day visa and extending it accordingly whilst you are here. You don’t want to apply for the SRRV until you know that you really want to stay here. If, after a minimum three month period, you feel the Philippines is right for you, then you can consider applying for the SRRV.

When we came here, we had allocated three months to travelling around. Three months is clearly insufficient time to explore all of the Philippines and we didn’t want to be racing around just ‘ticking boxes’ of places that we’d visited. We therefore limited our search by concentrating on those areas that we had either researched online or had been recommended by others. Rightly or wrongly, we also eliminated areas that we either knew we didn’t want to live such as Manila, areas that are too touristry, locations on the east coast that suffer from Typhoons, or too far south where there are concerns re terrorism/ kidnapping.

We travelled to some of those locations on your list, including Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguette, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Subic Bay. Very often, you can actually tell fairly quickly whether or not you like a place. If you like it, stay longer and explore; if you don’t, move on. When we came here, it was extremely difficult to hire a car, which is what we wanted to do; that has now become much easier. Some members stay clear of driving but for us, it’s a great way to get around and since settling here and purchasing our own vehicle, we’ve driven all the way up North of the Philippines past Baguio, Vegan, to Pagudpud and Claveria and we’ve driven south as far as Siquijor. We absolutely love these road trips and because hotel accommodation is so inexpensive and easy to find, we rarely book in advance and simply start looking a couple of hours before it gets dark (we tend to avoid driving after dark). I digress; my point is, you can catch inexpensive domestic flights from Manila to places like Cebu, Iloilo and Davao etc and hire a motorcyle/ car at each location and explore. Give yourself plenty of time to check out those places that you’ve researched. The budget that you mentioned will enable you to do this very, very comfortably. 

You’ve indicated that you’d probably prefer to be living closer to the city and these travels would enable you to check out some of the available accommodation, such as ‘secure’ gated communities. For us, we don’t want to be too far away from good medical facilities in case they are needed and equally important, we value good food, so having access to a range of supermarkets is high on our list of priorities. Each to their own. 

Having said all of the above, Filipinos are generally extremely friendly people; so after three months, I’d hazard a guess that you’d still be very much in the ‘honeymoon’ period and would want to extend that tourist visa or go for the SRRV. Enjoy and happy hunting!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

pagbati said:


> Tanstaafi, making a few trips here is a good idea. The number one issue as I see it is to establish whether or not you will actually enjoy living in the Philippines before making any decisions about moving. The best way to do that is to come here on a tourist visa, starting off with the 59 day visa and extending it accordingly whilst you are here. You don’t want to apply for the SRRV until you know that you really want to stay here. If, after a minimum three month period, you feel the Philippines is right for you, then you can consider applying for the SRRV.
> 
> When we came here, we had allocated three months to travelling around. Three months is clearly insufficient time to explore all of the Philippines and we didn’t want to be racing around just ‘ticking boxes’ of places that we’d visited. We therefore limited our search by concentrating on those areas that we had either researched online or had been recommended by others. Rightly or wrongly, we also eliminated areas that we either knew we didn’t want to live such as Manila, areas that are too touristry, locations on the east coast that suffer from Typhoons, or too far south where there are concerns re terrorism/ kidnapping.
> 
> ...


The Philippines is also constantly changing, 25 years ago I thought Dumaguete was a wonderful place, a small city, very laid back with the major facilities. Now it has grown, traffic is horrendous and to be honest it has spoilt, wouldn't live there if you paid me. Whereas were we are now 25 years ago was gravel roads, no water, no electricity or even telephone. Now we have concrete roads, water, electricity, fibre, and 15 minutes from an express way. Malls all within a reasonably short drive but still rural.


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## Tanstaafl (Oct 28, 2009)

pagbati said:


> Tanstaafi, making a few trips here is a good idea. The number one issue as I see it is to establish whether or not you will actually enjoy living in the Philippines before making any decisions about moving. The best way to do that is to come here on a tourist visa, starting off with the 59 day visa and extending it accordingly whilst you are here. You don’t want to apply for the SRRV until you know that you really want to stay here. If, after a minimum three month period, you feel the Philippines is right for you, then you can consider applying for the SRRV.





Gary D said:


> The Philippines is also constantly changing, 25 years ago I thought Dumaguete was a wonderful place, a small city, very laid back with the major facilities. Now it has grown, traffic is horrendous and to be honest it has spoilt, wouldn't live there if you paid me. Whereas were we are now 25 years ago was gravel roads, no water, no electricity or even telephone. Now we have concrete roads, water, electricity, fibre, and 15 minutes from an express way. Malls all within a reasonably short drive but still rural.


At least one trip to see how I liked the country was in my plan of action, but even with the visa extension 59 days isn't much time to get a feel for a whole country, especially one as diverse as the Philippines. Reading your replies I should plan additional time, or additional trips. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can do the flights on Zonal Employee Discount fares as I'm a retired airline employee. Unfortunately our airline was rather small so we don't have all the deals of the big boys, but there are multiple options which should get me into Manila or Cebu at a discount.

That's a good point on how the country and different cities have changed over the years In choosing where I settle down I will have to think 10 to 20 years down the road. Twenty years from now I can probably pull off the grumpy old man so I may not care at that point!

I appreciate the feedback.


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