English
We have been living in the Philippines for three months now and are still loving it.
After initial difficulties, we finally even managed to open an account with a Philippine bank (the RCBC with a convenient online banking app and very friendly staff).
We have experienced far too much and there is still far too much to do to report on everything in detail, but I would still like to give you some impressions of our everyday life:
Deutsch
Mittlerweile leben wir seit drei Monaten auf den Philippinen und es gefällt uns immer noch sehr gut.
Nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten gelang es uns nun sogar endlich, ein Konto bei einer philippinischen Bank (der RCBC mit komfortabler Online-Banking-App und sehr freundlichen Mitarbeitern) zu eröffnen.
Wir haben viel zu viel erlebt, und es gibt viel zu viel zu tun, um über alles detailliert zu berichten, aber einige Eindrücke aus unserem Alltag möchte ich euch dennoch nicht vorenthalten:
| After initially renting a condo, we have since bought our own apartment in the exact same area. | Nachdem wir zunächst ein Condo gemietet hatten, haben wir mittlerweile in genau demselben Areal eine eigene Wohnung erworben. |
|
Now that the use of cash and cryptocurrencies is being pushed back further and further within the EU, it's nice to be able to pay in cash in the Philippines - like the reservation fee for our condo here - without any problems. In case I should decide to buy another apartment, the Don Tim Development Corporation even offered me the option of paying for it with cryptocurrencies. |
Nachdem in der EU die Nutzung von Bargeld und Kryptowährungen immer weiter zurückgedrängt wird, ist es angenehm, auf den Philippinen - so wie hier die Reservierungsgebühr für unser Condo - weiterhin problemlos bar bezahlen zu können. Sollte ich ein weiteres Appartment kaufen wollen, bot mir die Firma Don Tim Development Corporation gar an, es mit Kryptowährungen bezahlen zu können. |
|
Some time ago, we had to travel to Makati a second time to pick up our completed SRRV (Special Resident Retiree's Visa). The skyscrapers there are always impressive! |
Vor einiger Zeit mussten wir ein zweites Mal nach Makati reisen, um unser fertiggestelltes SRRV (Special Resident Retiree’s Visa) abzuholen. Die dortigen Wolkenkratzer sind immer wieder beeindruckend! |
| The mighty entrance hall of one of these huge buildings. | Die mächtige Eingangshalle eines dieser riesigen Gebäude. |
| Time for a little energy boost. | Jetzt erstmal eine kleine Stärkung. |
| Manila from above. | Manila von oben. |
| In my opinion, an impressive picture despite the reflective panes. | Trotz der spiegelnden Scheiben m. E. ein eindrucksvolles Bild. |
| Here you can finally see me, too. :-) | Hier könnt ihr endlich auch mal mich sehen. :-) |
| Back in rural Tagaytay, the area suddenly looks completely different again; a difference like night and day. Here a pineapple field. | Zurück im ländlichen Tagaytay sieht die Gegend plötzlich wieder völlig anders aus; ein Unterschied wie Tag und Nacht. Hier ein Ananasfeld. |
| Such tricycles are one of the most common means of transportation in the Philippines. | Solche Dreiräder gehören auf den Philippinen zu häufigsten Verkehrsmitteln. |
| Cows crossing the road at a leisurely pace are not uncommon here on roads with little traffic. | Gemächlich die Straße überquerende Kühe sind auf solchen wenig befahrenen Straßen keine Seltenheit. |
| Opposite to the cows, wild boars are much shyer and more difficult to observe. | Wildschweine sind da doch deutlich scheuer und schwieriger zu beobachten. |
| This small park in front of a supermarket is a popular meeting place for young people. | Dieser kleine Park vor einem Supermarkt dient Jugendlichen als beliebter Treffpunkt. |
| The Hotel Via Appia's restaurant offers delicious food at reasonable prices. | Das Restaurant des Hotels Via Appia bietet leckeres Essen zu günstigen Preisen. |
| Back in our residential complex, we enjoy smaller and ... | Zurück in unserer Wohnanlage erfreuen wir uns kleinerer und ... |
| ... larger water surfaces. | ... größerer Wasserflächen. |
| This swimmingpool, where my daughter learned how to swim, is only a five-minute walk away from our new condo. | Dieses Schwimmbad, in dem meine Tochter schwimmen lernte, befindet sich nur fünf 'Fußminuten' von unserem neuen Condo entfernt. |
| The following pictures may give you an impression of the relaxed atmosphere of our current residential area. | Die folgenden Bilder mögen einen Eindruck der entspannten Atmosphäre unserer jetzigen Wohngegend vermitteln. |
| Last but not least, I would like to mention that a chess club, the small but excellent "En Passant Cafe", where you can also drink really good coffee and various delicious dishes, is not far from where we live. So in case you are worried that you wouldn't be able to play chess if you consider to emulate us and emigrate to Tagaytay, just don't worry. :) | Zu guter Letzt möchte ich erwähnen, dass auch ein Schachclub, das kleine, aber feine "En Passant Cafe", in dem wirklich guter Kaffee sowie verschiedene leckere Gerichte angeboten werden, nicht weit von unserem Wohnort entfernt ist. Wer also befürchtet, kein Schach mehr spielen zu können, sollte er uns nacheifern und nach Tagaytay auswandern, braucht sich diesbezüglich keinen Sorgen zu machen. :) |
Da habt ihr euch ein schönes Fleckchen Erde ausgesucht 🙂 ich wünsche gutes Einleben dort und dass eure Träume in Erfüllung gehen
Das ist sehr nett - vielen lieben Dank! :)
Oh! Wow! Such exciting news and wonderful photos reflecting the difference between Manila and the countryside.
Manila is very impressive and modern.
The surroundings of your new condo is just wonderfully green and close to nature. Cows on the empty roads and cats crossing the road. Beware of wild boars! They look very big and strong.
You have the best of both worlds! A big swimming pool and a shopping center, including a coffee shop with chess players!!
Good life with good food and beautiful nature!
Are you very far from the seaside?!
Nice to read that you like the post! :)
Not very far. It should last a little more than one hour to drive from Tagaytay to Batangas.
Also the Taal Lake (where we will go tomorrow) is very near.
Nachdem ich verfolgen konnte, in welche Höhen das Quecksilber im Thermometer in eurer Region steigen kann, habe ich mich dann doch dazu entschlossen, das mit der Umsiedlung in den Westpazifik auf die lange Bank zu schieben. Wenn schon Sauna, dann eine, hinter der ich die Tür verschließen kann. 😰😉
Da du jedoch deine "Lebenszeichen" regelmäßig mit fotografischen Einblicken bestückst, hat mein Hinterkopfkino stets genügend Material, einen abendfüllenden Film zu kreieren. 😎
Hm, ja, es ist schon ziemlich heiß auf den Philippinen, aber in Tagaytay ist es verhältnismäßig 'kühl' (verglichen mit anderen Städten des Landes).
Ich wollte bei einem früheren deiner Beiträge schon mal schreiben, dass es in eurer Wahlheimat aufgrund der Höhenlage von ca. 630 m gemäß der Faustregel von 1° weniger pro 150 hm etwa 4° kühler sein müsste als auf Meereshöhe und damit für Europäer deutlich angenehmer.
Ich war im nur weniger südlich, aber beinahe auf Meereshöhe liegenden Bangkok, da ist die schwüle tropische Hitze schon heftig, vor allem weil es nachts nur wenig abkühlt. Bangkok hält übrigens den Rekord als heißeste Metropole der Welt mit 28,5° C Durchschnittstemperatur.
!PIZZA !BEER
Wow! I remember that some time ago, you were considering moving to Costa Rica but the Philippines must be a great option too! I guess literally everything feels totally different over there than in Germany :) Oh man, I miss living in the tropics... How far are you from the closest beach?
@tipu curate
That means that since quite a while you didn't check my blog. :)
Costa Rica is also a very nice country, but finally we decided to got for Asia instead.
Not very far. It should last a little more than one hour to drive from Tagaytay to Batangas.
Also the Taal Lake (where we were today) is very near.
You are right, I didn´t. I´m sorry. A lot has changed since the arrival of our baby girl and my Hive time has dwindled to a tiny fraction of what it was before when I was doing this fulltime...
So not a walking distance from the sea but still easily reachable by car, awesome! I wish you guys a very happy and relaxed life in your new little private tropical paradise :)
Congrats! :)
Actually, I prefer to live at a little bit higher and thus cooler place instead of directly on the beach. I like beaches from time to time, but I am not there as a tourist: I plan to live in the Philippines permanently which means I had to find a good compromise of enough nature on the one hand, but also safety and available infrastructure like hospitals and banks on the other hand.
Totally hear you, we were dealing with the same dilemmas too when we lived as nomads :)
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 0/60) Liquid rewards.
Oh, what a beautiful stay you got here in the Philippines. Makati, I love everything there. I was able to visit this place 15 years ago, and the more it becomes amazing.
Tagaytay, I've never visited this famous place and thank you for sharing your experience there. The place is truly peaceful and so cool to look at.
Hope you can visit Cebu too. I'm pretty excited about this😍.
Yes, Makati is very modern and also clean (I wrote another post about that amazing city here).
Tagaytay is a very special and nice place to stay!
If we ever visit Cebu, we will let you now! :)
Greetings @jaki01 ,
Enjoyed hearing how everything is coming together....lovely photographs.. appreciate seeing the family...Thank you for giving us an update.
And yes....Chess!
Kind Regards to you and your good lady,
Bleujay
Cheers!
Thank you as always, my friend! :)
Glad you and your family found comfortable place to living (at least now)
Both the city and the country side are awesome 😊
The traditional transportation similar in my city.
Can’t wait if we can meet in the second opportunity 😊
I hope you are fine, nice to read you! :)
I am sure that sooner or later our way will also lead us to Indonesia again!
Welcome to the Philippines bro. I am glad that you and your family love our humble country. I hope that you will have a happy and memorable stay in the Philippines. Viel glück 🤩 !PGM
Thanks for the warm welcome!
You know, our plan actually is to stay and live permanently in the Philippines.
I will try to share my experiences here from time to time.
Welcome to the Philippines! It's nice in Tagaytay to escape the hot weather of Metro Manila. I hope you and your beatiful family enjoy your stay here 😀
Thank you too, for your welcoming us!
And yes, Tagaytay is a very special and nice place to live.
Ooh wow
I love that chess club restaurant. Imagine a very good chess player going there to play the game
It will be nice
Love all the pictures and thanks for the informations!
In every chess club I enter, there is at least one very good chess player ... if you know what I mean ... :-)))
Nice to read that!
Tolle Eindrücke! 🙂 👍
Hast du auch schon das ein oder andere Schachturnier mitgespielt?
Ja, das ein und nicht andere. :)
Ich habe es sogar tatsächlich gewonnen, vermutlich unter anderem auch deshalb, weil sie ziemlich verblüfft ob der Tatsache gewesen sein dürften, dass irgend so ein "Mr. Unbekannt" einfach so in den Schachclub hineinspaziert und sie schlägt. :)
Einige der dortigen Spieler sind ziemlich gut (dort spielt untere anderem ein "Internet-IM"), so dass es wohl nicht zur Selbstverständlichkeit werden dürfte, dort alle zukünftigen Turniere zu gewinnen.
Wow big move! 😍
Oh yes ... changing continents. :)
Good luck, you guys 😊 Enjoy The Philippines. My brother in law traveled there a couple of months back. He loved it. I read you bought the apartment. Are foreigners allowed to have property there? Or is it the same system as in Indonesia, renting for 30 years?
I am allowed to buy appartments (condos), and even a house, but then not the land on which it stands. As the second option didn't seem good to us, we chose the first one.
Yep. Thats the same as in Indonesia and Thailand 😊
That is nice, it looks the condo have good view and environment and interested moment when there are cow family crossed the street. God bless you all ❤🙏😊🌹🌷
Thank you! And yes, the view from our condo is just fantastic, especially from the sleeping room above.
Congratulations on getting your new home. I wish we could pay for condo with cryptos here
Is it not allowed in Singapore?
I've not heard of any developers taking cryptos as payment
Very beautiful photos with a very friendly looking environment, shots from under tall buildings look really impressive
Nice to read that you like my post! :)
You speak Deutsch, this means that you are from Germany, right? What is the key difference that you see between the Philippians and Germany? What are the things you actually really like from the two?
I am originally from Germany, yes ...
There are many differences, some small things, some bigger ones.
To name just a few:
Of course weather/climate are completely different. In the Philippines I can go outside the whole year, and even at nights without freezing (while Tagaytay is also not extremely hot).
In the Philippines some processes are slower (be it in an office, a bank or when shopping), and not always everything is so accurate (for example they printed the name of my wife wrong on her TIN, and the address on my SRRV), but on the plus side people are more relaxed, not (as quite often in Germany) so stressed and thus unfriendly, and take their time for some nice chitchat.
In general people are very friendly in the Philippines (especially towards children).
For me as 'crypto guy' the (crypto) tax situation in the Philippines is much less complicated and more pragmatic - a huge plus.
In addition I noticed that even if there is also quite some bureaucracy to be done in the Philippines at least they try to find solution so that businesses can be done (for example I have been offered to buy a condo with crypto which would be impossible in Germany).
Of course altogether the costs of living (health insurance(!), public transportation) are lower in the Philippines (which are, however, not as low as some people might think).
I like that there is the option but not the duty to send one's children to school in the Philippines (homeschooling is - opposite to Germany - possible)!
People in the Philippines seem to be more open to new things, for example technologies, than in Germany, which could be also due to their lower average age.
Even if unfortunately pollution and littering are also increasing a lot in Germany, in the Philippines that's even worse (sooo many plastic bottles and other waste along the streets and in the water). The Philippines are a real paradise, so in my opinion people should try to take more care to maintain the beauty of their country. Maybe in school teachers should talk more about that topic?
Last but not least a small thing: I like that Filipinos are using water tubes instead of toilet paper in their bathrooms which is in my opinion cleaner and more efficient. :)
I think for you, and especially your wife, this was one of the most compelling reasons for the move: freedom to raise your child as you see fit. Of all your investments, she is obviously you most important 🌺
It's a great post, fascinating. Before you started blogging about the Philippines I had a lot of misconceptions about life there.
In a changing world, you seem to be highly adaptable. Your responses to comments are almost as enlightening as the post itself. Wishing you continued good fortune and positive experiences in your new home.
!LUV
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@mundharmonika(2/5) tipped @jaki01
@indextrader24 denkt du hast ein Vote durch @investinthefutur verdient!
@indextrader24 thinks you have earned a vote of @investinthefutur !
View or trade
BEER.Hey @jaki01, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @indextrader24 for you. Enjoy it!Do you want to win SOME BEER together with your friends and draw the
BEERKING.@janasilver denkt du hast ein Vote durch @investinthefutur verdient!
@janasilver thinks you have earned a vote of @investinthefutur !
It's great that you and your family have found a comfortable and relaxing place to live. Good choice, @jaki01! It's wonderful to see the beauty of nature in your photos. big attractive buildings of Makati town. Some things remind me of India, such as the friendly atmosphere and typical like cows and plastic. Wishing you all the best. sorry I had seen this post late. Enjoy the peaceful natural beauty of the Philippines with your family. :)
!BEER
!invest_vote !LUV !PIZZA !wine !WITZ !LOLZ !Hugh
!invest_vote !LUV !PIZZA !wine !WITZ !LOLZ !Hugh