The end of the housing in the UK and US? (is this the time to head to RP) September 30, 2008

The truth is the governments are scrambling round to rescue the markets but quite simply its all in vain. The markets were or in the UK case are still over priced. This is why i never purchased in the first place several years back when i looked at the house next to mine jumping from a value of £30,000 to £140,000 in less than 2 years you know things are out of control at the same time everyones promoting the great housing market and not meantioning repossessions were the highest baliffs had seen for a long time.

Getting back to my point.. if your in a loop maybe better to rent your home out especially if on a pension. Because quite simply the housing market is in decline. Owning a home becomes more difficult but people still need a roof over theyre head and rental is likely to increase. But if you relocate to the Philippines you have advantages with your pension. I can do a comparision based on a couple from the UK as I dont know the prices from the U.S. :-

Per Month :-                                         UK                              Philippines

                     Rent/Mortgage -          £400                              £80

                     Fuel + car expenses    £160                               £20

                     Gas / Electric              £80                                 £25 (with aircon on 24/7 and computers)

                     Food bill                      £160                              £160 (this is due to UK imports such as sauces)

                     Night out (per night)   £100                              £15 (also includes taxis and drinks)

                     Medical expenses        £0                                 £0 (you pay for what you use and no waiting!)

                     Tax related to pension £amount?                     £0 your a foreigner

                     Renting out your home £0 (if still there)          £400 income from your UK property if no

                                                                                              mortgage and not previously renting.

Other major advantages are good weather you can “choose” to have transport but the local transport is cheap and very regular. There are multicabs (which arent best for people getting a bit older due to roof heights), but there is also Aircon full sized buses and taxi cabs. Aswell as a growing community of who hopefully you would become friends with. You could also have a live in maid,nurse,driver,gardener for less than £30 a month. Most people are just happy with a roof over theyre head food in the belly and some money to send home. But you could help them with sending to college etc. to give them a future its your choice.

The thing is you have to look at what you want in life and your quality of life. For me I love the sun relaxing and being able to be with my wife. A business that would cost me maybe £500,000 in the UK plus miles of red tape will be achievable in a short period of time with a lot less capital in the Philippines. Giving me, my wife and our children a future that wouldnt be possible in the UK.

If your interested in relocating you should contact me via mattwilkie@tropicalpenpals.com and i can offer advice “for free” (you dont get that too often from people these days). But your also welcome to browse our site. I also have a lot of contact with real estate agents that are trustworthy and your welcome to ask any questions or i can help you find a home.

Businesses to avoid in the Philippines September 28, 2008

Ok youve got off a plane met a nice girl and decided to stay youve got a few thousand pounds in your back pocket and going to setup business with your girlfriend/wife.

First businesses to avoid -

1. A Bar this has to be the top failure buisness because there is little or no market for owning a bar due to the competition. Its not like a top resort area where 100s of bars are filled each night there quite simply isnt the demand of people with enough money.

2. Internet Cafes if its established and up for sale is that telling you something already? Unless you have something unique you might just be entering a money pit.

The truth is if someone local can do it they probably are or will. Generally you have to be doing something out of the financial reach of the local market.

Positive businesses

1. Good Restaurants – Foreigners aswell as filipinos love good food. Having a good restaurant in the right location could be very successful.

2. Bakery – Everyones got to eat and generally the bakery business is something thats lacking good quality you could establish yourself on this to even franchise other people with your setup.

3. Taxis and Tricycles – This is a business that can easily be operated from home. Advice get Radios fitted if possible so you know where your drivers are and at what time. Keep them under control. Downside of this is you make experience death threats etc from the local market place.

4. Exports – The Philippines is full of resources and on top of that cheap labour. Maybe you can get something made thats unique and export back to your home country. This is about as safe a business as you can get.

5. Property and real estate – The thing about the Philippines the land is versatile just like the politics so it keeps the land values low. Some of it is to do with anti ownership laws for foreigners and some because a lot of people dont want to invest but either way building a few apartments and renting them out then selling them on is an easy way to make money.

6.Food Produce – Farming is a growing market worldwide and although it seems to have stalled pretty much due to corruption and other issues in the Philippines i think a small holding can be very lucrative not only for you but by creating jobs for the people around your location.

7. Something unique, there is a lot of scope for business in the Philippines if you know something new or bring in a concept from abroad. Many ideas have quite simply not reached the Philippines yet. Partly due to the costings and also to do with the high taxes on getting things into the country. But it doesnt mean it will be a failure or impossible. If you can get the goods in you can make a good living depending on the product.

What matters most is research, ive heard many a fool buy a business and then find a partner having multiple boyfriends and stealing it from under them. The same can be said about sellers of businesses they are selling due to failure or issues with protection rackets etc. But everyone will say “owner going abroad”. Experience is also paramount, dont just think because a business is cheap you can make it a success the reason the business is cheap is because the local market has reduced incomes and the business brings in less.

Where to setup – At the moment there are prime locations appearing around where call centres are springing up. The workers have disposable incomes and businesses such as eateries and laundry companies would be ideal aswell as other types of businesss.

Dangers of business in the Philippines September 27, 2008

Truth about business in the Philippines is foreign investment lacks not only due to the corruption levels that bribes etc. are expected. But also down to the hard end of life.. kidnapping before it was mainly rich Chinese that were kidnapped but its a growing business that also pays very well. This is an extract from an article by the new york times :-

An antikidnapping group, Citizens Action Against Crime, says that since it began keeping track in 1993, 2,100 people have been abducted for ransom in the Philippines. Last year, kidnappers collected at least 211 million pesos (almost $4 million) in ransom, part of an estimated $24 million in the last decade. By Philippine standards, that is enough to support a robust industry.

The rest of the article can be read at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E3DD1339F93BA15752C0A9659C8B63 this is keeping a lot of investment away from the Philippines and even as a small business owner corruption has led to people being forced out of leased properties or being extorted for cash. Its the dark side of the Philippines and something I hope will get under control. Much of this seems to have stemmed from the Marcos years which gave a lot of power to the Police and Military which led to stamping out of such things as the kidnapping gangs but they were quickly replaced by more organised groups and some linked with the Police forces within the Philippines. It can be a dangerous game opening up shop in the Philippines but can also be a rewarding one. Only advice i can really give on this matter is take severe caution on whatever you do. A small business may stir up trouble due to you being seen as a foreigner taking away work from locals. Yet the services you provide may not even be local related. Bigger the business the bigger the risks and you could be putting your family at risk.

The way im personally looking at things is keeping a distance from any businesses im involved with, may seem a little extreme but im still learning the ropes and keeping at a safe distance to keep my family safe is paramount.

Where do guys go wrong with Filipinas? September 23, 2008

Firstly you noticed I said filipinas? Well the truth is its like saying American or British, Jewish or Irish everyone is different but many have similar traits that come from the country of birth. Too many people arrive in the Philippines and just go great this girl is beautiful i want to marry her. Thats not only wrong its pretty much stupid. You wouldnt meet a girl in a bar or in the street and get married 2 days later would you? Then dont expect to do it in the Philippines it does happen and too much. I did meet my wife in person for the first time at the end of March 2007 and we married December 7th 2007. But there are a lot of differences that people notice in us that dont match up with most couples. Before we married we had already agreed there is no divorce marriage is for life and thats exactly how we are, we base life on things for US there is no mine or yours we have a family unit. We did have family issues which are common with Filipino culture aswell as family stealing from us which is also a problem many people come across but we got through it after a lot of discussions and understanding why people are like that. Im neither bitter or annoyed at my wife as the problems were not hers people are nieve in thinking when it comes to foreigners and assume that any filipina marrying a foreigner will now be wealthy a good target for loans that wont be repaid and many other things. Advice on family is “dont get involved” I have great mother and father inlaws and couldnt ask for better but ive also got aunts I curse. Define your unit as “your wife, children and you” outside that extend if you choose so to “father/mother inlaw and your wifes siblings”. Outside of that you are likely to cause more trouble than its worth. Sending a cousin to school may ask the question when are you sending all the other cousins? Poverty was there before you got there and will be long after you go. I have still to find a solution to things that work well for everyone as quite simple we are dealing with people and no one person is the same. Getting back to a asawa (wife) spend time together take a few days out or weeks on your own in a hotel or even better try rent a place so you can learn your compatibility. Then after you do that spend time with those who will be your family its no easy solution and ive found for myself some of the smiling faces were looking to make money off me as soon as they could where others intentions are happiness and thankful that your part of the family and can see how happy your girlfriend or wife is just being around you.

Discuss things.. whats your plans? You may want to move to the Philippines where your girlfriend wants to move to your home country. Most people think your rich but you could be a factory worker from Leeds on less than £300 a week break things into context explain how expensive bills are do comparisons on fuel, rent etc. So that your partner and family understand all this to get a bigger picture it takes the pressure off your partner. Get to know each others hobbies and interests, for example me and my wife love cooking, I know my wife wants to travel and ive already done a lot of travel but im realistic I didnt offer the UK as our first destination because its expensive and difficult to get in. Goto Hong Kong, Thailand or Malaysia! all beautiful countries and very diverse. Also maybe visit other parts of the Philippines your partner is unlikely to have travelled far and maybe never even left her home island before.

Its all to do about each other if you dont understand each other then you are already begining to chip away at the foundations of marriage. Children are also a major factor as family is a big part of life in the Philippines and some of the first questions i received were to do about having children. Not sure if this is down to Kids taking responbility of parents in old age or just that people love kids. Either way if your not looking to have them you should let it be known asap as your partner will be disappointed with this for sure.

Never rush anything… there are times that you think ill do it now get this or that done or want to push things forward at a fast pace. But the truth is that if you married today you still wouldnt get an approved visa for your partner for 9months to a foreign country so enjoy the time you have together plan ahead on getting the marriage completed and make it a day to remember. We had a civil wedding but will be redoing our vows in the future once we have our home, farm and our daughter is old enough to be at the church with us. Reinstating our vows not only shows to others that our marriage is solid and we are proud to be with each other but also the fact it gives my wife the wedding shes always wanted. This gets me to a major point that to many people forget your wife is exactly that your “wife, partner for life, soulmate” and too many people treat them as second citizens why does this happen? Well for a start you will find from a lot of expats they are on marriage 2 upwards and blame the wife for being a scheming thief (which she may well be i dont know the woman) but the truth is most of the guys dont trust the woman they lay beside each night. If your similar to this then you are better off single. You can never be happy and the woman you would marry wouldnt get treated fairly. Ive had instances where other filipinas have asked my wife if i trust her with money and they were very surprised that I did. I often wonder if its to do with where guys meet these girls or the poverty background that lines a 24year old girl with a 68 year old guy. Ive nothing against this as im in neither situation to understand it fully im 34 and my wife is 29 and she would never even look at a guy older than her father.. so you need to evaluate this sort of thing for yourself but I knew if I doubted my wife then I would never have married her. Its ok to marry for love but marriage is for life and future.

Why i choose Cebu,RP over Worcester, UK September 23, 2008

Now its not until you do it you realise what all the fuss is when you hear someone who has travelled into Asia on a holiday or visiting friends came back, sold everything and headed to a new life in whichever country they visited. Everyone has theyre own reason for calling the UK a day but Thailand,Philippines,Malaysia,China or anywhere else not meantioned in Asia all seem to have similar answers. People arrive and the first thing they see can be the green lush trees or the beautiful sea and oceans..warm climate and cheap accomodation and living… landing to a country full of smiles and friendly people. But this is where things start to change country to country…So ill put my story.

Originally I went to the Philippines to meet my wife, I had lived in Hong Kong as a child and have always had a keen interest in Asia but this is the first time I was going back as an adult. I had a steady well paid job, happy being single and had came out of a recent breakup so wasnt looking for a relationship until I met April online. Then things changed. But I remember thinking on the way to the Philippines about coming to the UK or going to the Philippines. My first thoughts were if we moved to the UK how high our living costs would be and how long it would take to own a house, literally working for the Bank to pay the mortgage and by the time we got it paid too old to enjoy life. Then I thought about the Philippines wondering how cheap is cheap for living.. What job prospects are there and then i drifted off to sleep.

   As the plane descended into Cebu Airport I could see the beautiful clear waters and lush coconut trees and this is where it came from being a visitor to thinking this is my home. Got through immigration met April for the first time and the saying you know when you know is exactly what happend we knew we wanted to  be together from the moment our eyes met across the road at the Airport entrance. After spending a few days in Cebu you begin to realise that although the place is full of smog in the big cities and the main roads in rush hour as you hit the provinces life slows down. People spend time just looking after the house and things that are all gone from most western societies. Family is still a great part of life and meeting up for eating and drinking is a regular event. Sitting round a table until late at night discussing life and what it has brought over a bottle of brandy with friends. Getting the bus to shops costs 8pence the bottle of brandy can be as cheap as 75p a litre. All the doors are opened for you at malls and shops and walking around staff are waiting to serve you everywhere. The way of life is very simple and nothing is in a rush once you settle into that fact and understand that getting a car repaired means it will be ready when its ready then your set to go on filipino time and can stop worrying about things (just make sure the price is fixed!)

So how does things compare?? Well investment in the Philippines is low mainly down to security issues with anyone who is wealthy so the truth is if you want to be rich and show your bling it could get you killed in the Philippines. But if your more like me looking for a small farm to enjoy life with my wife and family then its an ideal surrounding. Poverty is a problem but you cant change it best you could do is employ a farm hand to help you or a maid you can send to school. Ive had several businesses in the UK and the red tape and health and safety has just gone mad to the point its easier to leave the country than setup a business. Why they let the country be ruled by the EU I will never know, but seems that MPs seem to be doing quite well out of it as always and being financially supported by the taxpayers a great life looks ahead for them. But for the average person with the prices spiralling out of control and unemployment about to shoot up I think I picked a perfect time to call it a day. Rent in Cebu currently costs me £30 a month yes! £30 not £300+ thats a 1 bedroom house with a small garden in a secure compound. Water bill is £0 per year because we have a deep well.. yes i did say ZERO. Electric is £12 a month and there is no council tax bill. No refuse collection is done either but generally we have little or no waste. Food bill is a bit cheaper than the UK could be a lot cheaper if we didnt eat so many imported goods. But once our vegetables are growing I know we will have a good stock of green food just some hard work. Our pigs are already starting to generate an income aswell as a good roast at Christmas. 1 Pig = enough meat for a family of 4 for a year.

So when I look at things in the UK.. My rent was £400 a month, Council tax £63 a month, £120 food bill, £400 petrol, £100 electric/gas/water. I cant see the point of being in the UK. Your working for an existance. Low quality of life and debts which spiral out of control which is why the economy is now pretty much in recession. Over £1000 a month compared to less than £200 one based on working hard for little in return the other based on working part-time for a great life. It doesnt take much to decide which i would rather be doing. Personally if your in the UK and struggling I would sell up while the housing is still highly priced and then come back if you want when it reduces and buy a house the same size for probably around 3O% less and even then you can just rent it out and live in the sun from the rental.

Choice is yours.. at the end of the day there is one life and your living it!

Ask Matt and April September 18, 2008

I often look at what links drive people to our blog and many of them i know they dont find the answers they are looking for because a lot of the searches arent related to our blog except for the fact its in the Philippines! so this is your chance to ask us direct questions. I cant always guarantee a quick response but you will get one within a few days. Leave your question here or if its something you dont want to share email mattwilke@tropicalpenpals.com

How can living in the Philippines be viable? September 18, 2008

Ive looked at a lot of projects and how they fail aswell as the ones that succeed. If you ask a lot of Retirees from the U.S. what effects them most in the Philippines its very likely to be fluctuations in the $ rate against the Peso. Truth is to really have a life (if your not of pension age!) you have to look at what is viable. Currently in the Philippines there seems to be an emergence of population growth in the cities the same can be said of china which a bit of research or common sense gives the impression that the Philippines is beginning a Economic and Industrial revolution. This is a two fold plan economically as prices increase worldwide with food produce etc. so will the economy. Industrial wise there will be a growth in the number of jobs required by workers in the cities. This creates a void in the countryside which is partly why buying out in the middle of nowhere is cheap couple with the fact no one had any money to buy there before anyway. So getting a good piece of land is possible at the right price. So how to develop it? Well these are all ideas at the moment im hoping to put into practice if any company wants to invest or donate products for testing and review please do you wont get any complaints but will get a valid and fair revue on your products. So where to start :-

Solar water heaters

 

 

 

 

 

Thing about solar heaters are they are very simple to construct. The one on the left was built from scrap the one on the right is a model that is available for sale in the Philippines direct from a store. The 12 hours of sunlight will guarantee hot water everyday but please be cautious with the hot water produced and the location of your solar heater (incase it burns someone else). Very cheap and there is very little to go wrong. Advise trying to build it so its gravity fed so you have nothing to worry about pumps or over complicating the system. There are plenty of people online sharing plans and ideas and a quick google search for “solar heaters” will produce plenty of results.

Solar Panels

 The big thing about solar panels is they are reducing in costs as the demand goes up. The ones in the Photo are only producing 40w and cost around £200 and thats in the UK. Advantages of Solar panels is things can be added in stages. For example setting up with a couple of panels and a battery bank to run your lighting suddenly you no longer have lighting running off the mains. As time goes on you can look at your Aircon, TV, laptop etc. and look at matching with units that will cover all your electric needs and reduce your costs. One of the big advantages is “brown out” because you are likely to be the only house in the area with electricity when the power is down. Unless your neighbours have noisy generators. Running costs will be minimal and there are already people either supplying or manufacturing in Manila. There is also a dealer in Makati Cebu.  If you can get your electric costs down to zero how much does that impact your life?

 

Wind Turbines

 Wind turbines are a bit expensive but the output seems to be much higher than solar panels (thats if your in an area that gets constant wind). The one shown is around £800 and outputs 400w of 12v electricity. Im hopefully going to be able to add one of these to our lot to help create enough electric for the bigger appliances in the house. But will have to take a few readings of wind before i offer up a large chunk of change as the same money spent on solar panels maybe a better option.

 

A few things you may not have thought of :-

 You are probably wondering what this is.. Well if you have cattle and struggle with termites eating your wooden picket fences etc. Or maybe moving pigs/goats etc. round your farm well this is “Striker” a solar electric fence module allowing you to create a fenced area that your cattle will feel a “buzz” once then know not to touch. The advantages are obvious and quite a long list could be given over conventional alternatives. These have been used in Canada for many years already. Its something im going to get my hands on to hopefully create a secure enviroment for my pigs and goats and in return the cattle will give me a well turned over and fertilized piece of land for producing crops. Pigs for example shouldnt stay on the same piece of land more than 2 years in a row so having a moveable fence is the best way of using our land aswell as gives pigs an outside life where possible.

Now the pictures above are an Aerator. Which this one is way to big for what i need but the picture gives you an idea of what its doing. Big problem with breedinig intensive fish is getting enough oxygen in the water lack of production can result in the fish dying in large numbers. So getting a setup thats “ideal” for the size of pond or containers your using would be a great way to produce fish and at the same time keep your running costs of electricity to Zero. This also allows you to increase your fish in pools and with things like talipia or catfish the population density doesnt bother them but the oxygen increase will likely lead to bigger fish and higher returns on your investment.

So youve covered most of your energy costs but what about vehicles? Well there is the route of Bio diesel from coconut oil or cooking oil. But one thing a lot of people havent looked at especially with farming is the fact that animals produce a lot of gas and the methane is ideal for cooking and can also be stored and used as a gas to run a vehicle. This is Gerry Barons whos bio digester can be found on :- http://www.biofuelswork.com/

The list is pretty lengthy on cutting your costs. Another one worth while is water preservation and drilling a deep well. It rains heavily in the Philippines and if you can reroute the water into butts it gives you water for washing your animals, possibly drinking water for them and also water you can use in your toilet cistern. Very simple project to do and if you think how much a toilet is used each day you can start to see it can save you money on an a monthly basis when your bill comes in. The next stage would be to drill a well at the moment its not viable for us to do it due to us being at the top of a hill. Although doesnt mean we wont! im currently looking at this project which also shows how to do the drilling aswell as providing all the components to do it yourself :- http://howtodrillawell.com/

With a deep well and adding a solar pump you can have a regular supply of water add a couple of water tanks and youve got a steady supply of water day or night costing nothing. Drinking water is always purchased seperately anyway but add a good purification system you could be supplying your neighbours too who would appreciate it more than you think.

I hope these ideas have given you a more informative view of what you can do to make your life sustainable aswell as how to reduce your costs. With the right setup you could be living on half the money you are currently spending easily. If you would like to offer advice to others or have carried out these projects yourself please let me know as its helping everyone as a community i care about more than anything. Any companies wanting to donate any equipment for trial are also very welcome.

The next topics im hoping to cover are livestock and growing your own vegetables and fruit.

Why would someone give up the UK for the Philippines? September 17, 2008

I was driving to work this morning and the day started well.. I was listening to Steven Fry regarding Political Correctness and the TV series Spooks. For those of you who dont know about it, the program is based around MI5 agents running around the country (mainly london must be the budgets!) and the fact that people are actually checking that these TV shows produced have people wearing “seat belts” and also that they dont use mobile phones in cars. As not to show or encourage bad manners… Ok thats great!! but in the same TV shows there is violence and often people are shot?? So let me get this right? Its not ok to use your mobile phone or not wear a car seatbelt which are things you may do in an emergency but shooting someone in the face is fine?? The UK has gone Political Correctness mad.

  That was the beginning of a day that steadily got worse.. problems with the contract that im working on due to my agent not confirming things before it started which has left me hundreds of pounds out of practice. Then congestion charges for that pit hole called London I hate the place ive worked there several times and its not a place I have any fondness for, nothing special to see, ignorant and impatient drivers are but a few things that make London a nightmare.. on top of that the local government where Red Ken who thank god is no longer mayor implimented lots of expensive parking and congestion charges for having a vehicle in the place i dont even want to be… Welcome to the UK!! At the end of the day im waying up if its cost me more to goto work than ive earned and if it was better to have stayed in the Philippines away from this pit of hell.. Well to finish it off just as i write this my Ex is asking for an increase in allowance for my daughter nicole.. any bolts of lightening waiting to finish my day for me?

  So why the Philippines?  Well each day i wake to sunshine and my wife busy in the kitchen and a “my love breakfasts ready”. The thought that it costs us around £100 in all our bills to live per month instead of £1000. Ok jobs are hard to find.. and to be honest ive no intention of working for someone else! But given time with our cattle we wont need to worry about extra incomes and the hop to the UK to refill the bank is always there until we have all we need then asia awaits… lots of travelling and with the UK firmly sold to Europe and dunked in the toilet with the recession i dont see wanting to return a near future plan. Ill just hop back for work and then disappear into the abyss of happiness once more. The Philippines is a very cultural country but also had a lot of effects from invasions which I believe has scarred the people. Confrontation is something that Filipinos generally avoid where possible and ive only ever heard 2 people even raise voices in the time ive been in the Philippines. But the point im getting to is the corruption is very high because the majority are ruled by the minority and has been since the Spanish invasion in the 1500s. This has resulted in the Minority population getting by and just content with the life they have and greatful for what they have while the rich get richer. This works in your favour because walk and dress is everything. Looking like a tourist your assumed to be one. Look smart and walk like you know what your doing the assumptions are you are connected with people and someone who has a lot of power over others. You will often find that looking and acting differently works well in situations especially where officials are involved. The Philippines is what you make it. There are a lot of negative posts put around the net but the truth is there is a lot of successful expats there too. Difference is if your successful why tell someone else? If you fail you tell everyone how bad things are right?? blaming the corruption for downfalls, workers not working properly or stealing.. truth is thats the world!! Difference with corruption is you can make it work for you. EU red tape costs a fortune in the UK just to get trading.. then the huge business rates and rentals your struggling before you even get a chance. The Philippines on the other hand its all to do with getting connected and knowing what your doing.  A lot of the problem is people really dont know business and think ill just employ people to do it for me. But the majority of the time that doesnt work anywhere in the world.

Are you a sex tourist? September 9, 2008

The truth is in western perseption you are likely to find more people find you with more similarities to Paul Gadd on the left for those of you who dont know who he is here is his story http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4581491.ece

The truth is views are very narrow on men leaving Western shores for new lifes or holidays in Asia especially Philippines and Thailand driven partly by such high profile court cases such as on Paul Gadd, other reasons such as the male order bride trade of  the 80s (Introduction agencies are illegal in the Philippines and have been since 1990). The ex wifes are disgusted with a lot of men which are in the 50+ bracket have left the U.S. / UK and other european countries to find a happy life for the rest of theyre life. Thinking they are dirty old perverts for taking a new young bride who is nothing but a trophy to show off to friends.

So what is the truth??

Well from the time ive spent in the Philippines myself ive noticed there is a wide range of reasons for the people that are there. I have yet to meet anyone who i would brand as a paedophile only thing ive seen foreign men doing is giving kids money and food to the starving beggers in the streets. The sex industry is a thriving market which does still exist and ive visited a Bikini bar with friends for a beer after a nightout, although all my friends are in relationships and do not engage in any of the sexual services truth for them going there is the late bar and cheapest beer in the city. But it did give me time to talk with the girls that work there and generally they are all there paying for family education or survival. But wait.. doesnt this happen in any major city? Isnt Soho famous for its sex industry? What about red light districts of Amsterdam?? Truth is its an industry that is everywhere. What damaged a lot of Asia was the GIs visiting for R&R from things like the Vietnam war which turned it into a boom industry. I like most other men i know in the Philippines arent interested in Bar girl sex. Although personally i dont hold a grudge for people carrying out this work because if your alternatives are letting your kids die from starvation or selling yourself as there are few alternatives even for skilled labour. We are talking third world or developing nations whichever is politically correct today.

 So if the sex industry is out why do people go there? Well recently ive found that the majority of men are escaping western women. Not from obligation but quite simply theyve had enough of the feminist views that now plague society. Equality no longer exists, many of the expats i know are divorced had to hand over the house, settle court cases and lost nearly everything theyve spent 20 – 30 years doing theyve come out emotionally scarred beaten by a system thats anti man as regardless of consequence its always seen that the woman is the victim in most cases. Match that with the fact obligations can tie you to the hip to be unable to start again because you have children from a previous marriage which if you dont pay up every month you could find yourself in jail or compulsary payments taken from your pay cheque before you get paid. Which seems to be more and more men jumping off the planet opting for countries and people that want them there.  The longer discussion can be seen here and i welcome comments :-

http://www.tropicalpenpals.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=85&p=242#p242

The men like me are tired of being stripped of rights not only from the feminist arguement but the average male in Asia seeking a life partner is White aged 30+ which have made them the most singled out group of people on the planet in the majority of home countries and are tired of it. Deciding to up roots and leave for a better free life.

So whats in it for the couple? Well from the mans point of view he gains a loving wife who will take care of him similar to women in the 50s where the woman takes responsibility of the house and the husband takes responsibility of taking care of the financial side of life. The wife will gain respect within her community after gaining a “rich” husband (which often isnt a good thing). The man has a wife thats beautiful,happy and content and willing to spend her life with him for the rest of theyre lives. Often the woman has children from a previous partner who may have died or ran at the first sign of pregnancy. She has struggled for many years and given up on the men of her home country.

Do i regard myself as a sex tourist? Quite simply no.. nothing of the sort and im neither from the “mail order brides”. Im simply a guy who met a beautiful woman and we hit it off im not a middle aged guy, im 34 and part of a growing number of males in the 20s – 40s bracket who are going further a field for work or adventure I wasnt looking for a wife and infact wasnt even interested in a girlfriend at the time we met i was dealing with a breakup.. But one thing i found is that my wife shares most of the same hobbies and interests that i have and those she doesnt shes happy to experience. Something the average western women would never think of doing. We live a life together not a shared house and opposite lives which is the western picture of life. Having children isnt thrown to the wind to allow my wife liberty and freedom as promoted by feminists in the UK. But im happy for my wife to do what she wants she is my equal.

Equality :- this is the other side of the coin that is touted.. the man has choosen a Filipina or Thai wife because he can control her and dominate over her. Well ive got some news for you its nothing like that. I do know of a “few” people like that but it exactly that ”A FEW” and its frowned upon within the Expat community. My wife isnt materialistic and actually feels guilty if overspending on basic essentials unlike the old days when i used to find a pile of bills for things my ex had purchased and i was the lucky guy having to pay them off for her. April looks after me better than any western wife would ever do and i look after April just as much. You also find in a relationship like we have you have more time for the simple things in life and are more in tune with each other because you actually care. I dont regard April as a trophy wife because she isnt, she is my Wife, best friend and soul mate and i no longer know how i got through the day without her. A woman that puts a smile on my face each day and i cant wait to get home to see. On top of that she loves me for who i am and respects and appreciates everything i do. I dont think we should be called sex tourists for finding a life that most men dream of. You can call it what you want though because at the end of the day we are happy. We dont suffer with stress, we come home to beautiful wifes who want to be with us and enjoy the time we have together. IF your thinking we are wrong about our lives take a close look at your own and judge who has a life thats fairer, happier and full of love.

Your are welcome to debate on our forums at www.tropicalpenpals.com/forum

The Truth and Myths of Asian women September 8, 2008

There are myths that there is 5 females to 1 male in the Philippines is wrong. There is a decline in Males above 40 but generally the male and female population is pretty even up until then.

Asian women are generally after foreigners for money…    Truth is this is a mixed question if you asked me what the average western woman wanted it would be this! Asian women are realistic and used to a harder life than most. A life where they are from countries that is male dominated and before people think im all negative about male domination im not getting involved in this debate. The point is women in Asia are generally treated as second to males. The males are also spoilt as children and many of the problems of why women seek foreign males can stem from here. Often you will find asian men dont take responsibility of theyre children, they often have mistresses or in a lot of cases just run at the first signs of pregnancy (for those unmarried). So what does a catholic unmarried mother do in a country that promotes the woman as the keeper of the family with virginity before marriage who is then likely to find a filipino husband? Or a woman who has had nothing but problems with boyfriends that play the field and drink too much? Often the women are keeping the family in money by work and the guys either work and spend theyre own money or not working and taking money from his wife/girlfriend. Well eventually they give up on them either via bad life or heartbroken and begin seeking the “foreign man” who sits on a pedestal in the countries as someone who will love an care for them aswell as offering a life that would be impossible to reach in any other way.

The myths of the foreigners.. they arent all guys that will take care of a woman, they dont all treat women fairly and as equals. But the majority do. One of the greatest myths is they are for sure not all wealthy but in Thailand, China or the Philippines they are. But the problem is when the dream gets broken moving to the UK or US when life isnt so paved with gold. Finding a nurse demoted to a caregiver/home help or a domestic cleaner not saying this is like it for everyone but i would advise anyone marrying a foreigner to take a look at the film “Caregiver” which is in Tagalog it shows the real grim reality of living in London UK.

So where does the wealthy ideal come from? Well if you look at school friends that have mixed wealth in a Thai village or in the Philippines. Everyone lives very similar lives. But when a woman marrys a foreigner they often build a huge house with pool etc. Stuff that wouldnt be the normal standard of living but the cost is minimal from a western budget. Something that really blots the landscape as a symbol of wealth. Friends realise the girl that married the foreigner moved from struggling to get by in life to a life they can only dream of with a lottery ticket. But technolegy has changed to the point in Thailand there are internet writers who do the emails for women that dont even speak english or have used a computer. In the Philippines there are internet cafes everywhere. The dream is becoming a reality for more women each year.