whyretiretothephilippines.com
Why Retire to the Philippines
Why, you say?
Because everything we need for our retirement is over there!
• the cost of living is amazingly affordable
• the climate is mild (not too hot/not too cold)
• living is “safe and secure” (like anywhere in the world)
• the people speak English, no need to learn a new language
• people are friendly, hospitable, warm and somewhat “Westernized”
• majority of the people are, so there are no dietary laws to observe
• the country is lovely and the night life in the city is alive
• so many more other reasons!This little country seems to be the best place for retirement!
THE VISAYAS ISLANDS
Map of the Philippines showing Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
https:// wikipilipinas.org
Map of the Islands that Make Up the Visayas
https://bestphilippinesislands.com
The Visayas or Visayan Islands, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. The peoples of the Visaya Islands are known as the Visayans.
The major islands of the Visayas are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. The region may also include the islands of Romblon and Masbate, whose population identify as Visayan.
The main language in the region is today the Visaya continuum, which contains several different languages sometimes identified as dialects of the same language. Tagalog is widely known but seldom used. A paper published in 1997 wrote, “English is the language of power and progress. In the Philippines, it is highly valued not only because it is functional and practical and washes over us constantly, but more importantly, because it is an affordable item, a skill that can be used to increase one’s position, respectability and marketability. In most cases, the better one’s ability to understand and use English, the better one’s chances of career advancement.” A later paper, undated but citing references dated 2004, said “The DTI and the Board of Investments (BOI) claim that the country is the third largest English-speaking country in the world, with an estimated 72% of its population fluent in American English.”
It is again good to know, that people from the Visayas speak English. That means we can easily communicate with them, and we don’t need to learn a foreign language when we move to the Philippines for our retirement.
For the information of everyone, this is the island where we will find one of their most famous cities (Cebu City) and this is where their famous beaches (Boracay among others) are located. So stick with us as we check the place out for a possible place for retirement for us!
BORACAY
http://boracayhouseforrent.com/portfolio/boracay-beach-2/
The Visayas provinces are divided into 3 groups:
WESTERN VISAYAS – Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental
CENTRAL VISAYAS – Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor
EASTERN VISAYAS – Northern Samar, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte
We will check each province one by one for everyone’s benefit. This way we can really choose the best place for our retirement. I am planning to choose our place here online, and then, flying over to that chosen place for a couple of weeks just to get the feel of it. I am also suggesting that we try to rent for a while before we decide to buy – or build – our own house. This is getting so exciting!
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