I can't see this but anyone who chooses Phil is just choosing lifestyle/WGF. That's fine, just be honest about it.
edit - I see it now lol
What is WGF? Women and girls first?
Yeah, only reason I bring up Phils is because Southeast Asia is very close to my heart having spent 7 years there, and when I was in Phils, at 30ish years old, I was passively making more money online than ever before.
I was living what I considered the dream for myself. I really thought it was all going to work out, and I feel cheated because not long after my Philippines excursion began, covid hit and threw a major curve ball into my plans. I lost all my clients and then I was stuck with a dystopian lockdown.
When I arrived in Philippines, I absolutely loved it. It was my favorite country in Southeast Asia and that is after having lived in ALL of them for 3-6 months minimum. I will admit that some places suck really bad there, but I was determined to keep trying cities and towns until I found the place I liked the most, which ended up being a very rural island town, not a big city.
Most of the things people complain about from there, I just find it funny or it doesn't bother me. I just know how to make the best of it after being there so long. In my opinion the pros outweigh the cons. I totally understand how some people don't vibe with their culture. I absolutely get it. So no need to harp on that.
Basically all the things people love about Thailand, I felt like Philippines was that for me, except it was just an upgrade of Thailand. English-speaking, Christian, better women, cheaper etc. Keep in mind I isolated myself on a teeny tiny traditional island and lived like a local. I also have the same complaints as others about the big cities, as I would pretty much anywhere really.
Filipino big cities are truly terrible. Somewhere like Indonesia has an even worse contrast. Bali is a lovely place, but go to Jakarta. It's hell. But if you go to somewhere Thailand, Bangkok is still a really cool major big city.
Let's look at one example of a negative we hear about the Philippines. Many say Filipino food is awful, but traditional Filipino islander food is actually quite healthy and good. Seafood soups, broiled/grilled fish, unique egg dishes, fresh/raw seaweed salad, steamed greens, rice, exotic fruit and veg. Things like this. Compare that with the creepy Jollibee-style spots in Manila and other bigger cities, yeah, of course the food scene sucks if that's the standard. And that creepy Jollibee crap all started from the Great Satan of USA spreading the fast food industry virus there years ago.
The ladies were the most feminine, caring, and beautiful I'd ever witnessed, personally. I really felt like I had struck gold there. It was easier than anywhere for me to pull, and then attention I got was unlike anywhere else. It was palpable. My girlfriend at the time, who I had met online while in Phils, was the only thing that made it worth the covid clown show. The issue now for me is I have this mantra going of "how on earth will you ever top that?" 21 year old Filipina virgin dimepiece that treats me like a king. We were both nature lovers and spent a lot of time outdoors. No drama. It was just bliss.
I had asked her to leave with me, and to my surprise she said no. She didn't want to leave her tiny island town. She wanted to stay with her family and friends there. So despite the opportunity to 'escape to the big and better life in America', she declined. She wanted a simple life. She didn't have materialistic dreams or disgruntled complaints about her living standards. She has a great attitude about life.
I think it's important to note here that the advantage in Philippines is for white American men. Their culture is somewhat Americanized due to former colonization. If you are a troglodyte like no neck Ed above, then yeah, you are most likely going to get a gold digging hooker type. If you are relatively young and good looking, in good shape, not a weirdo, know the ropes of Southeast Asia, AND you have more money than Ed, you have a better chance of striking gold. And I say this based on knowing many personally who have done and are doing exactly that, and I did it many times myself, it's just that I was too much of a drunk monging idiot at the time to make anything last.
Please don't take this the wrong way guys, but I have a lot of experience with women, a lot that I'm not proud of so I'm not advocating that anyone replicate my sins, but super high body count/girlfriend count has at least taught me what I like and don't like. Nothing comes close to Filipinas in my experience. And I understand this also depends on our personality. I'm not saying this is going to be the same for everyone. I'm not just talking about intimate things. I mean the way that they treat you. They respect their man. They are extremely tender, affectionate, hospitable, etc.
I guess my whole thing with Philippines is, if you can hack living like a local in a rural island town, I think it can be incredible place. But you have to really love that kind of lifestyle, as I did. You have to love riding a scooter shirtless, wearing flip flops, snorkeling, chilling at the beach, fishing, nature activities, etc. You have to be comfortable having little to no access to western amenities, shopping malls, wifi and phone signals, etc etc. I'd also say you have to just not be a pu**y about stuff, like Ed above.
Now I'm making more money than I've ever made in my life. Peak SMV. But I'm living in the USA, which very much does not vibe with my personality, and the cons outweigh the pros.
I'm just watching the clock tick until it's time for me to grow my neck out, become a troll, put mayonaise in my hair, and find a girl in the Philippines that will let me take cold scoop showers with her and her dad.
But this time around, I need a small Orthodox church community, marriage with a wife and kids, a house, and to settle down there. Maybe it could work. I might have to give it another shot.
I think an example of a good girl is a Filipina elementary school teacher, childcare worker, or someone akin to this. That way she can be a key asset for homeschooling my kids.
America just ain't it. Just gotta figure out what my financial expat lean fire number is before I leave it forever.