Leaving the West

[Timn8ter]

Some may find it ironic then that it was an American woman who spent me into bankruptcy and a Filipina that has been frugal and wise.

[barramac]

Originally Posted by Union Jack

Not such a problem for me....my wife earns more then I do, and guess what, she was honest enough to tell me.

always nice, saves rows about shopping.
not sure of your situation (i.e. u in the uk or dumaguete or if your wife is a philippino).
but how does her income translate in familial financial responsibility and her perception of wider charity in the philippines

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Timn8ter

Over the years I’ve become, what you may call, cynical towards life in the Empire of Consumption (meaning the U.S.). I want out of the corporate life and the excessive pressure of bigger, better, faster, now.
I understand these things still exist in the Philippines but to a much lesser degree than here.

Do I think the Philippines is some type of idyllic paradise? No, not at all. Do I believe I can have a better life there than I have here? In many respects, yes, I do.
I’ve done a fair amount of research including the history and customs of the islands. I’ve spent a fair amount of time during my visits living in the province, sleeping on the floor, eating the local fare, riding in buses and tricycles, and “hanging out” with the locals. I’ve also had the pleasure of waiting on the local government to “take care of business” and engaging with (meaning bribing) the local constabulary, pollution, crazy drivers, beggars, storms, criminals, greedy politicians, heat, humidity, snakes, cockroaches, fire ants, mosquitoes.................

At this point I think I’ve eliminated all the silly, unrealistic perceptions of “life in paradise” and have a pretty clear idea of what our life will be.

Here’s the basic plan:
Sell everything except the clothes on our backs and some basic “necessities”.
Spend some time in Manila getting situated and perhaps take a trip to Europe.
Transfer to the Visayas (right now Bohol is getting the nod but we’ll see).
Go scuba diving and sailing.
Spend a lot of time exploring and looking for some land to build a house on.
Our goal is to live as self-sufficiently as possible with a minimal impact on the environment. This includes:
1. A water well and filter system.
2. Solar panels for electricity backed up with a diesel generator.
3. A house plan maximizing passive cooling techniques. No artificial air-con.
4. A small vegetable garden utilizing composted material for fertilizer.
5. Waterless (composting) toilets. No septic tank.
6. Making bio-diesel to power the vehicle and generator.

The house will not be a large "Western" style home or have a swimming pool, maid's quarters or other unessential luxuries. Freedom includes being free from excessive material attachments as well.

I’ve posted a couple of times what I believe to be correctly estimated monthly living expenses based on input from others and what I’ve experienced on my extended visits. In total I would expect to pay around US$500 a month for “necessities” such as food, utilities, fuel, etc., plus dining out, telephone and Internet. I’m doubling that to account for play money and anticipated (but temporary) rent expense. I expect the amount for necessities to decrease due to not having to pay rent or for water and electricity but for estimation purposes and having a “cushion” I’m leaving the numbers as is. Added to this budget is an annual adjustment for inflation and potential medical expenses that may arise. I am not planning on any income from a job or business in the Philippines. An opportunity may come along but that’s not part of the plan.

There are some who would question our decision to buy land and build a house. I can understand their viewpoint; rent is cheap, you can pack up and move any time you like and you minimize your interaction with the local government. It’s a valid argument.
1. We don’t want the interference of a landlord. If we want to plant a garden, raise chickens and/or goats or brew bio-diesel then we can choose to do so.
2. This will be our permanent residence for at least as long as I’m alive. When I’m gone everything transfers to my wife and she can do with it as she pleases.
3. If the world really does go, as the expression is, “to hell in a hand basket” we stand a good chance of surviving. I’m not an “end of the world” preacher or “survivalist” but it is worth thinking about a little bit.
4. We enjoy socializing but sometimes you need some space of your own. Therefore, we prefer to be away from the very densely populated areas. This will require a somewhat large piece of land to accomplish.

I hope this information is helpful to someone. I would encourage all those that are thinking of moving to the Philippines to take a lot of time to be sure of what you’re doing and be very honest with yourself. It’s easy to fall under the spell of what seems like life in paradise. While there are a lot of positive things there are some serious negatives as well. Be prepared to drop your Western expectations and adapt to your new homeland while always remembering you’re in someone else’s country.
I would also like to encourage everyone, regardless where you live, to examine your lifestyle and its impact on our world then make some positive changes.
Mabuhay!

Hi Timn8ter
"to live as Self-Sufficiently as possible with a minimal impact on the environment, the use of Solar panels for electricity backed up with a diesel generator" ...Why not explore the use of Geothermal Energy as backup for your solar panel in that way you will totally eliminate the oil dependency. I heard somebody tried it in the West and the result was great meaning excess energy that they have to sell it to the Power Utility Provider. The start up cost was high but in the long run will payout fast and will help solve
the Electricity crises plus help the environment.

[Timn8ter]

Originally Posted by Gene

Hi Timn8ter
"to live as Self-Sufficiently as possible with a minimal impact on the environment, the use of Solar panels for electricity backed up with a diesel generator" ...Why not explore the use of Geothermal Energy as backup for your solar panel in that way you will totally eliminate the oil dependency. I heard somebody tried it in the West and the result was great meaning excess energy that they have to sell it to the Power Utility Provider. The start up cost was high but in the long run will payout fast and will help solve
the Electricity crises plus help the environment.

That's an intriguing thought. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[TheDude]

Nice, I am looking to do much the same. Toss all my crap. Stuff a medium sized backpack (carry on) with the things I think I will need and hop a flight. Going to find a studio in Dumaguete, work out of my laptop (work for various clients in Europe) and travel Asia. I'm 30 though and hopefully leaving this month.

[tubigboy]

Timn8ter, Interesting, very interesting indeeeeeed! I would suggest a couple of power inverters and a bank of batteries. You can use the solar energy or the generator to recharge your batteries. You take the power inverter (basically steps down the power from the battery for 220 or 110) and attach it to the battery (marine batteries are the best) and you can run most of your house on just the batteries. Its quiet unlike the generator and does not use any fuel!
I got these power inverters from some outdoor magazine. I just went looking for it and if I find the name if the magazine, I will send this to you.
Anyway, when we lived on Guam (typhoon alley) when typhoons would pass over the island the power could be out for a month or so. I was so happy that we had the power inverters and marine batteries. I had my batteries recharged at one of the local hotels because i knew the chief engineer and they were using generators.
You might want to just google 'power inverters'
Good luck!

[tubigboy]

I found it! The name of the outdoor magazine is Cabela's. They have power inverters in there.

[Timn8ter]

Thanks tubigboy.
I've done a fair amount of study on off-grid photovoltaic systems. These systems include photovoltaic (solar) panels, inverters and batteries along with meters for monitoring charging/discharging. The details are going to take more examination since the size of the system depends on what type and how many devices we hope to power. There are a large number of low energy consumption appliances available. Devices that run from "wall-warts" (such as a laptop computer power supply) use relatively little power and are plentiful as well. Items that are designed for recreational vehicles having 12 or 24VDC electrical systems can be incorporated into a solar powered house too.
As you mentioned, what may be the best part is having uninterrupted power that doesn't necessarily require running a generator. Information from others with PV systems in typhoon/hurricane areas have stated they have power while their neighbors were without after a storm. That's very appealing.
Watching the news here in the US following Hurricane Gustav the biggest problem is rows of California-style houses tied to fallen power lines. I'd like to avoid that.

[cajixh]

hi Tim..

Ive been watching over some Eco friendly invention in discovery and Natgeo....
and here is what ive been researching...

1.)How to make a Sonar PAnel.. for electricity
2.) How to transform wind energy to electrical energy.. I saw this Japan invention they manage to make use of the slowest of wind to turn a fan to produce enough electricity for a street light, maybe it was their unique design on the rolling fan...
3.) Rooftop gardens adds to the cooling of a house..
4.) electric car, compressed air powered car, biodiesel power car
5.) smart bulb, a bulb that recharge its light by the sun..

I forgot the otherss, I think Ill list them if I remeber some..
I have some more I have in mind but they are more on gardening, and planting backyard vegetables...

are you an inventor? or do you purchase those things you plan to put up in your dream house?

[Timn8ter]

Those are some great ideas.
No, I don't consider myself an inventor but I do enjoy building things. I'm planning to purchase the solar power system but would build the bio diesel unit myself.
I'm intrigued with the idea of a vertical axis wind power generator known as a Salvonius Wind Turbine. While they are not as efficient as the typical horizontal axis turbines we are accustomed to seeing they are simple, sturdy and easy to build. Since I'm considering it for auxiliary power the inefficiency is not a major concern.
Savonius wind turbine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia