Hellobee

It took a little while to adjust to living in El Nido, but now that we’re settled in, I can see myself living here for much longer than I initially thought. The people are so friendly, the cost of living is much lower, I’m less stressed with the laid back island vibe, there are so many nearby countries I’d like to visit, I’m a total ocean girl and the Philippines has some of the most beautiful waters in the world… I definitely see why there is such a large ex-pat population here!

But I’m not sure what a good amount of time here is good for the kids. Adjusting to life here was easy… I think it will be way harder for the kids to adjust back to life in New York. School also gets harder with each passing grade, and they might have a difficult time going from a laid back life with tons of free play, to a super scheduled, busy, social, academically-intensive life in Brooklyn. We’re not sure what our long-term plans are, but for now we’re just trying to appreciate the time we have to experience this beautiful country. So I thought I would share some interesting things we’ve experienced while living in El Nido!

A  typical home in El Nido

1) Filipinos are some of the friendliest people in the world. They are always quick to give you a smile, extend a greeting, and help you out if you’re in need. You will never wait by the road long if your scooter breaks down. They’re just genuinely happy even if they have very little. No wonder they were recently ranked as the 5th happiest nation in the world!

2) The Philippines is a diverse blend of people with Filipino, Spanish, Malaysian, Chinese and American heritage. In El Nido where we live, there is a large European and American ex-pat population, and many of them marry locals. English is also an official language of the Philippines in addition to Tagalog, so it’s easy for foreigners to assimilate.

3) Filipinos love foreigners! I have never felt anything but genuine warmth and curiosity from all the Filipinos I’ve encountered. They definitely have an affinity for all things American, particularly music, as you hear 80’s American love songs on the radio all the time. Filipinos also love it when you love their country because they are very proud to be Pinoy!

4) Filipinos love any reason to gather and celebrate. That often means killing a pig and slow roasting it over a spitfire all day (lechon). Then eating a huge meal, drinking, and singing karaoke. It’s fun to be around such fun-loving people!

5) The family unit is very important, families are very large, and almost every extended family is very close. It’s common for married children to continue living with their parents. Most of the locals I’ve met have lived here their entire lives, and have no desire to live elsewhere because they are so close to their families.

6) Filipino culture is very respectful. They use the term “po” to indicate respect, especially when addressing elders, bosses, customers, etc. They also do not address people by name, but by calling them kuya (older brother) or ate (ah-teh, older sister) whether or not they are older or younger. This is actually very similar to Korean culture.

Restaurants that cater to locals like this one offer meals for less than $1. ~46 pesos = $1 USD

7) The Philippines is one of the most underrated, under the radar destinations that can still be seen on a budget. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, but I never knew just how much there was to see and do before I moved here. The Philippines is comprised of over 7000 islands, and I want to visit as many as I can during our time here! Tourists have definitely started to discover this paradise in recent years, as the Philippines continues to top most beautiful beaches in the world lists.

The pristine beauty of Nacpan Beach, one of our favorite beaches to swim

8) Filipinos love eating and sweets and never turn down a snack (though most Filipinos are quite slim)! They usually eat at least 5 times a day, and sometimes 6. Breakfast, morning merienda (snack) around 9:30 am, lunch, afternoon merienda around 3:30 pm, dinner and sometimes a midnight snack. And they are serious about their merienda and lunch break, which is when they often take a siesta.

9) Traditional gender roles are the norm here. Men do blue collar work like construction and farming while women cook, clean and raise children, though many also work as well while grandmothers raise their children.

Squatters’ homes. Though with the tourism boom, they are quite prosperous as evidenced by all the cable tv satellites.

10) The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world and the most gay friendly country in Asia. There is a very large LGBTQ community in El Nido and though they don’t have any legal rights, for the most part they are very accepted by society. We love living in such a diverse and accepting community.

11) Most kids play with very real looking toy guns, and Charlie has been asking for one. Guns are legal here, but they are not easy to obtain.

I wish you could see their adorable faces as kids love foreigners and posing for pictures!

12) Most locals have very few modern conveniences. Most have a tv, fan and smart phone. Very few have a refrigerator and propane stove, and most cook with charcoal or wood. No one has a washer, dryer, dishwasher, air conditioner, microwave, vacuum, hot water, or closets.

13) The only public utility is electricity, and it is expensive so locals use it sparingly. None of the shops and restaurants in town have air conditioning. You have to dig your own well to access water, buy propane gas to cook (though most locals use charcoal or wood), install your own satellite and cable tv, there is very limited/no mail service, and there are no telephone lines so everyone uses cell phones. Text is the main mode of communication and internet is only accessed on smart phones.

Locals push carts around town selling well water. 

A public well but locals often buy it from the carts because water is heavy.

14) Almost no one wears a helmet when riding motorcycles, and it’s common to see a motorcycle or any other type of vehicle packed to its absolute capacity (5 people on a motorcycle). Car seats are nonexistent, as virtually no one has cars. Kids as young as 1 hold onto the handlebars of scooters with their parent driving. It’s funny how things shock you when you first see them, and then you get used to them and don’t give it a second thought… as is the case with toddlers on scooters!

15) There are a lot of roosters and they crow well before dawn and throughout the entire day. It used to wake me up when we first moved here, but I barely notice them now. The reason there are so many roosters is that cock fighting is a national pastime and you can find televised fights on tv daily. We can hear the roar of cheers when locals hold cockfighting matches every Sunday afternoon.

roosters are kept on leashes but hens are free to roam

16) It’s hard not to want to adopt all the dogs. We adopted 2 as soon as we moved here and I really tried to resist adopting more the first 2 months. We’ve been here almost 3 months and now we’re up to 6 dogs, we feed one of the dog’s 6 puppies when they come, and I’ve been eyeing a seventh dog. They are mostly so sweet and hungry and friendly, the kids adore them, and I love having them around.

Not one of our dogs, but dogs are everywhere in El Nido as there is no vet.

17) The Philippines has changed drastically in the past 10 years. I’ve been coming to visit almost yearly since 2005, and the changes in both Manila and El Nido have been staggering. Increased tourism in El Nido (up 25% over last year) has brought much more job opportunities to locals. The small downtown changes on a weekly basis with modern shops and hotels popping up everywhere. On the one hand I’m really happy for the economic prosperity for the hardworking locals, as they see increased tourism as a positive. On the other hand, El Nido was like a secret destination for backpackers, way, way off the beaten path. It used to be you had to take at least 2 flights to get here, then a 12 hour bumpy van ride on unpaved roads to a city with limited electricity, no atms, and no credit cards accepted. Infrastructure improvements have cut travel time way down, but it also makes me a little sad to see this secret paradise getting so busy.

The market where meat is available only on Wednesdays and Saturdays

18) Most Palawenos (natives of the island we live on) are farmers. Rice paddies and water buffaloes are everywhere. Pigs and chickens are killed regularly for meals, though fish is the main protein staple. It is definitely a very different experience being so close to our food, whereas in the US we bought all our meat in neat little packages.

I’m honestly surprised that I love living here as much as I do, considering that anything that bites within a half mile radius bites me! But I truly do, and think it’s an invaluable experience for the kids. I always say that no one regrets traveling!