@queermoney just posted a new Gay Retirement in the Philippines: 5 Affordable Gay-Friendly Cities for LGBTQ+ Retirees video

[bkkmfj2648]

Interesting rankings and results. 

Spoiler alert:  I was quite surprised that Manila did not make the top-5 - as most of our members on our Gayguides forum give their preference to Manila.

So, happy to see some of the other places mentioned in the Philippines for this gay retirement report.

 

[TMax]

My choice is Baguio, it's maybe not everyones choice but my reasons for liking it (and dislikes)

• Yes it's kind of remote (hell, a 5 hour bus ride to Manila isn't that painful)
• A nice relaxed lifestyle can be had there, for me that is
• I have found the people up there to be very friendly
• Rates good on safety
• Has a good average daily temperature all year long and doesn't get stinking hot*
• Get out of the city centre and the air is clean and fresh 
• For medical there is a private hospital if a person doesn't fancy the public hospital (or a bus ride to Manila) 
• Makes a good base for travelling around the northern parts of Luzon, also a good base for hiking into the mountains
• Everything I need is up there
• The food is fresh and good, most fruit and vegetables are grown locally 

Dislikes 

• Rain, when it rains it really rains and sometimes for days on end, some rain is ok but seriously it can get a bit much*
• Has become over populated, it was never meant to have such a big population
• Along with the population comes the traffic woes, on holidays the traffic can be horrendous as everyone fancies going to Baguio at holiday time and by car
• I'm currently not there 😮‍💨

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, TMax said:

My choice is Baguio

Would you say that Baguio is the Chaing Mai of the Philippines?

If yes, does Baguio suffer from a smokey bad quality air period like Chiang Mai does?

[TMax]

For me the answer is yes but maybe a smaller scale of Chiang Mai, definitely not smokey bad air like Chiang Mai (there's no burning season in Baguio) but the down town area does suffer a bit from vehicle exhaust pollution at times. The vehicle pollution is mostly the reason I stay at hotels outside the city centre but it's nowhere near as bad as Manila, the problem down town is that it is the lowest part of the city and hence where it accumulates the most. I will add that it doesn't have the entertainment / bars like Chiang Mai (or Manila and Bangkok) and that has kept a lot of people away (both straight and gay), hence why I think of it as a nice quiet lifestyle away from the rat race.