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When the pretty Pinay you've been talking to suddenly starts posting exotic overseas trip photos on Instagram

Hi everyone! I'm planning to stay in Siargao for about 5-6 months, so any recommendations or advice are welcome. 😊

I think I went too far

Why is nobody talking about the Philippine peso's slide? It's now at a record low of ₱62.62 to the dollar.

The Philippine peso has lost 6% of its value against the dollar this year alone.

It's now ₱62.62 to $1, a record low, and it's at record lows against other major currencies like the pound too.

If you had $10,000 in the Philippines at the start of this year, you'd have lost $590 in purchasing power.

Why is this happening? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? And where do you see it going?

Dating Filipina single moms — a more balanced take

This is something I've been wanting to share after living in the Philippines for 4 years: dating Filipina single moms is much more nuanced than most comments and posts on the topic make it out to be. Let me explain.

I've dated a few single moms in Manila and Cebu. I think it can be really rewarding, but it can also turn into a 'never again' experience or one of those horror stories you read online.

To me, it's important to understand the context first. More than 14 million Filipinas (about 25% of Filipino women) are single moms. They didn't choose to be single moms. We're talking no divorce, no reliable child support, partners who just disappeared, and in many cases abuse. Many of these women didn't choose this — the system and their partners failed them. Of course that doesn't automatically make them great partners, but saying 'never date one' based on that alone misses a lot, and I think it's unfair.

I also see a lot of posts and comments complaining that her kids come first. Isn't that natural for every parent in the world? The men I know who made it work just accepted it and worked with it. In my experience, the moment you show her you accept her kids, she makes you feel like the most important man in the world. I don't see it as a fight over 'who comes first,' because in Filipino culture you become part of the family almost instantly.

What really mattered to me was seeing what her values are, what she actually wants, and whether her actions match her words. There's one thing I always try to keep in mind: a single mom who's been working double shifts for two years to feed her kids and asking for nothing is a completely different person from someone whose first question is about your income (like a lot of women you meet on dating apps).

Lots of bad experiences are real too — that's for sure. But I think it's always worth looking at what kind of woman she actually is, beyond being a single mom. Plenty of guys have built really happy relationships with single moms and their kids. I hope this post brings some balance to the topic of Filipina single moms.

What a twist

We're in the final stretch before leaving for the Philippines, and I have a few last-minute questions. The plan is to fly into Cebu and stay in Lapu-Lapu to settle in, then head off to explore Mindanao (CDO, Davao, Butuan City, etc.).

We found an Airbnb we really like, and it's about $1,000 USD a month. To save money, we offered to pay a lump sum for 6 or 12 months. My first thought was that the ceiling is about 85% of that, to account for the Airbnb fee. It's a house, and wifi, electricity and drinking water are included. I'm thinking 10-20% off is fair depending on the lease length, but honestly I have no idea.

1) If the landlord kicks us out and keeps our money, do we have any protection at all? I'm not sure what clauses can go into the contract.

2) For short trips to other Southeast Asian countries, I'm looking for an airline-friendly bag that fits about a week of clothes, toiletries and a laptop. Any recommendations?

3) We'll definitely check out CDO, Davao City and Camiguin Island. Maybe Malaybalay and Butuan City too. The goal is to find scenic places, mountains and beaches. Any must-visit spots in Mindanao you'd recommend?

4) We're planning a two-week trip in late December. Option 1 is Cebu and Bantayan Island, option 2 is Baguio/Bolinao/Clark. It's a tough call because we want to go to all of them lol

We're thinking a week in each place, but we haven't found much near Cebu besides Lambug Beach.

Are these Filipinas just projecting their own guilt?

I'd really like to hear what people think about this one, because it's interesting and something we've only run into recently.

My wife and I have been together for almost 25 years. We have kids, and we're fairly close in age. We met and married in a third country through a mutual friend. Her family wasn't poor, but not rich either — middle class, good people. When we visited recently, her family drove us around in their cars and we chipped in for gas. When we ate out, it was anyone's guess who'd end up paying.

For years we didn't live anywhere with a lot of Filipinos, and that was fine. My wife likes going to the Asian store here in the US now and then, but she doesn't need to be around other Filipinos. It's nice when we are. There's one family we met years ago who are like family to us, but they now live several states away.

In the last year or two we've gotten to know some Filipinos from wealthier families who are here in the US. And we've started noticing that the ones from wealthier families look down on my wife because she married an American. They seem to carry the bias that any woman who married an American must have been after the money.

But as you all know, that's a pretty common perception, and it's easy to brush off as ignorance. What baffles me is that Filipino women who are married to Americans and living here in the US do it too. It's like they think they're the only educated, non-bargirl Filipina who ever married an American. :)

Could it be that they're projecting their own guilt onto others? And why does this seem to be happening more lately?

Detonating a World War II bomb that was found

This gave me the creeps

I went to the Philippines for the first time around August last year, and something really strange happened that I still think about sometimes.

While I was in Manila, I matched with a girl on an app called PinaLove. She was totally my type, but she lived in Bacolod. As it happened, Bacolod was on the later part of my itinerary.

From then on we messaged a ton and video called too. She seemed really excited to meet me once I got to Bacolod, and back then everything seemed normal.

The problem was that I was also seeing another girl in Manila.

Weirdly, every time I was with the Manila girl, the Bacolod girl would suddenly message me on WhatsApp asking if I was seeing someone else. I kept saying no.

One night the Manila girl came over to my Airbnb. We spent the night together, and while we were getting ready to sleep, she suddenly said she felt something was off about the place. She said it felt like someone else was there, and that she can see ghosts.

Honestly, I didn't know what to think. I didn't take it seriously, but it definitely left me uneasy.

We eventually fell asleep and she left early the next morning.

Later that day, the Bacolod girl messaged me again asking if I was seeing someone else. I said no again, and she told me she was really looking forward to meeting me when I came to Bacolod.

That night I was completely alone in my Airbnb. It was around 11 PM and I was tired, so I went to sleep.

Then around 3 AM I suddenly woke up.

I checked my phone, and almost immediately — literally about a minute after waking up — I got a WhatsApp message from the Bacolod girl asking what I was doing.

That really freaked me out.

I know there could be a perfectly ordinary explanation. Maybe she just happened to be awake. Maybe she was already on her phone. Maybe it was just an incredible coincidence.

But that timing, on top of what the Manila girl had said the night before, really got stuck in my head.

So at that point I came clean to the Bacolod girl and told her I was actually seeing someone else. Then I blocked her.

I also moved out of the Airbnb and cancelled Bacolod from my trip.

Afterward I looked up Negros Occidental, Bacolod, and the local stories about ghosts, spirits and superstitions online, which probably didn't help, because I found loads of strange stories.

Looking back a year later, I still don't know what to make of it.

What's the best way to change money in Makati?

Hi,

I need around 50k pesos. I have euros.

Is it better to just withdraw from an ATM?

Or should I change money at an exchange shop? Or use Remitly?

Please advise.

Thanks.

A son who tried to blackmail his dad

AmbitiousYouTuber, AmericaninSEA, 그리고 Tallwhitedude123

What are the odds of getting kidnapped?

Hey everyone,

I have a girlfriend from Zamboanga, but we've never met in person. I pushed many times for our first meeting to be somewhere else, but she insists we meet in Zamboanga first. I've asked why hundreds of times. She just says no and won't give me any reason. I asked to see her room, but she's never shown it to me. I've also heard kids talking during our video calls, and she won't explain that either.

What are the odds of getting kidnapped if I meet her in Zamboanga?

Thank you

Leonardo loves cheesecake, part 2

Any free VPNs you'd recommend, if there are any?

I just want to talk to my friends, I really don't want to pay for a VPN on top of that😭😭

Philippines 🇵🇭 fun fact

Manila sits at (basically) the same latitude as:

BKK
Khartoum
Dakar
Guatemala City

When you're desperate, any help will do

Would you say Pacific Cross is good life/medical insurance if I'm mostly traveling around Palawan and Boracay? I've always thought it would give me peace of mind to have 24/7 phone support for any medical issue (apparently they have an accredited hospital in Puerto Princesa too).

Thank you

Can I work a normal corporate job on US hours year-round with the natural disaster risk? (Cebu or Manila)

I'm trying to figure out how realistic it is to do a normal corporate "meeting job" on what would be night-shift hours in the Philippines. The longest I could go without working if the internet or power suddenly went out is maybe 2 days. I can't be without stable internet any longer than that.

Is this doable at all, or would I need some crazy huge power banks and Starlink and all that even if I live in a modern high-rise? (Also, I don't think Starlink is even easy to aim from a high-rise?)

Would it be better to just not be in the Philippines during certain months with this kind of job? Or maybe go to Davao in November and December and I'd be safe?

Any advice appreciated