Philippine Notes: Retirement, the economy and mangos

1. We met a man from a province outside of Manila named Abe who told us how the Philippines is one of the places that a lot of people come to retire. After experiencing the cost of living here, this does not surprise me in the least. I would consider retiring here simply to get massages every day for the price that we spend on a coffee, latte and a pastry at Starbucks back in the states.

2. Had breakfast with a woman from Peru yesterday, who currently lives in Singapore. In a small world connection she has family in Centreville, Va (where I used to live for a year) and her husband grew up in NJ about 30 minutes from my old home. Her reflections on the what it is like to visit the US now compared to prior to the financial crisis were fascinating. To hear someone from another country describe the US as a place of hope and dreams but then hear them describe it as a place now, where there is "so much sadness"...that was eye opening. "Singapore is like Miami except everything in Singapore works."

3. The mangos here are incredible and seemingly limitless.