One of my biggest desires is to find someplace on this earth to call home and start a new chapter in my life. After much thought, I decided to explore the Far East. My first trip took me to one of the countries I have wanted to visit for quite some time. The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 Southeast Asian islands between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The three main islands are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

I first visited General Santos City (Gensan), on the island of Mindanao, best known as “The Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” and the hometown of World Champion boxer Manny Pacquiao. It is also classified as a level 2 travel advisory from the US State Department. When traveling abroad, remember, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”.While in Gensan, I had a chance to visit Manny’s Wild Card Gym It was great talking to some of the young boxers and even though Manny doesn’t fight anymore, his son works out here from time to time. They were very nice and excited to see an American fan.

I next visited one of the small islands, Boracay, a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay is well known for its white beaches and crystal clear water. This is where I fell in love with the Philippines and will spend a lot of time in the future. I stayed on White Beach, station #3, in a small bungalow less than 75 yards from the water’s edge. The ambiance was mesmerizing at night, on the balcony, or while in bed; you could hear the waves crashing on the beach with a beautiful breeze blowing through the curtains. The restaurants were nice, but the real experience was a few blocks off the main strip, where you could enjoy the local cuisine at an unbelievable price.

You can fall in love with the Philippines for many reasons. The food, the people, the culture, or the low cost of living. My reason was a combination of everything. I was pretty sure before I left Boracay that I had found my next home.