It's amazing how easily time can get away from you. I was updating my blog regularly for quite a while, but then took a break, and before you know it, more than a year had passed. As you can probably guess, life got in the way. As it turns out, planning for major life changes takes a lot of your attention. The life change in question was retirement, which I finalized at the end of 2025.

I came to the conclusion a few years ago that retirement would probably mean a return to the expat life abroad if I wanted to afford it any time soon. Many of my travels that I've posted about here in recent years have been part of my exploration of places that might be good to retire to. While there were a lot of things I liked about the southern European places I visited, such as Malta and Madeira, I had to conclude they weren't my most affordable options. In the end, I decided my best bet was to return to Southeast Asia, an area I was familiar with after living in Bangkok for over 20 years. However, to shake things up, I decided to settle in the Philippines, the country I was least familiar with from my previous stay in the region. I gives me a whole lot of new territory to explore.

I've settled in Cebu City. Historically, this is where the Spanish circumnavigation expedition led my Ferdinand Magellan first landed in 1521. It's also where Magellan was killed when a local chieftain refused to convert to Christianity. But history isn't why I decided to live here. Cebu is very central in the Philippines, making it a good base to explore from. It also has several good scuba diving areas, on the island itself as well as the nearby ones. I expect to have plenty to see and do over the coming years.

I also plan to revisit places around Southeast Asia again, as well as discover some new destinations. Quite a bit has changed in the thirteen years since I left.