Mabuhay translates to "long live" in Tagalog, the official language of the Philippines. The Philippines is comprised of over 7,000 islands and is truly a beautiful country and a great place to retire. Life is a bit layed back compared to the United States, and each day is an adventure onto itself. The weather is a bit warm and comparable to Florida. It takes some time to get used to living in the tropics, but once you become accustomed to it, you will never want to go through another winter again. The southern islands of the Philippines, known as the Visayan Islands have an abundance of beautiful beaches with crystal clear water. My wife and I built "Sampaguita Beach Resort" back in 2002 in Marabut, Western Samar in the Philippines. It was originally just a coconut field next to the beach. The biggest problem was clearing the beach of all the rocks. It took months and was all done by hand, but once that was accomplished, the results were astounding. A private resort on a beautiful secluded beach. What more could you want?
