I know this is an expat sub more than a travel sub, but I would consider moving there. I'm just in the process of learning more about Ph right now.

My (39M, white American) first visit to the Philippines was wonderful but challenging. Fruitful but exhausting. I had never been to a third-world country. I flew into Manila, stayed the night in the airport (in a hostel), then flew to Butuan City. I stayed two days in Butuan City before renting a truck and driving to Surigao del Sur to meet a woman I had met online.

Spending ten days in a remote province, I felt like I had stepped into an issue of National Geographic. But I appreciated and cherished it. I was impressed with how friendly and happy everyone was despite living in conditions that would be considered impoverished or primitive by American standards. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and I did.

Random facts about my trip:

• Getting to this woman took roughly 40 hours: 4 plane flights (My home city->Vancouver->Hong Kong->Manila->Butuan City) and a 3 hour drive via rented truck. Had I not rented a truck and taken the bus, going from Butuan City to Surigao del Sur would have taken 8 hours.
• Foreigners are discouraged from renting vehicles, but I didn't have a better option due to the remoteness of my destination and various inconveniences that would have arose once I was there. Nevertheless, driving in the Philippines was incredibly stressful. Its like real-life Frogger, except if you mess up, someone dies.
• From the time I left Butuan City until the time I returned (about 10 days), I did not see a single foreigner. I also never saw someone over 5'10. I got stared at constantly. "Afam!" ("Foreigner!") was frequently heard each time I went somewhere. In fact, I was the first foreigner than this woman and many in her family had ever met in person.
• The southern half of the Philippines doesn't speak Filipino (Tagalog) as their primary language. They speak Bisaya. Furthermore, the eastern part of Mindinao speaks Kamayo, which is a Bisayan dialect. I learned as many phrases as I could, mostly Bisayan.
• Filipino food is hit or miss. Some of it is amazing, some of it is disgusting. Depends on the dish and the person making it. Fortunately, this woman's grandmother was an amazing cook. I had all kinds of seafood, chicken, and beef.
• This woman (and most of her family) had never ridden in an enclosed, four-wheeled vehicle before (such as a truck). Amusingly, the first time I got in the truck with her I said, "Are you going to put your seatbelt on?" "What's that?" And so I taught her how to use one.
• This woman had also never been to the dentist, so I took her there as a gift. Dentists in the Philippines work like barber shops. You do not make an appointment. You simply walk in. The chair is right there in the same room as the waiting room. For 125 USD she got five cavities filled and two molars removed.
• Filipinos do not use sunscreen, so they found my regular sunscreen routine to be quite amusing. I had to explain that I burn much more easily than them. This led them to frantically warn me any time my face was red during sports, as though I was going to overheat and die.
• Most of them are self-taught in English from watching English media. Despite their impoverished conditions, almost every child has a smartphone. They are quite savvy with social media. This woman's cousin could often be seen making TikToks.
• Upon meeting someone older than yourself who is at least 30 years old, one is expected to "mano po", which is an act of respect whereby the younger person takes the older person's hand and places it on their forehead momentarily. I "mano po'ed" many people and I got "mano po'ed" by many children.
• The weather was roughly 85-95 with high humidity the entire time. Every day felt like a hot summer day back in eastern US. Fortunately, the motel I was staying in had air conditioning.
• The Philippines is not dirt cheap. Everything costs roughly a third of what it would cost in the US, which still adds up. Fortunately, the ATMs in Surigao del Sur were reliable so I had consistent access to money.

I would like to return in September. Whether I continue to date this woman is uncertain. I kind of want to explore the city and see what dating is like there. I got on Tinder briefly in Butuan and was shocked by how beautiful some of the women were that were liking me. Hard to not want to fool around a bit. But this woman I'm talking to now is definitely wife material so I wonder if I should just go all in with her.

Comments, questions, and advice welcome.