The Great Escape

the dream for a simple life in Palawan

About Us

Hello There,

My name is Maria Feist and I’m tired of the daily grind we find ourselves living in North America.

In early 2012, my husband, “the Chef”, and I went on a 3 week vacation to a part of the Philippines dubbed “the last frontier.” We planned this get-a-way for 4 years saving as much money as we could and finding the right time to pull ourselves away from our everyday lives. This wasn’t an easy task. My husband is in the hospitality business so it’s difficult for him to take time off for any significant length of time.

Leaving the sub-zero weather of a Canadian winter we flew halfway around the world and landed in an environment so different from our own. Stepping out of the airport our senses are immediately assaulted by hot, humid air and the thunderous chattering of people and honking vehicles.

Despite the chaos we felt an immediate connection to this foreign land. As we travelled away from the cities and into the surrounding countryside we found ourselves enjoying a more relaxed pace of living. People worked hard but they seemed to be happy. Most of all we liked the simplicity of life.

This got us thinking. All we do now is work to pay our bills and our mortgage. We have all the conveniences of a comfortable life yet we feel a real disconnect to the life we lead here. We are ready for a change.

This is how we started the blog. This site is dedicated to our plan of escape. Wish us luck!

103 thoughts on “About Us”

  1. rimassolosailingaroundtheworldm on said:

    Thank you for sharing pictures and articles, very a beautiful Islands. I lived in Guam Island for two years and traveled all almost Micronesia Islands.

    Reply ↓
  2. Reena on said:

    Hi, I’ve nominated you for the Adventurous Blogger Award. Please follow the link for more info: http://reenareigns.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/adventurous-blogger-award/

    Reply ↓
  3. Amy on said:

    Thank you for visiting my site, Maria! I will visit you more later.
    Filipinos sounds like a wonderful place!

    Reply ↓
  4. Adventures We Seek on said:

    I hope you don’t mind, but I have fallen in love with your story and photos! I have added you to our People Who Inspire page
    http://adventuresweseek.com/people-who-inspire/
    PS. We are heading to Palawan and Manila in September for a trip, any advice would be great!

    Reply ↓
  5. thelighttraveler on said:

    May you both be able to “escape” and start a wonderful life of sun, sea and sand in Palawan. And, there are many more beautiful places to explore in the Philippines. =)

    Reply ↓
  6. healthyrecipeecstasy on said:

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking my fish taco post! Good luck on your escape! I’ve never been to the Philippines but would love to go. And I’m not a big fan of the grind either…!

    Reply ↓
  7. tu2t widhi on said:

    thank you for liking my entry for weekly photo challenge :D
    and good luck for the adventure.. both of you should visit Indonesia and East Java for sure.. and i will be happy to be your guide :P

    Reply ↓
  8. quotidianhudsonriver on said:

    Sounds like an adventure! Good luck.

    Reply ↓
  9. bluebee on said:

    It’s great to work towards realising a dream – good luck!

    Reply ↓
  10. cyclingrandma on said:

    Thanks for liking my Inside post!

    Reply ↓
  11. Karen on said:

    Good luck on your journey! Your story is truly inspiring. Thank you for the kind words on my country. I wish to visit Palawan soon, and hopefully fall in love with the place too. :)

    Reply ↓
  12. Jane Lurie on said:

    What a wonderful life adventure you are on! Will look forward to reading more… thanks for stopping by on my photo blog. Appreciate it. Good luck and be happy!

    Reply ↓
  13. sutira on said:

    I wish you luck! I need a great escape too :)

    Reply ↓
  14. firstandfabulous on said:

    The theme of your blog is so appropo – Bold Life. What a wonderful thing to do. Adventurous. Fulfilling. FUN. Good luck and thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    Reply ↓
  15. My Tropical Home on said:

    Home can be anywhere as long as you’re happy and have made peace with everything, including the not-so-perfect surroundings like the honking of the jeeps, buses and trikes – that’s what I believe. And for me and my Beloved, the Philippines is our home. We bought a small property along the beach in Zambales where we plan to put up a little house and continue to enjoy life. We’re still saving up for the dream house and hope to move there in 2 to 3 years’ time :-)

    I left the Philippines with my family when I was about 6 years old and came back to study in college when I was 16. It’s been 20 years since I returned but I still struggle with Filipino. It was never a big deal before and I managed to get on with life with what little Filipino I knew. Now it’s a big deal because I’m homeschooling my kids and we’ve got 2 subjects in Filipino. Yet, it’s so easy to learn and foreigners have managed to learn to speak and write it perfectly. So, there’s hope for us :-)

    May God bless all your plans and bring them to fruition (soon) ;-)

    Warmest regards,
    Mary

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      You are so right in saying home can be anywhere as long as you are happy. It is so encouraging to hear that you and your beloved are so content in your location. I’ve never been to Zambales but it’a another place for us to explore when we finally do get over there.

      I hope the best for your dream house and for your life with your little family and thank you for your warm words.

      Reply ↓
  16. Bams Triwoko on said:

    Wonderful sharing of “real” life… You’re brave and risk taker…
    It’s an entrepreneurship spirit… I like it.. :)

    Reply ↓
  17. Paula on said:

    You are brave and adventurous. Good luck!

    Reply ↓
  18. Gracie on said:

    I recently discovered your blog while browsing, and have enjoyed my visit very much. I was thrilled to learn about your move to the Philippines. I was born and grew up there too, but moved to Canada to find a better life. But much like most of the people I know, I miss the Philippines a lot. It still is my home. And my husband and I are working hard to be able to go back for good very soon.

    Good luck to the both of you, and hoping to read more of your adventures!

    Reply ↓
  19. Imelda on said:

    Congratulations to you! That is from someone who recently become a US Citizen but will always be Pinoy at heart. I wish you well in your journey. :-)

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      My parents brought me to Canada when I was just 1 year old and I grew up wanting nothing other than to be ‘Canadian.’ Throughout the years I began to discover my culture – the good and the bad – and realized how much I love my native heritage. I always feel connected whenever I visit the Philippines.

      Reply ↓
      • Imelda on said:

        In your story, I read the story of my nephew. He was brought to the US when he was less than a year old, then he and his family moved to Canada. He identifies himself as Canadian. I wonder if visits to the Philippines will make him appreciate his heritage more. :-) My children are born here in the US. They will visit the Philippines soon. I hope they find a connection like you did. Their life will be richer and complete if they do so.

        Reply ↓
        • The Feists Great Escape on said:

          Do you speak tagalog to your kids? I’m able to understand it but not speak it. I really wish I had learned to.

          Reply ↓
          • Imelda on said:

            Unfortunately, no. Not on a regular basis. I feel that it is so cumbersome to talk in two languages for the same thought. My husband wants me to teach them Tagalog, I am lazy. I know I should. I have a book to teach Tagalog… I have not even seen the first page.

  20. pinay e-motion on said:

    I am glad to know that you are having a wonderful time in the Philippines. I miss it sooooo much! Despite the many negative observations that have been reported about our politics and economy, I always believe that there’s something good about our happy and gentle people.

    Have you already visited the Boracay Island, you may want to check the Boracay Mansion. We stayed there during our visit last year.

    http://philippinehappinessandlove.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/down-the-road/

    I will be looking forward to more of your stories. Take care!

    Reply ↓
  21. Cindy A. Carl on said:

    I’m with you. If more people did what they loved and let go of the daily drudgery the world would be a happier place!

    Reply ↓
  22. aRVee on said:

    Great review you have there about our country. I always admire people who not only say good feedbacks because I believe that if it’s too good to be true, it isn’t sincere at all, so I like both the negative and the positive feedbacks…

    A lot of you are really complaining about the honking, I am complaining about it too…

    Anyways, glad to know you enjoyed your stay and should I say, great choice of vacation spot you had there? lol

    Keep blogging 2012! :)

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      Hi aRVee! Thanks for your comments. It’s true, every culture has it’s good and bad points. I’m glad that you are not offended – something I’ve discovered is that sometimes Filipinos are a little too sensitive – but that also means that they are very passionate. I welcome all your comments. :)

      Reply ↓
  23. Miguel on said:

    Glad that you’ve found a new home in Palawan!

    I admire you for wanting to embrace a simple life. A lot of Filipinos have been, and still are, leaving the country in search of “greener pastures.” Can’t blame them though. You, on the other hand, chose to be here. To be able to see beauty, amidst the poverty and simplicity of life here, now that is “wow!”

    Hope you are having a great time on the sunny side of the world!

    Cheers from Manila!

    Reply ↓
  24. JJ Lim on said:

    Wow, that’s not an easy feat putting down everything at home and moving to the other side of the planet. I wish you two all the best. You’ve got some awesome pictures here, by the way.

    Reply ↓
  25. rommel on said:

    Great blog you have here. Keep it up. And see you around. :D

    Reply ↓
  26. The Rambling Philosopher on said:

    Hi! First of all, thank you for liking my blog entry. :)

    If not for that, I might not have come across your blog. I’m happy that you’ve found our country a nice and wonderful place. I envy you because even if I’m from the Philippines… I haven’t been to Palawaaaan! I’ve always wanted to go there but then again, as I’m still a student, I don’t have the money to travel there but it’s on my list of the places I’d like to go to when I have the chance… and the money. :D

    Indeed, we Filipinos are a bunch of happy people and we are always ready to accommodate people. We’re friendly :D I wish you luck with your plans for escape! :) Hope that you’ll not only stay or visit Palawan. Our country has a lot of wonderful tourist spots you can go to too. :)

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      It’s funny how sometimes you don’t travel in your own country. Last time when I was in the Philippines with my parents I convinced them to travel around. We did a loop to Banaue, Sagada. Baguio and went to Boracay. They had a blast. I’m only starting to discover many other places to visit. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them.

      Reply ↓
  27. Lynne Ayers on said:

    I didn’t make as nearly as big a leap as you the The Chef are planning – only 1000 miles away and still in the same country but the one thing I found the most difficult was having no extended family in our new location – no aunts and uncles and cousins for our children, no family gatherings at holidays, no mother to call upon when they all got chicken pox at the same time. I admire you for dreaming and pursuing it and I wish you well in the pursuit.

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      Thanks Lynne. We’ll be half way around the world and I admit I will miss my immediate family especially my nieces. “The Chef” already has lived many years away from his. The fact we’ll be in a tropical country will hopefully give everyone incentive to visit!

      Reply ↓
  28. ladywithabirthmark on said:

    Hi. I saw your comment on a blog I follow. I’m glad I took time to look at your site. I can’t help but admire your journey, taking that leap was an inspiring thing to do (where so many people only dream of doing). Such lovely words you said about my country. Thank you. :)

    Reply ↓
  29. Jojie Alcantara on said:

    Thank you for making a great “leap of faith” towards a Filipino way of life. I wish you well on your journey, and many happy discoveries. Thanks as well for taking a peek into my little world. :-)

    Reply ↓
  30. Stephen Kelly Creative on said:

    Hi … looking forward to getting into your really inspiring blog. I’m not ready to take that step … yet, but I know there’s a little place in Australia that’s just waiting for me to make the leap.

    Reply ↓
  31. darthbergen on said:

    What a very cool idea. Good luck as you escape the traps of North American life.

    Reply ↓
  32. Brooke McGillivray on said:

    I wish you much adventure – - live’s too short to just stay stuck:) Enjoying your blog.

    Reply ↓
  33. themofman on said:

    Take hold of your adventure whenever you can!

    Reply ↓
  34. Tom on said:

    You better read my blog before you do it (Sorry, it’s in German.)! I would like to tell you a lot (Perhaps you should visit me 1st.). But the Philippines? Where you are swimming under the protection of a gun? The worst Asia-experiences I have, are from Davao.

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      I’m sorry to hear about your horrible experience. I think you can have a bad experience anywhere in the world in particular areas of other countries. Now I’m going to let “the Chef” answer you.

      Jeder kann mal eine schlechte Erfahrung gemacht haben, da es ja in dem sinne kein urlaub war, mehr so als ablenkungsmanoever, so das sie ihr visa bekommen, haben sie auch bestimmt nicht die schoenen seiten des landes gesehen.
      Ich war im neu jahr dieses jahres in Palawan der westlichste teil(Insel) von den Philippinen und ich kann mich absulut nicht beklagen, habe nichts nur als gutes zu berichten. Ich war auf dem boot mit 4 totalen strangern, die haetten uns abmurksen koennen wann immer sie wollten. Aber das ist eben eine falsche einstellung, wo sie waren ist es auch am schlimmsten, es ist die gefaerlichste gegend in den Philippinen.
      Wie ich sehe ist ihr paradies in Indonesia, wie toll, da muss ich auch noch hinn. Viel glueck.

      Reply ↓
      • Tom on said:

        You are right, it allways depends where you are and under which condition. And the sun is an argument. The problem is: in our home-country we see the negative side and as a tourist the positive in a strange country. But without living there (I’m here since 2000) you are hardly able to recognize that you replace known problems with very new (for example corruption and low medical care).
        It’s great if your husband is a German. So I can spare me translation-work and he could read for himself.
        If there’s an occasion I would like to see you here.

        Reply ↓
        • The Feists Great Escape on said:

          And you are also right about having new problems. They say “the grass is always greener on the other side” but in reality it’s just a different environment. I guess it’s about which problems you’re willing to accept in pursuit of your happiness. It’s been many, many years since I’ve been in Indonesia but maybe one day we will see you. It’s been one of my favourite countries to travel. I thought one day I would end up living there too.

          Reply ↓
          • Tom on said:

            A key-question is, if at least one partner has the statemanship. Without that, you can’t posess anything in Indonesia. I learned that there are some new, more comfortable regulations in the Philippines for foreign people.

  35. suburbanferndaleark on said:

    Wow! What a great escape hatch y’all have! Thanks for visiting our little neck of Arkansas.

    Reply ↓
  36. blastedgoat on said:

    Good luck! Glad I stumbled upon your adventures… Thanks for liking my post as well :)

    Reply ↓
  37. island traveler on said:

    People think I’m crazy when I say I want to go home in the Philippines. Having read your post, I felt the same passion as you did. You wish live life,to find happiness and adventure in the most simple of things. America was once my dream but now I realized that my dream was in my homeland afterall. I would give up comforts to be back in paradise. I wish you and your family all the best. Keep me posted of your Palawan adventures…Thanks.

    Reply ↓
  38. cocomino on said:

    Your life sounds great because you live as you like. Even if there is a difficulty, you can feel really happy because you know what you want to do. :smile:

    Reply ↓
  39. lidipiri on said:

    Luck heading your way though I think you have just made it yours by taking this huge step!
    Good luck in your adventures. Wish I were you. :)

    Reply ↓
  40. Maggie L R on said:

    Making the decision to make a change is the best step… I love living my life in colour.. and so should you..

    Reply ↓
  41. Stephen L. Tyler on said:

    I like your idea of this blog – good for you! When I was “shown the door” in Dec 2010 I made my decision to move to the Philippines (I had visited here 5 times since 2005 from one end to nearly the other). Now, six months into my “semi” retired state, I have found a life much more pleasant (to me) than what I left behind in the corporate world in NY.
    I’ve had a blog for about 2 years now ( http://eseltee.wordpress.com/ ) and am about to start work on a new one dedicated to the Philippines ( whereelsephilippines.wordpress.com ).
    I hope you visit sometime :-)

    Reply ↓
  42. Cardinal Guzman on said:

    Best of luck. Life at an office is utterly boring…

    Reply ↓
  43. ruthincolorado on said:

    Sounds like a great plan! Best wishes to both of you.

    Reply ↓
  44. Cris on said:

    You gotta love that! Good luck. “I’ll be watching you.” Hee. Hee. Hee.

    Reply ↓
  45. milaiski on said:

    Thank you for finding love for Philippines! :)

    Reply ↓
  46. Sony Fugaban on said:

    The best of luck, Maria!

    I must admit how honored I am for the beautiful words you gave for my country amid its not-so-good points and its people. You are absolutely right in saying that we Filipinos are happy. It’s one trait I am most proud of. And, don’t forget we are HOSPITABLE which is also one of the many reasons why tourists around the world would dare flock in the more fun Philippines for it beauteous spots.

    Reply ↓
    • The Feists Great Escape on said:

      Yes, yes, yes. Filipinos are so hospitable. They are always offering you something to eat, to drink or to help you. I was born in the Philippines but my parents brought me to Canada when I was just 1 year old. It’s only now that I’m really able to understand and appreciate my heritage.

      Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 227 other followers

%d bloggers like this: