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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: I'm in Mindanao (phillippines) |
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Just posting the beginning of a one-month travel on here, and seeing if there is any interest. If there is, I'll try to give a few updates from time to time while here.
This is actually my second trip down here. Very very few foreigners anywhere. The cities are predominately christian and the muslims are in the rural areas and Zamboanga.
I'm in General Santos right now. It got the name because some christian general claimed this port town from this once muslim island. I'm typing this post from Pioneer Street. As most of the people living here are said to be 'pioneers' as they came from Visayas (christian/catholic areas of the Philippines) and claimed this city. There are checkpoints coming into the city, etc.
Anyways, in a few days, I'll be up in Davao and check out Samal Island, then up to Cagayan de Oro, and Camiguin and possibly over to surfing Siagao. We'll see. |
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diver
Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 4
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: hello |
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Sounds like fun. Hope your travels are safe. I'll be there this June to visit family in Digos. Did you fly in from US? How was the flight? Take care.
Kevin |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:34 am Post subject: Re: hello |
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diver wrote: |
Sounds like fun. Hope your travels are safe. I'll be there this June to visit family in Digos. Did you fly in from US? How was the flight? Take care.
Kevin |
I flew from Seoul, Korea - where I just finished a teaching contract.
Next is Davao and gonna check out Samal Island. |
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saint57
Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 1221 Location: Beyond the Dune Sea
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:11 am Post subject: |
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I'll be in Philippines in two weeks. I'm landing at Clark Airport and probably won't leave Angeles during my nine day stay. I've totally lost my motivation to get up and move around when I'm on holiday. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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I'm in DAVAO now.
Screw Cebu! My new favorite city in the Philippines is DAVAO!
Now I completely understand why it was ranked as one of the top or the top cities to live in in Southeast Asia. |
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Nabby Adams
Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 215
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:15 am Post subject: |
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well why is it so good Tiger? |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:46 am Post subject: |
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I'm still exploring it, but it has a very safe environment and lively during the day and feels very safe to walk around at night. A lot of young people who seem to have enough money to eat and drink and see live music and such as well. The locals here in Davao just respect other locals and foreigners alike.
As a contrast, I was just in General Santos, where every 5th person refers to me as 'hey joe', and kids knock on the windows of your taxi or restaurant when they see you. That doesn't happen in Davao.
Taxis never overcharge you either. If your fare is 82 pesos, and you give them a 100 pesos, they'll quickly give you back 18 pesos. If you were in Manila, they'd cover up the meter or never turn it on, and try to charge you quadruple and be mad when you talk them down into only overcharging you by double instead.
Anyways, none of that stuff happens in Davao. There seems to be a lot of places to go. Tomorrow I'm going to check out the nearby beaches, if they are even remotely accepable, then Davao might be a regular place of mine to go on Philippines vacations, as I've been wanting a city/beach combination.
Davao is also 1.2 million people, so you still get all the urban amenities without all the annoyances typical of Manila. |
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jayjoseph44
Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 2
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject: questions for Tiger Beer |
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Great Posts.....I sent you a private message but I am not sure I sent it correctly.....It was about your experience in Brazil and Korea.....Please let me know if you did not get it.....Best of luck with your new job and location Peace |
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Nabby Adams
Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 215
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:09 am Post subject: |
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Sounds very interesting.
In fact it sounds great.
What are the costs say compared to Thailand? Are there many foreigners knocking about the place? How are the local girls? |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:46 am Post subject: |
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Nabby Adams wrote: |
Sounds very interesting.
In fact it sounds great.
What are the costs say compared to Thailand? Are there many foreigners knocking about the place? How are the local girls? |
Costs compared to Thailand. Maybe quite similar for hotels, but beer is significantly cheaper.
Foreigners around, almost none. There aren't that many foreigners in the Philippines in general. The ones I do see are generally divers (on the islands), but down in Mindinao, hardly see any foreigner, but you do see some married to locals and such.
Local girls...ah, they are filipinas, so it's always good. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:06 am Post subject: |
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I'm in 'Cagayan de Oro' now of northern Mindinao. This city has several large universities, including one called XAVIER University which is right downtown where the hotels and such is at. Cagyan is much smaller in feel than Davao, but pleasant feel overall.
I just took a taxi out to the mall, it cost US$1 for the 10 minute taxi ride. SM MALL it's called, and coming out here, the road overlooks the rest of the city, kinda interesting. A lot of foilage and green in this city. |
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Sgt Killjoy
Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 438
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: I'm in Mindanao (phillippines) |
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Tiger Beer wrote: |
This is actually my second trip down here. Very very few foreigners anywhere. The cities are predominately christian and the muslims are in the rural areas and Zamboanga.
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Ah, I think you mean rural areas of Zamboanga. Zamboanga City is predominantly Catholic. I love it. |
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Teejay
Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:26 am Post subject: |
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try white water rafting in CDO
go to eco village and check macahambus cave as well. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:33 am Post subject: Re: I'm in Mindanao (phillippines) |
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Sgt Killjoy wrote: |
Tiger Beer wrote: |
This is actually my second trip down here. Very very few foreigners anywhere. The cities are predominately christian and the muslims are in the rural areas and Zamboanga.
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Ah, I think you mean rural areas of Zamboanga. Zamboanga City is predominantly Catholic. I love it. |
Yeah, I heard the language is very similar to Spanish. I didnt realize Zamboanga City was Catholic.
I just went through General Santos, Davao and Cagayan de Oro, and they also seem SIGNIFANTLY more Christian than Muslim on all accords.
Now I'm up in the Visayas - Bantayan Island to be exact. Enjoying some white sand beaches. |
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