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dimitri31
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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 Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:32 pm Post subject: Mindanao |
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Dangerous??
Last edited by dimitri31 on Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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Check out the thorntree on the Lonely Planet website and you can find everything you need. It seems parts are dangerous, but mainly for rich expat businessmen who have family members abducted from time to time which are usually returned to safety for some $$ to the bandits.
You'd be very unlucky to get into trouble. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:13 pm Post subject: Re: Mindanao: Dangerous?? |
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| dimitri31 wrote: |
I am really curious about Mindanao. I've been thinking about flying into Zamboanga, taking a ferry to Gen. Santos or Davao, spending some time there, and then making my way up to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin.
My question:
How dangerous is it these days in Mindanao?
BTW, and I don't know if it will make much of a difference, but I don't really look like a foreigner. I am half Latino and half Filipino, so physically, I would pretty much blend in... |
Mindinao is BEAUTIFUL. Fruit is abundant down there, and shipped all around Southeast Asia from there. Beautiful trees and large canyons, etc. Just a very big, lush, island.
Best yet, is everyone is scared to death of Mindinao. Even most Filipinos are scared to death of going to Mindinao. Buy T-shirts down there, and wear them in Manila when you take taxi cabs.
Anyways, I've been to General Santos, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Camiguin...taken buses between them all. Felt fine to me. I also took buses around South America which has police checkpoints and armed guerillas and whatever else. MINDINAO had NOTHING like that. On the bus, you are just going by chicken farms and coconut tree plantations and typical small houses with small businesses, and not much more than that.
The cities of Mindinao are predominately christian. THe muslim part of Mindinao is actually the Sulu Islands, Zamboanga and Marawi (over by Iligan). I generally associate Abu Sayyaf with those areas - all of which are western side of Mindinao. The eastern side of Mindinao is more or less just fine.
The people of Mindinao are SO HONEST and so nice. Honestly speaking, the scams really do occur in Manila and Luzon vicinity. Whenever I've been in Mindinao, scams are nearly non-existant. Really nice down there.
Anyways, as to your itinerary, I'd personally skip Zamboanga. As a blonde white male, I wouldn't feel comfortable there whatsoever. Maybe as you are half Latino/Half Filipina, you could get away with that one, if you really felt you wanted to see Zamboanga. I have been slightly interested, but whenever I've read actual travel experiences from people who've been there, it doesn't sound so interesting anymore.
General Santos, I've been there, but there isn't much to see or do there. That also looks like a long boat ride from Zamboanga to General Santos. I've taken a lot of ferries all over the Philippines - a few dozen or so. That one is probably few and far between ferries, I'd imagine, and probably rough seas.
Buses from 'GenSan' (as Filipinos call General Santos) to Davao is fine. I love Davao. I think it is a really nice, safe city, with enough things to do as well. Very comfortable place. I'd like to spend more time there actually. Samal Island is within sight of Davao, so easy day getaway.
I've also taken a bus from Davao to Cagayan de Oro. Beautiful bus ride, lush fruits and deep canyons. Mindinao is such a beautiful place, or you can really feel it on that particular bus ride. I didn't expect it, I thought it would just be dirty, polluted, but it was actually just lush and large canyons.
Cagayan de Oro is pretty cool too. Very lush there, everything seems to grow everywhere, and that drizzle rain feel, but in a good way. The city has a very pretty location, I'd like to re-visit there again as well.
Camiguin is another bus and ferry ride from CDO (Cagayan de Oro)...and Camiguin has some of the nicest people I've met.
Personally, if I were you, unless you had a reason to visit Zambaonga and General Santos, I'd just scratch those two cities off of the itinerary. Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin are well worth it - I'd love to return to all 3 of them myself again soon. I'd add a 4th one instead, which would be Siargao Island. I haven't been there yet, but they the best surf in the Philippines, and apparently attract the diehard surfers from around the world. I don't think its very developed for tourism or infrastructure or anything, but it does seem like it would be an interesting enough of a location to try to visit, and a good way to fill-out your two weeks if you did decide on removing Zamboanga/GenSan from the itinerary. |
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milkweedma
Joined: 15 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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Everything Tiger said is soo true. I've taken the Butuan to Davao bus (about 6 hours) several times and the view is spectacular all the way really. Coconut tree plantations, canyons and lush tropical rainforest is what Mindanao is all about.
Skip Zamboanga as it's where the Muslim insugency comes from but as Tiger said, you'll probably blend in until you open your mouth.
I like Davao better than Butuan cos it's more cosmopolitan (more shops and malls) and there's a lot of poverty everywhere so always becareful anywhere in the Phils. |
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dimitri31
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:00 am Post subject: |
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Thanks a bunch for the info !!
| Quote: |
| Check out the thorntree on the Lonely Planet website and you can find everything you need. |
I've checked out the website. Lots of helpful info. I even discovered another place in the Philippines that I didn't know existed through the site. It's a place that seems really secluded and untouristy...the Cuyo Islands. I am really interested in going there sometime.
Tiger Beer, that was a really vivid description of Mindanao you wrote there. Good stuff! Sounds like the Zamboanga area is best avoided. Besides, it's a vacation right, so unwanted stress defeats the purpose.
Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Camiguin seem like they would have the most activities to do down there.
| Quote: |
| There's a lot of poverty everywhere so always becareful anywhere in the Phils. |
Yeah, that's the deal. I don't have an international ATM, so I've been thinking about how I'm gonna handle my money down there. Any suggestions??
And by the way, has anyone been to the Cuyo Islands??? |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| dimitri31 wrote: |
| And by the way, has anyone been to the Cuyo Islands??? |
Looks way too far to combine with Mindinao. Looks real difficult to get to in general. Looks like you'd have to fly to Puerto Princesa and than wait for a once-a-week ferry that goes there. Then to get back off, have to wait another week, etc.
The beauty of the Philippines is with 7000+ islands, it leaves a lot of choices. Unless you have a specific reason for Cuyo Islands, I'd probably choose another one. I'm going to guess your interested in its remoteness? If so, I've noticed that most islands still have a very remote feel, but would equally be easier to get to. Actually Palawan in general has around 1000+ islands, and the majority of them with the exact same remote out-of-the-way feel that you're probably attracted to Cuyo for. |
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dimitri31
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:29 am Post subject: |
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oh no, no, no....I'm being misunderstood, I think.
I would like to go to Cuyo someday. It seems like it would be a nice getaway.
I will not be doing Mindanao and the Cuyo Islands within a two week period. That would be entirely too rushed.
I would though like to hear any personal accounts of the islands, if anyone has been.
From the research I've done, I found the same info. about the ferry arriving and departing once a week. However, I also found out that Cuyo Island does in fact have an airstrip and flights that reach the island. So that would be an added convenience.
I'm starting to think there are so many islands and lovely beaches in the Philippines that if you've seen one, you've seen them all!  |
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