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Asian International Dating Forums => Asian -> Trip Reports => Topic started by: kennumen on November 05, 2012, 06:03:19 AM

Title: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 05, 2012, 06:03:19 AM
Greetings! As promised, here is (the beginning of) my trip report.

In case you haven't read them but would like to, here are my introduction (http://www.planet-love.com/index.php?topic=7195.0) and trip preparation (http://www.planet-love.com/index.php?topic=7259.0) topics.

I won't bore you with most of my transportation to Cebu. Got up very early, car to Antwerp, train to Schiphol, Amsterdam (funnily enough the car would've been cheaper than the train), flight to Hong Kong. 9 hour layover so traipsed all over the airport, found an amazing lie-down chair, slept an hour, ate McD's (for bowel safety and because they accepted a credit card), for the rest just sat there and listened to some music :)

Sat next to cute girl on trip over - turned out to be Thai - had a short chat but she had her earphones in the whole time which I take to be a sign of 'leave me alone'. Immigration in Cebu took forever. Half an hour would not be an exaggeration - on the contrary. The whole time I was thinking 'anyone could take my suitcase'. Nothing particularly expensive in there but a week's worth of comfy clothing, sun-blocking cream and so on. Someone had taken the suitcase off of the belt on the far side but luckily it was still there. If the immigration line wasn't enough of a hint, you can quickly tell there's not a lot of international flights here. Very small arrival's area. Quick pass through custom's (they don't look like they check anything, honestly) and finally you get the feel you're in the Philippines.

At this point I've gotten up early, after a week of lacking sleep and only one hour of sleep in the past 34 hours or thereabouts. So it's caution, common sense and a vague memory of rules to follow against some pretty extreme (certainly for me) exhaustion. To compound my problems I asked for a hotel shuttle via the booking at booking.com and also by mail but haven't heard a word about it, so do I have a shuttle or no? First person to speak to me is going on about foreign exchange. I'm distracted looking for a card with 'Orchard Hotel' or somesuch. I wave her off but rather than go outside and look for the shuttle, I go back to her. I probably need to pay the shuttle and/or taxi so might as well. Beats an ATM. 'Mastercard?' "no sir, cash only". I can only attribute this  sheer luck to my exhaustion but I'd brought 80EUR for the airports and/or just plain trouble so I exchanged 60. "51PHP/EURm ok sir?" Well I've already given you my money so it feels like a rhetorical question. I'd checked a few days before and it was 53 something so yeh, sure, sounds pretty good actually. Once outside, no shuttle. A cop or somesuch asks me to move along. Go left, take another good look, keep looking as I go right, "taxi?" Well it's looking like yes but I don't know yet. Oh, an ATM. Lucky! I got 3000PHP and change so let's get another 2000. Ticket received. ... ... Hey, where the hell is my money >< So in the end, exchanging cash was a really good idea.

"Taxi, sir?" 'Metered taxi?' "Yes of course, sir". He takes me to someone else's taxi. Damn, I've been had. Oh well. 'Metered taxi?' "yes sir." Well okay then. The first guy hands me a ticket and starts (probably) cussing as I move to get into the taxi. So I gave him that coin I got at the exchange. Not sure how much but definitely less than 2EUR so I got off kinda OK. Probably 50PHP. Taxi starts at 70PHP. 'To the Orchard Hotel please' "OK". Clearly traffic lines do not matter. There don't appear to be any safety codes in place. At least one of the seatbelts in the back works. Driver moves swiftly, somehow anticipates people joining and leaving, and does it all without accelerating or braking hard. His dashboard shows 3 error lamps. Great :) Every white cab passing us honks. My driver honks once in the trip at a white cab, meter doesn't jump. Good. We don't appear to take detours. Arrive at the hotel with 170PHP on the meter. Wait. And a shuttle was 780PHP? What the hell man? So now I only have 3100PHP, 6bills of 500 and 1 of 100. Keeping in mind that it's way cheaper than the shuttle, he's been fair so far, my exhaustion and of course all the stories about "Sorry, no change", I tell him "200PHP change?". If he goes 'no' it's 10 meters to the hotel which must have change, but he smartly says 'OK' and gives me 200 back. Could've gone better but I'm a sucker so it was OK in my book. Quick mail to the family (after working out Wifi problems) and off to sleep after some Discovery Channel.

So the hotel is OK. At 35EUR/night (or so, think it was 3900PHP for 2 nights) it's very cheap. Looks pretty good coming in. Forgot my mastercard at the desk (or rather she forgot to return it and I forgot about it too), returned it to my room. Nice! But back to the beginning. Taxi just arrived at hotel, security takes out my bag. FFS man why won't anyone let me do my own lifting here. At least nobody's touched my laptop bag so far. Security takes my bag to the reception desk. Cute girl. Checkin, paid. Read something about noise, asked for something higher than the first level, so I'm on the second floor. "But it's two single beds, sir" From this point on it's clear that being alone is not normal. I don't mean security wise (he's all alone! Take him!) but more in a "really? No friend? No girlfriend?". Anyway, I shake off the guard before he gets a chance to move and turn to the elevator. Pfft, just one floor. Swiftly up the stairs and quickly to the door. As my door opens I hear another door open behind me, some sort of staff "wait sir". No way, I'm out of coins and I think I can figure out a room. Door's already open. 'I'm fine, thanks', quickly in the door and close it behind me. That guy must be bummed there was no elevator 'ding' and I give a sigh of victory. My first hour here so far has felt like everyone's after my money.

So, turn on flashlight on phone and look how to turn on electricity. Yea, it's one of those rooms. Look around, then at the door, "put in card with chip on the inside". Takes me a few minutes to figure out that 'inside' means towards the hallway, not the inside of the room. No wifi reception. Do a quick checkup on my luggage, down to reception. Ask about wifi "oh it's just our wifi, and second floor has Orchard2 as wifi". And hey, I do have Orchard1 & 2 at the reception. 'Sorry, guess I missed it'. Back to the room. No wifi. Ooooh. Seats at the elevator, check again, yes, wifi. But it won't connect. Try again. Nope. Let's try the laptop. Oh hey it's got networks in the room. Orchard 3 & 7, but signal's too weak. Enough about the wifi. Orchard2 is unavailable and near the elevator both laptop and phone can get connection to first floor wifi. Fair enough. Write on the room and send near elevator. Not ecstatic about showing my laptop and/or phone in public but hey, beats no wifi. Honestly at this point I'm longing for someone who doesn't add "sir" to everything they say. lol. Go get a sandwich at hotel restaurant (no time to be adventurous), quick mail to family, some discovery channel and off to bed. Wow. the bed is so hard. And the aircon's been designed to blow on your head or neck. Fair enough. Put pillow on the feet side - no sheets, just a comforter - and body's warm but room's cool. ish.

Next morning I wake up around 8, keep lying there until 9. Quick shower, no warm water. Pro-tip: turn off airco before entering the bathroom. Down to get my complimentary breakfast. Nothing on the menu has any veggies and barely any fruit. And everything - breakfast, lunch or dinner - has eggs. I'm not going to leave here any healthier :) The fruit juice is more like Oasis - sugarwater with an orange taste. Order some extra water for the thirst and tooth brush, back upstairs. Pack everything up for housekeeping, think of what to do, 10 more minutes of discovery channel. You know what, I'm pretty tired so let's rest a bit. The day's not going anywhere.

Wake up, 15h30. lol. Go downstairs, ask where an international bank is. At the J-Mall just down the street. Oh, nice, can do my shopping too. Can't find the bank. Didn't want to but end up asking someone anyway. At least I'm smart enough to ask security. Unfortunately he's not smart enough to answer quietly. "Outside and downstairs". Okay, security is everywhere (and apparently white folks are not a security threat... at all. Metal detector beeps but they barely acknowledge me). Security is everywhere but the ATM is outside. I act to go in the bank "Sorry sir, bank is closed." People inside and 15h30 but the bank's closed? Paranoia to the max. Anyway try to get out money. 200k PHP (4k EUR). Above my limit. Oh snap, added a 0 too many. 20k then. Nope, still above limit (really? should be below EUR500). 10k PHP. --Second hotel in Bohol requires cash, around 13 or 14k for 6 nights-- Okay. But I'm outside. Let's put it in the wallet and go find a toilet to put it in my money belt. Wait, where is the toilet? Been over this entire mall 3 times and no toilet anywhere. Back to the hotel. Housekeeping's busy. Some small chat. Wow, bad teeth at such a young age. Very nice though. She mentions 3 times that the man (who she sent outside of the room) is her colleague who is here on his day off. Apparently I'm supposed to be worried about his presence? All the while I'm just disappointed I can't put the money in my money belt. Well, I've dropped off the groceries. 4 bottles of Evian (as expensive as regular water but I know I like the taste), anti-mosquito spray (haven't seen a mosquito yet - must not be able to survive in this Cebu City air) and shampoo.

While shopping I had a small chat with the guy that helped my find the mosquito repellant. "European" 'Yeah' "Yes we have Spanish history" 'Yes and 50 years of America' "Yea and Japanese too... but they not so good". Interesting. So first of all -I'm vampire white so no matter what I do I can't blend in; Best I can hope for is not to look like a tourist- the guy assumes I'm European. Despite my flawless American accent, an American graduation t-shirt and a Hard Rock Miami ballcap. First I've heard of Americans being looked down upon. Interesting. Anyway, moving on.

Leaving the hotel with the money still in my wallet - ironically my money belt is all empty - I go back to the mall to find a place to eat. Appear to have choice being McD's and Jollibee. Both packed to the brim. Mall is a lot more active now, looks like school's just out or something. Won't take out my phone to check time but it's between 17-18h. Decide on Jollibee's. It might be fast food but it's native fast food. One small step and all. But I don't want to wait to get a seat and I've got time to burn so I go discover the mall - again. Eye falls on a comic store so I go in. Okay so first off, there's security everywhere. 2 guards at every entrance of the mall, one at each exit. Several stores have several more guards. Oddly enough it makes me less comfortable... This small, tiny even, comic story has 3 girls in it. It barely has room for 3 more customers :) I go in so soon one of the girls starts talking to me. "You French". Wow, again European. The girl is just talking, not really trying to sell anything. Stark contrast to the convenience store where most employees were nice and friendly but didn't seem to want to be approached. After a while all three girls are hanging around me. Some older lady walks in and after a bit I get the feeling it's closing time. No queues or anything just a gut feeling. She's not there to shop or to talk to an employee or anything. It feels like I'm being hit on by one or even several girls but I'm tired, it's my last night in this part of Cebu (ferry to Bohol tomorrow), they might just be trying to sell more (pretty expensive store for Filipino standards) but also I want these girls to get home safe. So I pay for my niece's gift and head for a much calmer Jollibees. Get the special (pork, rice, soup + drink for 100PHP), eat and head back for the hotel to drop off my gift and finally put the big money in my money belt.

Just after 20h now. Regretting not asking that/those girl(s) out. But I could use the sleep and I have this to post still. Tomorrow's pretty mellow. I'll (try to) get 5-10k PHP more, also ask for a taxi to get me to the pier by 11h30 and off to Tagbilaran. Bohol will be much more relaxed. I'll be there to relax, get some pool time, do some activities, go at my own pace. No need to go out of my element and learn the culture by talking to random people or moving about a city. I'm still hoping to find a moped rental service. First time on a motorized two-wheeled vehicle but it's just a moped. And I have motorcycle lessons in a month so it would be good exercise. If not a moped then hopefully some activity will take me to the Chocolate Hills.

So - so far a lot of resting but things are looking good. The room is very budget - power off when not in room, aircon aimed at bed's heads, no hot water and generally cheap feel about the room by construction and finishing terms, and not much space to move about, but still good value I believe. Airco, fridge, tv, bed, shower, toilet and (with some tricks and poor range) free wifi - what else could you want? (ok, aside from hot water)

I'll probably check in next time from Bohol. 6 nights there, then another 6 in another hotel in Cebu.

This post feels long, so sorry if it's too long. Certainly is pretty detailed.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 06, 2012, 04:34:31 AM
Day 3:

Went to the bank, tried 8k, no go. Gave up. Stupid. I'm actually not sure how much I need but the money is going out like crazy. I'll head into town tomorrow if it doesn't rain too bad and see if I can't find another bank here in Taglibaran. Might have to walk to save on taxi fare.

Checked out of the hotel, taxi to Pier 4. Gave myself half an hour for the 12 noon ferry. But I need a ticket, which is 2 blocks from where I got dropped off (where you check in). Pass 2GO ads - 555PHP lowest price. Still hoping for a noon ferry so keep going to Weesam. No noon ferry, 2PM. Okay, check out the prices - 600PHP first class, 420PHP one trip - Ooh, 600PHP round trip economy. Yes please. Fairly happy I finally found a deal I'm off to check in. First pay port taxes, 25PHP. Next check-in price for luggage, 50PHP. That last one was probably a ripoff, everyone else seemed allowed to carry their own bags onto the boat. Ferry's 30 minutes late, of course - so total wait 3 hours. Ride's just under 3 hours. I swear since I left home 80% of the time has been spent sitting down. Some trouble (and panick) finding the suitcase but fortunately it came along.

Now, for a taxi. Careful not to be scammed. I hover a bit, then stand at the door. "Taxi sir?" 600PHP? too much. 500PHP? too much. 400 PHP? too much. He droops off. Another guy points me to a counter. I lower my guard because of course an organization with a counter must be trustworthy. "500PHP". Too much. Goes on about how far it is on unpaved roads. I say 300, he says 400. Well not many options I guess. His kid comes along and they stop for groceries and twice to ask for directions. A flat-fee taxi is nuts. Left lane on a blind left turn... But we arrive alive, and I have 350PHP and a 500PHP bill. Yikes, is that all? (oh, and 10k PHP earmarked as 2/3 of the hotel fee or thereabouts). Of course I have to give him the 500PHP bill and of course he has no change. And then he gives me his card to call him if I need a taxi. *Oh but of course*

I am waaay out in the boonies here. Can't say anything for certain but it's fairly deserted and a ways off from Taglibaran. People are friendly but half the staff speaks no english. I have a little cottage of my own with aircon (a bit too weak for the size of the room) and TV (with 1 channel - non-english). Seems pretty nice otherwise. Had a 'boneless chicken' meal which certainly wasn't boneless and was barely chicken (or barely meat at least). I'm a little frightened in a "I could get chopped into pieces and disappear" kind of way but as long as I get the money from the bank I'll -probably- be fine. So as I started, unless it rains tomorrow (like it's scheduled to do all week) I'll be looking for a bank first thing.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 06, 2012, 06:55:42 PM
Nice report K.

If you have that much of a layover in HK, you should try heading into the city. That 9 ours was more than enough to head into the city, catch a few sites/eats and come back.

If you don't feel like leaving the airport, then you can head to Terminal 2 (it is landside so you may have to exit customs). There is an Imax theater, golf course,  and a sports simulator center (I-Sports). You can also go to one of the paid lounges, take a shower, rest, etc,.

Try using an ATM inside the bank, there is a difference between the ATM's inside & outside the bank. Most of the
ATM's outside the banks & at the airports are privately owned and international cards may not work in them - only regional/local cards. Try an ATM inside an international bank (if you can find one) - I remember using a Citibank in Cebu.

Also did you tell your financial institution about your travel plans?

Keep the report coming.....when you have connection.  ;D
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: robert angel on November 07, 2012, 10:57:19 AM
Thanks for the reports--I see dozens of people have read them already here so you're really helping folks out. Seems wherever you go, taxi drivers are just the bane of the tourism business, although supposedly the Filipino taxi drivers are in fear of being 'reported' to the govt. That said, I have been fed the line "I can't make change' and still never reported them. so that's probably why it still goes on.
 
There is so much poverty there that people will try and do every little thing for you in the hope of some tip or fee, but like beggars, most folks get used to it and largely zone it out. If you can't nicely say no' or otherwise ignore them, it can wear on you. I guess ater a while I didn't notice a lot of people calling me 'sir' or kids mostly in the cities, calling me 'Joe'.
 
Hope the weather gets better!
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Ray on November 07, 2012, 12:10:35 PM
Hi Ken,
 
Enjoying your trip report...
 
 
Ray
 
 
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 13, 2012, 12:35:07 AM
Thanks for the tips kfc.

I probably should have gone into HK. But at this point I was roughly 23 hours into a 34 hour journey, having gotten up early. I didn't want a mess with a HK visa (for just a few hours). At that point I was tired and just wanted some credit card grub and some rest. Being alone also means you have to constantly watch your belongings (which I failed to do, sleeping for an hour). Honestly a paid lounge might have been the best option - it looked like those were for VIPs only - high mileage flyers. Keeping in mind this is my second solo trip ever and my first trip in 5 years, first trip with layover, first trip in asia... I think I've done fairly well so far :)

I tried going inside that bank but wasn't allowed. Weird. The ATM worked just fine for my visa so it didn't occur to me that the problem might be with the ATM. The only real difference (as far as the world can tell) between the cards is that one is a visa and the other a mastercard. This ATM was on the outside of the bank building though, and - as far as the security guard I asked knew - was an international one.

My banks are not aware I'm out of country. There should be a weekly cash withdrawal limit of $500 or so per card and at least $1500 monthly limit on either card. This in combination with the fact that I have over twice the reserves (either card should easily pay for the entire trip) made my not inform my banks. Plus I'm not even sure how to inform one of those banks lol.

So here's my financial recommendation - I think it's good for an average person to take roughly 5k PHP / week plus of course all fees for any hotels that need to be paid in cash. It shouldn't get you round (unless you save a lot) but it's a good start, can be an emergency fund and makes it much harder to reach any credit card limits. Remember to ask your bank for at least 1000PHP in 100 or even 50 PHP bills.

On that note, Robert, I took a cab yesterday that was  80 something PHP and the guy was going for change when I gave him a 100PHP bill. Now that's the kind of person you really don't mind giving a tip. Most taxi drivers have learned that the big money is in ripping off tourists. One option is to call 116 (tourist police) or just threaten to, but I don't have any service here so it's an empty threat - if a taxi driver wuld call that bluff... That would not be a good moment. Of course the real problem is tourists really don't want to go through all that hassle for a few dollars. We're here to relax, have fun and make good with the local populace, not spend our time with police and making people angry - and (again) certainly not for a few bucks.

It's not really wearing on me (yet) but it does bother me that some people won't take no for an answer. One bellhop might turn away as you politely say "no thank you" while another might be persistent and almost rip your suitcase out of your hands. Unfortunately I must say it pays off for them.

The weather's been good with few exceptions, more on that in the next report. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments :)
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: robert angel on November 13, 2012, 09:39:55 AM
Ken,
So how's Bohol compared to Cebu City? Are too far out from Taglibaran to really 'get a feel' for the place? Met any nice lady 'prospects'?
Glad the weather's OK--Thanks and keep us posted!
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Capstone on November 13, 2012, 10:14:57 AM

I probably should have gone into HK. But at this point I was roughly 23 hours into a 34 hour journey, having gotten up early. I didn't want a mess with a HK visa (for just a few hours). At that point I was tired and just wanted some credit card grub and some rest. Being alone also means you have to constantly watch your belongings (which I failed to do, sleeping for an hour). Honestly a paid lounge might have been the best option - it looked like those were for VIPs only - high mileage flyers. Keeping in mind this is my second solo trip ever and my first trip in 5 years, first trip with layover, first trip in asia... I think I've done fairly well so far :)



Hi Ken,


Just for future reference (maybe on your return trip home) Belgium citizens do not need a visa to enter Hong Kong, just like US citizens you are entitled to a 90 day visa free stay. Just go through the immigration line and you will receive a 90 stay stamp - HK immigration & customs is a very efficient & pain free process. Once you exit immigration/customs you can hop right on the Airport Express train & 20 minutes later you can be in Kowloon or in Central on HK Island in 25 minutes. HK is very doable during a layover of the length you had.


The HK airport also has several short term luggage storage facilities that you can take advantage of during your layover which charge a very minimum amount. So there is no need to lug your bags around during your layover - I have utilized them several times during my layovers there. And like KFC has already pointed out there are 4 or 5 public lounges in the HK airport which can be accessed for a fee - these are not VIP/airline affiliated but are run by the airport itself for all passenger's use. Its always great to grab a shower and a bite to eat after a long flight in one of these lounges during a layover.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 13, 2012, 10:41:36 PM
Thanks for the advice Cap. Return layover is only 2 hours. Perhaps it was a missed opportunity but on the other hand it might've been better not to take on too much at once. First layover on a solo trip, and first ever layover that long. It's certainly something to keep in mind but I'm quite satisfied with how I've handled this first trip. Or at least the travel arrangements.

I'm not going to constantly write prices in 3 numbers. 50 peso = 1 EUR. 40 peso is $1. For the rest see e.g. www.xe.com (http://www.xe.com)
Keep in mind that while 1EUR is actually more like 53peso, that's 51peso in exchange, and this makes the converted price slightly cheaper than the easy calculation. E.g. 500peso means 10EUR, but in reality you paid slightly less than 10EUR for it.

I ended up unable to get more cash. Had to check out early, tail between my legs, worried I might have to negotiate something. The way I read the terms, cancellation meant 100% of the reservation. Perhaps lucky the manager wasn't there, the staff read the conditions and figured cancellation meant 100% of the first night - in other words you paid for what you used but at least one night. That would certainly work for me with one little note - I arrived on tuesday and could not get any more cash until the monday after. Whatever I had, had to pay for the hotel and food for the entire week thereafter as well as transportation (ferry + ... 'fees', taxi, ...).

The Hidden Coral is nice but it's way out there (even if it doesn't look that way on a map). The two best ways to use this hotel are to either arrive with your equipment or - better yet - hire a boat (with optional diving equipment) and sail to the hotel. The only thing to do there 'as is' is a pool and a TV with 1 channel. Watching Filipino drama is interesting... for about an hour. Swimming in a pool by yourself is fun... for about an hour. It's a decent hotel and definitely easy on a budget but honestly if you want a resort you should expect to spend more. I'm not complaining about the food (see earlier post), the shower (read: regular faucet 1meter/1.1yards off the ground), or the aircon (too weak and a poorly isolated room) - but it's away from everything and doesn't offer stuff for rent. A trip into town is 400 peso by cab and 200 peso by... trike. Don't know the word yet, but it's a bycicle with sidecar and roof on both sides as well as a trunk. It sounds small and it is but I've seen as many as 5 people on one - plus some baggage. Speaking of, I rode on back to the ferry. It was nice enough and I'm glad for the experience but frankly the place wasn't for me and I was a bit relieved to get out of there - having paid just one night and all. The trike was interesting. I was worried about my suitcase falling off with all the inclines and bumps but it hung in there. Even if I say 200 peso for the ride I'm convinced you could whittle it down to 100 or at least 150 beforehand. Some of the trip was unpaved roads but it was only 15 minutes or so. It probably wouldn't be a very comfortable trip with 2 or more passengers though. Certainly would be impossible with that much more luggage.

Ferry back was another adventure. Got another weesam ticket because the seemed the cheapest and already had a decent trip with them. When I bought my ticket, it was delayed. Half an hour later the guy comes to me in the departure hall and tells me it's been cancelled - engine trouble. Hey at least I wasn't on it while the engine trouble happened :) Got a 2GO ticket. 100 peso more (or so). Announcement comes that boarding will start in 10 minutes. Immediately everybody gets up and starts crowding the exit. Not big on patience here, noticed that on all flights and ferries. I hang back and get up a bit after the line starts moving. Don't really get the rush during boarding - you won't get there faster and the seat's already assigned. Get on the ferry, my seat's taken. The mom+daughter move a line ahead, then 10 minutes later move to the center of the boat. Quite a few empty seats including the one next to me - nice because these seats are asian airplane sized. I could stand to lose a bit of weight but I shouldn't feel like a sardine... There were no curtains but this ferry was clearly quite a bit nicer than the weesam. Perhaps in part due to our higher seating position - a meter or two above water where the weesam windows were barely above water. Although there was some nervous energy after the power cut out. The 2GO ferry seemed quite a bit shorter - not finishing a 100minute surfer movie while the weesam finished the 2 hour (3d) Wrath of the Titans movie and went a good ways into a second playing (of the 2d version).

After the ferry I walked straight past the taxis and out of the port. There's a fee to get into the port so most taxis don't drive in. I go out and ask for the Orchard. Get several blank stares. Finally a taxi that knows where it is. Or claims to. He did, but I've considered several times one might not and just drive around a bit. I guess the tourism police are doing a good job on that front. The taxi is 3rd in a row. "Meter + 50 because I've been waiting here a long time". Obviously I should negotiate, several answers come to mind. "No." or "I guess you'll be waiting a longer time still". Maybe I'm just too weak-minded, perhaps I was too tired, or the fact that several cabbies I passed didn't know where it was. For whatever reason I just ignored that little voice and said OK. Then some vagrant tries to grab my suitcase. Nuh-uh. "Is ok, he my brother". Well your brother can get back to wherever he was. I like doing things myself, I hate handing off my belongings to strangers and I'm certainly not going to be guilted (or whatever) into giving out more pesos. A combination of polite rejection, "it's ok, it's too heavy" and blocking body movements pulled that one off. Suitcase in trunk, myself in the cab, and now we're waiting 3rd cab in line to exit the cab waiting line. The cabby exits to a place I can't see (taxi running). First cab in the line exits, another gets ready to move over, and here I am with no driver. Suddenly someone opens the door. Looks like another vagrant. Starts blurting something I can't understand. Combination of a few "no thank you", "don't understand" and lots of "I don't smoke/have any cigarettes" get him to close my door and leave. The driver returns, we take off. I figure I know what just happened by ask the driver anyway "Oh he's crazy, just wants money for nothing". Ah. Like your meter + 50 pesos. We arrive at The Orchard, I pay the man 200 peso (it was 130 or so + his 50, and 100 peso bills were my smallest). Quick grin because be it 130 or 130+50 I paid same as I would have anyway :)

So why the Orchard? It may be in a poorer neighborhood but the hotel is pretty nice. There is a (smaller) mall nearby with several cheap fast food restaurants (well within my limited cash budget), within walking distance. Already know the staff and the procedure. It had crossed my mind to go straight to the CityScape but I'd already spend 6 days there and had only spent 2 in the Orchard. It might not have a mall nearby and some things might be better or worse, you can't know these things upfront but I already knew the Orchard was pretty nice. My stay there was pretty standard fare. I agreed to take a maid out (not quite a date, I believe). Caught her cleaning the room a few times, she offered to show me around. Turns out in her 3 months she's never been outside except to the J Mall, so not quite the guide I'd hoped for. Turns out the J-Mall is surrounded on (at least) 2 sides by squatters. Okay, that explains all the security - probably 20 security guards and on occasion some army/swat fellers, and of course extra security for stores like jewelry. Tried the Mang Inasal restaurant. Not bad but not quite my style. We also went shopping where she convinced me to buy dried mango fruit and marsepin. Not sure how that relates to Filipino food or culture but hey, I've got it, I'll take it home and deal it out. All in all I spent 100 peso or so for a few hours of good company and an interesting viewpoint. Her dream is to work in countries around the world as a maid, and own a car. Sweet girl but probably not a romantic prospect. Although apparently I have to get on facebook now. About the Orchard - it was slightly more expensive without reservation, but I got the same room. After our outing I caught a few laughs and giggles from the staff. I asked her about it but she didn't explain so I assumed it would be okay (she knows much better what she's doing than me) and I didn't pursue it. She mentioned a few times how her colleagues were jealous that she'd befriended me so I figured it was ok.

After the Orchard I moved to the CityScape hotel. Costs about 50% more but service fees are included (although the staff seems to be angling for more).

Wow, the building just moved. It's not me, the drapes shook and everything. Cool. Scary. Anyway, onwards.

The Cityscape is pretty nice. 17 stories (although it seems to be missing a few, like 13, and 17 is just the pool floor). There are 12 rooms + a gym on my floor. Except the gym is more of a rented out meeting room with projector (which so far seems to be occupied daily) and the room next to mine is used by staff to chill out and watch TV. Pros compared to the Orchard are a good view over the city (so high up), solid walls, warm water and a soft mattress. Cons compared to the Orchard are noise (despite the good walls, the door and windows leave a lot to be desired against noise and I wake up to roosters and dogs), poor water pressure in the shower, distance from the mall(s) and limited TV channels (which I like to watch before falling asleep). These are of course personal preferences but all in all I'd prefer the Orchard.

To finish off, a few more protips.
1) Double check your luggage. Make sure you didn't accidentally bring work clothes or forgot your razors. You know, for example.
2) When counting how many clothes to bring, don't forget to take in account hotel transfers and the fact that laundry gets delivered the next day. That means an extra set of clothes and you can't do laundry the last (or second-to-last) day you're in a hotel.
3) Don't bring a waterproof jacket against the rain. A waterproof jacket keeps sweat in as well as rain out so in this heat you'll be soaked anyway - but you'll be soaked and stinky - so just bring a compact umbrella instead.

I have more on Ayala mall and the breakfasts but I get a feeling this is a humongous post already plus I have things to do (want to check out SM mall) so I'll keep that for next time. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 14, 2012, 04:49:57 AM
Nice report K.

1 note on this:
My banks are not aware I'm out of country.
I do not know how things work in Europe but here in the USA.....if your credit card or debit are used overseas and your financial institution have NO record of you telling them that you are traveling internationally - they view that as a potential fraud/lost card and they instantly freeze your account. Some banks try to contact you via the number they have on file before they do that.

It doesn't matter how much you have available or what your daily limits are - they will freeze your account.

You always tell your financial institution about your travel plans.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Bob_S on November 14, 2012, 04:46:12 PM
Wow, the building just moved. It's not me, the drapes shook and everything. Cool. Scary. Anyway, onwards.
Welcome to the Ring of Fire.  It happens.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 14, 2012, 11:23:59 PM
Hey KFC, doesn't seem like it was a mistake. The way I understand it, regular debit cards are completely unavailable outside of the EU, unless you tell the banks you're going overseas (and/or you had a history of overseas use before this rule went into practice, depending on the bank). Credit cards on the other hand have smaller limits but are available without any extra work. I realise there are more things in this world that don't make sense, but it would be quite strange for them to be available at all and then turned off at the first use. In any case, the visa is a local bank that would call my home (parents) who would then explain, the mastercard is specifically a "world/travel" credit card so it should be fine as well. It may have been a gamble from the way you explain it, but I haven't had any real problems (except for some trouble getting a cash advance).

Thanks bob. Am I part of a group now? <insert "We have cookies!" joke> Like I said, kinda scary but glad to have experienced it.

A bit on breakfast and meals in general. So far all breakfasts have been included, and are to be ordered between 6 and 10am. So far I'm mostly sleeping fairly late, which I'm keeping up since it will be convenient upon my return - the Phils are now (without DST) 7 hours later. Simply put if I wake up around 9am here I can expect to wake up around 2am back home if nothing changes), a 4-5 hour shift; If I wake up around 6am here it's 11pm back home and I need to shift 7-8 hours. That said I have overslept once and missed a free breakfast. Breakfast in the Orchard and Cityscape work by way of vouchers for the restaurant, in Hidden Coral you just ordered. Hidden Coral was toast with rice and juice. The Orchard offered a variety of choices (6 or 7 or so?), where I ordered pancakes (+ an egg sunny side up, a slice of fruit) or toast (+ scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon and a slice of fruit). Cityscape offers a buffet. You might have toast, there's always rice, you might have tiny sardines or sausage, scrambled eggs, soup, watermelon, and pineapple juice and water. So far the rice is having trouble cancelling out the pineapple juice, if you catch my drift.

For other meals I've been limited to one per day, generally around 5pm or so. It just naturally started out that way and I haven't felt the need to change it. Plus it's easy on the budget :) I try to alternate between western choices and things I've never seen before but also budget meals. Honestly it's all been fast food so far and I can't say I regret that. McDonalds is the same except for offering crispy fries - which I've seen in the US but only in Hardees - and no salads like they offer in Europe. Of course that last bit is widespread here, the focus is very much so on rice and meat. I've enjoyed my first salad yesterday in Pizza Hut where the regular size pizza seemed smaller than expected - my first meal here that (including drinks) was over 150peso (3EUR, $3.75). Beyond that I've enjoyed ChowKing (Chinese fast food - tip: one of the balls you get is dessert), Mang Inasal, Jollibees (a few times) and maybe a few others. I've seen a ramen shop hidden in the end of one of the Ayala mall corridors that I'm excited to try out. 3 more nights and the budget is looking good so perhaps I'll look for a less budget-oriented choice for one of those nights. If you guys have "must-do" suggestions for eating out, sooner would be better.

I should probably add I'm not starving in any way. I did pig out last week on my birthday with a full bag of junk food, and got another few bags a few days ago - I felt woozy walking to the Ayala mall so figured I'd get a selection of the local cookies and chips in addition to my meal. You could say I've had junk food for 4-5 of those days so 2 meals a day sounds like less than I've actually eaten.

Speaking of the Ayala mall. When I arrived at the CityScape one of my first questions was if there were any malls nearby. "Oh yes sir, the ayala mall and SM mall are close by." Cool. SM mall was on my list to see. "Is it safe to walk there?" to which his reply "Of course sir, yes, but I would suggest taking a cab because it's pretty far". Okay. So they're close but they're far. At this point I wonder if I'm viewed as a lazy white guy or a lazy rich guy. Or perhaps a lazy fat guy. Anyway, he said it's safe so the rest is up to me to figure out. He also mentioned Ayala mall is a straight road from here while SM mall are a lot of turns - which is untrue but I doubt I'd recommend walking to the SM mall. Looking up the Ayala mall on google maps (which takes some doing as a mall isn't listed on google places), it's 2.7km. Listed as half an hour walking distance (having done it 4 times at a brisk pace, 30 minutes sounds about right). So I set off around 5pm. The sun is setting and soon I'm walking on an unknown road to an unknown destination for an unknown distance. The only thing I really knew at this point was I had to keep going straight and it would be on my right 'after a while'. So after a while I got worried, checked my phone and saw it was just past the Marriott which was less than a block away (good instinct, nice one, me!). Later that night I (for some reason) refused to pay the less than 100peso taxi fee so I walked back. You get a sort of "I survived the Philippines" feeling but looking back that was a safe road. Well lit almost the entire journey, big road with lots of traffic, not too many passers-by. The biggest danger is crossing the big roads - unless you have lots of patience - but even that's pretty straight forward. If you're worried just wait for someone else to ignore the traffic lights and follow them. I considered it safer than standing there and possibly getting your wallet stolen, which may well be just paranoia.

The Ayala mall is currently under construction.  It could be another hotel (there are a few - more expensive - hotels here that connect straight to the mall) but it looked like they were genuinely expanding the mall. Despite the fact that half the mall is being built (or rebuilt), it's still big. One floor is about normal mall size or perhaps slightly bigger, and there are 3.5 floors of it plus a movie theatre. What's more, I found the layout to be very newbie friendly. You have a center, an SM supermarket (spanning 3 floors), and two connected corridors. Sort of shaped like: =|  In other words, you go through one corridor, go right, double back all the way to the end, double back and take the second corridor. It's pretty hard to miss a store, and easy to walk through the entire mall in a few hours and see every store and restaurant that might interest you. While big you see a lot of the same things. 5 shoe stores, 5 stores with handbags, ... You've got a few stores with enthusiastic employees but most have one or two persons in them looking rather dejected. Even with the rush of people between 5-6pm a lot of these stores remain empty. On a sidenote it's not easy to find ballcaps here (mine broke), or souvenirs. Ended up buying some overpriced trinkets at the center of the mall so I have something to take home.

Pro-tip: remember to ask t-shirt sizes of friends/family, buy one size too large for souvenirs. If you can't find anything else. Between the ayala and SM mall there's 1 or 2 stores that offer tourist t-shirts.

Not much else to say about Ayala mall. The 30 minute walk will leave you rather sweaty but you'll get some exercise. I almost wrote 'healthy' exercise but I'm not sure that's applicable with unfiltered Cebu City air. I've done the walk twice now, the second time at 7 and 9pm, the trip back with 3 filled bags of groceries. Kept my eyes open and my mind on alert but felt rather safe. When work is completed there I feel it will be twice as big. I guess they'll have 10 of the same empty shops then. The food courts are active though. McD's, KFC, Jollibees, ... They all have big lots and yet the seats are almost always full or completely full whether you go at noon, 2, 5, or 7pm. Same goes for SM mall.

I couldn't find SM mall on the google maps. There was an SM supermarket but that's not quite what I was looking for. So I called for a taxi and had him drive me there. I give the man 100peso and turn away while he's looking for change. I'm developing some bad habits here... Turns out the SM mall is one block away from the SM supermarket. And inside the SM mall is another 3 story SM Supermarket. That can't be good corporate planning lol. And why does every mall (Ayala mall, J-mall, SM mall) have a big SM supermarket? The inside is huge. Probably twice as big as Ayala, about as big as Ayala will be. But it feels a lot bigger. The layout is more of a 3 by 3 grid, with diagonal paths at random places. Take my time and try to go about the entire mall anyway. At the top, check out the movies playing - 5 movies. SM Mall is also 3.5 floors plus a movie theatre. Not really interested in any of the movies - and certainly not why I came here - so I go back to the restaurant I want to eat at. First to the right floor, then walk around 10 minutes. Wait, I'm on the right floor, aren't I? And here comes the confusion of the SM mall. I checked the same floor 3 times, each run I found new shops I hadn't seen before, and finally found the restaurant I wanted. I'm sure all these corridors are much faster if you know what you want and where it is. But for a first-timer or the occasional visitor, you'll need time to find what you want, even if you've been there before (excluding navigational geniuses). So I finally find the restaurant and, oh, this place looks pretty expensive. Great, what else did I see and where was it on which floor? :) Finally decided on a Pizza Hut. They're generally expensive but I felt like pizza and was hoping to finally find a salad on the menu. It wasn't anything to write home about but at least I finally got some greens in me. Regular pizza (6 small slices, between 4 small slices 'personal' and the normal sized 'family' pizza - 265php for a supreme), salad (79php) and bottomless drink (79php) + 10% service fee and 1% local tax comes to 465php and easily my most expensive meal here.

Finished up with another walk around of a floor of two, then decided to just walk to the hotel. GPS didn't quite work inside the mall and takes a few minutes to center in on me, so I'm walking out and just going around a bit aimlessly. Finally it loads and I work out which way to go. The SM mall and immediately around it are pretty nice but you don't want to whip out your cellphone even a block away. Oh, wait, double back because this SM mall I need a picture of :) The walk back is interesting. Get yelled out by a few people "hello friend!", at least 10 taxis honk at me because a white man walking is clearly in need of a taxi. I didn't really fear for my safety but this is one road I would not walk in the dark. Lots of unlit places with wideopen, green fields (in the middle of the city...) or what must be squatters. After the first half of the road you start feeling more like you're in the city again and pretty soon come upon a little open-air market. It was interesting (and again, 10x the same shoppe like copy+paste) but with plenty of poor people, lots of foot traffic, small spaces and loads of small, swift hands my guard was in overdrive. Try not to stop, don't move in too predictable a pattern, make sure nothing's in your back pockets (standard practice anyway) and swing arms in a small pendulum movement near pockets. Got through there scott free, although bikes and cars were clearly less patient here. With many places lacking a sidewalk this can be a bit more dangerous because of that. Walking on roads is generally pretty safe. Despite city traffic and anyone barely following the rules or markings I have yet to see a traffic accident.

Anyway, another walk home free and saw more interesting places. 3 nights left and the only thing I need to do is avoid getting sunburned, make sure I have enough water for exactly 72 hours, figure out what is giving me this rash (forearms/hands, ears, and slightly on face points to pillow) and check out that ramen restaurant. Excluding 1k peso emergency fund this gives me 800peso/day (unless I want to find another ATM). I think I'll have some left for my next trip. Honestly it's been fun looking for budget options. I've said some bad things about cab drivers so far but it seems you really only need to be careful about those waiting around airport and (ferry) pier arrival places. They're not above charging more than 3 times what the price should be. Problem is it didn't look like Bohol had metered taxis. Of course all that is from a single traveller's perspective, so the cost of a taxi ride is divided by one. I would still avoid jeepneys. You're very close together with several people, it must be pickpocket central. Not to mention it's difficult to figure out which one is going where. That said the infrastructure they've built is impressive and probably more comprehensive than most tram/bus companies in the west.

I'm not sure I'll have anything else worthwhile to report before my trip home, you'll see if any more reports come before then.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 15, 2012, 07:13:46 PM
Nice report K.

No tricycle & Jeepney? That is part of the fun traveling in the PI.  ;D
I would say unless you know the route, where you are going or with someone who knows then you should try to avoid them, but everyone who travels to the PI should try them - it is part of the experience.  8)

As to the CC, it looks like things work differently in the USA & the EU.
For the USA, if you travel internationally without telling your financial institution and physically use your card, all sorts of red flags goes up - fraud, lost card, stolen card, etc,. The bank/CC company freezes the card to protect the card holder from "more potential" damages.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: robert angel on November 15, 2012, 09:29:01 PM
Ken--sounds like you're experiencing the 'real' Philippines from the ground up. Be nice if you fell in with a family there and tried some 'at home style' life, but no worry, you're experiencing more than a lot of first timers, it sounds like. I admire your boots on the ground approach, instead of all air con taxis and tour buses. I think you'd enjoy the jeepney and trike experience, especially if you're not a really tall person!
I lived with a wonderful lady from Belgium and became close to her family, even learned a little Flemish. They were super nice folks, who appreciated a big city but also the countryside, along with farm life and delicacies you don't see in the USA, such as rabbit cooked in a red wine sauce.
On a mountain overlooking the city and sea from above Cebu City is a nice restaurant called 'Mr. A's'. It's a not too long taxi ride to up there, the food's pretty good, espec. seafood (prawns --'shrimp' actually--bigger than a man's hands) and you can take nice pictures of the whole city below, day or night. It's 'middle of the road' price wise for a sit down kind of place. It gets pretty steep up there in the hills--might ask the cabbie if the car's brakes and clutch are good, lol!
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 16, 2012, 04:25:30 AM
Thanks for the restaurant suggestion Robert. I'm not big on seafood and the 16th floor has a great view of the city but I'll see if I can't fit it in. 1.5 more days.

As for the tricycles and jeepneys. Well the jeepneys do look cool of course and interesting but I wouldn't go in without guidance. And beforehand all credit cards, money and passport (hell the entire wallet) and cell phone would have to go in the hidden supersecret money pouch. I feel like perhaps I've been too vigilant in my paranoia but on the other hand your wallet only needs to be taken once and you are very, very screwed. The tricycle on the other hand isn't much of a security risk and I have actually ridden in one. Coming from the hotel to the ferry in Tagbilaran, the receptionist called one (her hubby). I kept looking back to make sure my suitcase didn't fall out but even on a steep, bumpy uphill it hung in there. Aside from that the ride was awesome. The only reason I might recommend against using them often is that they're unmetered. The price was half of the taxi (well, the negotiated price of the taxi who then had no change), but I get the feeling that it's still 50-100% more than a metered taxi would've been. But I agree, if you're here it's one of the must-do's on your list and can be done fairly easily and safely even if you're solo. If you're worried, negotiate the price beforehand. At 5'11" my height was no matter whatsoever and they fit 2 filipinos next to each other pretty easily so most people will fit. Like I said before, I've seen 5 people on a single tricycle (excluding the driver) so it can transport quite a bit.

One question about the jeepney though - how does the payment work? I've seen people hopping on and hopping off, with neither action being followed or preceded by payment. Sometimes there's two in the cab, usually the driver's alone, so I can't quite figure it out.

So yesterday I went to the Ayala mall to find the Japanese restaurant. I'm pretty closeby here, much closer than back in Europe anyway, so I wanted to try some semi-authentic ramen noodles. Seen those way too many times in anime. All this time I've been going around the construction work to enter the ayala mall. This time I figured I'd try a passageway next to the Marriott - a lot of people seemed to be going in there, too many to be hotel guests. Pass by the guard - who just seemed generally bored -  and see Ayala signs. Apparently I'm in the terraces or somesuch, an outdoor region filled mostly with restaurants. Keep walking and get asked the time by a girl. Fairly pretty, expensive clothes, way too much makeup. Immediately a flag goes up, but hey, I'm here to experience things so I keep the conversation going. Apparently she's a "physical therapist". Now I have friends who do that work, but that could easily be code for something else, so another flag goes up. I'm not interested in a 'massage' (with or without happy ending), and certainly not from someone I meet on the street. Like I said though, it's an experience I haven't had yet. She asks where I'm going, I say I'm going to eat and she asks if she can join me. Sure, this could be worth a few hundred pesos. Immediately she grabs my arm. Wow. Nonono. "Oh are you shy?" "Yes I am". I really am shy, but I'm also worried as this can often be a cover to get your wallet. So we walk to where I think the restaurant is, a few times she takes the lead even though she has no clue where I'm going, we get there with no detours. Go inside Rai Rai Ken - coincidentally the restaurant that looked 'too expensive' in the SM mall - and have a seat. She wants to sit next to me in the booth but no. "Oh right, you're shy". Yes, and I like to keep my belongings. 5 seconds later her friend sits down next to her. ... Alright. It's getting expensive for what I'm getting but I'm not really at a point to kick them out. I order some chicken and rice (damn, forgot all about my ramen) and they share some noodles with a bowl of rice each and a drink each. The chicken's not really my thing so I offer some to them and they end up eating most of it :) Supposedly they've gotten here 3 days ago from Davao, Mindanao, to work at a spa which pays per month so they have no money for food. Like I need an explanation after they've already ordered the food. That's about as much as I got from them as for the rest they were just chatting among themselves, giving me a polite smile every now and then and saying "thank you" about 10 times. Well that wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Perhaps they really were new, because if you want to sell something you have to engage the customer, draw him in. Not that it would've worked but they didn't try very hard. One of them made it a point to chew as loudly as possible and speak inbetween chewing. They were rather rude to the restaurant staff. Afterwards they were using a toothpick with a napkin to cover what they were doing. Well at least I learned something. After I paid we walked out of the restaurant and while I was saying "nice to meet you" we went our seperate ways. With the makeup messed up by the meal I'm not sure the first girl was a girl or a ladyboy. Coincidentally I saw the second girl today in the mall and got another polite smile as we passed each other.

Went back today to get the ramen (and the water which I also forgot to buy yesterday - got too distracted I guess). It was nice enough but ramen basically being noodle soop, I can't recommend it in the Philippines. I was fine with the small bowl of soup when it came complimentary with a Jollibee's value meal, but this ramen kind of overheated my brain. I'd think twice before eating/drinking hot soup in such a hot climate. Afterwards I went to McD's to get a McFlurry but I think they messed it up. I ask for a caramel ice cream and get caramel, oreo and ice cream which appears to have a banana flavor. The flavors went surprisingly well together but it was quite a ways off from what I think I ordered and certainly from what I expected.

I've read it before but I'll repeat it: pro-tip: if you're shy (or part of a couple), wear sunglasses. You can look and stare at any pretty girl without worry. Just remember to shift your eyes, not your head. I haven't had jaw-dropping or neck-twisting moments but there certainly are plenty of pretty girls around.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 16, 2012, 08:33:30 AM
Payment for the jeepney is by destination, prices are already set and you pay as/after you board.  Example, street A to street B is 10 pesos, while street A to street C (which is further down ) is 15 pesos.


With the makeup messed up by the meal I'm not sure the first girl was a girl or a ladyboy
You could have politely asked for an inspection.  (http://static-forums.visajourney.com/public/style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif)    (http://static-forums.visajourney.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif)       


Have you tried any of the following?
Addidas, kare-kare, halo-halo, Adobo, Lechon, Inasal, Bachoy, Laing, Pan de sal, mamon, Pinakbet, Sisig, Sinigang, Tapa, and the likes.
One of the things I recommend people do is try the local food. if you are to marry a Filipina then the food will be part of your daily life.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 16, 2012, 09:35:19 PM
Well, what's the phrase? A picture says a thousand words? I really don't get this picture. I gave them at least 5 seconds to pose and this is what I got. The one on the right is who approached me, but like I said, she seems to have lost quite a bit of makeup during her meal. The one on the left was more or less my type as far as looks and mannerisms go but too many red flags obviously. I'm not even entirely certain she speaks english. Anyway, an inspection  was unnecessary. The ladyboy thing was just an afterthought and I was just curious about their actions and train of thought. I'm single, wasn't interested in whatever they were selling and am only briefly in Cebu so any effects would only be on my reputation here which is basically unknown anyway. Seemed worth the risk to find out.

Honestly I'm not sure what I have or haven't tried. I just order something and try at least one of everything, generally finishing everything off. It's a good thing I have to pay for everything, it really makes me less picky as I'm usually quite picky. It's also fortunate in a way that there is no romantic interest at this point, because that would add pressure to eat things I really don't wish to :) Like being invited to a meal and getting first pick - you can hardly go "uh... don't like this". Anyway, I did order everything myself so that may have been a bit on the safe side, but I've come at this with somewhat of an open mind. But now you mention it, food might be one thing where I clash with the culture. The staple diet appears to be rice, meat, eggs. I'm not a health nut but I'm actually hunkering for some greens. And that's the normal food. So yes, I realise and recognize that this could be a problem if I were to have a filipina wife.

Do you guys eat a lot of filipino cuisine with a wife brought back home? I mean my meals (back home) aren't that often local. Sometimes local recipes, sometimes french, italian, mexican, turkish, greek, chinese, ...
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on November 17, 2012, 09:29:42 AM
Tomorrow my flight leaves around 8pm. I should take a taxi by 4, 4:30pm at the latest. Hotel checkout is around noon at the latest. I'm not going to be difficult about it, just wake up, shower, get breakfast, pack my things and chill until noon. After what I've been through on this trip, waiting an additional 4 hours is nothing. I doubt they have anything to see or eat in Mactan Intl airport but I'll certainly find out. Have about 2000 peso left, mostly small bills (made a point of that). Hotel includes 10% service fee so I'm not sure how that affects tipping. Might leave a little bit, not happy with the hotel but the staff were very nice. If/when I do come back [to the Philippines] I'll have small bills to pay taxis.

A few more 'random' notes I forgot to add in earlier posts.
* Filipinos in traffic and foot traffic are often quite rude. Every now and then you see someone letting sidestreest ahead (usually a jeepney) but for the most part there is one rule: honk twice and you have the right of way. Hell, honk twice and you can do anything. If you honk twice and you don't get your way, it's your right - nay, your duty - to go ballistic. Foot traffic - well you could say it's rude, or you could say relaxed. In a two way passageway, it seems people will do their utmost to walk next to each other in such a way as to block the entire passageway. Sometimes they'll stand their ground, often they'll give you the bare minimum of space at the last moment. It's quite curious really.
* There is quite a lot of green in the city. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised, it may well be just squatter areas cleared out and overgrown with green within a year or two (this being a jungle biome), but in the middle of a bustling city there are quite a bit of green areas still. I don't mean parks or recreational areas, just apparently vacant lots with plants and stuff.
* Most guards have a gun. I'm not talking about swat or army guys with full automatic rifles, just regular security guards guarding a hotel, a glass shop (lol), other shops, a mall, ... They're armed with anything from a flashlight to a handgun to a short bore double barreled shotgun. Forgetting for a minute just how many of them there are, I can't help but wonder what qualifications these guys need to bear a firearm. Given how many people have one, it's like they're giving them away...
* Which reminds me of another point - labor is very cheap here and it's pretty obvious. Tiny, empty shops with 3 employees in them are not a rarity. Security guards everywhere. Personnel everywhere. Now I'm going to say something dangerous because I've met quite a few hard-working filipinos, but sometimes I get the impression an employer would rather hire 3 people and have 2 of them twiddling their thumbs all day than hire 1 motivated, hard worker. I know it's an unjust impression but I just can't shake it. But in short, there are a lot more employees here, on average. Also, cleaning up after yourself is a nono. Pretty much any restaurant - even the very cheapest - you eat and leave, leaving your trash on the table.
* English is pretty widespread (though remember I'm in a big city). Sometimes it's very good any I forget it's still a second language and get smacked in the face with some word I have to hear 3-4 times. But even big companies have trouble with it. Grammar and spelling errors abound in menus, explanations, advertising, ... Even with actual american companies like McDonalds. It doesn't bother me but I do notice and find it interesting...

Well, that's about it. I'm sure I had some more stuff I wanted to say but forgot still. Can't have everything :) I'll see if I can post a post-mortem once I get back, but you might have to be patient about it.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 17, 2012, 01:14:49 PM
We eat Filipino cuisine, every week I (we) stop by either Chinatown (carried a large variety of Filipino goods) or go to the Filipino stores to shop. My wife do eats a lot of greens, she could go weeks by eating only greens, rice & fish and no meat.

My wife is slowly learning how to cook different dishes (her choice) - she is currently learning the Caribbean cuisine.

I tried a whole range of food while in the PI, I just had to remember (or she had to for me) what I didn't like so I don't repeat eating the dislikes.

And to the pics of these two ladies, I say the one in pink is suspect but my wife says both.  :o

As to what you describe about the foot traffic, that is common not just in The Philippines but also parts of Asia. Here in NYC Chinatown, you would encounter the exact same thing, try going into a supermarket at the heart of rush hour when people are trying checkout & go home - you will get run over.  But it doesn't bother me as I am quite use to it plus I ride the NYC subway everyday.  ;D

English?
There is English and then there is Filipino English - which is a dialect in its own rights  :-X .
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: robert angel on November 17, 2012, 09:19:31 PM
Well, what's the phrase? A picture says a thousand words? I really don't get this picture. I gave them at least 5 seconds to pose and this is what I got. The one on the right is who approached me, but like I said, she seems to have lost quite a bit of makeup during her meal. The one on the left was more or less my type as far as looks and mannerisms go but too many red flags obviously. I'm not even entirely certain she speaks english. Anyway, an inspection  was unnecessary. The ladyboy thing was just an afterthought and I was just curious about their actions and train of thought. I'm single, wasn't interested in whatever they were selling and am only briefly in Cebu so any effects would only be on my reputation here which is basically unknown anyway. Seemed worth the risk to find out.

Honestly I'm not sure what I have or haven't tried. I just order something and try at least one of everything, generally finishing everything off. It's a good thing I have to pay for everything, it really makes me less picky as I'm usually quite picky. It's also fortunate in a way that there is no romantic interest at this point, because that would add pressure to eat things I really don't wish to :) Like being invited to a meal and getting first pick - you can hardly go "uh... don't like this". Anyway, I did order everything myself so that may have been a bit on the safe side, but I've come at this with somewhat of an open mind. But now you mention it, food might be one thing where I clash with the culture. The staple diet appears to be rice, meat, eggs. I'm not a health nut but I'm actually hunkering for some greens. And that's the normal food. So yes, I realise and recognize that this could be a problem if I were to have a filipina wife.

Do you guys eat a lot of filipino cuisine with a wife brought back home? I mean my meals (back home) aren't that often local. Sometimes local recipes, sometimes french, italian, mexican, turkish, greek, chinese, ...

Ken, Just got back from dinner with a couple of Filipinas (they love 'Texas Roadhouse--steaaks, chops, ribs) and while waiting for our food, and without saying a thing other than: "A guy on a website I check out is visiting the Philippines and sent a picture." I showed them the picture of your two dinner companions.

Without raisng an eyebrow, they immedietly said in a very matter of fact way; "Oh--ladyboys". Then one showed me a picture of some unusually male looking Filipino guys in drag clothing--lady boys, but not all 'done up' in a lot of make up, as they were sweating, while wearing painful looking stiletto high heels--they had to be 6 inch high heels at least--and they were running a MARATHON, in Marikina, Manila, which is the shoe capital of the Philippines .

In the Philippines, ladyboys are well accepted overall, sometimes just matter of factly--as part of normal, everyday life, sometimes with humor, because some of them are 'over the top' fashion mavens and/ or funny people. Some very widely accepted celebrities there are ladyboys. Even more so than in the USA, where many women will pour out their heart and confidences to gay male hairdressers, Filpinas in particular accept and often have platonic affection for male gays and ladyboys. Then there are well attended 'ladyboy beauty contests' in big cities and small villages alike, where just about everybody turns out to view.

When you're not from there, it naturally seems rather foreign.

As for food and marrying a Filipino, I know a lot of cases such as ours, where a Filipina changes her diet to almost all food being what her husband usually eats. Probably the one thing that's pretty unchangable in almost all Filipinas is they continue to crave rice. While my wife will sometimes have a baked white or sweet potatoe like me and forgo rice, usually by the next day, she'll have to have rice.
 
Not that I mind--in fact I like many Filipino dishes, but she doesn't cook a lot of Filipino dishes at home. She likes a lot of dishes we cook together, enjoys baking cookies and brownies, but when she misses something like dried fish, liver or crab, she'll typically get together with a girlfriend or two and they'll really 'get into it'. Sometimes she'll cook dried fish at home on a little propane grill outside--that stuff's smelly. Sometimes she'll mix their style of sardines with rice--but it's not her sweetest kiss IMO after she eats that!
Some Filipinas will cook two meals each time--one in the style their husband's used to and one "Philipine style', but I think it's best to meet in the middle on diet.

We enjoy and cook at home in many styles--juicy, medium rare steaks, burgers, all kinds of BBQ, Italian, chicken in many styles--we always have feta, provolone and parmesan cheeses, fix salads  and have various ethnic foods in the house. Fruits most people in the Philippines never see, like strawberries, peaches, plums, apricots and such, are some of my wife's favorites. She gets mad when I place them around a warm brownie and add a spoonful of lowfat ice cream (thinks the ice cream's unhealthy) but she always eats every last bit!

Unless it will cause health issues, there have been times when Filipina friends were hospitalized, where we 'smuggled' freshly cooked steamed white rice into their rooms so they wouldn't suffer 'withdrawal' symptoms. I think the one food they'd give up last if forced to would be white rice.

 
Overall, I think most Filipinas, although it seems to vary according to the husband's preferences, adopt what's cooked and eaten to a large extent after they leave the Philippines, although when Filipinas get together, they really get into the 'native dishes' big time.
 
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: michaelb on November 18, 2012, 11:27:55 AM

 Filpinas in particular accept and often have platonic affection for male gays and ladyboys. Then there are well attended 'ladyboy beauty contests' in big cities and small villages alike, where just about everybody turns out to view.

If I remember correctly, Bear, who used to post here but hasn't in quite some time, used to be the judge of his local ladyboy contest.

Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: thekfc on November 18, 2012, 11:55:25 AM
If I remember correctly, Bear, who used to post here but hasn't in quite some time, used to be the judge of his local ladyboy contest.
I think Dave H also judge the local contest in his area.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: michaelb on November 19, 2012, 08:30:54 PM
That's right, now that you mention it, I think it was Dave H., not Bear.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: SkyNorth on November 25, 2012, 04:52:55 AM
Ken...do you think you might try another country?
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on May 07, 2013, 01:27:06 PM
First, I apologize. I remember leaving the topic in a finished state when clearly I didn't. Time to rectify that situation :)

 Thanks to all for the insight on culinary habits. Boiled down to one sentence - basically some nostalgia but mostly embracing the discovery of worldwide cuisine including the 'new local' cuisine.

As to what you describe about the foot traffic, that is common not just in The Philippines but also parts of Asia. Here in NYC Chinatown, you would encounter the exact same thing, try going into a supermarket at the heart of rush hour when people are trying checkout & go home - you will get run over.  But it doesn't bother me as I am quite use to it plus I ride the NYC subway everyday.  ;D
You know, that's probably just my not being used to the city. Pretty much my entire life is based in a sort of suburbs (although I'd consider most of the region suburbs) so that probably explains a lot. Still, what I said holds true...

 
In the Philippines, ladyboys are well accepted overall, sometimes just matter of factly--as part of normal, everyday life, sometimes with humor, because some of them are 'over the top' fashion mavens and/ or funny people. Some very widely accepted celebrities there are ladyboys. Even more so than in the USA, where many women will pour out their heart and confidences to gay male hairdressers, Filpinas in particular accept and often have platonic affection for male gays and ladyboys. Then there are well attended 'ladyboy beauty contests' in big cities and small villages alike, where just about everybody turns out to view.

When you're not from there, it naturally seems rather foreign.
Some things I find weird as hell but ladyboys don't phase me at all. I forget why, maybe the tonnes of anime or maybe I'm just that kind of guy. Just not looking to be in a romantic relationship with one. Still find it a shame how that lunch played out. They just sat there, ate their food, smiled periodically and talked some tagalog/cebuano between themselves (supposedly from Mindanao so perhaps that's another language still). Was looking for some conversation and insights but hey, it's a brief story but I got a story nonetheless. And I managed to politely decline their 'massage'.

Ken...do you think you might try another country?
I considered Japan for a while. I've watched too many anime to just let that one go. But honestly I've considered it and am just not sure what I want to do there. I mean, I want to try out the local cuisine, get an authentic katana (set), perhaps visit Akihabara ('nerd central') and Osaka has nice weather... I would like to experience the Japanese culture but that's such a vague statement and the rest are little things that I could find very similar elsewhere. Plus there are hurdles like it's expensive, learning the language will only help you in 1 'small' country (ok, 150mil people is not that small nor do I have any right to talk, really, when my mother tongue is spoken by a mere ~25mil worldwide), written word uses squigglies, ... I'm still interested but I find it's not the right time for me.

Right now I'm doing a 180 and considering Colombia. I'm still in the preliminary stages of planning but it's quite intriguing. I won't go into it too much (not in a cebu trip report in the asian forums) but the combination of 'mellow' coastal girls with Jamie's semi-forced non-monogamous dating could be good for me. ... Though not so much for my house-fund :p There is also a chance I'll save money this year and just do a motorcycle trip to Spain. That was the main contender before I realised I turn 30 this year, not next year, and that it's still quite a bit of money to just sit on a motorcycle for a week+, 8+ hours/day, driving in one big circle with nowhere to really be :)
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Bob_S on May 10, 2013, 10:56:52 AM
30 is not too old to go to Japan to work in an Eikaiwa (English conversation school).  It gets you into the country for at least a year, longer if they like you.  The pay is crap but you can live on it and get out and see the country.  And meet girls, lots of girls.  I met quite a few male teachers who joined an eikaiwa for the intended purpose of eventually meeting a girl to marry and bring her home when his visa expired.

Besides, why not follow your heart?  If Japanese pop culture is your thing, that's where your heart is.  Additionally, a J-wife would be more understanding of your massive collection of Studio Ghibli, Gundam, One Piece,  or Full Metal Alchemist DVDs.  But a South American wife?  She'd wonder what's wrong with you.  ;)

Anyway, that's my plug.
(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-flag012.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on May 12, 2013, 07:34:25 AM
30 is not too old to go to Japan to work in an Eikaiwa (English conversation school).  It gets you into the country for at least a year, longer if they like you.  The pay is crap but you can live on it and get out and see the country.  And meet girls, lots of girls.  I met quite a few male teachers who joined an eikaiwa for the intended purpose of eventually meeting a girl to marry and bring her home when his visa expired.
I've considered that at some point (mostly, but not exclusively, for Japan). English is my second (chronologically third) language but at the risk of sounding cocky, getting an ESL should be fairly easy. The big thing is of course the pay is crap. I'm not paying off a mortgage, saving towards my pension or adding to my general savings nugget. I'd be lying if I said it's not tempting but in the balance of things I've decided against it for now. It does remain an option though, we'll see how my career, housing situation and romantic life evolve in the next few years.

For the sake of sating my curiosity, can you work at an Eikaiwa without first learning the destination language (Japanese here)? I imagine an English only school would be a type of immersion type thing reserved for a "small market" (few teachers needed) of the higher level students.


Besides, why not follow your heart?  If Japanese pop culture is your thing, that's where your heart is.  Additionally, a J-wife would be more understanding of your massive collection of Studio Ghibli, Gundam, One Piece,  or Full Metal Alchemist DVDs.  But a South American wife?  She'd wonder what's wrong with you.  ;)

Anyway, that's my plug.
Is it my heart? It's definitely interesting but - like a true catch 22 - I can't really know without going. As for the DVDs, digitize and archive in non-descriptive cardboard boxes in the attick. No scratches on the DVDs, instant access and seek time, and lesser proof of my inner otaku :) But hiding that I'm a nerd... That ship has sailed like 25 years ago...

Thanks for the plug though, alternate viewpoints are always interesting.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Bob_S on May 12, 2013, 09:30:47 PM
I'm not paying off a mortgage, saving towards my pension or adding to my general savings nugget.
Yeah, before I went I made sure I had all my debts paid off and still had a few $1000 in walking around money to take with me, to last until the meager paychecks started coming in.  When I left Japan, I was probably up at most a grand.  But I did lots of travel and sightseeing and wasn't there to make money.  All the engineers there took a pay hit just for the adventure.  The only eikaiwa teachers there to earn a living were people with teaching degrees who couldn't find a regular job back home.

Quote
For the sake of sating my curiosity, can you work at an Eikaiwa without first learning the destination language (Japanese here)? I imagine an English only school would be a type of immersion type thing reserved for a "small market" (few teachers needed) of the higher level students.
You not only don't need Japanese skill, it is preferred that you don't.  All Japanese take English in school to learn the formal grammar rules and vocabulary.  But they can't speak worth squat.  So they come to eikaiwa to practice speaking with an actual fluent speaker (native is best, but if you can speak at near fluency without too much of a regional accent, that will work).  The schools actually insist that their foreign teachers use no Japanese in class.  The only time I used my minuscule Japanese skill was outside of the school.
There's still a big market for these schools, though it is a bit saturated.  My students ranged from kids who spent years overseas and their parents didn't want them to lose the English they picked up to salarymen who need it for their work with foreign businesses to just bored housewives and retired people looking for a hobby.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: kennumen on May 15, 2013, 01:46:09 PM
Yeah, before I went I made sure I had all my debts paid off and still had a few $1000 in walking around money to take with me, to last until the meager paychecks started coming in.  When I left Japan, I was probably up at most a grand.  But I did lots of travel and sightseeing and wasn't there to make money.  All the engineers there took a pay hit just for the adventure.  The only eikaiwa teachers there to earn a living were people with teaching degrees who couldn't find a regular job back home.
Like everything in life it's a choice. You certainly got what you were there for and then some :D

You not only don't need Japanese skill, it is preferred that you don't.  All Japanese take English in school to learn the formal grammar rules and vocabulary.  But they can't speak worth squat.  So they come to eikaiwa to practice speaking with an actual fluent speaker (native is best, but if you can speak at near fluency without too much of a regional accent, that will work).  The schools actually insist that their foreign teachers use no Japanese in class.  The only time I used my minuscule Japanese skill was outside of the school.
There's still a big market for these schools, though it is a bit saturated.  My students ranged from kids who spent years overseas and their parents didn't want them to lose the English they picked up to salarymen who need it for their work with foreign businesses to just bored housewives and retired people looking for a hobby.
Now that's interesting. It also sounds a bit like a catch 22... Either immersion works on you and despite a full-English day job you learn the local lingo, thereby making you less liked for your job, or the immersion doesn't work and you don't get what you came for. Maybe that's how teachers get cycled out.

My English should be good enough. My spoken English has been sliding a bit due to disuse (it can take me a while to think about the vocab and getting it from the brain through my mouth) but it's fluent. Americans either don't hear an accent or they hear an (American) accent but can't quite place which state it's from. Maybe there is a red string on my pinky... I have a decent job in a crisis with fairly good future but you're still tempting me ;)
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: E. Anthony on June 01, 2013, 04:30:44 PM
Tomorrow my flight leaves around 8pm. I should take a taxi by 4, 4:30pm at the latest. Hotel checkout is around noon at the latest. I'm not going to be difficult about it, just wake up, shower, get breakfast, pack my things and chill until noon. After what I've been through on this trip, waiting an additional 4 hours is nothing. I doubt they have anything to see or eat in Mactan Intl airport but I'll certainly find out. Have about 2000 peso left, mostly small bills (made a point of that). Hotel includes 10% service fee so I'm not sure how that affects tipping. Might leave a little bit, not happy with the hotel but the staff were very nice. If/when I do come back [to the Philippines] I'll have small bills to pay taxis.

A few more 'random' notes I forgot to add in earlier posts.
* Filipinos in traffic and foot traffic are often quite rude. Every now and then you see someone letting sidestreest ahead (usually a jeepney) but for the most part there is one rule: honk twice and you have the right of way. Hell, honk twice and you can do anything. If you honk twice and you don't get your way, it's your right - nay, your duty - to go ballistic. Foot traffic - well you could say it's rude, or you could say relaxed. In a two way passageway, it seems people will do their utmost to walk next to each other in such a way as to block the entire passageway. Sometimes they'll stand their ground, often they'll give you the bare minimum of space at the last moment. It's quite curious really.
* There is quite a lot of green in the city. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised, it may well be just squatter areas cleared out and overgrown with green within a year or two (this being a jungle biome), but in the middle of a bustling city there are quite a bit of green areas still. I don't mean parks or recreational areas, just apparently vacant lots with plants and stuff.
* Most guards have a gun. I'm not talking about swat or army guys with full automatic rifles, just regular security guards guarding a hotel, a glass shop (lol), other shops, a mall, ... They're armed with anything from a flashlight to a handgun to a short bore double barreled shotgun. Forgetting for a minute just how many of them there are, I can't help but wonder what qualifications these guys need to bear a firearm. Given how many people have one, it's like they're giving them away...
* Which reminds me of another point - labor is very cheap here and it's pretty obvious. Tiny, empty shops with 3 employees in them are not a rarity. Security guards everywhere. Personnel everywhere. Now I'm going to say something dangerous because I've met quite a few hard-working filipinos, but sometimes I get the impression an employer would rather hire 3 people and have 2 of them twiddling their thumbs all day than hire 1 motivated, hard worker. I know it's an unjust impression but I just can't shake it. But in short, there are a lot more employees here, on average. Also, cleaning up after yourself is a nono. Pretty much any restaurant - even the very cheapest - you eat and leave, leaving your trash on the table.
* English is pretty widespread (though remember I'm in a big city). Sometimes it's very good any I forget it's still a second language and get smacked in the face with some word I have to hear 3-4 times. But even big companies have trouble with it. Grammar and spelling errors abound in menus, explanations, advertising, ... Even with actual american companies like McDonalds. It doesn't bother me but I do notice and find it interesting...

Well, that's about it. I'm sure I had some more stuff I wanted to say but forgot still. Can't have everything :) I'll see if I can post a post-mortem once I get back, but you might have to be patient about it.


I know the tomorrow was gone by now and you moved on heheheh. ;D
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: E. Anthony on June 02, 2013, 09:24:06 AM
* Most guards have a gun. I'm not talking about swat or army guys with full automatic rifles, just regular security guards guarding a hotel, a glass shop (lol), other shops, a mall, ... They're armed with anything from a flashlight (http://www.robustbuy.com/led-lighting-gadgets-led-flashlights-c-505_1027_730.html) to a handgun to a short bore double barreled shotgun. Forgetting for a minute just how many of them there are, I can't help but wonder what qualifications these guys need to bear a firearm. Given how many people have one, it's like they're giving them away...


It is amazing that most guards can have a guy.
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: CyberGlitch on June 03, 2013, 07:27:27 PM
Even more funny is when I was in Davao a few weeks ago and the shotgun armed security guard at Jollibees. Seriously? Armed security at fast food. For half a second made me wonder about my small room right next door but then I didn't care. lol
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: dot4igan3te on November 29, 2020, 02:37:55 AM

I'm retired and have been living with my girlfriend in the Cebu City for 3 years now.   https://www.freeforeigndating.com/

Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: robert angel on November 29, 2020, 09:43:25 AM
I'm retired and have been living with my girlfriend in the Cebu City for 3 years now.   https://www.freeforeigndating.com/ (https://www.freeforeigndating.com/)
How about more 'tell' and less 'sell'? Presuming the post isn't a bot ->auto generated....
Title: Re: Trip report - Cebu City & Bohol
Post by: Fosgate5 on December 13, 2020, 09:19:39 PM
This thread just wont die!


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