Of course I've been also doing my typical relentless planning for my next Philippines trip. I've never taken any kind of break from my dreaming, strategizing and theorizing about what I will be getting into when I return to my favorite place in my own MacArthuresque way. I'm planning on doing a couple of typically mutually exclusive things. These two things are:
1. renting an apartment or home there on a monthly basis.
2. camping.
Sleeping in hotels is much more expensive than renting an apartment or even a house, but I don't even know yet which area of the Philippines I would prefer to live in on a longer-term basis. I really liked Bogo City, where my expat buddy Rusty has been living happily for quite some time now. It's an interesting, progressive little town, and it has many things going for it. It basically only has 1 bank machine, so the line for getting cash can be pretty long, but it also has that great little BBQ place on the bay.
Bantayan Island is another place that has lots going for it, and if I choose to stay at Tristan's Resort again, I would get a reduced long-term rate should I choose to stay for a month or longer. When I spent 10 nights there on my first trip, the nightly rate was p800/night, and I was informed that it would cost me p400/night on a long-term basis. Today the exchange rate is p47.19 to 1usd. That would be $8.50/night to stay at a nice little beach resort, and it sure is tempting.
There are many interesting things and places in and around the Manila area, but I don't know if I would actually want to live there on a long term basis. Some things are pricier there, especially in the Makati area, but I also have a fairly big network of awesome friends in Manila. I guess there are ups and downs with any place.
Davao City has the best fruits, always fresh and cheap, and although it's located on the much-maligned and feared island of Mindanao, it's also rated as the safest city in the Philippines. This is because their mayor, referred to by many of the locals as The Punisher, doesn't play around and runs a pretty tight ship. Davao is currently regarded as the safest place for foreign expats to live. It also has things like Samal Island/Hagimit Falls nearby, but I did get fairly dominated by the mosquitos during my first stay in the Davao area.
Another thing I've been trying hard to figure out lately is the fact that I want to pick a place to rent long-term for the sake of my weak budget, but there are still many places in the Philippines that I want to see. Of course, hopping from place to place is what makes any trip more expensive, but I really do want to see Bohol, Ozamis City, Palawan and a few other areas. The best way for me to see new places would probably be to just chill out and take my time, and that's probably what I'll end up doing.I've been camping for many years, and I definately want to do some camping in the Philippines. There are places where I am really looking forward to setting up a tent and cooking over a nice little camp fire. As time goes by, and I continue to freeze here where I am now, those thoughts become more and more appealing to me. I've never done any beach camping before, and in the Philippines there are numerous options for that. I actually just ordered a tent from REI during their big winter sale. It's the REI Quarter Dome T3 Plus, a tent that's mostly mesh screen. It should be great at keeping the bugs out and letting the breeze in, and it comes with a good rain fly to keep things dry during heavy rains.
Now I just need to start my search for plane ticket prices, and I'm sure I'll go through www.asaptickets.com again, since they got me Pittsburgh to Manila roundtrip for only $987 last time. Other sites like Expedia and Priceline couldn't do it for less than $1500, so it's a no-brainer for me. I'm currently planning on taking off for Manila in February and not returning to the USA until November. If anybody has questions, comments or advice, I always welcome that and would love to hear from you.
