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This Biriani is really a great fortune for all people in this area who love indian food. the owner is a pretty nice guy (from india?) who knows a lot about this food, and is willing to tell you about the thousands of different indian currys. And for me, it seems, he is able to cook them. Spicy or not, he does it for you, and me and my friends and family, found it incredible tasty. The restaurant spot directly on the highway is not so nice, noise and exhaust from the usual traffic, but home delivery is no problem. Price is quite fair for that quality. Beside the Spice, Curry and Roti highly recommended, give this young guy a chance for his business, he is working hard on it. And please, do not compare such places with Jolibee or anything, the owner doesn't deserve that.

 

Even though I agree that a foreigner should think at least twice about buying real estate in the Philippines, the view of the two previous commenters is too rigid and cynical for me.
They look at the coin from only one side and from a pure "financial risk" perspective.

In my view, buying/building a house in the Philippines can make sense for the many foreigners who are lucky enough to be in a stable and loving relationship with a Filipino partner.
My considerations are that:
1. The Filipino spouse will generally be a fair bit to a sizable number of years younger than the foreign partner, which means that as a foreigner you enjoy the love of a partner who's giving her best years to loving and caring for you.
I would not want my partner to not only outlive me as expected but also suffer dire consequences after my demise.
2. One way to diminish those consequences is to at least make sure she has a roof over her head and no rent to pay.
3. Think about it, if there is money available to buy or build a house, then yes, you could invest in something else, and if you make smart decisions you might get richer, and then you die. Who is gonna own those investments then? Are those really the people you would want to enable to buy two new cars and go on a world cruise or something? Or can you think of a more logical recipient? And wouldn't she be happier with a house than some investment portfolio?
4. Rents in the Philippines are high, relative to the value of the house. My estimate is that while renting, you pay the value of the entire house in rents in between 11 and 15 years. So yeah, you can hold out and not buy, and then 15 years later you don't own a house, the partner doesn't own a house and the money is still gone.
5. Sure there is still the risk that the relationship will ultimately fail and that I end up empty handed, but I refuse to fall for the trap of misogynistic thoughts or cultural distrust that would only ensure that I'd be unhappy.
6. There are legal ways to protect your right to live in the house you paid for, even if the title is not in your name.

 

I took the Ocean Jet to Siquijor Sunday and saw first hand what the OP was talking about. EVERY passenger that had any kind of bag was charged 70 pesos per bag. After entering the terminal and going thru the non functioning X-ray machine I was directed to the Ocean Jet check in desk (Ocean Jet is the only ferry that has such a desk inside the terminal). At the desk a man was seated as though he was the one working there, next to him was a long counter where bags were to be checked in for loading by the porters. All the porters seemed to be in a hurry and were scurrying about, not what I've seen anywhere at any time. NONE of the passengers was given a receipt for the portage fee.
The guy behind the counter, that everyone assumed was the clerk there moved out and another guy came in to issue the actual seat assignments.
I'm pretty sure the original guy was not even an employee of Ocean Jet
I emailed the customer service about this issue......as yet no response.

After paying more for ferry service to Siquijor which is supposedly faster the ferry was 25 minutes late leaving port.

I suggest everyone take another ferry, there are several to choose from.....especially if you have luggage.

 

I returned to UK just over 2 months ago and there is a lot to be said about the benefits of living here, especially in Scotland the Chosen Land, quite a few people did tell me before I left PH that the cost of living there would shock me as the price of food has rocketed, well I have found this not to be the case, eating a more western type of diet in PH is much more expensive than here in the UK, but that also can be said of the Filipino diet, you can buy a Kilo of rice here in UK for P30 this is a Long grain supermarket own brand, back in PH I seem to remember the price of rice there ranges from around P40 to around P60, a Kilo of sugar here in UK is P45, I believe it is near double that in PH, Beer and wine prices here in UK are not all that bad all things considered, A litre of good German beer here costs P180 in a Supermarket, back in PH buying Beer by the case it is around P120 per Litre but this is of inferior quality in my opinion? Wine here in a UK supermarket, there is just too many to choose from, but there will always be one or two of the well-known brands on offer, for around P330 per bottle, I seem to remember that price of petrol back there is around P82 per litre, in UK it is P120, but the much improved driving style in UK plus not needing to use AC all that often you can get almost half again the mileage per tank of fuel, car insurance is also less expensive here than there.

Housing now that is really expensive here in UK, to rent and run (paying council tax and energy costs) a small 2bed apartment here is around P50K per month, in my case I own my ain wee hoose, this is a 4bed 128M2 Bungalow, my expenses to run this for one month is around P33K, if I lived in England? I could add 10 to 15% to these figures, it is not uncommon for an Englishman to cash in his assets and emigrate to Scotland, houses in England especially close to the big cities are often worth double the price of a similar hoose in Scotland? we call these immigrants White Settlers.

 

To me, it's a choice if you are attracted by mountains with the cooler climate or the sea and beach. I live in Bacong because I'm attracted by the sea and beach. I would have no problem with living in Valencia, a nice area and many places to visit just outside the door, I go there often, 10 min away. The discussion where most high or low rank expats live is a joke, are we in the kindergarten again

 

well i have wanted to make my own comments on this thread but it took a while to think this through. i have enjoyed everyones posts here and thanks for those. i guess pats opener of life changing at 18 fits me too. prior to that it was a life where there was always food on the table and a dry place to sleep. i remember trot lines and .22 rifles and a little white jeep to drive and my first girlfriend. from age 18 to age 71 it was school and work. six (count em folks) ex mothers in law (ewwww), four degrees, maybe 16 or so different jobs in six different states. nothing remarkable and really nothing particularly rewarding. but honestly, my life has never been better than the last six plus years largely due to my present partner who i met six weeks after arriving here. i am fighting the same rear guard action most of you are against father time but i will be leaving at daybreak on my bicycle for the market for fresh fish and maybe some choco wacko's for my babys breakfast. one day at a time folks. i will want to enjoy it as long as it lasts and will hope the best life possible for all of you as well!!

 

Friend of mine buys the sourdough at Why Not and he says it is very good. I have seen it and it looks baked correctly. I do understand from others that the French Bakery bread discussed is good if you get it fresh. I've never eaten anything from Rollin Pin. Here is some I just made, ready to be baked. challah and ciabatta, 3 strand and 6 strand braid.

 

So it is A VERY GREAT THANKS to the Philippine armed services who risked their lives to rescue Allan and Vilma Hyrons and hope that the injured personnel have a speedy recovery.