Hello Everybody, I will be moving to Dumaguete in about a month. I am a 56 yo male from USA. A year ago, when I met my fiance, I spent 2-1/2 months travelling around the Philippines. I think Dumaguete is best for us because she is from the province North of Dumaguete. We will be looking to settle down near Silliman University. I look forward to meeting like minded expats. Thank you for sharing information on this forum.
You have travelled much, I assume, around different parts of the Philippines - so, if your fiancée was not from these parts, where would have been your preferred location to live?
Olongapo near Subic Bay. The infrastructure there seemed to better support the population. All of the other Philippine cities we traveled to were populated well beyond the capacity of the infrastructure. Baguio was nice and cool in late January although I hear it rains alot in the rainy season. The Baguio town center had horrible traffic and the smog collected in the valley around the lake. It shows the importance of city planning. Once the streets are laid out and the land subdivided it is impossible for free societies to replan the city. China has an advantage in that it is easier for them to condemn all the properties in the area and build a new city. Dumaguete is exposed to the wind that channels down between the islands so it should feel a little cooler than most sea level cities in the Philippines. Dumaguete also has a well established expat population. Thanks in part to this website.
I lived there for some time. The infrastructure absolutely cannot handle the local population. It is freaking gridlock in Olongapo proper during the day (one of the worst in the Philippines outside of the NCR, IMO). Barrio Barretto...perhaps it is a bit better but it is still hectic on that national highway during the day.
Maybe I was there during a slow period or the immediate area I was in was better. So all cities in the Philippines suffer from gridlock? Is there a city of 100K + in the Philippines that does not suffer from gridlock?
It's a fact of life for any urbanized city in the Philippines. I think Bayawan in Neg. Or. may have decent traffic and be over 100k...but that is only because the "city" covers a massive land area. I have heard Davao is ok but I have my doubts and think a lot of that is just Davao fanboys/fangirls giving the city unwarranted positive reviews....or maybe because that city also covers a very large area. I've never been there myself so I can't really say which it is. Personally, every single "downtown" area I've been to in the Philippines has been bumper to bumper with trikes, jeepneys and/or taxis that haven't had a legit smoke test done on them in over a decade. You will definitely have to learn the city back/side roads to get around in pretty much any city in the Philippines.
Bayawan perhaps could be the 'next top place' for ex-pats to move to - which means that in a short time it too will be ruined by traffic.
No it won't....not for the next 10 years at least. Without an airport within a 10 minute drive it will remain an insignificant provincial town.
Hmmmm .... @Rye83 @Notmyrealname ... Are you two conspiring? Is this your way of deflecting new settlers away from Dumaguete? Are you next going to tell me that you heard it reported that Bayawan was the best place in the world to retire? hehe
