Or to quote that famous Chinese proverb: 'When man hunts fish, sometimes it is the fish that hooks the man'.
Best Posts in Thread: The Zamboanga Peninsula. The ultimate "fishing" grounds!
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Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer
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bootlegger DI Member
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I've been twice, it's okay, once on a medical mission & once on bike tour, not bad. The pier/boulevard has a beautiful view of Basilan, cafe's/calanderias had certainly way more BBQ pork & cold beer than I expected. People are nice, at least at face value, never needed to find anything important (like bike parts etc). Ipil is not so welcoming, an Australian was kidnapped there a few years ago, but could have been his fault. Cotabato, likewise not so nice but survivable, I worked there a couple of times.
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This thread is a bit dated. I want to chime in on the safety of Mindanao. I lived in Pagadian City for a year. While the people were really nice, I was advised to stay out of the countryside. It has an approximate 180,000 population. A cop told me there was a murder everyday. Sometimes twice daily. Either for drugs, or family members killing each other over land disputes. This was six years ago.
I would not advise any foreigner to go to Mindanao. If you are in a city where you can see Basilan-an Abu Sayef stronghold-you are asking for trouble. Many of those 600 terrorists killed in the Marawi war came from the southern region of Mindanao, including Basilian. It is the same as the apologists making excuses about Davao’s safety. Yeah, it may be relatively safe in the city. Wander outside of it and you risk losing your head. Military presence does not necessarily mean safety. There was a bombing in Davao just a few years back- Agree x 2
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Wildlands1 DI Member Restricted Account Showcase Reviewer
Guys, single and searching guys, psst, psst, Zamboanga! OMG!
I was here 4 years ago on my big ride. Spent 5 days in Zamboanga City. Now I'm back on another ride, taken, but still, Holy Moses. I always tell all my friends around Duma, forget "fishing" here. Most of these chicks know the game. They get hit on everyday if they're lookers. Go elsewhere, where few foreigners go, pick a town, any town with a guesthouse, rent a room for a month or three, be seen, let your search be known, hand out calling cards, and I guarantee you will find your beauty queen. Why? Because down here we are unique. We are a catch. A "Province girl" who doesn't know what a "dating site" is.
All the security crap about Mindanao is mostly BS. Dapitan-Dipolog is just a three hour ferry from Duma. Decent hotels in both. Only a handful of resident expats, and all those women. Going south, the pickins only get better. Sundangan, Liloy, Gutalag, Ipil, all are safe, (mostly Christian) and all have places to stay. (Edible food is another matter) Then there is the queen city, Zamboanga. We arrived this afternoon and took a stroll to a mall downtown. I couldn't believe how many beautiful girls I saw, and every one smiled at me like I'm some old rockstar. (the province girls come here for jobs) I have seen ZERO other foreigners here so far. Zambo City is only 35% Muslim. There's army guys everywhere. I wouldn't live here but it's fine for awhile.
So boys. Forget Cupid and DIA, Whatsup and facebook. They are recipe's for a financial disaster. Pack your panniers, get on your bike, (do bring wheels) and get yo @ss to the Zamboanga Peninsula soon. Then take her back. (Remember Rule #4, NEVER live anywhere near her family.) Good Luck!- Like x 4
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Maybe they have their reasons because of their nationals being killed off. We might think their warnings are absurd, but they do have intel we don’t have; and at the end of the day, they are just trying to protect us.
https://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/asia/south-east/Pages/philippines.aspx
I trust my embassy, and while I don’t see Dumaguete anywhere in that list, I will pay attention to the red zone or the DO NOT TRAVEL areas.
Vast difference between EXERCISE A DEGREE OF CAUTION and DO NOT TRAVEL.- Agree x 2
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