I recently rented a car and took a trip over to Sipalay for a few days, and have to say next time I'm bussing it. Ended up coming back in the evening and it had to be the most stressful drive of my life, and that includes many blinding snowstorms in Canada where I had to contend with almost no visibility as well as snow and ice covered roads. The next day, I went through the archives of our site and found an articles that pretty well summed up my experience .Driving in the Philippines - suggestions and solutions
Sorry mate, but I laughed so long after reading your post, no disrespect, but it reminds me of my first experiences in Phil, particularly in Duma and the South Highway around to Sipalay etc., ................it is not you who have the problem, we all do, driving here is an acquired taste, to say the least..........lol..............we just have to forget the eon years of conditioning from driving in our own Countries, because it is useless here, and just learn to blend in with the chaos here, so we can live a bit longer, and avoid damage to our vehicles, our bodies, and most of all our sanity...........lol
We all need to forget anything we have learnt about driving in our own countries, we just need to somehow adapt to driving here and be aware of the hazards! There are a lot of them
Yep, exactly, we are now in their world. If we don't like it or can't adapt, we leave, simple. We can't change a thing here, nor should we try.
I have been living in Dauin the past seven years, and find driving north, especially in or around Dumaguete, to be harrowing for reasons easily understood and often repeated, but, on the other hand, I find driving south of Dauin, either by truck or motorbike, quite enjoyable. Though I haven’t driven to Sipalay, I frequently drive to Tambobo, sometimes further to Siaton, and not long ago continued on to Bayawan. I always find traffic to be light on the highway beyond Dauin. There are, to be sure, occasional stops or detours for road repair or improvement, but those I can live with. You mention coming back in the evening. If you were driving after dark, surely you must have been in an emergency situation. Anyone who has driven here any length of time knows that nighttime driving in these parts is hazardous, if not foolhardy.
I found the same thing John. It was an enjoyable ride during daytime. Evening was a different story entirely and though it was not an emergency , it certainly was not my original intention to drive back in the dark. I guess I did not mention that we brought our wives along, which made anything regarding a schedule,,,ummm,, difficult
Basically once past the hell on earth, no mans land full of crazies in Bacong market area, it is smooth sailing going South. Totally correct regarding anyone driving at night time anywhere here is Kamikazi stuff for sure.
