⌛ how many non locals?

WHY did I come to here ?

Zambi, I know precisely why I went to this place. I had till 2 years ago only experiences in the Philippines for diving purposes.
I went 7 times to Mindoro (Puerto Galera/ Sabang) and 1 time to Apo Reef (also Mindoro).
After I got divorced I decided not to stay in my home country but to make the best out of my retirement.
The Philippines is still a good spot at the globe for divers (don't want to rank at all here again hahaha) and combined with the economical benefit of having my pension in strong Euro's, the beautifull woman (I did met one already !) , nice weather and the many beautifull sceneries in this country (the Philippines has a lot to offer; I hope to visit a lot of those beautifull area in this vast country), my decision was quickly made.
WHY did I/we choose for the area around Dumaguete ?
My girlfriend and I spend one holiday to visit Bohol, Cebu. Negros and Panay and we found Dumaguete THE city to live near.
Not too crowded, no skyscrapers, big office buildings but instead cozy small restaurants, a mixed population with a lot of students (dont' want to feel old already :D ) AND not far from there a nice place to live, opposite Apo Island to make hopefully many nice dives there.
Untill so far I'm not disappointed.
I however also frequent those boulevard drinking sites so many are referring to. That gives me a little bit of the feelings I always had when sitting at a small port at the Mediteranean in south of France.
I hope RHB does not put me now in that box of expats with very specific desires :( :D
Good question you posted, I'm curious to hear from others as well.

 

now we are off the "off" topic I think:D

Jelly, no I think no worse of you, I can also have a drink on the BVLD without feeling pigeon holed. In fact my honey and I even go to the infamous Why Not disco once in a while.

 

disgusting

:D How deep can a man sink ? Me also last week (with my own honneponney !)

 

what is the world coming to, two expats with thire honeys going for a drink
at thee.... why not bar.

 

If your doing a census on Westerners living in Dumaguete, you can put me down as one. I retired here 13 years ago.

 

HI JWL,

13 years ago.... man thats a long time, I am sure yo can give some real valuable inside-views on some Dumaguete related questions.

I am outing myself, Jelly and RHB. I was at Why not ?
cheers

Rhoody

 

Thanks for the insight Jelly.

Re: the Blvrd - you've got to make the most of the local facilities, otherwise there's no point being there right?!

 

Thanks RHB. Well I guess DMGT is a hub for the local region, so sure, it will end up being a popular choice for that reason.

Does anyone know if there are any smaller/quieter towns/villages in the region, that have reasonable infrastructure? Anyone done much travelling around the coastal regions of Negros?

 

After dumaguete going smaller, it gets significantly smaller. Always there are trade offs. Bayawan might fit your description. 50K? past Siaton. They have some commercial chains, but little else. They have a Bvld nicer that Dmgte, but absolutely nothing on its sides, Squatter area's and ramshakle KTV's on the inland side, and fishing boats lining the beach side. No tourist related bussinesses at all. Could be a plus or minus depending on what you seek. Expats reside there, lack of healthcare and major shopping might be a hinderance. Dmgte seems to have a good balance right now.

Siaton is ripe for developement in the next few years, right now very small, but close enough to dmgte to get its benefits. I like it, very rural, pretty rice fields. Very green. two rather large clean rivers on either side of town. The mayor seems to be forward looking. They have quickly commercialized balananan lake, much to the dismay of some, but it will attract a broader range of tourists with the developement.

Really depends on what infrastucture is important to you.

Tanjay is I think a very pleasant small town with some perks, nice clean residenial streets, lots of stores on the small side, no Lee plaza for sure.

 

Thanks again RHB. Is most useful.

Last time I visited I didn't have the opportunity to explore the region as much as I'd of liked. First I got sick for a week, then my partner had to go i hospital for an operation. Yeah, great holiday. :(

Hopefully, next time I can get to see these places you mention.

Thanks again.