⌛ Making Dumaguete my base

well, there is a huge difference between living somewhere or going on vacation somewhere. there are guys in dumaguete "living" (if that can be called like that) for 600$/month, but they don't know much more about the Philippines than warm Red Horse at the Market and 6-Peso Pancit.

to repeat myself, 4k for dumaguete is totally fine including trips to Casororo twinlakes, etc.

in 40 days you can have "savings" from the daily 4k to make some great trips.

A difference to Thailand is that many tourist-attractions in Thailand are fairly easy to reach and trips and tours are well organized on daily or regular basis.

you will not find that here and a lot need to be organized as a "private trip". Say you go into a "tour agency" and ask for a snorkel trip to Apo or a dolphin watching trip to Bais, you will never hear : "Sir we have a trip tomorrow, price is XXX, we can pick you up at the Hotel at YY:am"

95% of the time you will here: "Sorry Sir no trip" and thats it...
5% chance you hear ""For a while" and the lady starts texting a friend, hoping to catch a friend who knows somebody with a vehicle to make a "private trip" to earn some commission.

You can ride with your rented bike (or public bus) 1.5 hours to Bais at 5am to go dolphin watching. weather is great, sea is flat, all is perfect. That does not mean that there are scheduled trips and you can just book it, or boats waiting you can hire. somebody will be there who can wake up a captain who can bring you out,"private trip" of course...

guess you get the picture

 

In my opinion, you'll do just fine on 4K a day. Remember even if you spend a bit more then budget for that day, you can always "go native" and live cheaply until your budget catches back up.

 

Hi I have moved here recently, am staying currently in a serviced apt then moving to a beach house in Zamboanguita in 3 weeks. 4k a day is plenty. I cook my own awesome food and this wouldnt cost more than 1k a day, for seafood and steak, I regularly do days on 2-300 peso and I eat a lot. Alcohol is cheap if you drink, I dont.

I hired a scooter for just over 200 peso a day and is the cheapest way to get around. Fuel is cheap and it goes far.

Rent and associated expenses is approx 20k a month maybe double maybe half but on 120k a month this is not much of a chunk from your budget.

My plan is to also see as much of the ph as I can from here. I also have gym membership (no gym here has decent free weights so am getting my own sent in) and also am doing some martial arts training for next to nothing.

 

LOL, I've seen those guys. They all look like hell warmed over

 

Project, welcome to the forum. In addition to concurring with what Rhoody and Manza had to offer, I would say, given many similarities, if you lived in Thailand for that amount, you could live here for that amount. But, is that how you want to spend the rest of your life is your real question.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhoody
there are guys in dumaguete "living" (if that can be called like that) for 600$/month, but they don't know much more about the Philippines than warm Red Horse at the Market and 6-Peso Pancit.

LOL, I've seen those guys. They all look like hell warmed over.

Nothing like a bit of Generalization Manzanita. Maybe there are some who look a bit rough after to much alcohol ? Maybe the odd one on that $600 a month has a happy life paying his $ into that poor economy ? Maybe even some locals can afford to be happy on just $600 a month : ? Its great that we are all sooo different . I wish I had 4K Peso a day for a 40 day vacation, Maybe one day. Good luck to you project :D:D

 

Maybe you should read the OP again 'cause all you say has simply NOTHING to do with the plans of the OP.

It also seems that not many of replier actually did go to most of those trips/places, if they did, well, try to recall what a 3-day Bohol trip with a bit sightseeing did cost you.

For some a holiday is going to Dumaguete to see their girlfriend, maybe go once to the relatives but generally living for a few weeks as a family in one place together.

Reminds me when I was young and my family went camping. Daddy was fishing, my brother and I were swimming or playing, and my mother...

.... well, she did what she did the rest of the year, cleaning, cooking, washing.... great vacation, isn't it ...

like stated in some posts, 4K is a good base, but surely not plenty to make all this trips, where some are obviously more than a daytrip and therefore 2 rooms for that days need to be paid.

 

If a go a couple of days to squijor or a few days to cebu or Valencia I won´t pay those nights hotel in Dumaguete, I will take my things and just go and then come back and check in again, I won´t pay "double nights" specially on my budget

To be honest I guess that if I can managge to find places to stay wherever I go for 1000P or less I will be fine, I think I can live with 3000P a day (some days more some days less) What concerns me the most is the acomodation...

Thanks.

 

Hi , maybe able to help you !, drop me a email afoster_52@yahoo.co.uk

 

thats a different story, but than you won't get long term discounts, the opposite could be the case, many charge up to 30% extra during silliman founders week or Buglasan

With that plan I would actually recommend a round trip and safe all that traveling back to Dumaguete but continue to the next destination

Example you fly into Cebu: Cebu (City) - Bohol - Dumaguete - Siquijor - Dumaguete/Dauin - Sipaly - Bacolod - Mabinay - Cebu/Moalboal - Cebu/Malapasqua - Cebu/City

that are all nice destinations where you can use public transportation (bus/ferry) to reach them and you can explore way more than using Dumaguete as a base