Been on the web looking at all kinds of youtubes, maps, etc., and thinking the Valencia area looks like a great place to live for awhile. Since I'll have to be in school several days a week and need to take public transport, I wonder: How easy is it to get public transport when I need it to get to Duma Monday-Friday? How quickly can I get a ride to Duma? Once an hour? More often? Less often? That Valencia area looks like a nice place to live, it's up in elevation, but close enough to water for me if I want to be at the shore. But I do wonder about how I would get to school on time every day and what that would cost me. I won't have a car or truck for about the first 6 months I'm there, so I will be dependent on reliable public transportation. Also, how's the internet up there? Any good? Any forum members know the skinny for this area? Thank-you for your time! As always, nwlivewire
I live up there. It's a nice choice. For public transportation you can take a jeepney during the day. 15 pesos one way. The route from Valencia to Dumaguete starts at 5am and stops around 5pm. Dumaguete to Valencia starts from 5am and stops around 9pm. Trikes are also available during the day but you won't find many leaving Valencia to Dumaguete after about 7-8 pm. You can always find a trike starting from Dumaguete but the prices will be much higher late at night going up to Valencia (around 150-200 pesos...they will try to get more than that but 200 is a fair price). It is supposed to be about once every hour but the jeepneys will not leave if they don't have enough passengers to cover the cost so times may vary. Don't expect much of anything in the Philippines to kick off when it is supposed to. I have taken the jeepney to Dumaguete 3 times in 5 years (only once going back up the hill). In those three times I have never had to wait long for the jeepney to leave. Obviously 3 times is hardly enough to form an opinion on it but I have my own bikes.
My gf has just informed me I have been ripped off. The price is 13 pesos for the jeepney ride to and from Dumaguete. I am almost twice as big as a Filipino so I'll let that one slide. lol
You're forgetting to mention the Valencia bound jeepneys are usually full with some standing on the back. So get to the Valencia terminal and wait till it's full OR offer to pay for more than one seat so they leave before it's completely full
Thank-you Gabrielle & Wrye! I'm assuming Wrye, that internet connection is good up there - unless you have something extra where you're living that isn't commonly available. You know, I've thought about getting a scooter, but I've no background operating two-wheelers other than a bicycle. I've seriously thought about buying a motorized three-wheel scooter/motorcycle, just so I don't tip over, but I don't even know if you can buy something like that in Duma. Sounds like it's either the Jeepneys or a three-wheeler (if one can be found). Are there decent places/neighborhoods to rent within a Km or short walk to the transit Center? Something a Western ex-pat female would feel OK/safe? Again, thank-you both for your information! V/R, nwlivewire
Internet is about the same as you will find in Dumaguete. The first motorcycle I got on was in the Philippines. Freaking dangerous to ride in there. I've been lucky to only have one accident. Hit a little girl that was running across the road without looking. Nothing I could have done to prevent it as she sprinted across the road from in front of a parked jeepney. (Everyone was fine in that accident with no serious injury....somehow.) I nearly die on a motorcycle every single day I ride. You could find one but they handle even worse than two wheeled motorcycles and are, in my opinion, much more dangerous (one sharp turn and those things start rolling...there's a reason they stopped manufacturing 3 wheeled ATVs in the US). The extra wheel defeats the benefits of riding a motorcycle (lane splitting/riding on sidewalks ) as well. I would recommend buying a multicab (it can be a truck or van model) if you are on a budget. You can find them everywhere and they are easy to sell when you decide to leave country. It's unlikely you would have any problems in Valencia (or really anywhere else in the area). There are no slums/shanty towns in Valencia to worry about. The town is only about 8x8 city blocks total and the jeepney loads in the park right in the middle of that.
I agree with Wrye, this is definitely not the town to learn the hazards of riding a scooter here, to put it politely, I bought my first bike here and went down 3 times, all my mistakes. My good friend was killed on his bike here. They call our scars tourist tattoos.
Dear Wrye: Once again, you are a boatload of practical information! Not being a scooter or motorcycle operator, I had no idea the three-wheelers are unstable that way. Scratch that idea off the list.... I really don't want to spend a lot of money on a vehicle as I'm not going to live the rest of my life in the PI. I'd just like to have more protection around my body than a two-wheeler can provide. I've been on-line and a couple other ex-pats mentioned Toyota and Mitsubishi are easy to fix, parts not so hard to get. But I have also found a site for those multicabs - those Isuzu things that don't take up a lot of space, but can hold groceries and things - maybe an extra person. I think the website I found was Phil Motors. Anyway, Isuzu was the brand name and they seemed to have a lot of them in different models. I'm not very keen on getting a scooter or cycle as I am not an experienced rider. Plus, the roads already look like an odd form of Destruction Derby - Wild West Style. GEEZ! Some of the worst driving and lack of following road rules I've ever seen have been in SE Asia. The PI doesn't look much better. Don't know if Isuzu is the best brand for a multicab - looking for ease of getting parts, repairs, maintenance. But a multicab may be a viable option for me as I could get one straight away and have immediate island mobility. Thank-you again! V/R, nwlivewire
You were probably looking at one of the small cab truck models. They have van models that you could fit an entire Filipino family in. Basic no options models will cost you around P100k-170k. Fully loaded will run you around P150k-200k. I have one of the small truck models with no air conditioner and a 4 speed tranny (capable of about 80-90kph). I made the mistake of driving that to Bacolod on an extremely hot day. Won't do that again. These things have a mid mounted engine (meaning you are sitting on top of it....talk about a sweaty @ss). I would recommend getting one with an air-conditioner. They are cheap to fix and parts are everywhere. Suzuki multicab van For Sale Philippines - Find New And Used suzuki multicab van On OLX [DOUBLEPOST=1433351978,1433351784][/DOUBLEPOST]BTW: I think Suzuki would be the easiest to find parts for. Not entirely sure on that though. Parts shouldn't really be much of an issue for any multicab though. They will find a way to make it work regardless.
Thank-you once again! Good idea about the A/C. My coming from the Pacific Northwest - well, I know I will need to acclimate. Probably take a few months. A multicab will work just fine for island driving these next three years. Also, good point about being able to re-sell, too. At this price point, it wouldn't be that difficult. Thanks Wrye83! V/R, nwlivewire
