Other Areas

[GoodEnough]

There is one modestly mid-high end hotel, Altamont Inland resort ($100+/ night). Decent rooms, nice pool, nice resto.

There is little-to-no 'nightlife', other than perhaps a decent live-band joint called Woodstock (between Gaisano mall and Montilla Blvd).

I stayed at the Altamont three times about three years ago and found it barely tolerable. I also though the food was basically inedible, but things may have changed.

GE.

[Mbsl65]

Hi, Alona Beach is nice and recovered from the typhoon and everything else. I recommend you to stay in a resort right by the beach. I stayed at Regents and it was not good at all. Snorkeling costs around p1000 including the fees. I took.

A boat right by Oasis. You need to take your own lunch with you since it is a daylong trip.

I had planned to go to Alona beach (from Cebu) back in Dec. , but Typhoon Seniang put an end to that. I'm going to try again later this month. I haven't been there in over five years. Any tips / advice?

I will bring my own lady and will likely use Ocean Jet. We plan to stay two nights. Last time I stayed at ISIS bungalows (unfortunate name) and liked it a lot. Seems hard to get a booking now, so any alternative hotel recommendation would be appreciated.

What is a fair price for taxi from Tag to the beach? BTW, I'm a snorkeler rather than a diver. I read somewhere that php2000 is about right for a boat hire. Is that right?

Any info would be appreciated. And here is the link to the Ocean Jet schedule. When I went there last time, there were only three rides a day. I guess business is good.

http://www.oceanjet.net/fare-and-sch...ebu-tagbilaran

X.

[WestCoast1]

Fat Bruce. May I know the hotel you stayed at in Butuan? I am planning to travel there in November and would like to be close to the malls / shopping.
BrainDrain.

There is one modestly mid-high end hotel, Altamont Inland resort ($100+/ night). Decent rooms, nice pool, nice resto. Its across the street from Dottie's Place (a step down to definitely middle of the road, but with a pool, nice outdoor buffet breakfast next to the pool, and standard spartan roomsm and wifi is only available in the lobby and outside near the pool / breakfast area, not inside the rooms -- maddening) P2000-2500. Both of these places are between the two malls. There is a newer Robinson's mall (only 3 floors, and you can walk all 3 floors in 10 minutes) just a few blocks west of the hotels, fairly clean and air-con'd. The opposite direction from both hotels about 1 mile is the older Gaisano Mall (no aircon, but with movie theaters upstairs).

Just north of Gaisano in the rotunda (city hall) is Balanghai Hotel / Convention center, with pool (p2500/ night). Much like Dotties, a bit older, rooms are dated, free breakfast in restaurant, but with good wifi in the room.

Further east is the downtown area (Montilla Blvd, running north / south), just a few blocks from the river. There are several bland / lower-end hotels here, including Karaga (p1400) and VCDU Prince (p950) Hotels. Karaga has a good resto with a good menu. Across the street is Wegool resto, good sizzling meals (fasjitas).

Also downtown by the city square is Altamont Hotel, a sister hotel to the above-mentioned hotel (P2500).

There is little-to-no 'nightlife', other than perhaps a decent live-band joint called Woodstock (between Gaisano mall and Montilla Blvd).

[Mr Hawaii]

That's interesting what you say about Butuan. When I have looked at airfares it seems much cheaper to fly into Butuan. For my upcoming travel dates I saw return airfares from Manila to Butuan for $158 but to Surigao was $250.

I still decided on Surigao as my girl is there.

Thanks for the update.

Fat Bruce. May I know the hotel you stayed at in Butuan? I am planning to travel there in November and would like to be close to the malls / shopping.

BrainDrain. I was in Surigao city a few weeks ago. Flew MNL-SUR on PAL. The plane they use is a propeller type aircraft (I posted it earlier) with very little room for carryon baggage. I stayed at the Tavern Hotel, which is right on the water. If you have not been there before, there are no taxis, no cinemas, no Starbx. You have to take a jeepney to Gaisano mall. The hotel is relateively cheap and has a pretty good buffet breakfast, along with good cable channels on the TVs. Enjoy. See my view from my room, and the staff at the front desk.

[BrainDrain]

Following day I had a walk round Robinson's on my own. A few girls there but nothing to compare with what I have so declined the offers.

Tuesday I was walking about the square downtown, Montilla street or something. Plenty available there for the guys who want them. Took a couple of numbers, more out of habit than necessity but always good to have emergency back up!

Should have some time to myself later so will do some more hunting!

That's interesting what you say about Butuan. When I have looked at airfares it seems much cheaper to fly into Butuan. For my upcoming travel dates I saw return airfares from Manila to Butuan for $158 but to Surigao was $250.

I still decided on Surigao as my girl is there.

Thanks for the update.

[Pip Jaeger]

I talked to one barangay captain and they needed P30-40 k to install a new well, pump and water storage tank to service 200 families.

Maybe someone who knows Bill Gates can talk to him. See if he's willing to divert some funds from the IJM (who he donates heavily to / underwrites) to sponsoring a few new wells. Oh, but wait, that might not garner any sensational headlines; sorry, my bad for bringing it up.

[Dg8787]

Hai Sweetheart, I miss you. Are you ok?

"I get water near the mountain. No water at home me and my brother, sister and my mother".

No water there Baby?

"Yeah. There a water but far in the house".

Is that the place I was at Baby? Is that temp housing provided by the government after Yolanda?

"Yes it is, but its ok. Even its hard to wash clothes because of no water".

How many minutes walk one direction?

"Half hour,"
"Its ok don't worry.."

I think in the existing barangay it costs 5-10 pesos for 5 gallons of water at the working well. The temp housing do not have wells. Even many of the Yolanda damaged water wells are not up and running. I talked to one barangay captain and they needed P30-40 k to install a new well, pump and water storage tank to service 200 families.

[Sam 14]

Hai Sweetheart, I miss you. Are you ok?

"I get water near the mountain. No water at home me and my brother, sister and my mother".

No water there Baby?

"Yeah. There a water but far in the house".

Is that the place I was at Baby? Is that temp housing provided by the government after Yolanda?

"Yes it is, but its ok. Even its hard to wash clothes because of no water".

How many minutes walk one direction?

"Half hour,"
"Its ok don't worry.."

[Nightrider1]

I had planned to go to Alona beach (from Cebu) back in Dec. , but Typhoon Seniang put an end to that. I'm going to try again later this month. I haven't been there in over five years. Any tips / advice?

I will bring my own lady and will likely use Ocean Jet. We plan to stay two nights. Last time I stayed at ISIS bungalows (unfortunate name) and liked it a lot. Seems hard to get a booking now, so any alternative hotel recommendation would be appreciated.

What is a fair price for taxi from Tag to the beach? BTW, I'm a snorkeler rather than a diver. I read somewhere that php2000 is about right for a boat hire. Is that right?

Any info would be appreciated. And here is the link to the Ocean Jet schedule. When I went there last time, there were only three rides a day. I guess business is good.

http://www.oceanjet.net/fare-and-sch...ebu-tagbilaran

X.

I just came back from Bohol and there are 3 different fast craft companies serving the Cebu to Tagbilaran route so many choices and times. Buy a sun star newspaper and they have all the scheduled departure times listed. I stayed at cherry Home two and it was nice with a good pool at about 1200 a night. Its walking distance to Alona beach but not on the beach. I paid 300 pesos for a trike from the Port to alona beach and a taxie would be a bit higher.

[Fat Bruce]

Arrived Friday night and as expected the little princess was waiting in her tight dress and high heels at the airport. Christ she looked good!

Slim and brown with bum that I love to slap.

Rushed back to the house and had my cock in her mouth before the door was closed. This little powerhouse is just amazing. The whole neighborhood must have heard her screams! 3 hours of amazing sex followed before I crashed out!

Next day was much the same. I love the provincial girls! Could not do enough for me, cooking and laundry and massage and sex on tap!

Following day I had a walk round Robinson's on my own. A few girls there but nothing to compare with what I have so declined the offers.

Tuesday I was walking about the square downtown, Montilla street or something. Plenty available there for the guys who want them. Took a couple of numbers, more out of habit than necessity but always good to have emergency back up!

Should have some time to myself later so will do some more hunting!

[X Man]

I had planned to go to Alona beach (from Cebu) back in Dec. , but Typhoon Seniang put an end to that. I'm going to try again later this month. I haven't been there in over five years. Any tips / advice?

I will bring my own lady and will likely use Ocean Jet. We plan to stay two nights. Last time I stayed at ISIS bungalows (unfortunate name) and liked it a lot. Seems hard to get a booking now, so any alternative hotel recommendation would be appreciated.

What is a fair price for taxi from Tag to the beach? BTW, I'm a snorkeler rather than a diver. I read somewhere that php2000 is about right for a boat hire. Is that right?

Any info would be appreciated. And here is the link to the Ocean Jet schedule. When I went there last time, there were only three rides a day. I guess business is good.

http://www.oceanjet.net/fare-and-sch...ebu-tagbilaran

X.

[Soapy Smith]

Skip and Dg. My girl lived in another province, but we visited where her family was staying. Not anywhere near the airport, but way out, around 15 km. There were a couple of these places we passed along the way. It didn't even occur to me to ask if this was the temp housing provided, other things on my mind I suppose. Slightly different than you described, but is this what you guys are talking about? They're also located in just a miserable place. That highway is hell. Dusty and noisy and rough, full of almost nothing but trucks. And ya, they can not even get a jeep out of there during the day, after say 9:00 AM. They load up to the roof in the mornings and head into the city. After that, they're stuck out there. Oh ya, and no electricity.

Looks similar Sam, except that your roofs are thatched nipa, and mine were galvanized, like Dg describes. When I was there in August there were not yet any houses up against the highway, only back about 300 meters off the road. But I suppose they could have backfilled. One of your photos appears to have open sewer ditches, which is what I thought were being dug when I was there. Anyway, here are my photos.

Photo 1 shows the simplest and smallest shelters. Imagine a family sleeping in the one small room that has a wooden floor. Cooking, presumably on a small charcoal grill, gets carried out in the covered area on bare ground.

Photo 2 shows the galvanized roof over the shelter. Imagine the heat in the summer under the galvanized roof.

Photo 3 shows the construction up close: woven bamboo walls on flimsy framing made of coconut palm wood, among the weakest of all lumber. This is not unlike homes throughout rural Philippines, except that those are more likely to have thatched roofs of nipa rather than galvanized metal.

Photo 4: A few larger units have two rooms, one presumably for sleeping and one for everything else. Both rooms have floors, and walls are lined with thin plastic sheeting, probably to keep wind-blown rain from penetrating through the outside walls. But check out the cracks in the floor of rough-sawed planks. The smaller units with no plastic sheeting will be very vulnerable to water being pushed through the exterior walls during windy rain.

Photo 5: A community CR, one in a line of about four shower units and four toilet units. No signs of running water, so perhaps toilets will be flushed and showers administered by hand from a tabo of water scooped out of a large bucket. This means water will be carried in by hand to keep the large bucket filled. Dg reports that the units he saw had CRs attached. What I saw had no attached CRs, only these community CRs and showers at the back of the relocation site.

Photo 6: The alternative; by August 2014, nine months after the typhoon, fisherfolk building back squatter shacks at the waterfront of the former Tacloban port, exactly where thousands drowned in Typhoon Haiyan, November 2013. The government claims it is enforcing the "no build" buffer zone. Sure it is. But at least here these poor families can find minimal livelihoods (informal economy, of course), schools, and public transportation (jeepneys) nearby. Can we blame them for not wanting to move six kilometers (or maybe 15, if Sam is right) out of town at the government's temporary relocation site where livelihood, schools and transportation are not available?

Obviously there could be more than one such relocation sites. Why are they being built way away from Tacloban? According to my sources, the Romauldez family (Imelda Marcos' nephew is Mayor of Tacloban) and their associates have access to other sites in the city, but they are holding onto them because of potential future value. So the riff-raff homeless get relocated to nowhere.

Welcome to the Philippines. As I pointed out in the previous post, as crude as these seem, they are not unlike living conditions for the rural families of many of the Pinays that ISGers chase in AC, Cebu, LA Cafe, and elsewhere.

[Dg8787]

Skip and Dg. My girl lived in another province, but we visited where her family was staying. Not anywhere near the airport, but way out, around 15 km. There were a couple of these places we passed along the way. It didn't even occur to me to ask if this was the temp housing provided, other things on my mind I suppose. Slightly different than you described, but is this what you guys are talking about? They're also located in just a miserable place. That highway is hell. Dusty and noisy and rough, full of almost nothing but trucks. And ya, they can not even get a jeep out of there during the day, after say 9:00 AM. They load up to the roof in the mornings and head into the city. After that, they're stuck out there. Oh ya, and no electricity.

That is pretty much the type of construction except the 1 x 4's are spaced further apart. The ones I saw were way out of town on a dirt road and spaced about 5 feet from each other. The house sits on cement piers like that. What was odd was that the floor for the attached 4' x 5' CR was a rough finish cement slab about 16-18 inches thick! With that much cement they could have poured a 3" thick foundation for the whole 12' x 14' house. The CR looked like an after thought and of course no running water to the house. The insides were unfinished, meaning no kitchen counters, rough sawn wood floors just an empty shell. These houses have sat unfinished and vacant for 6 months or more. It pretty much looked like the builder ran out of money. Now they are slowly letting families move in if they will finish the homes. Not a lot of money for us to finish the homes, 4-5 K but a fortune to them.

[Sam 14]

Skip and Dg. My girl lived in another province, but we visited where her family was staying. Not anywhere near the airport, but way out, around 15 km. There were a couple of these places we passed along the way. It didn't even occur to me to ask if this was the temp housing provided, other things on my mind I suppose. Slightly different than you described, but is this what you guys are talking about? They're also located in just a miserable place. That highway is hell. Dusty and noisy and rough, full of almost nothing but trucks. And ya, they can not even get a jeep out of there during the day, after say 9:00 AM. They load up to the roof in the mornings and head into the city. After that, they're stuck out there. Oh ya, and no electricity.

[Soapy Smith]

If you are not interested in posts with no direct reports or advice for the old in-out, in-out, you should scroll past this post.

This could as easily have gone in the general information thread, but since Dg started this discussion, I offer it as follow-up information. Dg commented on the ridiculously flimsy temporary housing for Tacloban's victims of Typhoon Hiayan, which has yet to be opened by the government. Assuming that Dg recently viewed the same housing I saw in August 2014, I would offer some additional discouraging observations.

First, most of the units are ridiculously small, and much of the living area is on bare ground subject to rain runoff. Second, the framing is of coconut wood, which is among the weakest lumbers anywhere. Third, although some of the units are larger, built entirely up off the ground, and lined with thin plastic sheeting, the smaller units, which are not lined with plastic, will be subject to wind-blown rain penetrating the walls, even if the walls withstand the winds that Dg predicts. Fourth, the only CR facilities are community toilets and showers near the back of the development, and in August they appeared to have no running water. This probably means that toilets will be flushed and showers administered by hand using a tabo to scoop water from a large bucket. If there is no running water, this means water will need to be carried in to keep the buckets full.

Most important, this relocation site, reportedly meant to house the many families in tent cities near the airport, is about six km from town and has no employment, schools, or public transportation (jeepneys) to offer. Is it any wonder that homeless people choose to squat along the shoreline of the port, precisely where thousands drowned in November 2013?

Although this seems far afield of ISG's purpose, I think it illuminates several aspects of life in the Philippines. First, it reflects the total failure of governmental action that is often referenced in posts in the Phils forum. Second, the conditions in these flimsy huts are similar to, and perhaps better than, the conditions in which the families live of many of the poor women that ISGers pursue. Third, it reflects the perpetual dynamics of futility and fatalism—of poverty-stricken masses and political complacency--that pervade the Philippines.

But it's more fun in the Philippines.

I have files containing photos of some of the things Dg and I have described, but ISG is fighting my upload efforts. Maybe files are too big. I will try later.