MikeLigalig.com

Does anyone know about Internet access solutions in Duero?

I know apparently you can get an EDGE class cellular type service but I'm wondering if there's any way to get something faster.

I have someone who wants to rent me a place on the water there and it seems virtually ideal, even in price, with the exception of this interesting detail ...

Thanks!

D

I've been in touch with someone on a mailing list who's interested in renting me a beach house on Duero for US$20 a day (US$600 a month).  He's an American who is currently building a larger house and therefore now has a house surplus to his needs.

Does anyone have impressions of this area that they could share with me?  I'd like to know more about the area.  I'm wondering how rural it is (I know it's not in the big city) and what services are available - what would I need to go to the big city for and what could I get locally?

Is the price reasonable for a monthly rental or a bit high?  I'm wondering if I should negotiate to get a lower price or not.  My gut feeling is that it's cheap for one night, but a bit expensive as a monthly rate.  It's disappointing to me overall that it's been quite difficult to find any concrete evidence of rental prices.  The people who say houses should cost $100-200 a month are generally in the city, probably without access to the beach.  All the houses I've seen available are on the beach and $600.   So I'd love to see more guidance here.  I wouldn't mind paying less for a property that had a sweeping ocean view but wasn't on the water, if it could hold the cost down.  On the other hand, I know I'd just love to be on the water.  So I guess I want to know, does that $600-odd price have room in it for negotiation and if so about how much?

Of course maybe I shouldn't be so cheap.  The same trip to Florida, at rock-bottom prices, would be $3,000 a month or more.  I can't afford that, but it should give me some perspective.

One part of me says I should spend money and have more fun; the other part says I could spend more time in the Philippines and delay my return to miserable Pittsburgh, if I was able to pay less.

The place is a small compound with a one bedroom house, a separate one bedroom on the water and a Nipa hut.  I am only one person, but I'd be open to the potential of there being a Filipina who might charm me into having her come visit :-).

If other people are renting places, I'd like to hear from them too.  I expect the timeframe to be a month or two around January-February, possibly expanding to 4-6 months or even longer if I like the place.  My email is david@amazing.com if anyone wants to send pictures.

Thanks for any thoughts!

D

I don't know how available they are on Bohol, but to me 12 volt halogen lights are the most beautiful form of lighting made.  You can point them directly at a subject for intense light or bounce them against your ceiling for ambiance.  It really creates great effects.

Unfortunately, to dim them you need a special 12-volt style dimmer.  The normal 110 volt dimmers don't work (you will see a lot of flickering).  Put a couple of tracks on two separate dimmers and you have amazing flexibility to put beautiful effects in your home.

I've always hated compact fluorescent lights.  It's the weird shape and the fact that most of them have really ugly looking light that sours me on them.  There is also a movement to make them mandatory which really doesn't appeal to me.

They are more efficient than halogen, which are in turn more efficient than incandescent.  But if you want light to go where you want it, halogen works and CFLs don't.

D

I've noticed that a lot of the wonderful people here that I've been talking to were born in Bohol or spent time in Bohol, but don't live in Bohol anymore.

After seeing that video that Lorenzo posted, showing his obvious love of the island and its stunning natural beauty, I would think almost anyone would do anything they could to stay instead of going to the inhospitable, freezing shores of the USA, with its bad food, ridiculous cost of living, etc.

If you don't mind, I'd like to hear a few of your stories.  What was life like in Bohol, and what made you take the long and difficult journey to another land?  Are you happy where you are now?  Do you have any regrets?  And do you plan to return to Bohol, and if so, when and how?

I'd also like to hear from those of you who are still in Bohol.  How have you survived the obstacles that you see in Philippine life?

Thank you very much in advance for your stories.  I've really enjoyed talking to all of you who have responded.

And, just as a gentle reminder, please respond in English, or offer some kind of translation of your Bisayan :-).

D

If you know only English, what is the best way to understand the messages here?

Is there any automated translator for the languages used?

Why is it that people switch between English and this other language?  Why not just use English, since you all know it?

And what language is it, anyway?  Is it the Bohol-specific tongue or Tagalog/Filipino?   What would the best way for someone who is truly abysmal in languages other than English to learn it?

Many thanks, and I apologise in advance if this question is culturally offensive - it just makes you very difficult to understand, placing a barrier between us that I'd really not like to see.

Many thanks for your thoughts.

D