Japan-Philippines defence pact in focus .. Ishiba visits Marcos

Fred Indonesia Expert

Member since 02 August 2009

A smile is the universal welcome.
Max Eastman

FredIndonesia Expert02 May 2025 05:44:08

#81

29827

That comac c919 has potential that most in the west say will never happen.

However, 30 years ago, who would have believed China would be the biggest shipbuilders in the world?

danfinn ViP

Member since 05 February 2022

danfinnViP02 May 2025 07:21:39

#82

1854

@Fred
Better half is going next week to purchase a new Chinese BYD Sealion 6 as nothing else compares, well some do but at ridiculous prices for similar appointments.

China has nailed many markets.

Cheers, Steve. - @bigpearl

Hi Steve. living in the provinces the thought never occurred to me to go electric whether Tesla or some secondary brand. And we have Chinese cars here reportedly of very high quality but they have gasoline and diesel engines. An EV would seem to be didficult; we have no public charging stations as were ubiquitous in the USA during our visit. Do you plan on charging at home only, or, do you have an EV friendly infrastructure up there? If you do run out of charge for some reason, do you carry a portable generator? And finally, why go EV (Tesla or any model) in the first place? Are they cheaper than gas or is it the perception that you would be helping the environment (but, especially in the Phils with so much fuel oil power generation, not true at all). But you will charge via solar at home. At least in the provinces, I do not see a practical reason to choose EV but I look forward to your thoughts (we just purchased another, new gas-powered Toyota and as far as I can tell, we have no EV dealerships here).

bigpearl ViP

Member since 27 January 2018

bigpearlViP02 May 2025 08:22:06

#83

4050

Hey Dan, I'm not sure what neck of the woods you live in but we are in San Fernando La Union, about 6 hours from Manila and have a BYD sales office and service centre has recently been built from new, China is not stupid and know where and how to invest.

Not sure where to start but here we go, firstly while not a greeny I obviously have some traits and while some say global warming is cods wallop one simply has to look to notice what's happening and form your own decision. I think of my kids and grandkids, theirs that will follow.

Going stand alone was not cheap but I was over the power bills and wanted to run more A/C, the funds sitting in an investment account earning 5% taxable made no sense as an investment in our situation to go stand alone would give a 20%+ ROI and yes not taxable. No brainer if you have spare cash., no blackouts and true power.

There are some 15 fast charging stations in and around my area but the idea was to always charge at home for free as those quick chart joints charge 25 to 30 pesos per Kwh, the grid 10 to 15 pesos for the same depending on your supplier.

As for cars we when we moved here purchased a new SUV, turbo petrol and has been Fine but still 4/5K for fuel every month for mostly local running around as we rarely do long trips. Time for a change like Freds undies, decided on a BYD Sealion 7,,,,, full EV, Trouble was they don't don't intend to release them here So we looked a the same model but in a 6, it's EV for 80/90 klicks and then a petrol engine if you run out of battery power and has a total range of around 1,100 klicks. The petrol engine runs a generator that charges the battery for the electric motor but in heavy demands both will drive the wheels. It's very different to a Prius or the likes and given we generally do 60/80 klicks a day simply plug it in when we get home from the solar. I suppose it's a compromise as there is so much anxiety with EV range and where to charge it, this model gives the best of both worlds.

As for the BYD brand they offer mostly full EV's in many models but for us we like the larger SUV and the 6 was our option, They also do the Shark with similar drive train and a very American style dual cab pick up but not available here and would be a good set of wheels. Dan, have a look at the BYD sites and feedback, it's all very positive and what we like after having an SL Merc and 508 Peugeot in Australia the Chinese know well how to copy European quality. This will be our second Chinese car.

Choice. Research and budgets.

Cheers, Steve.

Cherryann01 ViP

Member since 19 October 2018

Cherryann01ViP02 May 2025 09:15:38

#84

1235

LOL Cherry writes: I will be in the Philippines in a couple of weeks.. I am planning to take less clothes this time though .. I will probably do as usual which is take some old clothes or ones I don't use or really want anymore, wear them once and dispose of them. - @Cherryann01Cherry, aren't you meeting gals when in the Philippines this time? If so your fans want to know, do you think this is the right strategy?Happy trails :-) - @PalawOne

Are you talking about my strategy of meeting women or disposing of clothes or both P1? With regards to the clothes, it will mainly be the clothes I travel in that I will dispose of. I tend to treat this has a holiday as well as a romantic break. I do not entertain multiple women so am meeting a specific lady in Cebu.

I will be flying from Manchester (UK) to Hong Kong (direct flight) and spending 4 nights there on my own and I will simply do some sightseeing and enjoy the local food and culture. I will then fly to Cebu, also a direct flight and meet up with my female companion. She has a job but is taking 10 days holiday so we will stay in Cebu for 4 nights then we will take the ferry to Bohol and stay at a resort there for 5 days before returning to Cebu for the last 11 nights. I will have some spare time during the day while she is working after we return from Bohol so will explore more of Cebu and maybe a little further afield. I picked HK to stop over in because of the flight timings and because the whole trip comprises of only 4 flights. This will be my seventh visit to the Philippines and so far I have stopped over either on the way there or back to the UK in KL, Seoul, HCMC and now HK. I booked the flights directly this time with Cathay Pacific after searching on Skyscanner and selected extra legroom since the flights are long. I think the trip is a good combination of sightseeing in HK, relaxation, exploration and water sports in Bohol and exploring Cebu and I like the fact that I have am attractive lady companion whilst in the Philippines.

Any suggestions about booking the ferry from Cebu to Bohol and return will be much appreciated. Best site or agency to book with, how long in advance to book, etc.