Dumaguete or Doomaguete

Big and happy it seems Bob. Home is where you make it and the Philippines offers plenty of levels of perceived happiness as well as "doom and gloom".

While I've never been down that way there seems to be a lot of expats that like the area and the life there, no different to many areas in the Philippines.

I'm happy to vegetate on our property and leave all the sea faring availabilities for those that need, my hunting days are long gone as I already caught my sailfish 13 years ago or did the sailfish catch me?

Cheers, Steve.

@Enzyte Bob

Well said Bob...

I must admit... the first time I went to Dumaguete... I had high expectations and stars in my eyes because of all the blogs I had studied... That being said... the second, third, fourth visits from our oasis across the water(Dapitan)... I realized Dumaguete is nothing special... yes, I do think their medical services are a bit better than in Dipolog... but not a bunch... (My Wifey poo is however in the care of a really good (my and others opinion) O.B. in Dumaguete).... Now we go just to go for a couple days fpr that, then we usually end up in Siquijor, and actually like it much more than "Doomageti"

@Enzyte BobIt  "seems so? with so many bloggers, they run out of things to blog about and start to interview each other. Now the Filipina's are blogging to Expats.

So, is it best to arrive in Doomaguete under financed and expect to blog (youtube) yourself to financial success?"

So funny and true... I love the Auto finance manager guy who has probably ripped off thousands of people in another life.. now a you tube god. To each his own.

@Enzyte Bob

I am 50 min south in Zamboanguita for a few more days, it has been a great month diving in Dauin and looking around.  Duma is just too crowded and dirty for my liking.... hope to have a home within a year or so and like Steve says, enjoy my little paradise.

Having now used the BI office on Cebu and Dumaguete... it is no contest, Cebu is the best choice by a landslide.  That being said, I treated the staff well in Duma and they treated me exceptional in return. 

Loving the Philippines

Donald

@Enzyte Bob

I saw the same video Bob and was thinking exactly the same about how much weight they were carrying. I had seen one of them before being interviewed a while back and he has certainly put on some weight since the first video I saw him in. Reminded me of a bear, filling his face before hibernating for the winter.

    Doomaguete (Dumaguete)
The attraction of Doomaguete,  is it like Ulysses and the Sirens or Flies to Flypaper?

Do you move to Dumaguete and live happily ever after?

It seems so? with so many bloggers, they run out of things to blog about and start to interview each other. Now the Filipina's are blogging to Expats.

So, is it best to arrive in Doomaguete under financed and expect to blog (youtube) yourself to financial success?

One problem is the abundance of college students in Doomaguete looking for Expat Sugar Daddies. 

If you survived Filipina Cupid a bigger challenge awaits you with these students. If Cupid doesn't get you these Students will.

I watched a recent edition of Paul in the Philippines and was able to visualize QUID PRO QUO. He had three Expats guests, the best I could describe them as Walrus, Manatee and Beached Whale all looking for happiness which they could not find at home.

I moved here from Las Vegas and there is a restaurant called Heart Attack Grill, They have a scale outside and if you weigh 350 lbs or 158.75 kg you eat for free. These three guests would bankrupt them.

Now it's best to come clean, I'm big, but I won't eat for free.
   

We live in Valencia on the Dumaguete Boundary. We have been to hotels in Makati and Hotels and Airbnb's in Cebu. Dumaguete in comparison to those Class 1 cities is just a Class 4 municipality that I have been going to since 1988 when I got married to my wife from Siquijor. In 1988, Siquijor was a real trip, no hotels, no Westerners and residences only 25% energized (with electricity). Dumaguete was the adjoining city but it was sleepy and very friendly, uncrowded, home to Silliman University and very few Westerners, perhaps a few peacecorps workers visiting from Siquijor (thought by locals to be CIA agents observing NPA and who spoke perfect Bisaya), and US military officers on holiday. The other side, Negros Occidental that included Bacolod, was off limits to Westerners (all considered to be Kanos, Americans, who were called "Joe" by the kids), off limits because the NPA controlled that region but never Dumaguete, which was always a safe haven. Over the past 20 years the communist NPA became irrelevant to Westerners who have been left alone in NPA's mission to remove their US designation as a terrorist group...a very bad designation to have internationally.

Tourism was not a thing in 1988. I was only there because of family. For all the years we have been coming here, the main constants were Lee Plaza (not Super Lee at first), Y-Not bar w/ freelancers hanging outside the Cr/billiards/karaoke/deli/restaurant/disco and later, internet cafe with privacy; then, Silliman University and the Cathedral. We came here permanently as planned, for retirement from America in 2017. I had never even heard about that Forbes article saying Dumaguete was the 5th best place in the world to retire. I had never heard that or considered it and was/still am puzzled by that and never agreed with it. We just came here to be close to family after retirement from US IBM and Lenovo, but not actually live in Siquijor full time. Dumaguete with all its new transient expats and YouTubers has not really changed. Most of the night action is still on the boulevard anchored by Y-Not. And that is it...not much. There is no walking Street; it is still a very sleepy place slightly more awake than Siquijor.

It is a good place for some, a bad place for some and a great place for none. If you are content with a town too small for traffic lights but large enough to have good coffeehouses and even decent restaurants, it is OK.

@Wellsfry

I would love to hear more about Dapitan.  I have avoided all of Mindanao except Davao City.  Is it safe for westerners?  I tend to be on the safe side of most things but understand not to believe everything I hear.

Thanks for any info.

Donald

@danfinn

This is my fifth trip and I whole heartedly concur on your comments about Duma.... I was not aware of the history as you explained it, thanks.  I have looked around Valencia, Bacong, Dauin, and Zamboanguita and love the climate and roads here, but really wish i could find an ocean view up in the hills, not looking for ocean front.  Any insights on properties like that?  I have found some nice options on Cebu island but the roads are horrible in comparison to the Dumaguete area.

Do you know where in Bacong the airport may go if they ever do it?  I would hate to get a property only to learn it was being taken by the government for airport.... no one has been able to give me an answer when i looked into this and no the google did not help either..

Make it a great day,

Donald