Very Cool Stuff

 

Here are some cool stuff that you might be interested in if you decide to visit the Philippines.

 

This is just bare bones – I will be adding more of it as time allows. Please note that none of this material has active copyrights.  Also recognize that these documents will download to your computer.  I can verify that they are virus-free – each document also gets scanned for nasty stuff every time it is downloaded from our server.

 

Phillipine English Slang – Here is a collection of common slang terms that you might hear while touring the Philippines.

Peace Corp Cebuano Study Guide – This is the guide that the Peace Corp uses to teach their volunteers bisaya.  It’s pretty in-depth, so check it out.  

Discover Asia Travelling to Phillipines –  The Discover Asia travel site put together a pretty cool, copyright-free primer on venturing forth into the Philippine archipelago.  

Ten Things to Keep in Mind Before Visiting the Philippines –  This is a standalone .pdf compilation of some blog posts that we took from our site discussing money, health care, clothing, the weather, transportation, language and cultural factors. It’s not very in depth, but I thought I would make in available anyways.  Enjoy!

Michells Bisaya Study Guide 4 25 14 – This is an Excel document Michell made for me listing out some common bisaya phrases and words.  If you are coming to the Visaya region, add this to your phone for some practice.

Map to Dauin Marine Sanctuary/Romana Alar Resort – There are actually two little day resorts here – Romana Alar and Uzi’s Beach.  Romana has the larger cabanas for daily rental while Uzi’s allows you to rent lounge chairs or a smaller plastic table and chairs.  Snorkeling equipment, flotation vests, snacks and drinks are available at both locations.  Parking and entrance fees are negligible (20 pesos/.50 cents) and both beaches have a good deal of shade to protect against the sometimes brutal mid day sun.  The town of Dauin is about 17 KM’s south of Dumaguete.  You can get there from the Ceres Bus Terminal near Robinson’s Mall or just flag down a bus or jeepney along the South National Road.

Map to Dauin Marine Sanctuary / Day Resorts
Map to Dauin Marine Sanctuary / Day Resorts

 

Maps of Siquior – Trust me – brothers and sisters – you will need these maps should you ever decide to visit the Haunted Isle.  There are no signs to the attractions over there, and if you don’t have a map, you’re just gonna take a long ride along the coastal road and not find a thing – well, aside from the convent and church, which are right on the “highway.”  Maps are also available at city hall, but we coudn’t even find that.

Right click and download these maps to your phone:

Siquijor-Island-Tourist-Map-2 Siquijor-Island-Tourist-Map siquijor-island-map-with-tourist-spots-and-towns-penfires

 

 

30 comments

  1. I have been following you and Michelle on UTube for awhile, this is the first time I have been on the web site. Great work. This section is very useful, thanks. Also great work you are doing with the children. Hope that back repairs itself, amazing how easy it is to do damage to oneself. Take care

    Barry

  2. Don’t forget to mention on Siquijor the people turn into animals at night! Also there is witchcraft on the island and certain potions to protect from curses and to cancel curses. 🙂 At least that is what my wife says.

    When my sister-n-law visited there she bought some magic mojo to help her father.

  3. Hey readers. Very good info here. Seems recent and up to date. My first trip to Philippines in 2007 to most recent trip in 2015 there are some changes, but most everything you need to know is on this site.

    One bit of advice. When flying into the international terminal in Manila, change your money at the BPI exchange. You will also need smaller denominations for taxi and some food. You will have problems with 1000 peso notes outside the city. It will be located all the way to the right before exiting the international terminal going to the Domestic terminal. Best rates every visit.

    One last bit of advice: Remember, if you are unaware of pricing on street items, travel or souvenirs, you’ll pay the ‘kano’ price. Most street items are negotiable.

      1. Most of the links on your web page are not working. Nag-click February, January and wala (nothing) a blank page. Really cool stuff link at the top worked, but not the side links.

    1. Yeah agree with that also, but I only do just enough to your destination. Another helpful is just withdrawl from ATM machine before leaving the airport.

  4. You covered a lot on your article above, “Ten-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-Before-Visiting-the-Philippines.” I thought it was a very thorough snap-shot of things a foreign traveler must really know before heading to the Philippines. Either you are really quite good at making observations or have done a good job researching and understanding the peculiarities of the Filipinos and the society they live in, considering that you’ve only been there a short while. I am sure your readers and subscribers who are planning to visit the Islands will find this article really helpful and, yes, entertaining as well. Kudos, My Philippine Dreams Team!

  5. Hi Ned and Michele. I found you on you tube. I love the videos. Keep them coming. I live in Northern Minnesota. Married a Filipina 2007. In the Philippines. She is from Davao city. We met online. And I love the Philippines. Been back there 4 times. I plan to retire there, and your video on monthly expenses is close to what I have figured. But I have learned much from you both. Thanks!

    1. Thanks for taking the time to note that, John. Our expenses are pretty low here, and if we cooked more, it would be even lower. We live pretty simply, though, but I am more than comfortable spending about $1,100 USD a month (on average). Ned.

  6. Hey Ned.
    I’m coming very close to the day then I moved to the Philippines. Although I have no doubts whatsoever about what I’m going to do. I wonder if you can do a video on the fears of making it step to moving to the Philippines? It’s a big step and a big change in my life. 1 I’m very excited to make but you always have to be weary of the unknown. And I’ll be honest with you. The videos that yourself and Michelle make have put me quite at ease with things as much as candy. But, it would just be nice to see you do a video on the fears of making that first step. No not first step, what the first step off of the plane knowing that you’re not going to turn back. It would be very interesting to get your insight on that.
    Oh, I really love the book. Thank you. I hope I have the opportunity to meet up with you when I’m there. It would be a lot of fun. I am a retired optician and I’m also a medical missionary. I would still like to keep active as a missionary by opening or building a clinic for for missionaries to come practice. But that will be somewhat later. Getting settled finding a perfect location is going to be a journey in itself. One that I can’t wait to make. I’ve been to the Philippines on several occasions and did medical missions on some of those trips. Now that the time is coming very close to making that trip. I just can’t wait. And sometimes I just can’t wait to get it over with. Take care of yourself and keep in touch when I get there. Thank you

    1. Thanks much for taking the time to write all that out, William! Yeah, as with any big change in life, there is a certain amount of fear involved – I think moving is one of the top ten stressful life events one can experience, especially when one is going from the comforts of First Word nation and moving over 10,000 miles away to the more challenging life within a Third World nation. You have been here before, so you know what I am talking about – I also take pains to point out these challenges to our subscribers. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you ALWAYS have to have an exit plan – when I was walking off the plane, I wasn’t thinking (as you noted) “there’s not turning back.” If the Philippines (or wherever) doesn’t work out, you always have to have that backup plan. It would make for a good video, though, so thanks for the idea! Best of luck to you and keep us updated as things move along!

  7. I was told by my soon to be father in law to never let the locals of siquijor open your beverage (water or beer. .whatever) as there is a better than even chance that you’ll be mildly poisoned. Of course the “cure” can be purchased locally ????

  8. I was watching your video the other day about your experience in a hospital getting treatment for cellulitis. You mentioned about always checking the medications you were prescribed to make sure they were legit, right? I happened upon the Philippines FDA site and I thought you might be interested in this too. They list product recalls for a variety of reasons (safety and/or effectiveness issues it seems are the top reasons). Anyways, thought you might like to check your Rx against this site as well.
    http://www.fda.gov.ph/

  9. Ned and Michell, fantastic job with the blog and videos. Ned when you said you needed something to pass the time did you think it would account to 400+ videos uploaded so far?!!! biro lang

    Congratulations on the nuptials!! You found a good one, be ecstatic she doesn’t want to leave your side! on a side note have you thought about faking a British accent being a body double for or celebrity impersonator for Patrick Stewart?

    Did Michell give you any grief about the white lady when you visited Siquijor?

    a few questions about Dumaguete, its been many years since i’ve been there, is there still a bar/disco near the promenade called “whats up”? if your looking for a great diving instructor check with harold at harold mansions, hes a great guy and a huge dive guy.

    Keep up the good work, if i do ever make it back to dumaguete i’d be honored if you and michell would let me take you out to dinner (don’t worry i’ll bring my significant other so i can in good conscience tell michell no when she offers a cousin or two…lol)

    1. Hi Philip. Thanks a lot for that. The vlog is just a hobby/part time thing – I actually still work, so most of my time is devoted to that. And yes, Michell is pretty frikken awesome. I really lucked out and am very happy about where things stand now. Yep, the “Why Not” is stil the biggest disco on the Blvd and I actually got my SCUBA cert through Harolds Mansion – Harold himself didn’t run the classes though. I have five or so videos on SCUBA with Harolds and always recommend it for SCUBA or snorkel day trips (even though their old boat broke down on us once for five hours….). Thanks again! Ned.

  10. Philippines Tourist Visa. Fiesta 30 days free. Then $33 per month until $33 for 2 months. Up to a full 3 years. But How can u be able to show a return ticket when airline tickets are issued for a max of 1 year.

  11. Ned… Thanks so much for the excel cheat sheet on bisaya (Thanks Michell!). I am impressing the heck out of my LDR in Cebu (Province girl who works in the city during the week-perfect combo!)
    BTW… I also have her watching your vids, she sort of see us in you guys (that is meant as a compliment lol ) Met on the same site as you and Michell, I’m a gym rat, she is cute and sweet…

    I can’t come out to visit until June due to a lot of commitments (sucks)… let’s do lunch!

    Peace-

  12. Ned, I hope you can answer this one…
    First let me say that you and Michelle are a great looking couple and she is a sweet girl…any single girlfriends who needs a Ned mini-me ?
    I’m new to your youtube channel which I am totally enjoying, and now this site, but I have been pouring thru your vids and find that I am very confused. I’m watching intently due to wanting to move there in 2019 when I retire. This is not a money issue but more of a location issue.
    I see that you lived in Dumaquete, than moved to Dauin, now back to Dumaquete????
    Is this correct?
    I say this because all of your youtube videos are in Duma, but in your early blogs, you said you moved from Duma to Dauin….so I’m shaking my head in confusion.
    At any rate, which place have you been to do you like best?
    My pension will allow me a little more attitude to afford more than just a hut with no screens or air/con

    1. We moved back to the city as we needed better internet. Dauin was also simply too far from the city. We like to eat out a lot and have better access to the city. We live on the outskirts of the city, and it works out well.

  13. Hi Ned, really enjoy your channel and I’m a subscriber , I’m coming to the Philippines around the end of the year, I’ve seen at the end of some of your videos you offer a copy of your book for free to subscriber, Is this still true? If not I am ready to buy it, thanks and keep up the great work.

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