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Google has a translation app (also via web browser) that, according to a young lady I know, does a pretty good job for translating both words and simple phrases. There’s also a speaker icon in lower left corner where the word(s) are shown - press it to hear the pronunciation. Note - in the list of languages Tagalog is shown as Filipino and Bisaya is listed Cebuano. IMHO there is no need to carry around a separate device if you already have smart phone or tablet with a data / WiFi connection.

Not sure if I agree as I can think of 3. First would be 6 feet under. Second would be sleeping with the fishes - wrapped in sail cloth and dumped overboard into the deep blue. And third would be going the Cheech and Chong route - up in smoke! 😂😂😂

My apologies for the late posting - combination of being off the grid for a few days and sheer laziness. Didn’t see the message you posted; no harm, no foul.

The old adage of “Pick your Battles” comes to mind. Unless I was seriously injured and incurred medical expenses, I would not pursue criminal charges here. For minor assaults / batteries between foreigners I doubt the police would do anything anyhow - unless you made a donation. If you’re working here legally and have all of your own ducks lined up in row, then you might consider filing civil “raps” against him for the monetary loss plus court costs and legal fees.

Met up the Duma group last week and was a lot of fun. Great group and very friendly. I highly recommend anyone else from forum who can attend, should. Dumaguete is a nice smallish city, but has a great assortment of restos. I only stayed 2 nights (at a dive resort about 6-7km south of the city), but next time I’ll stay a bit a longer and explore what the city/island has to offer. Thanks guys for making me feel welcome!

Thanks for the info Dave!

Hello all Dumaguete regualars (or irregulars in some cases, lol) Kinda last minute - but I’m thinking of taking a ride there on a motorbike from Cebu City - Honda XR150 - done a few longer trips on it around Cebu, not the most comfy, but it’ll do. Will leave Cebu tomorrow - Wednesday morning about 9-10am and stay in Duma until Friday or Saturday. A few questions: Hotel recommendations? Not too far from Chin Loong, has parking for a motorbike, price not a major concern, but under 4K and accepts credit cards (maybe can book online - or might just wing it and wait till I arrive to find one?). I’m one of those evil cigarette smokers, so would also be nice if they allowed smoking in the room. Don’t really care about breakfast or other amenities, like a pool, but aircon and hot shower is a must. Beach front would be a plus. Ferry - from Santander or is else where better to cross? Cost and how often they run? Done a few from Cebu to Bohol and Camotes in the past, so am aware of what paperwork to have and terminal fees, etc. I don’t have the OR/CR for the bike - just a rental agreement/ecliptic. Wasn’t an issue at a check point here in Mabolo, but do you think it would be a problem at the port? Or do they even ask for it there? I know they do when going to Bohol. Thanks in advance - feel free to PM me. And if I do make it - first round of cold ones is on me ;)

Margarita Station offers a car service. Reliable and safe. They’ve been doing it for years and have an excellent reputation. Google them for their website and email Rita - she prefers at least a 24 hour notice. Price for private car - single oocupant and not sharing - should be around 2,500.

Its been a few years and I can’t recall his name. US trained (Philadelphia - Wills or Temple Uni grad) and practiced there as well for over 20 years. His office is in Chung Hua Medical Arts Center, top floor to the left as you’re facing the building and on the front (parking lot) side. I paid a total of 1,400 pesos for treatment of a severe eye infection - he removed a very small splinter from my eye (done in his office) and gave me the meds (also had to buy antibiotic eye drops for 400 pesos). Included was 2 follow up visits. He also did a full eye exam including checking for glaucoma. You can also try the Center for Sight on Osmena Blvd - affiliated with Cebu Doctor’s Hospital. It’s a modern facility and per a friend, the prices for lasik were reasonable (base cost 2 years ago was 44k for both eyes), treatment was good and he felt the Doc’s were competent. Hope it all works out well for you - keep us posted as I’m sure others here may face the issue as you at some point in the future.

IMHO overly salty and too sweet. Pinay’s like it fried with eggs and rice. I couldn’t pallet it. It’s basically a slurry with thickeners added, poured into a mold and chilled to harden. Not a real ham.

A few years ago I bought a repo in Cebu that was a good deal. It was a Racal 150cc - forget the model, was more of dual sport type that sat higher. Built in theft protection as was too tall for most pinoys, lol. New the bike went for around 60k and I got it for 30k, only had about 800km on it Anyhow, as it’s a Chinese bike I had to basically rebuild it. Almost every nut, bolt and screw was loose or the wrong size. Rust was also an issue and finding parts another. I was lucky that I had decent mechanic who spoke good English near me (in Mabolo). Between the two of us we cobbled together something whenever it broke. Carb from a Honda, sprocket off a Kawasaki, starter from a Suzuki. You get the idea. Point is - doesn’t matter how good of a wrench you are, getting parts can be an issue. I’d stick with one of the Japenese manufacturers as it’s not quite as hard to find parts and they seem to hold up better.

Unless you get an Unli (unlimited) data plan, turn off cellular data on your phone when you’re not using it. Otherwise your load / data will get eaten as they continuously ping the server. Although it costs a bit more then if you buy it there, you can often find Smart and Globe SIM cards on eBay. Most come with a small amount of free texts / data / call time (same as if you buy one there). Google maps works quite well there, but don’t depend on it. Although somewhat limited, it also works offline.

I take the easy way out to prepare:

Nice! Can sit on the toilet with your fishing pole 🎣 and catch dinner 🐟 at the same time you take care of business. Just gotta watch out you don’t reel in any brown trout or tissue fish!