Eddie1

Dave, Lets not get carried away here, I only had 1 coke, I felt sorry for the old boy. Hahaha.

Are we to assume Dave that is because the masseuse made you feel 'happy'? Lol.

How did you check this, do you have a link?

That photo has reminded me to ask you JGF, Any more news on the down and out ex-pat that was living rough in Cebu City? Sorry Dave, my bad, hehehehe.

A great post Bruce, its been a long while since you did one like this, hope there is more to come. Thanks for sharing.

Does anybody know when it is forecast to make landfall?

Much better to have the meter inside your house, removes the opportunity for somebody to tap into your line which will be at your expense.

As I am here in the Phils on a tourist visa i am of the belief that it is not allowed for me to do voluntary unpaid charitable work in the Philippines. I have had the discussion before with friends here on this subject and it has been pointed out quite clearly that its not allowed and if the BI got wind of it I could possibly be deported and possibly blacklisted. OK, just to clarify I have no intention of taking such a risk...... BUT.... my question is this.... Does anybody know of a foreigner on a TOURIST VISA that fell foul of this ruling? Did they get a verbal warning OR were they deported etc?

Kev, P L E A S E dont mention that word again, after 30 years it's all a distant memory now, Lol.

Steve, Where did you get your Pension quote? i just copied the details below from the Government website, shows a maximum of only 164.35 per week. Hope your figures are correct, lol. What you'll get The full new State Pension is £164.35 per week. The actual amount you get depends on your National Insurance record. The only reasons the amount can be higher are if: you have over a certain amount of Additional State Pension you defer (delay) taking your State Pension You can still get a State Pension if you have other income like a personal pension or a workplace pension. You might have to pay tax on your State Pension.

Not wanting to upset anybody..... BUT..... the OP is asking 'Why Dumaguete?" Back on topic?

Do you know if they comply with the LTO requirements here in the Phils? i.e. do they have the correct stamps on them?

Queenie, We searched high and low here in Dumaguete for a proper child size crash helmet for our lad, no chance at all. Bob Hope and no hope. We ended up buying him the best cycle helmet we could find, hardly ideal but what are the choices?

A couple of points to add on this subject. Word on this has got around and is making people a bit jumpy. Back in January when I bought my bike new from Du Ek Sam (Honda dealership in Dumaguete) I got a new helmet for free with the bike. Couldn't find one small enough for the missus so we borrowed a helmet from her friend (Pinay) who laughed at us and said you dont need to be wearing a helmet here, nobody bothers. We got a text message from her on Monday asking if we could return it asap as the word is out, people are getting fined, lol. Also, as most pinay tend to be small/petite why dont they make a helmet to fit them? We have looked all over Dumaguete and only found L or XL.

It looks like they are making a concerted effort in the town itself. I went into town yesterday along the National Highway from Dauin to Robinson's Mall. Being the anorak that I am particularly when bored, I decided to count the first 50 mopeds/motorbikes coming in the opposite direction to see how many were wearing crash helmets. 47 NOT wearing... 3 wearing. It seems that the authorities have a long way to go with this to eradicate not wearing a helmet. But lets not be in any doubt, its a very easy way (amongst others) to accrue money fast.