nomad4ever

Whale sharks are the most amazing gentle creatures of the sea. They are huge, blue-grey monsters with white dots; big like trucks – but they are moving and gliding so effortlessly through the seas. The thrill you will get when swimming with them is unbelievable and indescribable.

The best place in the world to see them in their natural habitat – are the waters around Donsol, in the Bicol region on the main island South Luzon in the Philippines.

Here is what you need to know, to make it a successful and exciting encounter:

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written by Chris

The Philippines and Indonesia are 2 of the favorite travel destinations in South East Asia for the readers of this website. Quite a few islands in the Philippines, as Bali in Indonesia are very valid options for Expats and early retirees to stay long-term and enjoying the good life in those equator paradises.

The times of expensive flights to reach them are luckily over with the introduction of budget carriers a few years back. Still, it was so far a hassle, if you wanted to commute from Indonesia’s prime holiday destination Bali to one of the other island paradises in  the Philippines. Will that finally change very soon?

written by Chris

Even by Philippine standards, El Nido is far off the common map. It’s not easy to get there cheap or uncomplicated. You either can shell out big bucks for one of the few and overpriced flights by SEAIR or go the ‘hammer route’ – via MiniVan or Bus from Puerto Princesa via Roxas and Taytay over dusty gravel roads – which certainly is a 5-6 hour ordeal you can still tell your unborn grand children about.

Yet, what awaits you is rough place of sheer beauty, a warp back in time to when punctuality, electricity, hot water, Cable TV and other modern amenities where still very much unimportant and the beauty of nature was sufficient to make ones day. Make yours!

written by Chris

Can you really grasp a whole country by just staying a couple of months there? For sure not. That’s even more the case with the Philippines, guess I never felt the time passing faster than here – or is it maybe that I’m getting older?

Either way, the Philippines is a beautiful island nation, a bit off the usual tourist trail of the rest of Southeast Asia. That is not necessarily a bad thing, more the opposite is true. You will meet less fellow travelers and have more chances to immerse yourself in a country with all its own values and characteristics. Let’s have a more detailed look at that:

written by Chris

With the current sitting-duck president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) trying to pull all strings to extend her 10 years in office by changing the constitution; a clear frontrunner emerges among the presidential candidates for the scheduled 10th of May 2010 election.

His family heritage and legacy give hope to millions of ordinary Filipinos and big parts of the political elite also.

But can he win and does he have he the guts and long-term stamina  to overcome a climate of corruption, vote rigging and cronyism in a country long starved of the fruits of the labor of its people?

written by Chris

The Philippines were one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to embrace wireless 3G or UMTS technology for internet access. Blessed (or punished) with more than 7.000 islands, digging and laying down landlines was naturally a big endeavor for this developing country.

So all the way until the mid 90’s the country was one of the laggards in regards to internet access, with Dial-up speeds and slow dedicated lines ruling the access options. Due to the high penetration rates of mobile phones, business leaders soon recognized the great potential for mobile phone based or wireless internet options:

written by Chris

Robert Martin – better known as ‘Mindanao Bob’ is one of my online friends here in the Philippines. He is a workaholic with dozens of websites and offline businesses and an authority and institution about everything Philippines. No wonder, since he is married to a wonderful Filipina and living in Mindanao already for over a decade!

I was thinking to pay Bob a visit in Davao; not quite sure though, if I should do that better by plane or simply riding the Tricycle right through Mindanao. Anyway – when he asked me to write a Guest Post about our Tricycle Trip over at his site “Live in the Philippines“, I felt honored and obliged happily. Read on here, if you are interested or want to join the discussion.

written by Chris

The Philippines is a country in South East Asia with breath-taking natural features and scenery on over 7.000 islands. You will find pristine beaches, volcanoes, rice terraces, hot springs and waterfalls aplenty in a very pleasant tropical climate. People are genuinely friendly and most of the Pinoys can speak English, so easy communication is guaranteed.

Despite its continuous economical downturn over the recent years, more Expats and Westerners love to move here for retirement and longer vacations. And for a good reason – the Philippines offer very comfortable and affordable Cost of Living conditions for the avid long-term traveler:

written by Chris