Lifestyle Design: Taking a Mini Retirement in the Philippines

If you are planning on having your Lifestyle Design: Mini Retirement here in the Philippines this would be my second installment.

I have discussed some reasons for choosing the Philippines as part of your lifestyle design experiment. From The Arbitrage itself concerning your monetary costs to the culture and way of living of the Filipinos. You could read further about it here Georbitrage in your Lifestyle Design? Travel to the Philippines

If you are going for a mini retirement I guess you’d be staying in a place for a while, maybe a month or so. You could explore the places, enjoy the culture, savor the food. Your Choice, your design.

Here I’m going to share with you places or regions on the Philippines Islands where you could likely stay.

Time is maybe important. It is relevant if you want to catch fiestas or embrace the warm tropical climate.

Climate

There are basically two seasons here in the Philippines. The wet and the dry season. No, you won’t experience winter here, hehehe.

The wet season is the rainy season with mild rains to strong storms. The Dry season occurs during summer or in just a regular fair day.

Many people hit the beaches of the Philippines during summer. They get a tan or and maybe get to see the white beaches that it has to offer.

Places to go

Cebu – The queen city of the south. About an hour’s flight away from Manila is Cebu. It is an island in central Philippines with Cebu City as its capital.

For local and foreign tourist, there are many places of interest in Cebu. One is “Magellan’s Cross” which was named after Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who came to Cebu in the early 1500s. Pieces of the original cross are believed to be encased in the present cross. The monument is just across the street from the Sto. Niño Basilica in downtown Cebu City. It used to be the only Catholic Basilica in East Asia. The basilica houses the famous “Santo Niño” the patron saint of the Cebuanos.

• Sinulog Festival – celebrated every 3rd week of January in Cebu City. This Philippine fiesta in Visayas region celebrates Cebu’s patron saint, the Santo Niño (Child Christ). This week long event is marked by processions, street dancing and parades. This fiesta is a local version of the Mardi gras.

Sinulog Festival

Bacolod – The city of smiles. Bacolod City is the largest and highly urbanized city in the island of Negros. The city was famous in celebrating their Masskara Festival, an event that puts them in the map for the best festivals in the country. Like with different cities and municipalities, Bacolod City also have its own history. According to the historians, there is small village existed near the mouth of Magsungay river, one of the existing barangay today in Bacolod City. It was a small settlement inhabited by Malayans who belonged to the “Taga-ilog” group.

The city serves as the gateway to the rich cities and towns of the province. Visitors and tourist can easily take for business and leisure in the city because of the modern in-land transportation.The people of Bacolod used Hiligaynon which also referred to Ilonggo after the neighboring province of Iloilo as a means of communication, while the rest generally speak Filipino- the national language and the others Cebuano. English language was also was used by some Bacolenos.

• Masskara Festival – held every 3rd week of October in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. Mask-making puts a quaint accent on the festivities to mark Bacolod City’s charter day. Brass bands, beauty contests and parades are held before the evening’s highlight of street dance where folks wear their beautiful masks.

Masskara Festival

Corregidor – During the American Colonization, corregidor became an army post or a fort for american to use. Cannons, dormitories, other facilities were built there. Up until to day the remains are preserved so that others may learn history from it.

Today, Corregidor is a historical site and a tourist destination. The island is divided into sections, the “head” is called the “Topside”. This is the main part of Corregidor where the headquarters, barracks, war memorial, lighthouse, Eternal Flame, parade grounds, golf course and all the major emplacements  are located here. Then there is the “Middleside”, where the campsite, aviary, bird park and some ruins are located. And the tail end of Corregidor island is called the “Bottomside”. The hotel, administrative building, Gen. MacArthur Park, Gen. Wainwright Park and San Jose Chapel can be found here.

Remains of Mile-Long Barracks at Corregidor

Metro Manila – The Capital Region of the Philippines.

Known to be the Philippines National Capital, Metro (metropolitan) Manila and also known as National Capital Region. Almost all of the cultural groups of the Philippinescompose the Metro Manila culture. The people in Metro Manila uses Tagalog as their primary language and English as the secondary language. Climate in Metro Manila is classified into dry season (November to May) and the rainy season (June to October). Warm months are April and May. With regard to Metro Manila facilities, the metropolis has one of the first-class harbors in Asia. Known as the gateway to Asia, the Manila Bay opens out into South China Sea. Metro Manila is considered the country’s premier business region with sufficient facilities and services in transportation, housing and commercial infrastructure, communications, power supply and recreational facilities. It has world-class malls and commercial centers.

Makati City

It has excellent seaport facilities and an international airport supplemented by the seaports of international standards in Batangas City and Subic Bay, Olongapo and by the Clark International Airport in Angeles City. The government has visualized an incorporated road network and mass based rail transport system within the metropolis.

The leading business and financial district is Makati City. Ortigas Center in Pasig City, the Filinvest Corporate Center and Fort Bonifacio, Makati City are being developed.

Vigan – Located on the western coast of Luzon, about 400 kilometers from the city of Manila, is the Unesco World Heritage City of Vigan. It is the capital of Ilocos Sur and where you can find the most intact model of a Spanish colonial town in Asia with a distinct European atmosphere. Built it the 16th century, the town is famous for its cobblestone streets and unique architecture.

The streets of vigan

Davao – Davao is a region in south eastern Mindanao, Philippines that boast of its natural beauty and resources.

Davao City is the most important city in Mindanao and the largest city in Asia in terms of land area – occupying more than 244,000 hectares. Its population according to the 2000 Census is 1,147,116.

There are many places to go and things to do in Davao. Just 5 kilometers north of the city is Lanang Golf & Country Club with an 18 hole course. To the south of the city are Apo Golf & Country Club and New Davao City Golf Club. The region has many hotels and resorts to relax and unwind.

For the gourmet, Davao offers a wide variety of local and international cuisines at very reasonable prices. Davao is known for its fresh seafood, notably the grilled yellow fin tuna, tiger prawns, barbeques and other delightful specialties. Not to be missed when in Davao is the Durian, the fruit that smells like hell but taste like heaven!

• Kadayawan Sa Dabaw - held every 3rd week of August in Davao City.This festival give thanks to to the bounty of fruits and flowerers as the waling-waling orchid blooms. Colorful floats are bedecked with beautiful orchids and other flowers in the grand parade.

Kadayawan Festival

Other Fiestas

• The Flores de Mayo or the Santacruzan – A parade of the town’s loveliest ladies, depicting the search and discovery of Christ’s Cross by Queen Helena and Constantine.
• The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is a merry-making event lasting a whole month, highlights of which include the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, the Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation and the Pagrayhak Grand Parade. These festivals are said to have begun from the feast day of Señor Santo Niño, held every June 29th. The Leyteños celebrate a religious festival in a unique and colorful way. Since the Visayans are experienced in the art of body tattooing, men and women are fond of tattooing themselves.
• Sandugo Festival - which literally means “one blood”, celebrates the blood compact between local chieftain Datu Sikatuna and Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The festival is celebrated with street dancing, shows, trade fairs, beauty contest and other activities. Sandugo Festival is a month long celebration culminating at Tagbilaran City, Bohol on the 3rd week of July.

Related Articles:

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3. What is Lifestyle Design?
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5. Lifestyle Design Update; How I reduced my cellphone load expense by 69% using Globe Immortal Call+
6. Books that may Change your Life: The Restricted Readings for Lifestyle Design