List of tourist attractions:
Siquijor
Sumilon Island
Apo i.
Tanwan townlet
Doin
Museum of Anthropology, Silliman University
A diving paradise for young people
The first time I heard the name Duma Gaidi, I came across an article entitled "Three thousand dollars to play Duma Gaidi". Supposedly, the article with this title will not cause waves in my heart, but it does remind me of this place, because whale sharks can be seen here.
Later, when I was planning my trip in early August, I realized that the 3,000 yuan mentioned in the article was really true and could really become a diving paradise for young people.
Compared with the one-way ticket price of 8 1 10,000 yuan to Maldives, Bali and other popular attractions during the eleventh period, the round-trip ticket to Feiduma is less than 4,000 yuan, which can be described as a clear stream in the hot and turbulent times.
So at the beginning, I chose to go to Duma on the 11th, largely because it was cheap, with less than two thousand air tickets and a hotel for 100 nights. Not to mention the hot spots abroad, I'm afraid even the domestic attractions are not as affordable as this.
The OW diving certificate is less than 2,000 yuan, and the nearby diving spots are colorful and friendly to beginners, which makes Duma Gaidi the first choice for many people to start diving.
However, it is still a small tourist city until now, largely because many people are worried about language barriers and poor public security. Actually, I really don't have to worry. Personally, I think America or Europe is more terrible.
Not to mention language barriers. After reading this travel book, as long as you have high school English level, you can go to play around Duma Gaidi.
Although their official language is "Filipino", all the words in our journey for more than a week are in English, so it is no problem to communicate with the locals in English (gestures can also be added).
visa
The Philippines can't refuse to sign for China, nor accept landing visa or electronic signing, but it allows visa-free entry for those who hold visas from developed countries such as the United States and Japan.
Indeed, this seemingly unfriendly visa policy is rare in Southeast Asian countries, and it also discourages many people who have the idea of traveling here.
However, nothing can't be solved by the omnipotent treasure; In addition, tourism is one of the pillar industries in this country, and it will not guard against financiers from China like thieves, so the process is naturally not so strict.
So if there are no visas for the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and Schengen, that's nothing. Just search for "Philippine visa" on a treasure. You only need to provide basic materials such as passport and copy of ID card, and you can also find an agent to help you on the application form.
The price is only more than 200 yuan per person, which can be said to be very intimate. Visa processing varies from five days to seven days depending on whether it is urgent or not. I suggest that it be processed no later than half a month before the trip, including the time for round-trip mailing.
Due to the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, we refused to issue a visa on our passport (the new passport contains a map containing the nine-dash line in the South China Sea) because we did not recognize our claim to the nine-dash line in the South China Sea.
Their visas were issued on the back of the application form submitted, and this page was considered as a Philippine visa.
But don't underestimate this page and don't lose it. When you leave the country, you still have to look at the border inspection in the Philippines. If not, it is forbidden to enter the country in the future. I don't think anyone wants to come to this tourist diving resort only once.
Other preparatory work
As mentioned earlier, Filipino cuisine is no stranger to China people. The only problem is that there are fewer vegetables, so there is no need to bring a bunch of instant noodles and snacks.
We think the most useful and necessary things for this trip are sunscreen, seasickness medicine and diving equipment such as diving goggles and jellyfish suits.
Needless to say, sunscreen, please buy SPF 100+ decisively. Don't need much. The two of us only used a small bottle of 30mL for eight days, and there was basically no tanning where we applied it.
However, I must say that the hardest hit area of sunburn while snorkeling is on the back of the body, which is really unexpected.
For example, we thought we had done a good job of sun protection, and as a result, our calves were severely sunburned. After returning home, we felt itchy and exposed for ten days. Who would have thought of putting sun protection there?
The lesson we have learned through personal practice is that we can't live without sunscreen and boiled mother clothes.
No matter what style the jellyfish suit is, there is no difference between life and death, because its main function is not to prevent being stung by jellyfish (of course, it is also useful) but to protect against the sun.
Later, someone reminded me that diving with sunscreen would hurt corals. I'll pay attention to it next time. I also suggest that you try to wear jellyfish clothes instead of sunscreen when diving.
Except the jellyfish suit, other diving equipment is not necessary, because the diving shop will prepare it and rent it almost for free. However, I suggest at least wearing glasses and breathing tubes, especially for people who are already nearsighted.
Diving shops don't prepare face mirrors with degrees, but this kind of face mirror and breathing tube suit is available on a treasure, and you can choose it at will for less than 100 yuan, which is really affordable.
In addition, after all, there is no need to find a diving shop to snorkel all the time. At this time, it is particularly important to bring your own breathing tube and face mirror.
As for the fins in the "three treasures of snorkeling", this is a matter of opinion. Personally, I don't think it's necessary. First of all, this is not a necessity for snorkeling, and even life jackets are useless;
Secondly, such a big dispensable thing takes up a lot of valuable luggage weight, which I think is not worth it. However, the anti-fog liquid of diving goggles is still worth taking.
Individual snorkeling encounters the problem of mirror fogging, which greatly affects the diving experience. I hope that the latecomers can take a warning.
What you need when diving is a mask to cover your nose and a breathing tube. Ordinary swimming glasses can't do it.
Another medicine that I think is very useful is seasickness medicine. People who are usually carsick must remember to bring them.
All these things won't take up much space. Fill the rest of the suitcase with all kinds of beautiful clothes, and then get ready to embark on your pleasant journey!
Qian Dian
The two biggest dive shops in Duma Gai are HaroldsDiveCenter and ScubaVentures.
Harold di Vicente
Website:/
ScubaVentures
Website:/
E-mail :scuba_ventures@yahoo.com.
If you want to take the diving certificate, I suggest you send an email to the diving shop in advance to confirm that their course application is not full. I will listen to scuba diving when I go on the 11th.
The boss of Venture said that the guests who booked their diving lessons have been scheduled for the Spring Festival next year (of course, this statement must not be taken). So for the sake of safety, please make a reservation first.
Booking template:
Hi,
From1October 4th to1October 6th.
For two people, we want to choose an open waterway?
Is there a discount?
Available? We would be very grateful.
Please contact me if you need anything else. Thank you very much
The price of studying OW course (OpenWater, scuba diving introductory course) in Harold is 16000P per person, without discount;
scuba
The price of Venture is the same, but if two people sign up together, the price of each person is 14000P p.
This price is less than 2000 RMB, which almost kills the price of other diving resorts, and may even be cheaper than learning diving in Thailand.
Both dive shops provide Chinese teaching materials and teaching videos. I believe there is not much difference in the quality of teaching. Actually, you can choose both.
I chose the cheaper one, but Harold is better than scuba.
Venture is large, so this is still a matter of opinion.
If it's just snorkeling or deep diving, you don't need to book online, just go to the store the day before and sign up.
The two stores are next to each other, and upstairs is the Harrods Hotel. It is not recommended to stay here because the environment is not very good.
The diving instructor told us that he had taught students who didn't speak English at all before, so I really didn't have to worry about failing the English exam and didn't dare to report to local people for diving lessons. Many times I can still use Chinese, what's more, I can only gesture underwater.
My little brother in the Philippines, that is, our teacher, can speak common words such as "mask", "respirator" and "flippers" in Chinese, and he is still studying more Chinese tirelessly. For example, this time he learned to say "neutral buoyancy" to us.
The price advantage of local diving courses is obvious compared with China courses, but China diving shop may teach more carefully and learn more easily.
Hotel accommodation
Friends who come here to travel must have a clear understanding: Duma Gaidi is not a pure tourist city, but a transit station. The real attractions are the islands and diving spots about an hour or two away from the city.
So don't be surprised by the chaos here when you arrive, and don't expect to live in a sea view room. If you want to enjoy the sunshine, going to Long Beach is a better choice. There are many beautiful underwater scenery in Duma Gaidi, but there is no beach at all.
The hotel in Duma is not expensive, but it is a better hotel run by China people.
Essencia, about one night in 200 yuan, is a bit like a domestic business hotel, and you can pick up the plane, so the price is quite cost-effective;
The hotel where we stayed is called the hotel.
Palva, relatively not so new but clean enough, is less than one night in 200 yuan.
Of course, some people complain that their house faces the street and the air conditioner is very noisy. I really didn't feel any noise after staying here for a few days, but if this is sensitive, I suggest considering other hotels.
Both hotels are in the city center, so it is convenient to go anywhere. There is a large shopping center within a few steps (Li
Square), as well as fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Chaoqun.
HotelEssencia, I have never stayed, but it should be undoubtedly the best hotel in downtown Duma Gaidi.
Hotel Palva
The scenery outside the hotel window
There is also a company called Go.
The location of the hotel chain is a little off. It takes more than ten minutes to go to a restaurant or dive shop by tutu bus, but there is a big shopping mall called Robinson next to it, which is still ok. In addition, there is a house called Housereef.
The hotel in Inn is also very good and highly recommended.
This hotel is our diving shop (scuba diving)
Venture), the rooms are small but clean, and there is a swimming pool and shower room, which is worthy of all students who want to learn diving in Du Masi.
And their home also has a shopping center (city
Mall), not far from the hotel, the location is better than GoHotel.
GoHotel
Traffic guide
There are two docks in Duma Gai: one is near the city center, and you can take a boat to Sikh and tagbilaran;
The other is at West Brown Pier, a little north of the city. You can go to Santander and Oslob on Cebu Island by boat.
If you want to go to Sumilong, you should take a boat from Oslo to see whale sharks. Point: To see whale sharks, please take a boat to the West Brown Pier in the north of the city.
Schematic diagram of traffic around Duma cover.
Round trip schedule from Siblan pier to Oslob
The best boat from Duma Gedi to Xiji Hall is the ocean.
Jet company not only drives fast and sits comfortably, but there are fewer flights every day, so it is necessary to plan the time in advance.
Some other ferries are even more sorry. They have to wander for an hour and a half, and the refrigeration depends entirely on natural wind.
Round-trip schedule from Sikhi Hall to Duma Gaidi/tagbilaran (Mint Island)
Local food recommendation
As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people", and China people have the highest enthusiasm for eating. It is really a great happiness to eat delicious food when going out (I think when my mother and I were driving in the eastern United States, she asked for rice every day, so we put a small rice cooker in the car).
There are two high-end restaurants in the local area, one is the famous "Lab-as" mentioned by many people before, and the other is "Lantaw".
Laboratory component
The two shops are next to each other, only ten minutes' walk from the city center. 20 pesos is enough to go by Tu Tu bus.
To say that high-end food is for local people, even if the seafood is opened, the two of us can't eat 200 RMB. The price of the same thing in Beijing and Shanghai is simply unimaginable and not very affordable.
This is also one of the benefits of traveling to the Philippines: even ordinary people can enjoy the life of the local rich.
"Lab-as" thinks that a store is actually three connected stores. All three stores have their own storefronts and waiters, but * * * enjoys the menu, so it doesn't really make any difference which one you sit in.
We came here on the first day of our arrival in the Philippines, and we were very disappointed. Even if there are no crabs and the service is slow, I can't stand some fried noodles until we finish eating.
That's not all. The fried noodles that were not on the bill were not crossed out in the end, and the drinks were counted twice. It seems that we really need to collect IQ tax. When I went to talk to the waiter, my little brother smiled shyly at me, then turned around and ran away, dumbfounded me.
In contrast, I personally feel that "Lan Tao" is much better, and I went there three times in four days, which is also a recognition of this store. Although it is a bit slow to serve when there are many guests at night, at least there are no moths.
Besides, I think the taste of this store is better than that of Lab-as.
Here, I would like to recommend their garlic.
Butter-flavored giant
Crabs, the first two trips were sold out, and on the last day, I got on the plane to eat crabs that I had been thinking about for a week.
At that time, the waiter told me that there were only small crabs, so we thought we would make do with small ones. The result is not small at all.
Both crabs are at least 20 cm wide. It seems that the concept of "little crab" in the Philippines is still quite different from ours.
Besides, their pork
Sisig (iron plate minced meat) is also delicious. Roasted chicken is a specialty of the Philippines and is highly recommended.
Lantao
When you are not at home, you can't avoid eating some fast food. Fast food in the Philippines is monotonous, but it's okay to eat two meals occasionally. What I saw there were basically three fast food chains: McDonald's, Jalibee, a native American fast food in the Philippines, and Chinese fast food was superior.
I think McDonald's is the best of the three. After all, the familiar smell is said to be eaten by local rich people. Jalibee basically sells fried chicken, which is worse than McDonald's;
Chaoqun mainly sells fried noodles, steamed buns, wonton and other Chinese food. The taste is definitely not as good as that in China, but you can eat it if you miss the taste of your hometown.
As for other local restaurants, they are really mixed. Two of the roast chicken are very good, and we really regret having tasted the rest once.
There are also many outdoor barbecues in the local area at night, but since I saw the big sister of a barbecue stall washing dishes in the rain, I have no desire to try, and I don't recommend it to everyone.
Joe Sken