Bohol a great place to vacation and metal detect

by David L.Hyde
(O'fallon ,missouri , USA)

My wife is from Bohol in the central Philippines, we have been married since 1989 got married over there, and i have been back several times. I love exploring the Philippines with over 7000 islands to explore and a rich and old history.

Lots of very old churches there though many were damaged or destroyed by earthquakes a while back. I enjoy reading the history and seeing where events actually happened.
The people are very out going and friendly and most people speak English. I enjoyed metal detecting over there on the beaches, the first time i detected was over there i shipped my detector a head in a box with other stuff we were sending. I set it up and started finding coins in the first 5 minutes.

The public beaches there tend to be very trashy, lots of bottle caps, beer and soda tabs, old screws, nails and other scrap. If you do bring a detector you might want to consider a small coil for the trashy areas.
There are a number of nice tourist beaches where many American and Europeans like to stay and loose valuables. There are very few detectors in the country so most of the beaches have never been detected.

You have to think with about 400 years of Spanish Rule, American rule, Japanese Rule, American rule again, then finally Philippines rule.

If you decide to hunt be prepared to do it early or late because the sun gets really hot. Bring bug spray and sun screen. Make sure you are on public beaches or if you are on private land that you have the owners permission. Beware of locals wanting to sell you maps of Japanese hidden treasure lots of scams out there. Your money goes pretty far there right now about 44 pesos - $1.00, but local good and foods are cheep, American brands and products are closer to American prices.
It is a good idea to find a local to act as your guide and keep a eye out for you. I look forward to going back, next time i will have a better detector and a lot more experience on it.

I consider my wife's family over there my family and like them better then my own. Hope you can visit Bohol some day.

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Sep 09, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Glad you enjoyed the post
by: David Hyde

Glad you enjoyed the post ,i thought it could be of some help to those traveling to the Philippines,some times personal insight can be of a lot more help when planning a trip. On my first trip to the Philippines (1989) i had no idea of what to expect there was no place like the world wide web to get information. Phones were mostly in call centers and the connections were really bad (before cell phone days)that left the mail which took about 3 weeks for a letter to get there and be responded to. While i have only been to a few of the islands there i look forward to exploring many more ,the vast amount of history that happened there ,the beautiful old churches and Spanish forts.the American defenses in manila from World War II. With over 7000 islands that gives a lot of beautiful beaches to explore , and if metal detecting is your hobby that is a lot of potential to find some thing interesting in a place where very few have a metal detector. Any one traveling to the Philippines for a vacation might want to consider taking a detector with them it a great way to spend some down time on the beach. I really enjoy the Philippines and the people there , and i enjoy reading about the country and learning more.
Jun 21, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		to Annomus
by: David Hyde

I checked with my wife on how much it would cost to live comfortably for a mom and child. She is back there on vacation with her family. Since the house is paid off she says you could live quite comfortable on $450.00-$500.00 that includes having a helper around the house. The exchange rate is around 44pesos=1 USA dollar. Hope this helps you.
Jun 15, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		to Anonymous
by: David Hyde

That sounds high to me ,since the house is paid off. I think you are supporting her extended family there. While electric is higher there most people do not own a air conditioner and do not use that much electric. My mother in law runs around shutting off light and fans if no one is in the room. The main diet there is fish and rice with some pork or chicken. Right now the exchange rate is around 44 pesos to 1 USA dollar. She might have some of her brothers or sisters ,or parents living there. My wife has been on vacation over there for a couple of weeks she has been enjoying all the fresh fruit , fish , rice , native chicken etc. I checked with my wife she said that is a lot of money over there. Way above what they need for a good life over there. There are Americans living on social security over there. In stead of sending as much over for clothing you might want to send a Balibayan box every month or so, it takes about 3 months to get there by boat. That way you know that the grand daughter will get the new clothes and toys. There are a number of companies that ship Balibayan Boxes just Google it and find one in your area.We just sent some ahead of the wife's trip. Right now the one has a jumbo box to the Visyas (region Bohol is in)for $85.00 for a box 24x18x24 with no weight restrictions. If you send any electronics they run on 220 volt over there not the 110 we use. Some house are wired for both. Some of the companies we have used are Forex,Majarocon cargo express( majaroconcargo.com),Pearl of the Orient, and there are other doing the same thing. We help out my mother in law because she is retired and her pension does not cover the bills ,we also have helped put several nieces through private school but that was our choice and we could help them have a better life with a good education.We still have one niece that we are putting through private school , last time i visited 5 years ago she was only 6 and could already speak English as well as their native language. Hope this helps answer your questions.
Jun 15, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Bohol Island
by: Anonymous

My daughter in law with my grand son live on Bohol
Island. He is Two years old. DNA grandparent confirms 99.8% positive.

My son died 2 years ago and I support the two of them.

They own their own small house, paid in fill was about $17,000.

I send them $120 each week for food and clothing.
I also pay for internet, electric, propane and loads. This is $120 each month.

Total is approx $600 /month.

Is this too much? Am I being taken advantage of?

Soon they will receive SS Ins.

Can you advise me on the amount they need to live on

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