Around Zamboanga Around Zamboanga Zamboanga is a vibrant city that reminds me a lot of Dumaguete with it's centuries of Spanish influence in the layout of the city, parks and old Fort Pilar. Read more...   Dumaguete to Dipolog Dumaguete to Dipolog Several shipping liners make the trip between Dumaguete and Dipolog in Mindanao. Montenegro, Aleson, or Cokaliong lines will have a boat departing every few hours from the pier in Dumaguete Read more...   Rural Transit bus lines Rural Transit Rural Transit is the main bus line that runs down the west side of Mindanao. Read more...   Ricomar Pension House Ricomar Pension House Ipil, Zamboanga I was pleasantly surprised with the Ricomar Pension House. They had nice single rooms for 500 pesos and doubles for 600 pesos a nite. The deluxe room with green floor tiles runs 900 pesos per night. Read more...   Atilano Pension House Atilano Pension House Zamboanga City This is an excellent backpacker's budget place to stay in Zamboanga. Atilanos is actually a cluster of family owned pension houses and restaurants all with the family name Atilano. Read more...   Fort Pilar in Zamboanga Fort Pilar Zamboanga Fort Pilar is now a shrine for candles and a place for mass and people to walk around on the weekends. It was not always this boring. Just reading the history of this magnificent fort can give you goose bumps. Imagine, if you will, 3000 Moro invaders attacking this fort and destroying it in the 1700's. Read more...   Garden Gate Landscape Garden Gate Landscapes Zamboanga This might seem an choice of subjects but it shows that Zamboanga is a lot like any other city where the people want to live in nice surroundings even though there is a bit of unrest in the area. Read more...   Tuna port in General Santos Tuna port General Santos Yellow fin tuna are auctioned at the tuna port in General Santos on Sarangani Bay in southern Mindanao. Read more...   Philippines to Indonesia by boat Philippines to Indonesia by boat This was a common trip 10 years ago but now in 2008 there is very little boat traffic between the two places. When the value of the rupiah plunged to around 15,000 to the USD it was not uncommon for merchants to haul goods between the 2 countries and cash out on the spread. A cement hauler made the passage between Bitung in Suluwasi and General Santos on a regular basis. For 20 USD you could hop on board and be there in 3 days. Read more...