PAL flies Cebu - Los Angeles

PAL flies Cebu - Los Angeles

Again Philippine Airlines (PAL) is going more international. Starting this year, PAL will offer a flight to Los Angeles (L.A). from Cebu and wants to purchase two Boeing 777. During the last years Cebu has become the second largest airport in the Philippines. Already, Japan and China are served by PAL  - always starting from Cebu.

The largest number of passengers will probably come from Davao, where now the two daily flights from Davao to Cebu are utilized by 80%.

And so was the question of   giving preference to Davao for the flight to LA. But because of the runway in Davao, which is not sufficient  for an international carrier, Cebu was chosen. And so is to understand the offer of more flights to Cebu, in order to bypass  the difficult situation  in Manila.

It’s getting  better with PAL.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

A dog-surprise

There's nothing but joyful surprises. And this was so: Some time ago we had  spoken to friends  about dogs. And it was me who mentioned, that a dog could fit quite well for us.

And how were we surprised when Jerrold brought to us  two little baby dogs. And they were so cute and so clumsy. Maybe they were just 6 weeks old. Color: gray-black. Pedigree unknown - just Askal, fully Filipino.

And now we have a problem: For a dog we were prepared - and now we have two. And they are quite exhausting.

Let's see how we get through this.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

A Philippine cocoa-success story

The Malagos chocolate

That chocolate tastes good, that it is known and is also reflected in the abdominal circumference - especially at Christmas and Easter .

Here around Davao there are many cocoa plantations. There the cocoa trees  are growing like the apple trees at home in Germany.  One of the known cocoa plantations in Davao-Calinan, is the Malagos farm. I knew this farm through their Cocoa Taler (TABLEYA = native chocolate), which have a particularly good full flavor and are therefore often used in restaurants and pastry shops.

The  cocoa beans  from this farm earn international respect. This was confirmed in international competitions in London in 2014 and now in 2015 in Hannover/Germany, where a silver medal was earned. It is probably the first ever Philippine product that has received so much recognition.

It is even on the composition of the cocoa mass  which varieties they come from- and there are many. Most particularly, it probably depends on the processing, where fermenting and roasting are really important at that. And that requires a lot of experience.

The Malagos chocolate I've probably seen often in the Supermarket of the malls. But the brown packaging has not approached to me. And this chocolate seems to be  a little bit loosing  to the other chocolate varieties of Goya, Hershey, Ferrero, Toblerone and Ritter Sport in the shelves.

  The Malagos farm has also made a name in the last years in the production of goat's cheese and fruit wines. Also an orchid farm with breeding the most famous orchid of the Philippines, the Waling Waling-belongs to the company, which is also called Malagos-Garden Resort. A very Impressing story of success.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

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How to have a good seat in the plane .

Is it luck to get a good seat in the plane ?

My friend seems to have much luck when it comes to a good seat at the flight from Europe to Davao. Most often, the seat is free next to him and he has enough place for the legs and can sleep well.

He says that this has nothing to do with luck. It could be calculated.

He always tries to get a seat in the back of the aircraft, namely there where only 2 seats in the row. And there he takes  the aisle seat. When he flies with his wife, then they occupy the seats- again  in the rear part of the aircraft - but the left and right of the aisle, because - as he says from experience - then the chance is great that any seat remains free  next to them.

One other tip from him is that he did  specify when booking that he has an incompatibility with the food and for example, he must eat vegan. He has found that these people will be  served very first and have not have to wait long to receive the meals and drinks.

So, I want to try the tips. Let's see if it works.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Philippine ants are a plague

How to fight  with ants in Davao

My friend is in despair. In the pots and into his new house - where the architect has said that he uses an extra remedy for ants - cavort  these animals. Above all, there are the little ants, approximately 2 mm in size !.. And there are ants here in the Philippines - in addition to termites - in all sizes and in all quantities.

From his Philippine neighbors he has already received tips. Since the ants are irritated by strong odors, he should try  with cinnamon sprinkle or with the leaves of tomato. He had already tried  spray with vinegar. The results are not yet totally. The animals seem to get used to  the new odor after a while . And  still they are present. Or are they  some new ones ?

Now he has got a new tip from home, from Germany. He should use the ash of  cigars or cigarette, which is dissolved in water. And that he wants to do. Otherwise he will try it with lavender. I press the thumb.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

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who is writing to you:

Hello! My name is Ludwig . As a native German, teacher for German language with diploma from University of Ludwigsburg/Germany, chief editor of “123easyGerman”,  I  give classes and tutorials at  USEP  Davao ( University of Southeastern Philippines)  for German A1-test, crash course and  seminars.

Drinking coffee in SM Lanang Premier, Davao

Do you want time for a coffee in peace?

If you are in the SM Mall Premier Lanang, Davao you might have - besides shopping - usually 2 problems: First, where do you find a bank or a chair - just  to rest? There are not many and they are mostly occupied.

The second problem - at least so I think - is where you can sip a coffee in peace? Going to STARBUCKS or FRENCH BAKER, then you sit like ‘on the display’ in front. Well, some people will surely need and like that.

So I was happy when I found in the second floor the ‘DAYAW Coffee & Tea’. Although I have seen the signs, but I did not know that the business is outside, so is on the terrace.

Prices start at 60 pesos for a coffee, you have a beautiful view with peace - if you sit outside - and it seems that there are mostly students who work on their laptops. Everything makes a nice impression of good Davao coffee taste and I highly recommended them.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao
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Who is writing to you:

Hello! My name is Ludwig . As a native German, teacher for German language with diploma from University of Ludwigsburg/Germany, chief editor of “123easyGerman”,  I  give classes and tutorials at  USEP  Davao ( University of Southeastern Philippines)  for German A1-test, crash course and  seminars.  Please contact our institution assistants Mrs. Shella Lariosa and Ms.Diane Crisel ( Foreign Languages Institute of  USEP) during normal office hours  in Davao City: 082-224 1372 or 0909 2220 986.

Renew your your driver licence in Davao!

Life is here in Davao. You are always in motion!

Once again it was at the time that my driver license had to be renewed at the Land & Transportation Office (LTO). So, the normal way is that you have to stand in the queue, because at 8 o’clock the gate will be opened and then all the waiting people are whizzing through the entrance in order to get one of the front seats - or have it let reserved by a helper.

Then the papers have to be completed and delivered to booth 1 and again, you are looking for a place in the long row of chairs. And then you wait, because the next step is the photo taking. A lady with a  deep  voice called out the names. Every time one stands up to head to the booth, the people sitting next will get up and move to the next chair. You are  constantly in motion.

After some time my name was called. I smiled into the camera and  made my signature on the electronic device. And then there was it again: waiting. I had to wait until boothe 3 called my name to pay the renewal fee of Php417.63. And then wait again - but the heavy work is already done. How relieving.

After about 20 minutes - after having had a snack at the canteen - my name was called at booth 4 and I was finally able to take my new licence. I looked at my card, smiling, being happy to have overcome this procedure. Well, it is more fun in Davao. Life is here. You are always in motion!

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

An exceptional restaurant - Balik Bukid Davao -

An exceptional restaurant - Balik Bukid Davao -

 Like a cozy tavern in Swabia  – only in a Filipino style

We stood in front of the restaurant and thought: "Well, this is something new!". This establishment resembles from outside like a big bamboo house embedded with empty plastic bottles. From the outside, there is nothing much unusual – just a restaurant in a very ethnic and Philippine style.

But if you step in that bamboo house, you will be surprised and you start to believe to be have entered a Swabian "broom-local" (a little word game for non-Schwaben: A "broom"  is normally the living room of a family of a winemaker in Remstal near Stuttgart, where you drink  the indigenous, home-made wine of the winemaker and eat what the housewife has just prepared. Very lovely!) – or in a regular English, a tavern.

Here, in the restaurant Balik Bukid, the ambiance gives a cozy feeling. The wooden chairs are simple, the backrests are made of strings from plastic bags or rough sisal. The tables with glass top have undercarriages of old sewing machines or sometimes car tires. The lighting consists of lamps that are hidden in hand woven baskets, and the floor is made of colored tile pieces. Simple and yet so beautiful.

The menu - in Bisaya and English - was placed in wooden boxes, which were previously used for playing  chess. As drinks we could choose from fresh juices of papaya, guava or guyabano. The different food were served on wooden plates - which suit even more the ambience. 

We were particularly impressed by the yellow rice (colored by turmeric) and the blue rice which got the  blue color from an edible blue flower. Maybe they used  Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist' (Ochsenzunge).

While waiting on the food, we enjoyed playing dice games. And when we had finished eating, we were offered "a fairy tale" about a Philippine legend - if you like to listen to it. And of course, we grabbed the opportunity!

The owners plant their own vegetables on farm near Calinan (Mt. Apo) in where all the proceeds are offered in the restaurant. Everything is free from preservatives. The prices are average, not overpriced. The food was refreshingly different! Balik-Bukid is a place of excitement and new discoveries! We really felt at home and will come back again. That we promise! Address: Ecoland, Quimpo Blvd., Davao City (beside Yellow Fin)

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

about 12,000 families leaving Davao today

about 12,000 families leaving Davao today

Since the beginning of December the lumad are back in Davao.( With lumad one thinks of about the 17 groups of indigenous people who live in the mountains around Davao.) Just as every year - since 2007 - they were brought from the  City Social Services and Development (CSSDO)  office in Davao City  to celebrate the Christmas season and to ask  the inhabitants for Christmas gifts. "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!". It is an officially allowed  begging.

The city provides them with sleeps in the 8  basketball arenas and fed them all the time. Also medical care is provided. You can hear them  from afar with their guitars brand "yourself" and with the drums, stretched with  a string  and beat  it in a crazy rhythm .

This year there were almost 12,000 Lumad families = 40,000 people, some in old costumes . And there were about 2,000 families  more than last year. Today, December 26, they are brought back again by trucks and a big Christmas celebration will take place - as it is common. "It's more fun in the Philippines!"

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

1000 new low-cost condos for Davao

Also PHINMA is building  low-cost condos in Davao

Now it the news have spread  to Manila, Davao that is a good place for real estate. The well-known company PHINMA Realty Corp., which has so far raised many low-cost condo houses  in and around Manila, now has a foothold in Davao.

In the area of Pampanga, this is between Sasa naval port and airport, 9 condo houses will be built with the proprietary modular system with each 5 floors and with 90 Condos in a house  with living space 30-32 sqm (incl. small balcony). The first 2 houses to be ready for move in at April 2015. Around 2016, all the houses will  be built  and then Davao has approximately 1,000 condominiums more.

The prices for the apartments are said at about 1.32 million pesos, which is much lower than from other companies. The equipment should be simple: low cost. The house monthly allowance will be  at  approximately 1,120 pesos, or about 35 pesos per square meter of living space. This is significantly low because  other building companies charge between 60 -90 pesos.

The initiators of PHINMA also believe that Davao is on a huge demand for housing, as it is in Manila at the moment. With a  price of 44,000 pesos/ sqm the company is located in an interesting  low price segment.  Other construction companies will ask  around 70,000 pesos /sqm and more - of course with another, better equipment and higher priced location.

The offer is interesting. 

Best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Hopelessly overloaded

hopelessly overloaded 

Yes, if you're going on a trip, you can see incredible things. How true this phrase is! The more for the the roads in the Philippines. And especially if the police is not present... You might become witness of some unbelievable encounters, especially outside the cities, in the wild, wild west.

We enountered such along the way from Kidapawan city to Davao in the late afternoon. The traffic there was slow, so we thought it will be a slow, comfortably road back home.  we thought nothing bad - yes until we had this truck in front of us and passed it. We counted 10 rows and colums of 40 kg bags of rice on a truck. This size we have never seen before. It looked incredible yet dangerous.

We are not sure if the driver knew that he could endanger his and other drivers' lifes. Probably not. We have often seen trucks here that were longer than long  and their load was"up in the sky" . And so it is no wonder that  accidents will happen again and again. For such  an overloaded truck to bring to a stop -  the best brakes are not so strong enough to make it. The truck rolls on and on, as if it were on a skating rink and pushes everything  away. Simply, hopeless.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

The traffic problem in Davao can be solved

A light rail transit system for Davao to start in 2020

November  7, 2014

It is tackled again: The light rail transit (LRT) project for Davao. All people from Davao will be happy if this LRT will finally be established.

Although, if you think realistically about the project, there are a lot of difficulties - the financing is the lesser “evil”. The biggest problem is the narrowness of the streets and the uphill as the infrastructure has not been developed well. While in Manila, as the main capital of the country, has installed the light rails along and above the road, which works well – regardless the traffic and density problem.

Having installed the rail tracks above the main roads is the most expensive option, but probably the only one that is feasible. The Korean company, which will produce a study will probably need up to 12 months. Since next year is an election year, the discussion and implementation of the project will probably start in 2016.

According to the plan, there will be two city tracks, which should work independently from each other. So people can move better and faster to the different city districts. The declared aim is to remove the many tricycles and jeepneys from the main traffic flow that clog the streets mercilessly in the rush hours.

This is indeed a prestigious project of mayor Duterte – and very promising to the future of Davao City. Also for the next mayor of Davao, he probably meant his daughter Sarah (who is also the previous mayor), the project is of great importance. The Korean company says that - in a time span of about 7 years – the investors will have achieved the breakeven point.

 For us the users of the new light rail who have the advantage of better transportation, must be aware of the fact that  the cheap prices of jeepneys and tricycle will be gone... Yes, all good things  do not come in cheap – but surely expensive!

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

1,2 km long bridge from Davao to Samal Island

A new -old  project in Davao

October 31, 2014

It's been already 10 years that a connecting bridge from Davao to the island of Samal was discussed  and planned . But then, it had been stopped.

Now a new attempt has been made. The initiator is a Japanese company that is engaged in planning and made a feasibility study on the said endeavor. And now in 2016 the construction should start  - yes, if all parties will join and the financing of approximately 10 billion pesos is secured.

Until now Samal is a dreamy spot that you can only reach by the car ferry or by boats . And quite many  individuals are living there, the real estate prices are still comfortably low and there is still a lot of unspoilt nature - if one disregards the coastal strip with many touristic beach resorts.

The whole island will take an upturn, because Samal has a lot to offer: At least two waterfalls with clear water, a sparse population, the largest bat colony (important for the banana plantations around Davao), no industry, crystal clear water at the beaches on the ocean side - just to name the most important facts.

And those who want to catch up with the next real estate boom in Davao, should enter now. By the way, in April this year the costs were said to be about 6 billion pesos !

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

At the dentist

Amalgam fillings are not longer known here in the Philippines

23 January 2014

It is normal at my age that you get something with his teeth. It does  hurt or one of the dental fillings has fallen out . It is that way.

Then you are looking for a dentist in Davao and note : Almost at every street corner there is a dentist. The rooms are small and the waiting room too. Such obligations from  home , such as registration by telephone , are not the norm here . Is the dentist a good one, then you wait here and if it is necessary – you wait sometimes half a day.

Most dentists have just a " working chair" and the hand tools are already older - but what they lack in European technology , they replace it with gentle work and always again the question: " Does it hurt ? " The interesting thing is that  amalgam fillings are not longer used , but all teeth will be sealed with plastic. And root treatments are not very common , because that is not  necessary in most cases , I was told. They prefer to  repair and close the tooth .

The standard treatment costs from 600 pesos - in the country it is cheaper. Some dentists have concentrated  to the production of inlets for the German audience. This brings good , good money. But secretly they amuse themselves about our method , because  plastic  has many advantages too and it is faster and easier.

Well, we could  learn something from abroad...

Best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Bosch Company from Germany is now in Davao

Bosch  Company from Germany  is now in Davao

19/11/2013

Well, finally , BOSCH is in Davao. Bosch has furnished its first branch in Mindanao  in the Roxas Avenue in well -to-reach location near by Ateneo University . It is provided as a service center for Bosch power devices and as a showroom for more Bosch products . What I find particularly good, is that there should be a training center too , so that not only hobbyists  deal with the repair but especially trained electrician  deal with the appliances from Bosch in the future! And that spare parts are more easy to get – not as before !

 It is interesting for all motorists , BOSCH  offers professional diagnosis , maintenance and repair for all the problems of  petrol and diesel vehicle models  . And of these we have many.

That BOSCH has gone on the offensive as we see that – after bringing to China more than 50 service stations - four months ago a service center of BOSCH was  established in Cebu ,  with great success.

Sincerely yours,

Ludwig from Davao