THE TOWN OF DAANBANTAYAN:
STAYING AT SKIP'S BEACH RESORT WHILE ON THE
WAY TO MALAPASCUA:
When people travel to the Island of Malapascua they always go through Daanbantayan by bus, car, or jeepney. Many of those people
spend the night at SKIP'S BEACH RESORT so they can catch an early boat to
Mapascua in the morning and
arrive at Malapascua early in the day.
People usually prefer to arrive at Malapascua early in the morning so they will have plenty of time to look at the various resorts -- chose a resort that they like -- choose a resort that gives the most value for the least amount money -- find a good restaurant -- get oriented to the various places on the island -- etc.
By having enough time to do some "comparative-shopping," people are often able to save a lot of money -- and have a better time -- regarding their stay on the Island of Malapascua.
THE TOWN OF DAANBANTAYAN -- PUBLIC NOTICE:
*** THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING THINGS TO SEE
AND DO IN DAANBANTAYAN.
*** FOR FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE ALSO SEE OUR CHAPTER CALLED, "THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA."
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The name Daanbantayan comes from two words – “daan” meaning “old” – and “Bantayan” meaning “look-out place.” In fact, the older maps sometimes refer to the town as “Daan Bantayan" (using two words). No matter how you spell it, the quaint and picturesque town of Daanbantayan is a “must-visit” place.
THE GOVERNMENT IN DAANBANTAYAN: At this writing, the mayor of Daanbantayan is the Honorable Maria Louisa Loot. In our opinion, she is one of the very best mayors in the Philippines, and consequently the town is managed extremely well. For example, there is a very nice municipal building – an excellent post office – an excellent police department -- a very capable fire department -- two very good hospitals -- the best new public pier in the area -- boats that go to other islands -- etc. This means that Daanbantayan is a clean and very safe community. [SEE PHOTOS BELOW.]
SOME OF OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS:
PUBLIC
POST OFFICE:
Pictured here are Raymond P. Montejo (Postmaster) --
Gilbert Arrabis (Postman) -- and Alejandro Punay ( Utility Worker).
FIRE PROTECTION:
These able gentlemen are doing an excellent job of
protecting our community from fires.
THE
DAANBANTAYAN PUBLIC MARKET:
There is an awesome new public market here, and it is located in Daanbantayan’s “town-proper.”
(See photos on this website...)
OUR FOREIGN GUESTS LOVE THE PUBLIC MARKET IN DAANBANTAYAN:
Skip greatly enjoyed riding
motorcycles with these two friends/guests -- showing them around the area -- etc.
Our
friends didn't expect to fall in LOVE at the
market...
:-)
On the other hand, it
is very easy to fall in love in the Philippines
!!!
:-)
WE OFTEN TAKE OUR GUESTS TO THE MARKET WITH US IN OUR VAN:
OTHER SMALLER LOCAL MARKETS:
There are also other smaller
local markets in the outlying communities such as Tominjao, Talisay,
Tapilon, Maya, etc.
(See photos elsewhere on this website...)
ESCAPING FROM FIVE-STAR HOTELS:
If you escape from the five-star hotels, and dive into the
real Filipino culture, there is a good chance that you will be invited to a
party at which a “whole” roasted pig is cooked and served – along with a lot of
other typical Filipino dishes. Our guests are often interested in learning the
"tricks" regarding how to cook a pig in this manner. The pig
directly below was cooked for Flip's first birthday party. Obviously, as
per the photo below, he
was a little confused about this...
HOSPITALS IN DAANBANTAYAN (see below):
There are two very good hospitals in Daanbantayan – the Bliss Hospital (run by the government) -- and the Dublin Hospital (run by a husband and wife doctor team that is available 24 hours per day).
We recently stopped at the Dublin Hospital for some medication. We had our camera with us, so we took a few photos. These photos are of the facility – the staff – the waiting room (no appointments are necessary, and it is possible to see a doctor within a few minutes of arrival) – and the pharmacy.
You will notice that a private room – with two fans – and with 24 hour care – costs 70 Pesos per day. At the current exchange rate (at this writing), that comes to approximately $1.45 per day. Three good meals per day would bring the costs up to approximately $6.00 U.S. per day.
IN CASE YOU MISSED THE COST OF A PRIVATE HOSPITAL ROOM PER NIGHT... HERE IT IS AGAIN -- 70 Pesos per day ($1.45 U.S.). [CLICK TO ENLARGE.]
Incidentally, a private air-conditioned room only costs 250 Pesos ($5. U.S.) per day. See their sign below... [CLICK TO ENLARGE.}
OUR
EXPERIENCE REGARDING "COSTS" AT THE DUBLIN HOSPITAL: On December 22
Skip's son Flip (then eight months old) was admitted to THE DUBLIN HOSPITAL for
observation regarding a severe cold, difficulty in breathing, etc. Skip
got a private air-con room for his son, and we were all in the room for
approximately six hours. Believe it or not, when we checked the boy out of the hospital that afternoon, the hospital did
not want to charge Skip for the room because his son did not spend the entire night.
Needless-to-say, Skip insisted on paying them anyway...
Incidentally, the doctors at the Dublin Hospital (Dr. Dublin and his wife who is also Dr. Dublin) are some of the best (and kindest) doctors in the world.
ANOTHER EXPERIENCE REGARDING "COSTS": The photo immediately below is of Dr. Leandro Dublin, together with our good friend Steve who stays at our resort quite often. The photo was taken on May 4, 2007. Steve had a small piece of glass embedded in his foot, and he went to the good Doctor to have the glass removed. We went to the Doctor Dublin's office without an appointment, and Steve was none-the-less examined and treated immediately. Doctor Dublin was with us for approximately 20 minutes, and he refused payment for his services.
DAANBANTAYAN TOWN PIER:
Daanbantayan has a very good pier, and therefore it is VERY easy for boats to visit here from all over the Philippines.
Here are a few photos of Skip and one of our guests, Tom Hale -- at the pier. Tom is from Monroe, Washington,
U.S.A., and he was one of
Skip's "log home building" students in America in 1982. Tom came to visit us on December 19,
2006, and at this writing he is still here. We think Tom will eventually
marry a Filipina [we won't mention any names, Beth...] and stay here forever. We hope so, because Tom is
an awesome guy, and we would love to have him as a permanent neighbor.
[PS. Tom and Beth are now
married, and living in Tom's beautiful log home near Monroe, Washington.
They will
move to the Philippines after
Tom retires in a couple of years.]
The first two photos of the pier (above) were taken from the kitchen steps of a home that belongs to Clinton Anderson. Clinton was one of Skip's students in America in 1978. Looking back towards the land (above) Clint's home is on the far-right side of the photo -- with the long sea-wall made of stone.
QUAINT FISHING VILLAGES ABOUND IN DAANBANTAYAN:
Skip took his guest, Tom Hale (in the first photo below), to one of his favorite fishing villages in the area. Skip has many friends in these types of communities, and he loves to visit them.
DEATH -- BURIAL -- CEMETERIES – CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:
Cultural differences are sometimes easier to explain with photos than with words. We feel that this is definitely true regarding some of the local customs concerning death -- burial -- and cemeteries.
Therefore, because of your interest in learning more about the culture here, we will include a few photos that were taken at the local cemetery on December 25, 2006. Please understand that the photos below are included here with the greatest amount of respect -- to honor the involved dead persons – to make sure that the dead are not forgotten -- and to show some interesting facets of the local culture. Of course, we did not touch ANYTHING while taking these photos. [Click to enlarge.]
Obviously, some of the burial sites (graves) were very expensive to build. On the other hand, in the "poor" section of the cemetery, some of the final resting places for the bones were sitting right on top of the ground, and they consisted of plastic buckets -- plastic oil containers -- Jeep cans with the tops cut off -- Styrofoam containers -- wooden boxes set on the ground -- etc.
DRYING COPRA:
The dried meat of coconuts (see photos below) is called copra. It is usually
dried in the sun by spreading it out on the ground. Copra has a very distinctive and pleasant scent that
blows in the wind, and can be recognized from great distances. When riding
our motorcycles on country roads and trails, we sometimes smell copra in the
breeze while it is still miles away. It is reported that during the time when
sailing ships full of copra were sailing across the Pacific, it was sometimes
possible to smell them even before they appeared on the horizon.
If someone could make a perfume or an after-shave lotion that smelled like
copra, it might be worth a fortune. The first photo is of a couple that is
gathering copra that was dried on the ground. The second photo is of copra
that is being dried on bamboo racks. The following three photos were taken
at the fishing village called Tapilon, which is part of the town of
Daanbantayan.
At this writing, Nick Rosas is the Barangay Captain (e.g. "leader") of Tapilon, and he is one of the finest and most honorable men in the Philippines. Also, he is the contractor to see if you need anything built in that area. Nick is one of Skip's best friends in the Philippines. In fact, Nick is the Godfather to Skip's son, DeWelle Ferguson [Flip] Ellsworth V (born March 20, 2006.]
DRIED
FISH:
Fish are generally dried on bamboo racks that are suspended a few feet off the
ground to discourage insects, rodents, cats, dogs, etc., from becoming a
problem. The Philippines has an aquatic culture, and therefore fish are an important
part of it. Racks of drying fish are a very common sight here. When the fiat
money systems of the world collapse, this might be a very important skill for us
to know. [Smile.]
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE: FOR FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THE TOWN OF DAANBANTAYAN, PLEASE SEE OUR CHAPTER ENTITLED "THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA."
OUR THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY ARE AS FOLLOWS:
"It is time to admit that
public education operates like a planned economy. It's a bureaucratic system
where everybody's role is spelled out in advance, and there are few incentives
for innovation and productivity. It's not a surprise when a school
system doesn't improve. It more resembles a Communist economy than our own
market economy."
Albert Shanker-
(1928-1997) former president of the American Federation of Teachers
"Can we truly expect those who aim to exploit us to be trusted to educate us?"
Eric Schaub
Individualist, writer, activist, speaker Source: The
Common Man