Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Daily Report: Camiguin Island Trip Day #3

It was back home today. But first, we stopped and looked at a house that is for rent.

It's 4½ miles out of town, and on roughly 2 acres of very secluded land with a private 300-foot-long beach (albeit a rocky one). The house is 3 bedrooms and about 2,500 square feet... on the inside. In addition there is at least another 2,500 square feet of patios and balconies in the front looking out over the sea.

Below is the view from the side yard... big porches, outdoor kitchen behind the fence on the right. Master bedroom has the upstairs balcony.
Next is the view from the front porch... That's Northwest, so the sunsets should be pretty nice. There is the patio at the top of the bluff, and then stairs in the rocks lead down to a hanging terrace about 15 feet beyond that, and then further on down to the beach itself. (Satellite view.)

It's $300 per month.

Best of all, the name over the front gate is quite providential for the host of a blog called "Jungle Jil":
And no... we aren't 100% certain yet that we'll be moving in — but close to about 75% certain.

Here is some video of house and the grounds:

18 comments:

  1. Awesome looks like something out of a movie!

    from Jakal

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  2. Beyond the obvious (it is beautiful), why would you want to move?

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  3. Well, that's really the #1 reason: It's beautiful. The island is just great.

    Second, I realize now that I would like a little more privacy and quiet than I have here at my house in Jasaan.

    Third, I would like to be closer to the places where I go to socialize. (Right now, I'm an hour away from that.) Camiguin has good socializing and entertainment opportunities close at hand. (I am also considering moving back to Cagayan De Oro... but that lacks the beauty of Camiguin.)

    Fourth, it is still possible to get from Camiguin to CDO in a not-unreasonable amount of time (about 3 hours by fast ferry, from the house to standing in Limketkai).

    Fifth, it would be a nice place to host friends and family when they come to visit. Jasaan is a nice place to live, but it really isn't good for people who come to visit. Camiguin is just a short trip to Bohol, Cebu, and even (as mentioned) back to CDO. Plus one can fly there directly from Manila and the airport is only 4 or 5 minutes from the house.

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  4. Jil.

    I plan to go to visit my fiance at cabacunga. You house in Jasaan will be for rent and how much. Let me know please, because we are looking at the moment.

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  5. If we do move, it will not be until late January or early February.

    Anyway, before I would recommend this house to anybody else, the landlords need to repair the water system which is entirely broken: The pipes are clogged, the sinks leak, the toilets don't flush, the pump is broken, and the rooftop cistern doesn't hold whatever water you put into it.

    The landlords are aware of the problems, but keep trying to solve the issues by making 100 and 200 piso repairs instead of shelling out the 10,000 or 15,000 necessary to fix the problems. (Can you believe that this house is less than 10 years old? It's a problem with Filipinos though: Maintenance is a 4-letter word.)

    Also, there is an open fetid sewer in front of the house that is backed up and needs to be repaired, but in order to do that, somebody will have to convice the town of Jasaan to tear up the neighbor's driveway: They poured cement for the construction right into the sewer, thus blocking it.

    However, there are some other nice houses in Jasaan available for rent. I think that my friend Dave's harbor-front house is going to be available soon, and that is rather nice. I also think that my friend Steve's house on the town square might be available. Also, there is the hill-top house that is part of Basamanggas Resort that you can rent with a gorgeous view (and you'll also have access to the pool and restaurant there) if you don't mind climbing the 50 or 60 steps to get up to the place. I don't know the prices on any of those.

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  6. Forgive me for being negative.
    Okay. Here's a mother talking: The house is 4 1/2 miles from Jasaan? No one drives except you? How will the family get around? Will you be chauffeur on your motorscooter? What about typhoons? What about the houses you mentioned in your comments? Can you work from there? (You've obviously looked into that. duh. )
    Your present house doesn't seem too nice any more, however. I don't blame you for looking. You are right. It is beautiful.

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  7. Mom,

    The house is on Camiguin Island... not near Jasaan. The 4½ miles is covered by any number of motorellas, jeepneys, motorcycle taxis, and multicabs. Additionally, there is a small town only 200 meters down the road where daily shopping can be done.

    Typhoons, as I stated before, are rare in the Southern Philippines. I pointed that out in this post a few months ago, which shows a historical map of typhoon paths that have hit The Philippines.

    Obviously, the place has internet access... both by phone line and by wireless. Nowadays, you can just connect your computer to the internet via the mobile phone system... wherever you can get a mobile phone signal, you can get internet.

    As for the houses I mentioned in the comments, see the 5 reasons in the comment above that as my reasons for moving away from Jasaan. I still like Jasaan... I just would prefer a different place now for those reasons.

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  8. I knew you'd have good answers for me. You are very patient. I appreciate them all. It did look rather isolated. So you can get bread and milk in this town? LOL. Sounds good. Does it have restaurants? Movie theater?:0)

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  9. Hi Jil, out of curiosity, how much would a property such as this one for rent in Camiguin cost to buy outright? In Pattaya, where I live, it would cost a small fortune!

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  10. The house would be expensive... much more than the rent would suggest.

    Based on a conversation I had with the ownder Tom at Hidden Cove, I would guess that this house (mostly because of the property, obviously) would go for 20 million pisos ($450,000). Still cheap, but not unreasonably so.

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  11. What does Epril think of the place and the move?

    I have a friend that moved from General Santos City to Davao in part because GenSan was just a little too close to the in-laws.

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  12. Mom,

    Actually, the availability and proximity of restaurants is much better on Camiguin than in Jasaan. Actually, almost as good as Cagayan De Oro: All of the beach resorts have restaurants, and the resorts that are owned by foreigners have menus that are much more Western. Golden Sunset, where we stayed this past weekend, is only about a mile away from the house.

    Movie theaters: No.

    Bread and milk in the small town near to the house: Not really. But that is because Filipinos don't take in much bread or milk as part of their regular diets.

    However, the nice thing is that most of the resort owners do regular "grocery runs" to CDO, and told me that they take orders from the local expatriates on the island if they need anything special picked up.

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  13. Tom,

    Epril likes the new house a lot. She is worried that she'll have trouble making friends, and that she will be too far out of the loop from her social circle in CDO. But, overall she thinks it is a positive thing and is looking forward to it, I think. She knows that we aren't going to be completely removed from CDO and can still get back every couple of weeks as a couple, and more often for her if she wants to go by herself, or to go and see her family down the coast an hour or two.

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  14. Hey loser. You think you can rent a property that is worth $450,000 for $300 a month. If he rents that to you for that price he is probably a bigger asshole than you.
    Sincerely,
    A Friend

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  15. Man, I love it when people who hate me try to write nasty stuff while trying to hide their jealousy and fail utterly.

    How's that studio apartment with no view working out for you?

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  16. I don't understand why some people can be so mean to somebody they don't even know in person... If you don't have anything good to say shut up.

    He is so jealous of you Jill! Don't mind those idiots.

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  17. I don't mind them Angel.

    As a thought: AnonAhole theoretically could be right. I might not be able to rent the place for $300. But the real-estate fellow who told me about the place said it was being rented for $300 per month, and the people who were living there told me they were renting it for $300 per month. So, until I hear otherwise, the rent is $300 per month regardless of how much the naysayers may hope otherwise.

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  18. Hi Jil,
    I discovered your blog this morning. It's a pleasure to read. Thank you.
    And yes, since 2007 I am living in the paradise called Camiguin.
    Next time you come over, drop in.

    You find me on http://www.silent-gardens.com

    Cheers, waebi

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