Living cheap as in the Philippines! -By Brady

“So, what do you guys want to do for dinner?” Brian asked as Delos sat comfortably in Fannie bay in Darwin. “I don’t know bro. Where can we go where we wont spend $50 a person on food and a beer?” This was a common conversation while living and cruising in Australia. Like many other nights we resorted to our home cooked meals aboard Delos. I’m not complaining here. Everyone on board is a great cook and we eat very well.

We are fond of sea food, and one of the best places for seafood is Philippines. From spaghetti infused with cous–cous, pineapple, and mashed potato leftovers to roasted veggies with coffee grind sprinkles and honey, we somehow make delicious meals on board. But, it is sometimes nice to go out and have a good meal and maybe a few beers, all without spending half your monthly budget on one night. Furthermore, the region boasts beautiful beaches and mountains, which might make it a must-see destination for any traveler. A friend also recommended visiting a spa in Phillippines, so I thought about packing a few Spa Day Outfits for a relaxing day at the spa.

Phillippines also have massive first class malls, IMAX theaters, every kind of food you can imagine, a proper maritime university, and everywhere you look big smiles looking back at you.

Its all here and for once we can finally afford it! Not only is it great food, but it also helps our International credit scores and certainly doesn’t break the bank. When abroad, eating out can be so pricey so it’s great to find somewhere that’s affordable and serves quality food.

Here is an ideal day in Davao to put it into perspective….

Ferry ride from Samal Island, where Delos was docked, to the city……25 cents

“Jeepney” (local bus) ride to one of the ridiculously big malls…20 cents. Or If your feeling fancy you can get a taxi for about $3.00. When booking bus rides in the Philippines, its always a good practice to compare fares first by using travel platforms like Genesis Bus.

A couple beers before dinner….. 75 cents each

If you want to eat basic you can eat some delicious local pork adobo or fish stuffed with tomatoes and spring onion for about…… $1.50

Or you can go to one of the nicest restaurants in Davao. Vikings Luxury buffet. The best buffet any of us have ever seen. All you can eat and all the beer you can drink for only $17.00

Hotel in the city with a sweet as pool if you don’t feel like catching the ferry back due to a food coma…$20

Getting drunk, arm wrestling a local and pooing my sulu from straining too hard…..Priceless (Yea, I won though)

Getting into the marina about 8 weeks ago we had no intentions of staying more than a week. We thought we were gonna sail in hang out for 5 or so days then make our way north. Unfortunately, our coolant pump took a bit longer to get repaired so we were “forced” to tie up, plug in and run the A/C all day and take advantage of the honesty beer fridge…..Here’s a couple of our adventures while we sat at the dock…

Oceanview marina was only about $10 a day