Hotels, Lifestyle n’ Such

Butuan City is served by a wide range of pillow hugging choices, from pretty nice to pretty shabby.  There is a plethora of ‘short time’ hotels also, (funny thing this, in an extremly Catholic clime), and many beach ‘resorts’ will rent you a hut by the night.  Decent beaches are a minimum 35 minute drive from the City. The coastline is dotted with small ‘hotels’ that don’t generally advertise, and most are inexpensive, safe and clean.  As you have probably already learned by surfing the web, online hotel registration is not really available, and even when it is, it is not reliable.  We have often made reservations for visitors only to find that the hotel in question booked our reserved room to someone else much to our consternation.  Nonetheless, Butuan has many choices, and I have never seen the town booked solid.  When we pick people up at the airport and provide a short tour of the town, we generally stop at a few hotels so rooms can be inspected and the staff can be introduced.  We know most hotel staff and they take very good care of people we refer.  There are 3 hotels with pools, and these hotels also have restaurants, though most attempts at western fare is poor.  Most hotels have doormen that double as pimps, so you may expect the approach.  Tipping is very much appreciated, and if yours is an extended stay, you may wish to inform the staff that you intend to tip at the end of your stay, and they will be estatic and treat you thusly.  Present your tip to the Manager in the presence of other staff, and it will be disseminated as per your wishes. 

There are bunches of restaurants.  McDonalds, Chow King and Pizza Hut are the international chain restaurants in existence.  There are about 5 restaurants that serve western fare adequately.  Always drink bottled water and find out where the ice comes from.  If you are dining with others, your meals will arrive in a staggard manner.  The staff will stare at you and hover.

All stores have an armed guard, and Army/Police wandering around with M-16′s is a common sight.  Very few retail stores have staff that know their products, or know where items are located.  Most staff are hired on 6-month contracts and then let go, so the store owners don’t have to pay any benefits.  Any questions you may have will likely be met with a wave of the hand and, ‘for a while’, which when translated means that you may perish in your spot until the salesperson returns with an ‘out of stock’ response.  If you are still breathing upon their return, you can probably find the item/answer yourself with a bit of effort.  Upon entering a store, you may expect a salesperson to shadow you wherever you go, unless you ask them not to.  In short, a ‘customer’ is treated like a thief upon entering, but after a while it becomes less rude, especially when realizing that this is how they are trained.  For every checkout register in use, there are likely 5 within view that are unmanned.  Waiting in line, and I mean a ‘long line’, is the norm, so plan your visits accordingly. 

Lastly, keep your cool.  Expressing frustration in a verbose manner will only result in store personel walking away.  Finding a Mgr. and privately asking for their help will likely get your issue solved.

Cruising around at night by yourself is not a wonderful idea.  Most doormen/guards can find a ‘guide’ for you for a few hundred pesos and found.  We often introduce people to ‘hosts/hostesses’ to assist newbies, and solid friendships generally result.  There is an electronic casino, and two poker rooms in town.  There are many Karaoke bars and hooker bars also.  It is rare to find a club in which the music is not uncomfortably loud. 

To get around in town, there are vans w/drivers, taxis, multicabs, and tricycles, (comfortable – not so much).  Renting a self-drive car is not an option, though someone will likely approach you to do so.  Reeeeeeeaaaaallllly bad choice, this.

If you have lotsa stuff to do in a day, hiring a van with bilingual driver for $100 or less is a good choice.  Make sure the arrangements are understood as to who pays for fuel, breakdown, as the concept of ‘maintenance’ is not revered. Taxis are what they are but make sure they are metered.  If you get a drivers cel # he will be at your service during your stay.  They also generally double as pimps.  Multi cabs operate along the main road, and are small vans in which you sit in the back.  Tricycles are squat little cabs attached to a motorcycle that ply all the side roads.  Many Expats hire trikes for 50 pesos and get a direct trip to their destination.  By 9pm, most trikes are asleep.  For trips outside the city, multicabs, jeepneys and a very good bus service is available.  Jeepneys are basically a larger version of multicabs.  The standard question here is, ‘How many people fit in a jeepney”?  Answer: one more.  Bus travel to other towns provides 3 choices;commuter-a glorified jeepney(multiple stops, no frills), standard(a little cleaner), and executive(few stops, A/C, on board movie).  The executive bus is rarely apprehended by rebels and gets you to your destination in a fine manner.  Bus depots are generally located in the poorer sections of towns, but are safe if you don’t linger.

Prior to your visit to the Philipines, make sure your credit card companies/banks know of your trip, so your encryptions and limits are up to date.  Also, be sure that your withdrawal amounts will not confuse your bank and appear to exceed your credit limit.    Many, if not most, countries/businesses/companies, do not conduct business in this country due to the level of corruption and thievery.  Turn off bluetooth.  It is a good idea to make a copy of your passport, license and credit cards.  Hotel safes are reliable provided you itemize and document whatever your entrust.

There are two museums and neither will occupy much of your time should you visit.  There is no live theater or sports arena. There is a movie theater at the mall.  Butuan has two claims to fame.  In the mid 70′s some Balangay(sp) boats were excavated that demonstrate that Butuan was once an important trade destination.  The salient attribute of these boats was the unique method of construction.  Butuan also claims to be the site of the first Catholic mass in this country, (whoop-de-do!). 

Other than the museums, there is an old large tree to visit, the ruins of a church (not really there), and a monument for Magellan’s landing, (even though he didn’t land on that spot).  The mall is a small mall.  Wandering around downtown can easily result in a broken leg, as the sidewalks are uneven and in decay.  The central park is a good people watching place and is located across from the predominant Catholic Church.  The park is also pimp central for the deviancy of your choice, so be advised.  A boat ride from Butuan to Magallanes is often a fun outing, though there are few services in that town, (God forbid if you have to poop!)  Speaking of pooping, it is a very good idea to carry your own toilet paper everywhere you go.  The Bishops house has an outside aviary with eagles, monkeys and such, and nearby is a small ostrich farm.  Driving around the neighborhoods (called barangays) is also interesting.  If you can find a motorbike, (most are 100-125cc here), a long, smoothish viaduct trail runs through the countryside and is a good picnic option.  There are many sarisari stores along the way where you can buy drinks.  Beach resorts are always an option.

The Agusan Marsh is a healthy drive away, primitive and is a nature lover’s paradise.  The locals are extremely friendly in this remote clime, but again, fetch a guide to accompany you.

 We often rent motorbikes and offer a variety of boat charters and scuba/snorkeling options. Most of our charters venture to the tribal areas upriver, for it is like a NatGeo production. The Agusan River is the real jewel of this area.  Our most popular charters leave at 4pm, cruise upriver and at dusk, turn on the lanterns and float back home.   

Butuan has a seaport and an airport, both within 45 minutes from downtown, and are accessible by a single turn off the main highway.  It has ample room for expansion, as well as schooling and housing options.  It has a ready and available, though undereducated work force.  The local government is highly proactive and receptive toward large employers. 

Butuan City is an upward trending clime, and it recently has new, positive leadership.  The past leadership was esconced in power for decades, and the physical condition of the city as well as its excessively high poverty rates is a result of same, and the reason why Butuan is starting its positive growth from a far reaching trail.