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Day 59 (25 February 2025) – Safari day Wake up muy pronto to be ready at 7:30am to meet Mr. B. in a taxi that will take us to the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park. Mr. B. was crafty to convince the taxi driver who brought us to IT Park yesterday to bring us to this far away Safari Park. As this place is off-the-grid on the Grab app, it is impossible to arrange for it via the app. Mr. B. negotiates a fixed all day price of 4.000 pesos ( ~ $69.09 USD) for the taxi driver to: 1. drive us to the Safari Park, 2. wait for us outside in the parking lot, 3. drive us back to Cebu city. Driving time to the Safari Park was 1 hour and 41 minutes and the return trip took 2 hours and 13 minutes. The distance is around 50km and the last part is slow going, as it requires going up the mountain on a narrow road. The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park is an adventure and safari park located in Carmen, Cebu, Philippines, founded by Michel J. Lhuillier and Eduard J. Loop, and covers 170 hectares with more than a thousand animals from 120 different species. It is considered as the biggest zoological park in the Philippines. These owners supposedly also own the La Vie Parisienne restaurant, which we visited in my Day 24 (21 January 2025) trip report update. https://www.facebook.com/cebusafari/ Normally, I do not like to visit zoos because when I see the animals in their cages it makes me sad. However, I will make an exception for well run Safari Parks – and this Cebu version was well worth the money and time and effort that was taken to go and visit it. The majority of the animals were not in cages – except for the few large bird aviaries, where it was necessary to put high up mesh screening to prevent them from flying away. Even though it was a Tuesday, we had to pay the weekend rate of 1,300 pesos ( ~ $22.46 USD) per person, because in this part of the Cebu province, they were still celebrating the 88th Charter Day holiday for 2 consecutive days - instead of only 1 day back in Cebu city. Latest admission rates as of 01-Dec-2024 This place is enormous and can require a lot of pleasant walking. Alternatively, they have shuttle trams that can take you all over the Safari Partk. Above map is interactive at: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/67bd8cbeda.html One of the convincing activities that made me say yes to this trip was to have another chance to go ziplining. The last time that I was able to go ziplining was back in 2015, as reported in my Chiang Mai trip report at: At the admission counter, we needed to state what kind of package that we wanted to purchase and due to the inclement and raining weather, the ziplining was not permitted today. I was really disappointed and this kind of put me in a mood to be disappointed with this Safari Park. But, I truly found it enjoyable, as the curators created it in such a way that the layout was divided into distinct zones that allowed you to see very diverse animals in their semi correct realistic habitats: Deer District, Tiger Turf, Orangutown, Stunning bird aviaries, Outpost area, African Savanna – where it was required to enter into caged in trucks where you were then driven into a very secure safari area, where the wild animals were free to roam around. --> This African Savanna zone was my favorite area – as it consisted of an area where we could see giraffes, zebras and some different types of different antelopes. Further on, we were able to see cheetahs, hyenas (which I hate this animal – especially when it laughs – that sound sends chills down my spine), and majestic lions – which was really special for me, because just before departing for Cebu, back in Thailand, my Thai boyfriend invited me to go see the Disney movie = Mufasa – The Lion King, in Pattaya. I generally am not a big fan of these types of Disney animated films – as I much prefer real life drama and action films. But, I have to say that this film left a big impression on me and when I saw the 2 lions and heard the 2 lions (Ben and Ken), in today’s Safari Park suddenly start to roar very loudly when our caged safari truck stopped near them (the lions were reacting to 3 other (I believe female) lions that were roaring in another part of the safari park) – which caused Ben and Ken to start roaring. I was like = WOW = I must record this and send it to my Thai boyfriend, as he just loves the Mufasa movie. I said to him, “why are they roaring so much?” He replied, “they want to know when are you coming back to Jomtien to your lion cub??” Mufasa_Lion_King_Ben_Ken_25Feb2025.mp4 Ben and Ken roaring in the Cebu Safari Park on 25-Feb-2025 A very touching response, which made Mr. B. and my safari adventure much more endearing. Unfortunately, the intermittent rain made some parts of the exhibitions very annoying – especially in the 2 large bird aviaries – however, the birds were very happy and making so much noise and a big fuss – so it was worth it to get used to these big accumulated rain drops, which would form on the mesh nets, and then fall down on you and then bounce off of your head. Yuck - so wet. The park did supply us with these really BIG park umbrellas – but we were not allowed to use them in the bird aviaries – as they would scare and upset the birds. The safari park provided us with gratuitous umbrellas - which saved the day After many many hours of walking around we take a break at the Michelangelo Pizzeria and eat our lunches. We call our waiting taxi driver and ask him if he wants us to bring him any food from the restaurant, but he tells us that he already ate in the park canteen. Then we worked our way back to the main entrance to see the parts of the park that we had not yet seen, and then we finished at the principal roundabout of the park, for some photos: I include the below 2 links to some external information about this amazing safari park – as I do not want to bombard our gayguides.com server with too many photos. https://www.judethetourist.com/cebu-safari-and-adventure-park-2023/ Returned our 2 safari park umbrellas (included in the entrance price) to the front desk and we enter into our waiting taxi for the long journey back to Cebu, requiring 2 hours and 13 minutes. Mr. B. exits at his boarding house and I exit at the Ayala mall to go and eat my dinner at Gianni’s. Then I go back to my condo room, browse the internet for a while, watch some YouTube, chat with my Thai boyfriend and go to sleep by 10:30pm, as I am very tired from all of that walking and I need to get up early again tomorrow morning so that I can go to the Immigration Office. No massages or extra-curricular activities today. Day 59 (25 February 2025) concluded

Day 58 (24 February 2025). I did not sleep well because of the spicy Thai dinner that I ate last night. I have to wake up a couple of time to use the toilet and rehydrate myself. Since I am going with Mr. B. to Cebu Safari and Adventure Park tomorrow, I decide to move up my required trip to immigration to be today, as my already extended tourist visa will expire on Wednesday 26 February. At 8:43am I book a Grab car to take me from my condo to the GMall Immigration office. Cost was 119.48 pesos (~ $2.06 USD) and the travel time was 15 minutes, as there was very little traffic. This is strange for a Monday morning during rush hour. I tell the GMall security guard that I am here to visit the Immigration office and he kindly tells me that it is closed today due to a local Cebu holiday = 88th Charter Day anniversary. https://www.gmanetwork.com/regionaltv/news/106687/february-24-2025-is-special-non-working-holiday-in-cebu-city/story/ My bad. Back in Jomtien, I buy one of those annual calendars and I place it on my refrigerator and in early January I already indicate all of the expected Thai holidays, my USA estimated tax deadlines, 90 day reporting deadlines, and any other important dates that I need to remember. As I am simulating retiree life in Cebu – I forgot to perform this crucial step, and now I fall victim to my self-inflicted ignorance because I did not take the time to note my new host country holidays. I am not alone, as many other AFAMs (farangs) start arriving at the GMall to be told the same thing. So, I will need to go back to immigration on my extended tourist visa expiration date, Wednesday 26 February 2025. I book a Grab car to the Ayala mall – as I thought let me go and have a nice breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast places = . When I get to the Ayala mall, it is only 9:20am and the mall does not open until 10am – but I tell the security guard that I am here to eat breakfast in The Terraces and then he lets me inside the dark mall. The only other people that I see are the various shopkeepers who are opening their shops. I now know this mall like the back of my hand – so even in the dark I can find my way – except – when I arrive to the back exit to the exterior The Terraces, the sliding doors are locked. So, I try another exit point that is secured with a guard and I am able to exit. We are very few customers and I am happy. I am startled, as the waitress recognizes me and asks me if I want to order what I always order? I reply, of course. The Philippine people are so friendly and courteous. Mr. B. and I agree to meet up back at the Ayala mall later on at 1pm – as he does not work this afternoon and tomorrow. We had planned to visit the, La Tegola restaurant (Busay branch), up in the foothills, with stunning views of Cebu city down below for lunch – but it was closed. Not because of the 88th Charter Day holiday but instead because it is Monday. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1891364721076649/la-tegola-busay/ 1pm arrives and it is not nice outside and is about to rain so we cancel the idea to go up into the foothills that overlook Cebu city. Instead I convince Mr. B. to eat at WOLFLINK – my favorite restaurant over in IT Park. It was a good opportunity for us to try taking the bus – because to date I have not yet succeeded. So, I take Mr. B. to the Ulli’s Streets of Asia Luzon Avenue exit of the mall to wait for the bus underneath the overhang where the taxis are. This is what both the ticket conductor and a passenger told me the other day when I went to IT Park. Mr. B., like me, found it strange that a big city bus would enter into this taxi area main entrance of the mall. He asks around and most people don’t know where the bus stop is to IT Park and they send us to the around the corner, to the PUV Terminal (Public Utility Vehicle), but parked here are many many small jeepneys (bahtbuses) and small buses – none of the big normal buses that we find in the west. Consequently, we decide to just walk to IT Park as it should only require about 25 minutes – but as soon as we start to walk the skies open up with rain and we run to a nearby hotel and commandeer a taxi to take us to WOLFLINK in IT Park. This is now the 3rd attempt to find this f:&king bus. Mr. B. orders the 3 Little Piggies meal and I order my usual favorite Wolf’s Stew. I was super happy, as the Wolf’s Stew never fails to impress my taste buds and stomach. But I notice that Mr. B. is not too impressed with the 3 Little Piggies meal. Oh well, perhaps WOLFLINK is not for everyone. https://www.facebook.com/wolflinkph After lunch, I ask Mr. B. to let us take the bus back to the Ayala Mall so that we can solve for once and for all where is the appropriate spot to wait for the bus at the Ayala Mall to return to IT Park. Mr. B. asks the ticket conductor and she tells him that the bus stop is underneath the overhang at the Ayala Luzon Avenue exit. When we exit the bus at the MayBank bus stop on Luzon Avenue, she kindly indicates with her finger where the bus stop is. So, I do not need to amend what I wrote in my Day 56 (22 February 2025) trip report update – as now the mystery is solved. Furthermore, when the bus was waiting at the traffic light to turn into the Ayala mall Luzon Avenue street we saw the IT Park bus exiting the same street – so further proof that this is in fact the bus stop to return to IT Park. Amen. I convince Mr. B. that we should go and have cake at Treat Street Café https://treatstreetcafe.com/ as that is the place where we originally met for the first time on Day 5 (2 January 2025). Mr. B. gets the cheesecake and I get the avocado cake. Now we are stuffed like fat pigs and Mr. B. goes back to his boarding house and I go back to my Cityscape condo. I write yesterday’s trip report and chat with my Thai boyfriend. I watch some YouTube videos produced by my favorite vbloggers and then I call it a night as I need to wake up at 6am for our trip to the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park tomorrow morning. No massages or extra-curricular activities today. Day 58 (24 February 2025) concluded.

Thanks for your reply. What Surabaya would offer me is a starting point in Indonesia (as I already have a friend there) that is not Jakarta - for the same reason that I do not live in Bangkok and would not give consideration to living in Manila either. Bali would be a place to visit but I don't see my self retiring in Bali for the same reasons that I would not retire in Phuket. Thanks for this suggestion - as it sounds like what I would be looking for - similar to the gem that I found on Mactan Island in the Megaworld Mactan Newtown township. Can you comment if the beaches in Makassar are: open and free and walkable like in Jomtien? Unfortunately, it seems that 98% of the beaches on Mactan island are not free and consequently, not walkable for kilometers like the Jomtien beaches are. Is the sea water clean? clear? turquoise? swimmable? Is the sand rocky, crushed coral, natural, or like Boracay's wonderful white powder ? This is nice to know. It is not a requirement but an added niceness to being able to taste and play with variety.

That will depend on the Thai government officials that work over in the Government House in Bangkok.

I saw it announced on the @gaysupertown Twitter (X) feed.

In the 2 months that I have been gone - I see 4 new places on the recently updated Supertown Jomtien Complex map: Buenos Mexican Bavarian Boys Osaka Bistro Candy Bar https://www.gaysupertown.com/ Buenos Mexican menu:

and there is also this new place in the Jomtien Complex (aka Supertown):

Day 57 (23 February 2025) As these are my last days in Cebu – I go to eat at one of my favorite breakfast places in the nearby Ayala mall: https://seattlesbest.com.ph/our-menu/ And I order my favorite dish = Corned Beef Hash Skillet + Iced Mocha coffee: Afterwards, I take some time to go shopping as I want to buy a nice t-shirt for my Thai boyfriend. After scouring the entire Ayala mall, and not finding anything “special”, I go to the upscale department store = Rustan’s https://rustans.com/ and I find a well made designer fashion t-shirt at the BOSS boutique. The problem is what is the correct size. I ask the cute Filipino salesclerk what is his size and he responds = small. I take a medium sized BOSS shirt and I ask the guy if I can use his back to measure the t-shirt against his shoulders - as he is very accommodating to my request. My Thai boyfriend is slightly larger than this salesclerk. Consequently, I decide on size medium. Afterwards, I head back to my room and remain there for the rest of the day/night = boring day = what the life of a retiree can be on some days – as we are not always in hyper vacation mode. I am missing Thai cuisine and so I order Penang Curry via the Grab app and they deliver it to the lobby of my condo building. I eat it out on the balcony, and I realize that I inadvertently ordered it to be too spicy, and as is common when I eat something too spicy, I start to have a mild hiccup attack, and I manage to finish my meal and the hiccups stop after I finish eating. The meal was yummy – but too spicy. I go to bed early, as I need to wake up early tomorrow to go to immigration to extend my tourist visa for 5 additional days – to avoid any potential problems when I fly out of the country on Monday 3 March. No massages or extra-curricular activities today. Day 57 (23 February 2025) concluded

In addition to what you wrote above did they put a physical stamp onto one of your passport pages? 🙏😇👍

Day 56 (22 February 2025) After I wake up in the morning, around 8:30am I receive a “Goodmorning honey” message in LINE from my Thai boyfriend with a photo of him in his volleyball sport attire at Jomtien soi 12, as he has just finished playing several matches of volleyball. He is getting ready to go home to sleep – as Dracula and the vampires cannot tolerate the sunlight (it is 7:30am back in Jomtien). So, I am waking up and he is going to sleep – they say in love that “opposites attract….” I eat breakfast and as I am horny I reach out to Jeff, as he is lodging nearby in the Lahug neighborhood, which is right next to CBP where I am. We agree that he will come to my room at 1pm. He is all nervous about the security screening – as he has never been to this Cityscape building before and I tell him to relax as the security team likes me here and remembers my sordid details when I stayed here for almost 2 weeks back in January. At 1:32pm, my room doorbell rings and I see that it is Jeff. I take him out onto the mini balcony and I point out that I can see far away Mactan Newtown from my balcony where Jeff and I originally met: View from my Cityscape balcony of Mactan island I close the balcony curtains and we immediately get naked and Jeff starts his wonderful soothing massage. Each time that I meet him he keeps getting better and better. He is more confident with me and less shy so this time he teases me with some edging pleasure by bringing me to the edge and he can sense that in 2 or 3 more sensual jerks it can be Game Over – but he does not allow me which makes me more crazy. Then when I can’t stand it anymore, I jump up and I edge and blow him slowly until his intense orgasm. Then he finishes me off slowly and sensually licks my nipples while edging me to climax. This guy is definitely a keeper. I pay him and off he goes and I am so happy for that great session. I wash up and I decide to walk on the very busy Archibishop Reyes Avenue road to IT Park. It takes 28 minutes and like last time, there are a couple of areas where there is no sidewalk or side road to walk on so you enter into the oncoming traffic hoping that the cars will go around you. These 3 difficult areas last for about 30 seconds each, so I try to time them to be when there is a lull in the traffic. Cebu city really needs some better planning for consistent sidewalks if it wants to be a tourist city of the 21st century. I head to one of my favorite places to eat, WOLFLINK https://www.facebook.com/wolflinkph/ as I truly LOVE their Wolf’s Stew because it is mixed with smoked meat, sausage, egg, cheese, and spicy Korean kimchi – which all together is a perfect combination: Wolf’s Stew – so delicious I then decide to take the bus back from IT Park to the Ayala Mall for only 15 baht, and the travel time was like 7 minutes. I intentionally ask everyone how to get back to IT Park – as I want to correct the problem that I encountered in my Day 46 - 12 February 2025 trip report, When I could not find the IT Park bound bus from the Ayala Mall. I discovered that I was incorrectly waiting at the Luzon Avenue bus stops that are located on Luzon Avenue. Instead, the IT Park bus passes directly in front of the Ayala Mall Luzon exit that is next to ULLI’s Streets of Asia restaurant that is in the overhang where the taxis are picking up passengers just outside the security control of the mall. You can see a taxi in the below photo just outside of the security control – it is here that the bus back to IT Park stops. I go to the Metro department store – basement level to buy body wash, shampoo, and more coconut massage cream oil. You may remember that I bought body wash back in the Watson’s in Mactan Newtown – but I hated it (because it was a body scrub which contained sand like ingredients) and I gave it to Mr. B. I buy some take away food from Turks, that sells yummy shawarma wraps for takeaway, https://www.instagram.com/turksayala/ to eat in my room later for dinner. After I return to my room I promised Mr. B. that I would research where I would like to go during his day off on Tuesday 25 February. Initially, I fantasized about us going to beautiful Bantayan Island, but the logistics to get there from Cebu City are too complicated for only a 2 day 1 night trip, as it takes 4 hours by van to arrive at the port where the boat is that takes you to the island and then the ferry takes up to 1 hour to cross. So we decide against this idea. Bantayan island white powder sand https://guidetothephilippines.ph/articles/ultimate-guides/bantayan-island-travel-guide So, I fire up the Grok AI module and it gives us a list of possible places to go that are near Cebu City, and at the same time Mr. B. suggests that we go to the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park. I read up about this place and I like what it has to offer, especially the ziplining adventure, which I truly find exhilarating and good to pump my heart to excitement. I like this plan and we mutually agree to it. So, now we both have something exciting to look forward to on Tuesday. We also discuss transportation modalities as it is quite far outside the city and we decide to employ our Grab taxi off-meter strategy – as that worked very well when we went up into the mountains last month. I finish writing and posting Day 54 of this trip report. Eat my Turks shawarma dinner on the balcony, relax, chat with my Thai boyfriend, and then call it a night. Day 56 (22 February 2025) concluded

Sorry guys - but once again, the organizers of the FIRST ever MIMA Party 2025 have amended the party date to Saturday 22 March 2025. The venue appears to remain the same. Note that this MIMA Party is limited to the first 120 people who sign up. If you are not already a member of their LINE group, you can try to reach either of the administrators via Twitter (X) at: @massageinside3 @Massageaddictt1 They do not state why the party date is being moved again - but one of you forum members (you know who you are) mentioned to me that Moonlight is having its 7th Anniversary party on Saturday 15 March 2025, as reported on their web page at: https://moonlightbangkok.com/ Below is the amended MIMA Party invitation as posted in their LINE group. Left side is the original party invitation and the right side is the party invitation translated into Thai by the Google Translate app.

I am hoping that what you wrote above is still true - as I desire the physical stamp in my passport, to: Be exempt for my first 90 days reporting, as required with the non O immigrant visa (I was out of the country), I need these first 62 days that I was outside of Thailand recorded in my passport - as I am using this tax year 2025 as my non-resident tax exemption - as part of my > 180 days out of Thailand. Therefore, I hope and pray, that the above mentioned mishap with the biometric system will not impact the date tracing of in and out of the country for the above mentioned 2 purposes.

outch - I see that the Friends Gay Guesthouse on Phú Quốc is now for sale. Perhaps @Olddaddy might want to take it over ?

I was also in Phú Quốc just before covid and I also loved it. My lodging was nowhere as nice as your beautiful stay at the Marriott. I instead stayed at the Friends Gay Guesthouse and it was quaint and a lot of fun - foam party on the roof for New Year's Eve. https://www.facebook.com/friendsgayguesthouse/ I hope to return to Phú Quốc when I will go to Da Nang, Vietnam for 130 days later this year.

not always. Being from the USA - our cock diet mostly consists of circumcised cut cocks - and so that is what we get used to. But I left the USA in May 1999 for Europe, where my cock diet changed to uncut cocks. And now here in Thailand the cock diet is mostly uncut cocks. As I like variety - Variety is the spice of life - I sometimes miss the enjoyment of a cut cock - especially when it comes to edging - as I have noticed that guys with cut cocks seem to enjoy edging more than guys whose cocks are not cut. Being cut myself - I cannot understand why? Can any of you forum members who are not cut explain why getting your cock edged is perhaps not liked ?

Great - let us meet up (if you would like) if you come over to Pattaya. Your guy can meet my guy and they can then talk about us = hahahaha....

I totally agree with this economic impact. This is very true and playing out now over in Phuket - as Phuket has become super expensive with the arrival of a huge amount of Russians of lately. I asked the Grok AI to explain it better than I could. So, the same economic situation is playing out here in Mactan island; first by the Japanese and now by the Koreans.

Yes, but in the next tax biennial - which would be year 2027 - when I would need to again leave Thailand for > 180 days. 2 years prior - I met a super hot guy in Pattaya who was from Surabaya in Indonesia - and he has been telling me to come to Indonesia - so Indonesia is definitely on the list. But for this tax biennial - it will only be the Philippines (62 days) and then after Songkran finishes, then off to Da Nang, Vietnam for 130 days. Sounds exciting, considering Indonesia has a population in excess of 280 million inhabitants, where I believe that the majority are circumcised ?

My return flight to Thailand is quickly approaching = 3 March One week from tomorrow I should be on the airplane back to Thailand.

Currently, I would only be back in Cebu IF the Thai government goes through with their threat to implement a Global Tax Scheme. For the next 2 sets of biennials - where I need to leave Thailand in the alternating tax year - I want to try some other countries in South East Asia - like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan - so for now, this issue would be a non event. Absolutely not. I don't know how they managed to live in a space so tiny during the draconian Covid lockdown period. When Covid hit I was living in Budapest where I had a large 72sqm loft with a huge balcony - which made it easier to get through the Covid lockdown period. But also, our Hungarian Prime Minister was one of the first countries in the EU to open up after only 6 months to normal pre-Covid status - unlike Thailand (I believe that they had to suffer for 2.5 years) and the Philippines (I believe that they had to suffer for almost 3 years). So, yes I would get annoyed with this 22 sq m space limitation. If I was to live here full time as a retiree - I would choose one of the larger condos with a balcony where the minimum space would be 45sqm or larger. oh no!! How embarrassing considering my last job before retiring was as a Finance Officer. Don't tell my ex boss. I can now see clearly the errors of my ways - as an average sqm price of $17.43 USD is ONLY slightly more than DOUBLE an average sqm price of ~$8.51 USD. When I typed the above I saw that it was double and associated double in my mind with 200%, whereas mathematically it is only 104% more. In my previous career as a Finance Officer I was only in charge with the moving of money from place A to place E - including any of the potential financial intermediaries (with greedy hands) found/intercepted inbetween points A and E. So, when your job is to hound your banking partners, manage banking databases, and to work with the international payment systems (SWIFT, SEPA, FedWire, mobile wallets, domestic ACH systems throughout the world, etcetera) you never had to perform mathematics and/or accounting - as this type of Finance Officer job did not involve accounting or budget analysis = hallelujah!!! As I hate those aspects of Finance - as evident in my above 204% blunder. But, if you ever need to move money from country A to country B - I am the guy to speak to.

Day 55 (21 February 2025) – Goodbye Mactan Newtown I had a restless sleep, so I wake up in a groggy state of mind – this usually happens when I need to relocate. I also wakeup to the noise of day 3 of the cockfighting – incredible. Eat breakfast and I begin the laborious labor of packing. Now I have 2 luggages – where the 2nd newer smaller luggage is dedicated to hauling around my massage towels, block the sunlight sheets, and anything that is remaining in the refrigerator of the AirBnB that I am vacating and can be ported to the successor AirBnB. On the day prior to my return to Thailand, I will gift this 2nd luggage and its contents to Mr. B. as he has been an incredible new friend in my 62 day stay here in Cebu. I have a long chat via the AirBnB app with the owner of this condo – as I have fallen in love with her condo and I wanted to tell her why it is so wonderful and to give her a suggestion to add a set of chairs and table on the balcony – as the balcony is now naked – in the sense that it is empty. She tells me that she intentionally did not buy any balcony furniture as she has a 5 year old child and she would dread the idea that this child could climb up onto this balcony furniture and perhaps fall from this 18th floor balcony. I tell her that I agree, but she should give consideration to buy a collapsable table and chair set for the balcony and to not assemble it when the child is there, but to assemble it when the condo is rented out to clients from AirBnB – she agrees. We also discuss why there are so many Koreans and she tells me that 25 years prior, that the number one foreigners in Mactan were the Japanese. But, in the last 10 to 15 years or so, the Koreans have overtaken the Japanese. She is a wonderful woman and it is one of those rare times when you bond with your AirBnB host. I also tell her that I am writing a paper about elderly retirees possibly retiring in the Cebu area and I ask her what would be the estimated monthly rental price for her condo on a long term lease. Her condo is ~ 44.6 sqm and the monthly rental price would be between 45,000 to 50,000 pesos per month ( ~ $777.53 USD to $863.92 USD ). Converting the lower price range to price per sqm = ~$17.43 USD ($777.53 USD / 44.6sqm). My Jomtien condo is 98sqm and costs 28,000 Thai baht ( ~ $834.33 USD) with an average price per sqm of ~$8.51 USD ($834.33 / 98sqm) à which when measured on a sqm basis, this wonderful Philippine Mactan Newtown One Pacific Residence (OPR) elegant condo complex is 204% more expensive than my Jomtien, Thailand condo. There are some notable reasons as to why this Mactan Newtown OPR condo would demand a higher price premium: OPR was constructed in 2016 – while the View Talay (VT) that I live in was constructed in 2007, OPR has an abundance of amenities and facilities that VT does not have, such as: Tennis court, Gym, Men/Women Onsens, Many meeting rooms, Climbing wall, Children’s playground, Outdoor sitting lounging area, Outdoor complex perimeter running track, Men/Women changing rooms, Access to private beach owned by the township, FULL 180 degree sea view. The only amenity that they both have in common is the pool. My VT condo – only has a partial 90 degree sea view – whereas this OPR condo has a FULL 180 degree seaview. Should this OPR condo command a 204% price premium ? I receive good news from my to-be new AirBnB host over in Cebu City that it is already available – he tells me this at 11am – which is the check out time for the OPR condo. So, this is fantastic news because I can immediately fetch a taxi and already travel to the new condo without having to be “homeless” for a couple of hours – as the normal check in time for the Cityscape condo is 3pm. I go to the OPR security team and check out and say goodbye to all of them and I ask them to fetch me a taxi (instead of using Grab) – as I know that they get a finders fee. A local Mactan taxi comes and I say a sad goodbye to the security team and to Mactan Newtown – my Jomtien in the Philippines. https://yourhome.ph/property/the-mactan-newtown/ Goodbye Mactan Newtown (Jomtien of Cebu) Good luck with the completion of your master plan My taxi guy was fantastic – he was a great storyteller and he also tells me all about the evolution from first the Japanese in Mactan and then now the Koreans. I ask him why he prefers remote Mactan over the hustle and bustle of Cebu City? He basically says the same reasons as to why I would not like to live in Pattaya City or Bangkok – the noise, traffic, grim, pollution, too far away from the sea, etcetra. Mactan is definitely nicer than Cebu City, but the traffic in Mactan can also be bad and is definitely worse than the traffic in Jomtien. Since Mactan island hosts the international airport for busy Cebu City, it adds to the traffic congestion. I tell the taxi driver about the 3 crazy days of cockfighting and he laughs and says to me, “oh sir, it is good that you leave Mactan island today – because this weekend it will be crazy here because of the Fiesta Señor de Santo Niño De Cebu Mactan Parish.” I reply, “but I thought that the festival of Santo Niño was SINULOG, which we already celebrated on 19 January 2025”? He replies, “sir, that SINULOG was for Cebu – now it is Mactan’s turn.” I lean back in my taxi seat realizing that WOW – he is correct – because at the mouth of the Mactan Newtown township MAIN entrance is the Sto. Niño De Cebu Mactan Parish = Ground ZERO of the to-be festivities. After 3 days of cockfighting what surprise could be forthcoming..... He tells me this is why you have heard 3 continuous days of cockfighting mixed in with marching band parades – this is the lead up to the BIG celebration. He said, this is nothing – you should see what will happen this weekend!! https://www.facebook.com/StoNinoMactanParishOfficial/ In that moment, I was happy to know that I would be escaping this Mactan SINULOG chaos and to be transferring back to calm and civilized Cebu City in the CBP – Central Business Park – Ayala Mall. Welcome Back to CBP!! We arrive back at the CityScape Grand Tower after only about 70 minutes and the security team is elated to see me again and quite surprised. Everyone is happy and so am I with their grand welcome. I perform the security ID document control and check in procedure, and all is good and they help me with my luggage up to my tiny 22sqm room with a sea facing tiny balcony. I compromised to return here, as this was the ONLY condo building that is listed in AirBnB or Booking.com, that: o Is near the CBP Ayala mall, o Has a balcony with sea view. There are 2 other buildings in the area with large condo units with very big balconies in: The Alcoves – premier condos that sit directly above the Ayala Mall - check it out here at: https://www.alcoves.com.ph/ Park Point Residences – premier condos located directly above the Ayala Mall with direct internal access to the mall. Check it out here at: https://www.ayala-land-premier.com/park-point-residences-cebu.html --> Unfortunately, the above 2 condo buildings NEVER appear in any of the short term condo rental sites. I have noticed that some of the high end condo buildings prohibit short term rentals – to keep up appearances of “high society”, or “Sosyal” in tagalog, or “HiSo” in Thai speak. --> So, in this sense, I failed to compare high end living in Cebu City with what we have back in Jomtien / Pattaya. However, I was able to accomplish this goal over in Mactan Newtown at the One Pacific Residence (OPR). I unpack and sort out my belongings. Then I set up my laptop workstation. You may remember that when I stayed here the first time – end of December – through the first two weeks of January – the space was so small that there was no way to create a laptop workstation. I made damn sure that with my second stay at Cityscape that in addition to a seaview balcony that there would be a way to create a workstation for my laptop. My improvised workstation Not perfect – as I need to look upwards towards the TV that is affixed to the wall – but it is very workable and I am happy. When you only have a 22sqm condo to work with, you have to be very creative. I take a shower and head over to the Ayala Mall for a great Italian lunch at Italianni’s https://www.italiannis.com.ph/ Then I search for another hair color treatment shop – as I am again not happy with how my hair is fading, aging, and looking ragged again – especially after our sun fun adventure on Olango island – as the sun just loves to transform hair that is dyed. We spend a lot of time going back and forth about the appropriate shade of brown for my hair. I show them the color code card that my Thai hairdresser gave me but it seems that they use a different color scheme here in the Philippines. She completes the hair treatment and I am super happy as they finally get the same color that I usually get back in Thailand. I get some take away food to eat in my room later – as I am truly tired and call it an early night. No massages or extra-curricular activities today. Day 55 (21 February 2025) concluded – Hello again CBP in Cebu City

They are EVERYWHERE. It is quite impressive - as I never saw this many Koreans together outside of Korea. In the Mactan Newtown area they are the predominant foreigners. Then after them are some Japanese, Arabs, and us from the west (North America, EU, and Australia). But us from the west, we are the minority. I was told that the Japanese frequent this area because they occupied large parts of the Philippines during World War II. The Koreans have created many businesses both inside the Mactan Newtown township and also in the immediate outside area. These businesses are some of the English language and educational schools, many restaurants, karaoke places, Wash-n-Dry franchises, real estate - condos for sale and rent, and probably many other types of businesses that I am not aware of in my short time here.

Day 54 (20 February 2025) Cockfighting Day 2 Eat breakfast and observe the continued ruckus of the nearby day 2 of cockfighting. What is surreal about this morning’s cockfighting is that it is supplemented with a musical parade – so to hear this cacophony of sounds; people yelling, roosters screaming, and marching band music playing is just so bizarre. 20Feb2025_shortened_cockfight_parade_video.mp4 Why a marching parade? Shall be revealed in tomorrow’s trip report update – stay tuned. I venture outside for my favorite last lunch in the township = soupless ramen + dumplings (gyoza): Today I see that they are roasting 2 large pigs to make lechon meals. Weather is kind of crappy so I stay in my room and get my trip reports up to date. A kind reader from this forum alerts me that I inadvertently outed Mr. B. in my trip report and I urgently write to our beloved TotallyOz who saves my ass and removes his true name. I apologize to Mr. B., as he also discovers that I included his true name in our trip to Olango island report. One of the dangers that we only have 20 minutes to fix/adjust anything that we post in this forum. Later in the evening, I decide to eat outside of the township, as this is my last night in Mactan Newtown. I walk over at the LG garden walk mall where I venture up to the second floor to try one of their many restaurants. I reward myself with a wonderful plate of fresh oysters and a “surf & turf” meal at the World Traveller’s Mactan Restobar https://www.facebook.com/worldtravellersceburestobar/ The owner is a very interesting and a well-informed Australian, who is married to a beautiful Filipina. He has lived in the Philippines, mostly in the Cebu area, for 18 years, so he could answer my million questions when he was not attending to other customers. He confirmed my understanding about why there are so many Korean (and to a lesser extent, Japanese) investors, expats, retirees and tourists in the area – as he told me that they always loved this Mactan island area due to its warm climate and proximity via air – even well before the MegaWorld Mactan Newtown township became livable (as the first construction phase was being completed) in 2012. I loved his restobar tagline = “Come for a drink, stay for a meal” as it is truly one of the attractions of frequenting his place – as you are immediately made to feel as a part of his extended family. While waiting to pay the bill, the Lady Gaga 2018 movie, “A Star is Born” theme song is displayed up on the big TV of the restaurant, and I have an unexpected emotional reaction and I need to hide my eyes – as that song is connected in my memories to my prior Thai boyfriend, as that was his favorite movie and when he shared it with me, it was the 1 and only 1 time that I ever saw him cry. After dinner, while walking back to my condo, I ran across a very sexy group of 5 to 6 hot Korean guys. I tried to take their photo for this trip report, but I fumbled and I was not successful, as the guys were watching me. I constantly look in the hookup apps hoping that some of these Koreans would be available – but I never see any. Perhaps they use a different app than Grindr and Heesay (formerly Blued) ? No massages or extra-curricular activities or cockfighting in my condo room today. Day 54 (20 February 2025) concluded.

Here is the specific link to the IMF warning for Thailand: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2965398/imf-calls-for-thai-rate-cut-to-support-inflation-ease-debt-load What is even more scary - is this Bangkok Post op-ed piece written by: Chartchai Parasuk, PhD, is a freelance economist. I don't know if this guy is always so "doom and gloom" - as I am not familiar with him. His op-ed is worth a read. https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2964523/thailands-financial-system-on-the-brink#google_vignette He is very pessimistic about what is in store for Thailand in year 2025

Day 53 (19 February 2025) = Cockfighting I am woken up early by what sounds like a protest outside on the street outside of the township walls. I open the curtains and I step out onto the balcony and I see a large crowd gathering in front of the below structures (see below photo) and there is a lot of excitement, yelling and screaming. I need my phone to zoom in very closely and it looks like it is the MC (Master of Ceremonies) who is riling up the crowd into a frenzy at 8:30am in the morning. I send the above photo to both Mr. B. and my Thai boyfriend and Mr. B. confirms that this is the occasional barangay (village) cockfighting, which is allowed on certain days of the month. shortened_cockfight_19Feb2025.mp4 Is this the Philippines answer to the Roman Empires, “Panem et Circenses” ?? To keep social order ? https://winedharma.com/en/blog-en/panem-et-circenses-the-role-of-the-colosseum-in-ancient-romes-social-order/ What is amazing is that this cockfighting went on all day late into the night. How many cocks had to die to satisfy the crowd ? Later after my Thai boyfriend wakes up he tells me that these local village cockfights also occur in Thailand. I have never seen them in Thailand and I surely don't want to see one up and close here in the Philippines - just the shrieks of agony (that I can hear) coming from the roosters sends chills down my spine. I work on the BIG trip report update for our trip to Olango. I go to lunch at my usual Mactan Newtown Alfresco open air food court. Today the weather is crappy – windy, chilly, and rain on and off throughout the day. So, I hunker back to my room to finally finish the Olango update and post it to this forum. I also respond to some queries that this trip report has generated. There is a lull in the rain and I run over to the An’Dale Eats food truck and I eat outside but it is quite too chilly with the wind. So, I eat quickly and return to my room. Chat with my Thai boyfriend and he is excited to go to Rayong with his friends to see the below mentioned Mor Lam concert. He sends me pictures and video streams via LINE and I eventually fall asleep knowing that my maximum capacity to enjoy a Mor Lam concert with them is about 2 hours long before they need to organize a car to send gramps (me) home for his warm milk and cookies and then off to bed. No massages or extra-curricular activities or cockfighting in my condo room today. Day 53 (19 February 2025) concluded.