Valencia is a beautiful mountain town 20 minutes west of Dumaguete. It has perhaps the highest concentration of expats of anywhere I've seen in the Philippines, some from Europe, some from the US and Canada, some from other parts of Asia and Australia. Because of the higher elevation the weather is a little cooler than Dumaguete. It's a nice place to relax.
Market Day in Valencia
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| Market Day is held in the central plaza in the middle of town |
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| corn and other vegetables... |
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| pineapple, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant... |
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| onions, green beans, chili peppers... |
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| long green beans, garlic... |
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| bananas, ampalayas (bitter melons)... |
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| cabbage, avacados... |
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| different types of greens... |
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| rambutan... |
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| baked delicacies... |
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| cut flowers... |
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| ukay-ukay (ookai-ookai, thrift stores) |
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| mountains in the background... |
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| live plants and trees for sale as well... |
World War II Museum
This is an authentic WW II museum of artifacts mostly personally collected by the owner, Mr. Felix Cata-al, in and around Valencia.
He was five years old when the Battle of the Visayas was fought, and a small part of it was fought in Valencia when the Filipinos and Americans drove the Japanese from the Visayas. His father fought in that battle.
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Mr. Cata-al personally gave us a tour of the museum
with many fascinating stories |
Casaroro Falls
Valencia has several beautiful waterfalls, the most famous of which is Casaroro. It is further up the mountain than the town.
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The ascent to the entrance of Casaroro Falls is steep,
even for a car |
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The Welcome Center,
gift shop and restaurant |
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To descend to the actual Falls
I think it cost 30 pesos |
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| Over 300 steep stairs to descend to get down to the river level |
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The Falls are magnificent,
over 100 foot drop |
Tiera Alta Resort
An elegant and exclusive resort high atop a cliff overlooking the river.
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The clubhouse |
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| The dining area |
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| The view from the lighthouse is amazing |
Out and About
Other shots from around Valencia:
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| Flowers below the town plaza |
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| Flowers above the town plaza |
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| Two senior citizens shooting the hoop |
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| Canas in the town plaza |
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| Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park |
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| The lower pool in Oceans 24 Resort |
These pictures are gorgeous and so colorful!!☺️ Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese comments are from Charity, btw. Just figured out how to show my username. Lol
DeleteThank you so much for reading and participating in the blog, Charity!
DeleteJoseph, these photos and comments are truly enlightening! You could be a travel/tour guide and definitely hold folks' interest! How's the cost of living there?
ReplyDeleteHi D'Arcy. Thanks for reading and commenting on the blog.
DeleteCost of living varies greatly. I have heard of Americans living on $300/month and others spending over $3000/month. One of the biggest determiners is how much you can adapt to living like the locals. With a nice apartment and two students in college, we usually spend 1-1.1k/month.
I really would like to RETIRE there!!! eventually I CANNOT...Jack cant Fly...after seeing and reading your Blog he is interested to visit Phil...but with probs he got...HE will just see and read yur Blogs Joseph...You know it...
ReplyDeleteHi Mellette and Jack, we miss you guys! It would be wonderful if you could just come over, Jack, even for just a visit. But we will look forward to seeing you when we return to the States too.
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