I was interested in seeing some Churches in Zamboanga to contrast the Temples in Taiwan and Mosques I had been seeing on Mindanao Island. Also walking around I was discovering more of downtown, or City Proper as the locals say.There were many modern shopping centres surprising for a town characterized as being "so dangerous". The main downtown strip had several department stores though I didnt go in to look around and compare pricesOutside typically is an armed s...

Wandering around I came to an internet cafe and I hadnt logged on since finding a cafe in Marawi. An hour cost 15P (.35 cents). I was able to do my online check in for my two flights home but they didnt have a printer for the boarding card.I asked the lady wearing a headscarf who worked there. She said I needed a USB which I didnt have but she took me to another internet cafe a few stores away. They said the same thing that they can't do print outs though they ha...

The neighbourhood behind Fort Pillar called Rio Hondo is home to a Muslim community that lives on floating wooden homes. I was told by the tourist info office it was safe to visit so long as I don't cross a bridge to the other side of the river where "some bad boys may follow you and steal your camera".After passing thru a welcome gateway there is a co-ed Islamic school and local Mosque. The girls wore loose green clothing with a white headscarf. It was lunch pla...

Having solved the major problem of finding accommodation I now had two days to explore "dangerous" Zamboanga City. I first needed to find a proper meal as I hadnt eaten all morningAcross from the hotel was a halal restaurant with grilled chicken, fish, squid, and other local dishes. I ordered a grilled chicken, and a vegetable dish, which they provided with rice and some soup dish. With coke the total was 90P ($2.25).The main tourist sites were back by City Hall....

I had now arrived at "the most dangerous city in Mindanao" with no hotel reservation for two nites. I never travel without hotel reservations but no hotels in most of the entire island of Mindanao were available for online booking.There was a cluster on the main street downtown and since I had arrived early morning I had plenty of time to find a room. Since I'd never travelled like this before it would be interesting trying out what my friends usually do.The airp...