November: Davao Trip

 

Day 1

Left Iloilo at around 8:30 or 9:00 am. We arrived in Davao City at around 10. Tine immediately took photos of the marker and the famous durian sculpture. This is our first time in Davao and we were very excited. We are sleepy too as we do not usually sleep if we have morning trips for the fear of waking up late.

We took a taxi and told him to take us at C5 Dormitel.The taxi driver is more of a talker. He talked about Davao City, Mindanao, Zamboanga, War, Politics and so on. He claims to understand Hiligaynon as he used to live in Tacurong City ( a hiligaynon speaking city in Mindanao ) which is a relief for me as I did not want to struggle with translating the Hiligaynon words that I had in mind to Filipino sounds out of my mouth.

When we arrived at C5, we were welcomed by their “cool” receptionist. The place is similar to Laura Hotel of Cadiz. There where a lot of people checking in, they were participants in the Milo Marathon. The receptionist thought we were participants too. The room was 500 per day and considering its ambiance, location and feel, it was a steal.

Since we were not able to sleep yet, we decided to forego lunch and sleep for a while. We woke up at around 4:30 pm and headed straight to SM Davao. Their SM is quite old with limited shops. We explored the mall and ate at the Food Court. After that, we headed to Abreeza Mall and searched for DQ.

We failed in finding DQ. So we opted for the Kangaroo Kafe. We took a cab in getting there. The cafe serves durian-based coffees and such. What caught my attention is their chandelier. It is composed of different kinds of eyeglasses, it’s a brilliant way of designing and recycling at the same time.

After that we just walked back to our place.

Day 2

Woke up early to get to Samal Island. We had breakfast at this 24/7 convenience store. It was perfect for us as they served microwavable meals and desserts. We ordered siomai, the attendant did not inform us that their chili sauce is  a chili sauce from hell. It’s a good thing they have this big chocolate shakes for only 50 and it’s so much better that we ordered the big ones as they are the only way to temporarily get rid of the chili sauce’s effect.

We took a jeep in getting to the Samal Terminal. There were three terminals, we headed to the Island Bus Terminal. We arrived too early so we had to wait for 30 minutes or so for the bus to arrive and the ro-ro to depart.

We got off at Penaplata and we were swarmed with offers from habal-habal drivers. We went to Bito Depression, Hagimit Falls, Moncado House, Monfort Cave and by the lunch time, we were Blue Jaz. We said goodbye to our guide Manong Jun as we are going to spend the whole afternoon there.

At around 5pm, we left and headed straight to C5. We took a jeep in going back but we didn’t know that the jeep is going to take long before finally arriving. Augustine thought we were actually lost. But after a while, we landed right in front of C5.

We were tired and all so we rested for a few but we woke up dawn the next day.

Day 3

Woke up early and went to the same 24/7 Convenience Store. Ordered the same meal minus the siomai. After that we took a jeep in getting to GMall and took a taxi in getting to Zip City. Again, we were the first ones there. The Dencio’s Hilltop complimentary ticket we were not able to consume after the Zipline thingie so we just bought bottled water with it.

After that we headed to GAP Farm and by lunch time, we were at Crocodile Farm. After meeting Pangil,we went to the restaurant at the back and had Crocodile Soup and Ostrich Fried Rice.

We went back to C5 after Crocodile and rested for a few. At around 5 pm, we headed outside to the Ukay-ukay by the road, we went to Aldevinco. We were not hungry yet so we went to Victoria Mall. We bought a shisha there, After that we headed to Abreeza again and finally had dinner at Majid’s Kebab. We went Children’s Park and headed back to C5 after that.

Day 4

Woke up early as we had a 7 am trip back home. We ate at a carinderia nearby. They had the cheapest food ever. The Milo marathon is about to start. We wanted to leave as soon as we can as we wanted to be on time for our plane. We had a chance o watch the early part of the marathon and took some videos. we saw Davao’s Running Man, the old police guy who runs barefoot.

WE bought pasalubongs at the airport. The things that they sell there are very cheap. The first stall at the left side of the elevator sells really cheap goodies so we bought durian stuff there.

 

 

 

 

Moncado House

Moncadistas meet here every weekend. The view in this place is AWESOME!

Behind Bars

Can't help but think of people who are in prison (literal and figurative jails).

Attic

Cascade

Hagimit Falls

Hagimit Falls Entrance