Last March, we went to Davao City together with our
relatives from United States. My
American uncle wants to see a durian tree so he asked my tito (my mom’s
brother) to tour them in Davao.
Luckily, my tito has a friend based there so accommodation is no longer a
problem. One-way airfare was
shouldered by my American uncle so I only have to pay for the other half.
During the online booking process, I made a mistake of
booking our tickets from Tuesday to Friday. Our return date should be a Thursday. Minutes after I realized my mistake I
immediately called Cebu Pacific but Cebu Pacific is not flexible enough to give
in to my request. They asked me to
fill out the online form for my complaint/request and sad to say, up to this time Cebu Pacific hasn’t responded to my request. They responded through email acknowledging my concern but
they haven’t responded again for their concrete action to my request.
Moving on, we arrived at Davao International Airport before
9:00 pm. As we got off the
airplane, we can immediately smell the aroma of durian. We were welcomed by the Sato
family. We were supposed to eat
dinner at a popular restobar complex in Davao but unfortunately, my American
uncle’s ears are very sensitive to noise.
Instead, we just went home straight to Sato residence and ate dinner
there.
The following day, we went to Tagum City. On our way to Tagum City, we had quick
stops to the pawnshops Sato family owns.
They have a chain of pawnshops in Mindanao. I wasn’t able to see a lot of countryside sceneries in Davao
City. Davao City is the largest
city in the Philippines and is considered a business hub in Mindanao. We traveled more than an hour going to
Tagum City.
As we entered Tagum City, we saw rows of palm trees, and
because of this, Tagum City is named the "Palm City of the South". Tagum City was made rich by banana
tax. There were lots of banana
plantations there. You might never
know the banana that you are eating came from Tagum City.
Rows of palm trees on the roads of Tagum City
Rows and rows of banana trees!
The ongoing construction of the City Hall of Tagum City
When we arrived at the durian farm of the Sato family, there
were also a herd of sheep inside.
Kib and my American cousin tried chasing them but the sheep just
continued to run away from them.
Aside from durian trees, there were also rows of mangosteen, calamansi,
rambutan, and lazones trees inside the farm. We tried different durian varieties and we brought home some
fruits for us to enjoy at home.
Different durian varieties
Kib eating durian
These two tykes are chasing a herd of sheep
Having fun at the farm by picking fruits
A basketful of mangosteen for us to enjoy
I never imagined that a durian tree can be THIS high! Better not to stay under the durian tree or else...
Back to Davao City, we made a stop at Kuya Gary’s and Ate
Menchie’s home. Kuya Gary’s
passion is into baking and cultivating bonsai plants. Ate Menchie, on the other hand, has a nice lawn, which Kib
enjoyed so much. We ate
dinner back at Mr. Sato’s home.
Koi pond at Kuya Gary's house
Kuya Gary's bonsai collection
Another row of Kuya Gary's bonsai trees
Ah, this is life!
The following day, we went to Davao Crocodile Farm. There, we saw crocodiles segregated
based on their age. Here, the
crocodiles are on big pens compared with the crocodile farm in Puerto Princesa
where the crocodiles are on big tubs.
There’s this one giant crocodile on the farm who is alone on the
pen. It is the biggest crocodile
that I’ve ever seen! Imagine the
crocs on the movies that you see eating humans, that’s how big it is.
At the main entrance of Davao Crocodile Park
Oh no! Kib's been caught by a giant snake!
This is Pangil, the biggest crocodile in Davao Crocodile Farm. He is alone in this cage
Aside from the crocodiles, there were also other animals in
the area. There were rabbits,
ostriches, monkeys, snakes, turtles, among others. Kib took a chance in touching some of them.
Fearless Kib touching an albino python
Photo opportunity with a young crocodile
The turtle's claws were a bit touching Kib's hands so he is a bit hesitant to touch it.
In the afternoon, we went to Eden Nature Park. We toured around the area and we saw a
flower garden, vegetables grown using hydroponics (soilless growing of plants),
herb garden, and different kinds of hibiscus (gumamela in Filipino). Kib was so excited to try the zipline
but unfortunately, it was closed due to thick fog. We ate dinner at Jack’s Ridge, the overlooking spot in Davao
City. There I tried drinking cold
coffee with durian. It tastes
good!
You think Baguio City can have this kind of fog? Go to Eden Nature Park in Davao City
The resort is big!
Our only picture during the trip, on our way to the resort tour
Rows of different herbs
They also grow different species of flowers
Hibiscus! They look nice in the well
This artistic monument will welcome you at Jack's Ridge
Overlooking at Jack's Ridge
This giant clam was discovered at Jack's Ridge. This only shows that Davao City was under the sea in the old times.
Coffee Frappe with Durian
On our last day at Davao, we went to Samal Island for a swim
since the kids like the feel of the water. They had fun playing with the sand and the giant
chessboard. They even requested to
try bicycling on the water but unfortunately, the tide is low. Good thing that it was cloudy that day
too so I didn’t worry that much that Kib will get sunburn.
Life is a paradise indeed!
Clear and pristine water at Samal Island
It's low tide! I just forgot to bring his aqua shoes, the sea floor is a bit rocky
The sand is also fine!
What a refreshing drink!
Kib learning how to play chess
Kib loves playing with the sand, look at his happy mountain
Just past noontime we went back to the house to pack our
things going back to Manila. We
just spent the rest of the afternoon at Kuya Gary’s house to have snacks. He even let us bring home some of his
baked goodies.
Our short junket to Davao was indeed a good one! We want to go back there again as there
are still places that we have not visited. Babalik kami!
