Posts tagged Davao

Second Trip to Davao- Samal Islands

By on August 23, 2011
This entry is filed under Davao, Food, Island, Nature and tagged , , , , , , , . | 1 Comment

Map of Davao del Norte showing the location of...

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As what I have mentioned a few posts ago, me and a friend went to Samal Island together with another family during my second trip to Davao. Samal Island is a very beautiful place. We went there via barge (a ship where you could take your car with you). The family we went with hired a van and we took it to Samal. The barge trip was about 15- 30 minutes away. It was just a short trip as Samal is still part of Davao.

Island Garden City of Samal

Island Garden City of Samal

Monfort Bat Colony

The first place we went to in Samal is the Monfort Bat colony. There, you could find thousands of bats in caves. You would not be able to get inside the caves but from outside, you would be able to see thousands of bats covering the walls of the caves. Their number is no reason for worry though as they are Fruit bats and pose no harm to humans whatsoever. According to the posters posted around the entrance of the colony, these bats feed on fruits and in turn distributes pollen from other fruit trees thus causing trees to flower and bear fruit. So, these bats are the reason that Davao is The Fruit basket of the Philippines and the reason why there are many Durian in Davao.

Monfort Bat Colony

Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island

Hamigit Falls

Our next destination was Hagimit falls. Although Hagimit falls consisted of just small falls, the water is very cool and refreshing.  The water seemed very fresh and enticing but me and my friend did not go swimming as we did not want to get wet at that time. We had lunch there and some of the kids who were with us enjoyed swimming in the water. We didn’t stay there very long as we still had somewhere else to go to.

 

Hamigit Falls in Samal Island

Hamigit Falls in Samal Island

Our last stop was a private resort in Samal. It was owned by a friend of the family we went with and there we met other friends who also went there to relax. The place was a resort with many small cottages surrounding a big mansion complete with an entertainment room and a game room. The view from the veranda of the mansion is very beautiful and relaxing.  The resort has a big swimming pool that is about 8 ft at the deepest part and 2 ft at the shallow part for the children.  We sang songs inside their entertainment room as they have their own videoke  microphone and afterwards went swimming at the pool. It was lots of fun swimming in the pool even though it was raining. We finished at around 6 pm then we had dinner where we enjoyed lots of fruits such as lanzones and rambutan then went back to Davao proper the same way we came.

 

Samal is such a beautiful place and I really hope I get to go back there again to enjoy the other parts of the island. One day is not enough.

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Second Visit to Davao: All About Durian

By on August 15, 2011
This entry is filed under Davao, Food and tagged , , , , . | 3 Comments

My second trip to Davao was not as long as my first one. But I was able to have a good time during that trip too. During that time, we did not stay at an acquaintance’s house but on a Dormitel. I forgot the name of the Dormitel but it is located inside the Davao Doctor’s Hospital Compound. The Dorm is quite nice because it is clean and it is not very expensive. The price is 200 to 250 pesos per person per night. The rooms are air conditioned and although the bathroom is shared, you do not have to wait for your turn because there are plenty of bathrooms and the water supply is plenty.

My second visit to Davao was the time when I acquired the taste for Durian. It was September 2010, a Durian season so the fruit was very cheap, around 20-30 pesos per kilo. There was one night during my stay there where we went to a Coffee shop that serves Durian fruit and Durian flavored Coffee and drinks.

 

Loving the Durian Taste (and Aroma?)

At first, I did not really like it. Then I found out that there are many different kinds of Durian and the taste of each kind differs from one another.

I acquired the taste of Durian when we went to a friends place one night. Because she found out that we are there, she invited us to visit her house. True to Davao’s reputation as the Philippines’ fruit basket, my friend prepared different fruits including mangosteen, rambutan and of course, Durian. The Durian they gave us is very delicious and it is the first time i ate a lot of Durian. Some of my friends who really did not like durian, also enjoyed eating the Durianthey served us.

Durian Information

About Durian

From Davao Going Back to Cebu

We went back to the dorm quite late and the next day, me and a friend were invited to go on a trip to another island in Davao called “Samal” while the others prepared to go back to Cebu on that same day (I will tell you about that trip on another post). The day after that was our flight back to Cebu but since it was still in the afternoon me and my friend decided to go around Davao and buy some pasalubong (presents). We went to Lola Ebon’s where she first tasted Durian Ice cream and although she did not like Durian fruit, she loved the ice cream. That is how she acquired the taste for Durian.

Durian in D' Farmers Market

Durian in D' Farmers Market

After buying pasalubong, we went to the market where we could buy cheap Durian and ask the vendor to take it out of its skin. That is where I made her try the Durian fruit again and that is when she started liking it.  After buying Durian at the market, we went to the mall and bought some things then we went back to our dorm to pack the Durian we bought in microwaveable containers and seal it with packaging tape so it won’t smell in the airplane. I liked the Durian so much that I ate some of the Durian I bought intended as a pasalubong and my friend liked it so much that she ended up eating most of the Durian she took back home to Cebu for her brother. And now, while talking about Durian, my mouth is watering. I miss Durian. I hope I get to eat it again the next time I visit Davao. :)

My First Davao Adventure – Diving, Durian and More

By on July 30, 2011
This entry is filed under Davao, Food, inside stories, opinion and tagged , , , , , . | 2 Comments

Ok, I will not talk about Cebu for now, coz I want to  talk about my first trip to Davao. My first trip to Davao was almost two years ago. We went there to attend a three day convention, but I stayed in Davao for almost 7 days.

Davao Airport

Davao Airport

Our flight to Davao was delayed  by a few hours so we arrived in Davao at around 4PM Thursday instead of the scheduled 12NN. We went straight to the convention hall as we had some things we needed to attend to before we go to our accommodation.

99 Pesos Eat-All-You-Can

We stayed at a friend’s  friends’s house and when we got there, we rested after eating. Except for the flight delay, we had an uneventful first day in Davao. The next three days were spent on the convention. At nights, we go to a barbeque place to have dinner near the Chinatown of Davao and go to Gaisano Mall to buy some things that we need. During the last night of the convention, we went to an Eat-all-you-Can buffet restaurant that costs only 99 pesos. Cheap right? But the food is good and you have lots of choices.

Scuba Diving in Davao

On our fifth day in Davao, we had planned to go scuba diving and so we did. We went to the port area of Davao and went to a dive shop where we paid 1,250 pesos per person for the boat ride, lunch, use of Kayak, diving lessons and a 30 minute dive 40 feet below the surface of the sea. The diving instructor taught us basic diving instructions, like breathing through your mouth, the signals for when you want to go up or down or if your ok, or if you are having problems, how to remove fog or mist from your goggles and so forth.

After the instruction, we were allowed to ask questions and then the diving began. It was so much fun to be under the water watching animal and plant life. 30 minutes is too short coz you enjoy what you are seeing. I got to see a variety of live corals and fishes, like NEMO or clown fish playing with the sea anemone and many other colorful fishes. I just love the underwater world.

Kayaking

After my turn in diving, we tried out the kayak. I had a partner with me but she was tired so i did most of the rowing. It was fun  and scary at the same time  coz the kayak might turn over due to the waves and the current is to strong and it’s taking us away from the boat. But it was fun and is a good excercise.

We finished around 2 or 3 o’ clock  and then we rested and then went to the mall in the evening to eat and just look around. The next day, we went to EDEN Park. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Davao. They have zip lines and lots of nice views and and the tour is very educational.

Eden Park and Zip Line

We had to take a 15 to 30 minute ride in a motorbike (habal habal) for 50 pesos each to get to Eden Park because the park is located up in the mountain. We got there quite late as it was already getting dark because some of my companions had to finish some business before going there. Still, we went inside. The entrance fee is 400 pesos. We didn’t get to go around the whole area as the tour usually ends at around 5:00 pm. but we walked around and visited some areas that are easily reached by foot and played around the playground and the zip line pratice area. The zip line practice area is a place where you could safely try the zip line. The line is very low so even if you fall down there is very little chance of injury. The zipline closes at around 5 PM too so we weren’t able to try the actual zipline that goes from one mountain to the other. We went back home after an hour or so as it was already getting late and we asked the motorbike driver to wait for us.

Souvenirs and of course, Durian

Our last day in Davao was spent shopping for pasalubong (English: presents). As you may already know, Davao is known for Durian fruit, a spiny fruit known for its amazing taste and challenging aroma. There are lots of stuff made from Durian that you can buy there as a pasalubong. There’s the actual fruit, which you can ask the vendor to remove from the skin and put inside a microwaveable container (so it is much lighter to carry and the smell can be contained), there’s the candy, the yema, the jam, and the pastilles. Aside from Durian though there are lots of other flavors you can choose from, like cheese, mangosteen, langka, etc. The most popular place to buy sweets as pasalubong is at Lola Ebon’s. A must try in Lola Ebons is their Durian Ice cream and Ice Candy. Those were very delicious. For those who has not yet acquired the taste for Durian (yes, Durian is an acquired taste, some people do not like it the first time they eat it) , the Durian Ice cream is a  must try.

Durian Fruit from Davao

Durian Fruit from Davao

After the shopping for pasalubong, we went back to our accommodation to get our bags then went to the airport for our flight. A trip well enjoyed. Indeed,   Davao is a very nice place to visit…

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