11 April 2015

Beautiful Davao

BY Gretchen Ho

What do we know about Davao? A lot of us have heard that this is one of the most peaceful cities in the country because of the rule of the Dutertes. The crime rate is very low, smoking is not allowed in public and even alcohol has its curfew. Most people also know Davao for its famous durian, pomelo and pearl farms. But what else do we know?

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to be sent to Davao to host the Coca-Cola Caravan during the Kadayawan Festival. This was our third festival for the year, first one was in Cebu and the second one in Cagayan De Oro. I have been to Davao only once, also this year, for a mall show with Abreeza. It was a very short stint since I had to fly in and out on the same day. Nevertheless I had a great time, and Davao left such a good impression on me with its laid-back feel and the humility of its people that I was very excited to come back. This time though, I was determined to experience more of the culture and wonders of the city.

The most charming part of the city, I could say, would be its people. I love how the Davaoenos stayed with us during the Coca-Cola Caravan even when it rained so hard. I think they even grew crazier when it poured. I love how up for the challenge they were when we called them up on stage to join our games and even do “samples”. Most of them sang, but a lot also danced to their favorite “Budots” dance. If I’m not mistaken, “Budots” is a funny dance popularized by the Camusboyz in Davao through social media. It involves moving your head, arms, chest, torso, legs, basically your whole body, to the music. Most often, it is performed by those who don’t know how to dance lol. What was amazing was the people were so receptive and responsive to us the whole night and I thought this was reflective of the humble nature of the Davaoenos.

For our “mini” vacation, we were supposed to go white water rafting but since we finished late with the concert, we decided to go to Maxima Aquafun on Samal Island instead. To reach the island, we had to take a 30-minute drive from our hotel to the Sasa Wharf and take a RoRo (Roll-on, Roll-off) to Samal Island. It was our first time to ride a RoRo, so Robi and I had a “little” fun.

Since he didn’t want to have a “Titanic” moment, I just had my moment with the wind.

To spice things up a bit, the captain of the ship invited us in to his control booth and asked us to drive! Check this video out 

We were a little crazy in that RoRo but hey, thanks to the captain for letting us drive! Hehe. After the RoRo, we took a 10-minute car ride from the dock to Maxima Aquafun. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much since I have never heard of the place and “Aquafun” sounded a little too kiddy for me. However, when I got there, I was quite surprised with the size of the place and the beauty of the ocean view.

My mind suddenly had a photographer’s orgasm when I saw the view that I immediately went down to take pictures. I love nature. Here are some of my scenic photos.

First thing we tried was the water blob. I’m not usually scared of heights but the jump somehow scared me. When you’re up there on the plank, it gets scary because all the thoughts of what may possibly happen begin to enter your mind. I don’t think it’s the jump that really scares you. It’s the overthinking. Haha. Good thing my mind also told me not to get conquered by my fear. I knew that if I didn’t jump I would regret it. So I told myself “Bahala na!” and took the leap.

Robi’s turn first!

Robi had such a great time with the water blob that he did it over and over and over again! He wanted to perfect his jump and landing. He was like a kid lol. According to him, he was trying to achieve an “Assassin’s Creed” dive lol.

One of the divers there told me that the resort was surrounded by beautiful corals so I decided to go snorkeling. True enough, I saw parrot fishes, butterfly fishes, nemos, yellow fishes, blue fishes, a sword fish, and some giant clams called Taclobo. Oh, how beautiful!

The parrot fish

It took me quite a long time just observing the movement and lives of the fishies. There were a lot of corals near the shore, but when you go a little further, the ground suddenly drops to 180 feet. It was my first time to swim in such deep waters but I was imagining myself to be in the middle of the ocean, seeing nothing at all down below. It was such an amazing experience. To cap things off, we were embraced by a very beautiful sunset 

Because we were starving, we headed over to our last stop for the day, the unlimited crabs buffet by Glamour Resto ‘N Caterer. For just P425 per person, you get to eat REALLY good crabs, shrimps, kilawin, tuna, pork, chicken and even dessert! I think this was the BEST food I’ve tasted in all my provincial trips. Highly recommended for everyone! They were even so nice to have us take home some crabs for our families. Thank you so much! 

Photo taken from https://facebook.com/glamourcrabsbuffet

I loooooved my Davao experience. It was quite a short trip but I definitely enjoyed the people, the view, the beach, and the food. This has been one of my most favorite provincial trips thus far. I know there’s much more to explore in this place, but I’ll leave that for another time. Maybe white water rafting? Better wait for me, Davao 

Of course, I didn’t forget to have some pomelo :p