Experience the Crime-free City of Davao

Davao City is known as the clean city and the largest city in the Philippines by  land area. It was my 4th time to visit this place. But this travel is quite different from my previous visits because maybe of how I paid attention to simple details that really matter. I have always loved traveling alone. It gives me this new feeling of epiphany and sheer joy. Plus to mention the bliss I get when I have the chance to connect to other people in a manner that serves your higher purpose. This may sound vague but I will show you some of the simple things I did while I was alone in Davao City.

What I did:

1. I went to People 's Park.

2. I tried the street food and had my stomach pang quenched.

3. I went to check on the ukay-ukay and saw the perk on foot and body massage  right next to it. How cool is that? But since I was too busy looking around for bargain items, I wasn't able to try the foot massage around the corner. So, I went to Sta. Ana to try the Royale experience of Sauna with massage after a long and tiring day since it's near to the place where I stayed.

4. I checked out some souvenir items for my friends.

5. Roamed  the streets of sta. Ana, San Pedro, Matina, Roxas, Monte Verde, etc.  and was able to stroll to different malls- SM lanang, SM Ecoland, NCCC and Gaisano. I stopped visiting malls 'coz it all looks the same.

6. While in People's Park, I wanted to have solitary moment with myself. But unfortunately, some strange guy seated right beside me. Honestly, I was annoyed because he just ruined my dramatic moment. But later on, our conversation got long and interesting. Till I figured out, he was into networking and that's his strategy to convince and get clients..hahahahh! Not bad. And until now, he is still convincing me to join his company.

7. Tried to commute to and fro and got lost.. hahahahh!But unlike other cities, you won't feel terrified of being lost, rob or harass because Davao is a safe and crime-free city. you won't be afraid to display that Iphone 5 or be paranoid that any moment it will be grabbed. People in Davao are nice, humble and honest.

8. And how can I forget to buy lots of books. It's weird how I panicked and be amazed with the numerous books in the National Bookstore. I can spend whole day reading there. 

9. What is very funny is finding myself uttering and begging God (well, just in my mind saying it loud) to have a boyfriend like the guy who happened to seat beside me in the jeep. You know during that time, I wished that the road will get longer so that I'll have more time with this cute stranger. Haahahhah!

10. Most importantly, don't forget the lessons on the road:

a.  that helping other people who needs help will give us happiness

b.trusting God is the only option and the best option we can get.

c. traveling leads to discovery of inner self and happiness 

d. and above all, love yourself more and thank God for everything He has given you.

My slideshow

Bukidnon Adventure

One of the highlights of our travel in Bukidnon is the Dahilayan Park. The rugged mountains and rocky cliff made it one of the best adventure rides in the Philippines. It was my first time to try zipline.  And I thought that I was going to die up there!hahahah! I could laugh at myself remembering how scared I was. It even made me laugh when I saw how excited a 5-yr. old kid to try this thing. Anyway, talking about the longest zipline-- its here in Bukidnon. I think all kinds of rides can be tried here. It was very unfortunate of us because it was getting dark when we reached Dahilayan Park. It was about to close, so we haven't tried all the rides.

 Here are some glimpse of our photos:

Visiting the the Municipality of Malitbog gives me a feeling of hope. It is the home of the future Millionaires. The place is very peaceful. Though, its just a little dusty. You need to be in an air-conditioned car. Nonetheless,the  backdrop of the mountain is really awesome.  

Summer Escapade in Bongao

It was holy week when a friend (together with her friend) from Manila arrived in Bongao. They wanted to spend their holy week in Turtle Islands. Unfortunately, they got surprised when we said that it's not easy to get there because of no regular travel schedule. I remember their faces like what they just heard was a jaw-dropping news. And the worst scenario if they get stranded for months because of weather condition and availability of transportation. In order to maximize their summer vacation,  I chose the nearest place in Bongao.  It was Holy week and the tourism people also had their long break.  So I decided to join them in their island hopping adventure here in Bongao (instead of leaving them to the Tourism people). We hired a local boatman to guide our trip using his pumpboat to Tongsinah, Luuk buhi and Lagasan. I was hesitant and worried at first because they might not enjoy the place.I know that these visitors are backpackers and they have been in so many places.But surprisingly, they love it there, really! They enjoyed swimming in the white sandy beach and tried the sand spa. And according to them, it works like magic! They crazily sunbath giving then a  sun-kissed skin--imagine swimming under the heat of the sun at noon time!  

Aside from the beach, they also tried the native food and malaysian food. They conquered the Bongao peak that is approximately 350 meters high. They also went to Batu-Bato . What is new in this place is the actual trade and barter of goods. Unfortunately, we didn't witness the so-called market-market because we went there around 9 plus (if I am not mistaken). The exchange happens at 7:30 am. So we just toured the place, visit the mosque and captured some nice panoramic views.


Some Photos of  Luuk Buhi & Lagasan:

  

Some photos with my friends during our visit in Lagasan:

Manda Island, Mapun

Mapun is one of the municipalities of Tawi-Tawi. Manda Island is part of Mapun municipality which is a Marine Protected Area. It is a perfect place that offers diving spots with numerous coral beds lushing lavishly that is visible to the naked eyes. It is also a nice spot for snorkeling. It was an awesome experience to be in this island. The sights of unexplored white sandy beach and the scene of huge rocks formation are just splendid. However, it was kinda freaky experience getting near the rocks. It was a different feeling because the rocks look ghastly and spine-chilling. Anyhow, going to Manda Island is not easy. You need to hire a pump boat or motor launch to get there. Oh, I can just imagine the big waves we encountered going back to Mapun from Manda Island. Nonetheless, it was a worth it experience!