Davao City is where
the current President, Rodrigo Duterte, started his political career and has
been in service for 22 years. He made it into a place that piqued my interest.
When I was young, I have heard that Davao City was chaotic and a dangerous place
but that reputation changed after he became Mayor. He changed it to where it is
now called the safest city in the Philippines. He would also coax the people to
visit the people and see for themselves as to why. It is also the biggest city
in terms of land area in the Philippines if not in Southeast Asia.
How I got there:
I have booked a
promo flight from Cebu Pacific for Davao. It cost me around Php701.84 for a
round trip airfare. I have been on a look out for promo fares and my flight was
booked last May 2016 and it was money well spent.
Where I stayed:
I was planning on
staying at
Hotel Uno
as they have a single fan room that is good for solo travelers but I had a
housemate that told me she stayed at Green Windows which has an A/C backpacker
room for a very affordable price.
Here is the room
rates for Hotel Uno. But prices may change without prior notice so please
contact hotel first for current information.
For Reservations or
Inquiries:
Trunkline: +63 (82) 282 1111
Mobile: +63 925 5111011
Email: hotelunodavao@gmail.com
I also check out
Homitori
as it a dormitory type of accommodation in Davao. The location is near the Sta.
Ana Pier where you can take a ferry to Talicud Island and also it is an
accessible place for the Magsaysay Fruit Vendors.
Here is their room
information and again prices may change without prior notice so be sure to
contact the hotel first.
Location:
F. Bangoy Street
corner Sta. Ana Avenue, Davao City 8000
Contact Info:
Phone +63(82)295-2969;+63(82)295-2971
Mobile +63(922)8994646 or +63(922)8541127
Email: homitoridvo@gmail.com
For Green Windows
Dormitel, here is the room info:
The things I did and the places I went to:
I was supposed to
meet a guide there to show me around the place but because she is a Rescue
Volunteer, she has been assigned a job for that week because of the ongoing
ASEAN Summit. I ended up having a DIY Tour instead.
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| A Philippine Eagle Statue at People's Park |
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| The Memorial Monument @ Roxas Ave. Night Market |
I first left my
things at the hotel and then headed for Marco Polo Hotel, where I was supposed
to meet her. I stopped over at People's Park
and thanks to Google Maps I didn't get lost and I arrived at the destination. I
briefly met with Fenah and she showed me and told me about Roxas Night Market which happens to be just
across the street since the hotel was situated there. I love the night market,
it a haven for a foodie like me! There are a lot of streetfood buys there fit
for the budget. She bid goodbye to me after I told her that I can just show
myself around because I noticed her being busy with her phone ( they must be
looking for her) and decided to get a back massage. I preferred to be laying
down instead of just sitting but it was still good enough to relieve me of the
aches and pains I had been feeling. I went walked back to the hotel after and
one thing I can say, it is safe to walk on the streets even at night in Davao
City. The police is very visible and there is that safe feeling you get when
you are there.
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| The unique structure of San Pedro Cathedral |
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| The puppet exhibition at Museo Dabawenyo - they feature different exhibitions each month |
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| Different skulls at the Bone Museum |
On my second day, I
visited the San Pedro Cathedral for its
unique structure. Then I had walked from the church to Museo Dabawenyo. There is no entrance fee for the museum but no
pictures are allowed to be taken once inside the museum. You can only take a
picture at the main entrance/lobby. From the museum, my next destination is D'Bone Collector Museum and though it was not
near the museum, I still opted to walk there. The museum is, as the name
suggests, a collection of bones from different animals and one or two from
dinosaurs. They also have bones from whales and what is amazing about them is
that they can make you realize that they are really huge animals.
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| Tribu K' Mindanawan Entrance |
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| The stage for their Fire Dances held every weekend nights |
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| Tribu K'Mindanawan Menu |
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| Tribu K'Mindanawan Menu |
From there, my next
stop was the
Crocodile Park but there is
no way I can walk from my current location to there and it was 12NN and it was
blazing hot. I booked a taxi through my Grab App (see 6 Helpful Apps for
Travel) and just waited for the driver to pick me up at the museum. I was able
to talk to the driver, Warren, and he was friendly. I had told him of my
dilemma with tours since the tourists spots of Davao are very far from each
other especially the Philippine Eagle Center and Eden Nature Park. Most taxi
drivers offer tours whole day for
PHP2000-2500
but I was able to haggle with him to
Php1500
as it was already 12NN excluding Philippine Eagle Center. I was planning to do
it the next day. From the park,
Tribu
K'Mindanawan is just within the vicinity so I was just able to walk
there from the park. I also had my lunch there.
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| Replica of Lolong - who held the record of the largest captive crocodile in the world |
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| Farmville at the Crocodile Park |
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| Nipa Hut with a Carabao statue - showcases the everyday farmer's life at Eden Nature Park |
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| Wishing Well @ Eden's Nature Park |
He was very
accommodating and very friendly and telling me about the places we went to. We
head straight to Eden Nature Park as he
wanted me to catch up the last tour. The next destination is the Japanese tunnel which gives a glimpse of
history that both amazes me and saddens me of the Filipinos caught up with the
war. The amazing thing about the tunnels is how they were able to dig up those
stone tunnels that lasts for miles and yet the tunnel also has the "bartolina",
a chamber for prisoners, where is so small yet 6 people were held there during
the era. It was past 6PM when we went to the Japanese tunnel and the tour
should only be until that time but I asked if Jack's Ridge was included, he said
that tour should only be about 6PM but later he decided to take me there
because he doesn't want his guest dissatisfied with the tour. I was thankful so
I treated him dinner.
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| The 'bartolina' |
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| Going deeper in the tunnel |
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| A statue of a Japanese Soldier during Japanese era |
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| Jack's Ridge overlooking the city - can't be described by photos alone |
