I had another work trip outside Luzon, and this time I went to Davao! I am super excited because Davao is known for its discipline and cleanliness and I wanted first hand experience.
It was a very peaceful flight. As the airplane was getting ready for descent, I could see how green and nature-y Mindanao is. Beautiful! I think it’s Mt. Apo (tallest mountain in Philippines) that you can see over there.
The plane landed and immediately I can see how Davao is different from Manila. It doesn’t have that hustle bustle and stressful feeling.
My first Davao meal is Boiling Post! I’m a huge fan of seafood especially shrimp. The restaurant has a The Boiling Crab feel wherein they give you bibs and gloves to eat because it will be messy!
It was so delicious and the restaurant has a cool interior. It’s definitely the best choice for my first meal in Davao.
For the rest of the day and night I got busy with work because we had an event to prepare for. The event was a huge success and everyone was happy!
I was booked in Park Inn by Raddison which is conveniently located behind SM Lanang (where we had our event). But before calling it a night, my boss decided to try out the nightife in Davao. Sadly, there’s not much to go to around that time (around 11), but we went to this small bar called Street.
It had this grungy feel that was cool. I didn’t have any drinks except for the grape soda (which tastes normally). We had the sausage and fries platter which was so good! After a short hour there it was time to get some rest.
Rooms in Park Inn have this very modern design and cold temperature. I like it! I had a really good night’s sleep. The bathroom is nothing out of the ordinary, but it had a modern feel also.
I took an afternoon flight again so I can explore. Davao is known for its nature attractions so there was not much to see that was nearby the city. I ended up visiting a Buddhist temple that was nearby.
It’s called the Longhua Temple. At the time I went there the monks were sleeping or doing their morning activities so I wasn’t able to see any of them. There’s a personal tour guide that was ready to lead you to the place for free. He told me all about the temple, the Buddhists, and also other places I can visit in the area.
It’s my first time going to a Buddhist temple and I was amazed at all that I could see. Lots of statues and special prayer rooms. The whole religion is very interesting.
After this I went to the market to buy fruits. Davao is known for its pomelo so I loaded up on that. I ended up buying 8 pomelos, 3 mangosteens, and a lot of candies… all for Php 360! That was a lot cheaper than I expected at all.
I didn’t feel like going to the zoo so I ended up going back to the hotel and walking to SM. I had lunch there at some Arabian/Middle Eastern fast food place. It was nothing special, but it’s certainly a restaurant not located in Manila.
I had a few hours to kill so I decided to watch The Good Dinosaur in their cinemas. The cinemas there are so cheap! But the cinema place didn’t look cheap at all.
After the movie it was time to say good bye. The airport was pretty crowded because of the long line but it wasn’t too bad because it made everything easy and efficient. I like their airport because each gate has a designated lounge with aircon and seats good enough for the estimate number of passengers. It’s nothing like NAIA 2 or 3 of course, but certainly one of the best domestic airports I have been to.
Next time I go to Davao, it’s a huge must that i devote more time there because the places that are worth going to is a little far out from the city. But from what I have seen so far, Davao is definitely one of the most peaceful, clean, and friendly cities I have visited.
Hedda Damasco 